Kindle, Vincenzo’s, Tasting.

Amazon.com have a special on the Kindle at the moment, Matt was talking about buying me one for my birthday, but…. Actually I have now been doing a bit of research. I have something like 226 ebooks in a library with Fictionwise and it appears I could download the majority of them onto a Kindle or even a Barnes and Noble Nook. I hadn’t realised there were so many ebook readers on the market, I came across quite a few others during my research. I think I might still opt for the Kindle though, particularly as its on special at the moment. I basically can’t make up my mind whether I want one or not, I have been reading ebooks on my Palm Zire 31 for a number of years, its pretty small by comparison, but still quite adequate except on a sunny day but then I rarely try and read outside anyway. We figured out the reading area is about 1/3 of the Kindle. I also would like a flat screen monitor for my desktop. Decisions, decisions.

I forgot to mention when I was talking about Vincenzo’s yesterday, they do packets of duck wings confit something I have never seen for sale before. Didn’t buy one, but am bearing it in mind for future purchase perhaps. We didn’t spend as long looking at things as I would have liked, but we will be back.

My friend from South Africa who was recently here in Niagara posted more of her pictures. I particularly liked this one which was taken by one of the staff at Chateau de Charmes. We were having a taster or two at the winery which was a delightful place. I think I mentioned it is owned by a Frenchman. Their tasting room is not dark and mysterious as such a lot seem to be but on the contrary, light and airy.

Carrot soups are always an interesting feature on a menu and this sounded a good one. I wouldn’t bother with gluten free stuff for myself but if you are allergic to it then it would be important.

Curried Carrot Soup With Cornbread Croutons

By The Gluten Free Goddess WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

Slow cookers are just the best when the weather turns warm and breezy. It frees you up from kitchen duty just when you need it most -- supper time. Enjoy the time with your friends and family, and let the crock pot do all the heavy work!

Ingredients

Olive oil 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 to 2 teaspoons mild gluten-free curry powder, or to taste (can substitute with regular curry powder) 1 leek 4 large carrots 1 sweet potato Half a banana squash {butternut will do in a pinch} Fresh water, as needed Sea salt, to taste

Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix (can substitute with regular cornbread mix)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 tablespoons chopped jalapenos

Instructions

For the soup:

Plug in your slow cooker and turn it on to high. Pour a drizzle of olive oil into the bottom. Add in the chopped garlic and curry powder. Stir and cover. Let the curry infuse the oil as you chop the vegetables. Wash the leek, trim, and slice the white section. Peel, trim, and chop the carrots. Peel and chop the sweet potato and squash. Place all the chopped veggies into the warm crock and stir. Add just enough fresh water to cover them. Season the soup with sea salt to taste and cover.

If you keep the soup on high it will cook faster -- say, four hours or so, depending on your make and model. If you need to stretch out the cooking time, turn the slow cooker on to low. It will be ready in perhaps six hours. If you need to stretch it a bit longer I don't think it would hurt, as long as you've put enough water in the crock. The soup is ready when the carrots are tender and split easily using a fork.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until the soup is silky smooth. Taste test. If it cooked down too much and is a tad thick, add some liquid {for extra creaminess use a dash of coconut milk, although I didn't add any extra "milk" and we loved the fresh, clean taste} and gently heat through for another 10 minutes. Serve with pan toasted cornbread croutons.

For the easy cornbread croutons:

Started with Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix. Follow the directions on the package, substituting the eggs, and using water and olive oil to keep it vegan.

Add the following ingredients to the mix:

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 tablespoons chopped jalapenos {skip if you need it less spicy}

Baked the mix in a 9-inch cake pan and cooled it on a rack. Slice the cornbread into eight wedges; then wrap each one in recycled foil, and bag for freezing. Use one thawed piece of cornbread for two people. Cut the cornbread into cubes. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in some olive oil. Add the cubes of cornbread. Gently toss them from time to time as they sizzle and get golden. Remove with soft-tip tongs. Serve hot sizzling croutons on top of the soup.

Total Servings: 4

Have a great day