Chipotle is the spice of life

I love spicy food. I'm not quite sure why - aside from my grandfather and aunt, no one in my family was fond of anything spicier than a bell pepper. Poppy and me though? Bring on the spice. Hot sauce on eggs. Wings. Sriracha. Curry. Mustard. I'm all about food so spicy it makes me sweat.

What I do not like, however, is how god-forsaken hot it has been here. One day last week, the heat index was 114. In weather like that, what exactly, are you supposed to eat? I wanted something refreshing, but not a salad. I mean, I love salad. I eat it every day for lunch. But, woman cannot live on salad alone.

So, I thought, if I can't beat the heat, why not eat it?

I wanted something spicy, but refreshing. We'd already eaten stir-fry, and I can't make a good curry to save my life. I didn't want to have to turn on the oven, nor did I want to have to stand over the stove and stir. Soup. Corn soup. Not traditional corn chowder, heavy on cream, something lighter. Chipotle corn soup.

Oh, it was good. Slightly tart from the lime, but smooth and creamy. And spicy. The kind that almost makes you welcome the heat. Almost.

This is how it goes down.

You will need:

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 c. fresh or frozen corn

1 1/2 c. creamed corn

juice and zest of 1 lime

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely diced

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (I used a chicken flavored vegetable base)

2 c. water

1 tsp adobo seasoning, or to taste

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 c. soy creamer

1 Tbsp. corn starch

Combine the olive oil and onions in a pot, over medium - low heat. Saute until the onions have started to brown, then add the garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Add both types of corn, the lime, pepper, bouillon, adobo seasoning, and water. Bring to a simmer, and cook until the whole kernel corn is cooked through. Whisk the corn starch into the soy creamer. Add the mixture, along with the cilantro, to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until it has thickened.

Oh, failure, the best teacher

Since the last time I posted, I lost my vegetable garden. The Boyfriend was kind enough to till a 5' x 10' patch, and we put in all kinds of vegetables - sauce tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, squash, zucchini, banana peppers, hot peppers, bell peppers, and cucumbers. I harvested exactly 1 squash, 1 cucumber, and 3 tomatoes. From what friends and neighbor told me, I'm not the only one who lost a garden this year. It's been abnormally hot and dry, and even with daily watering, it wasn't enough. So it goes.

For the most part, the shade garden on the north side of my house has stayed clear of ivy. I've had to pull up a few vines, but it seems that for the moment, I have it under control. Unfortunately, there are two other invasive vine species in my yard, one of which is wreaking havoc. It's choking out the azaleas beside our sunroom. I had planned on pulling up the azaleas anyway, as it's too shady for them to bloom on that side of the house. A friend suggested painting Roundup on the stems of the cut vines, and although don't want to resort to pesticides, it's likely I'll follow her advice. These vines are very deep-rooted, spread underground, and are difficult to pull up.

I'm continuing to investigate xeriscaping. This summer really put a beating on us. The grass I planted last fall failed, even with watering. I realize that I'm probably not watering enough, but I don't want to encourage shallow roots in the grass. So, I'm looking for an alternate ground cover that does well in shade, can be planted this fall, and won't need tons of watering.

In other news, The Boyfriend and I have decided to institute crapshoot night in our house. Between the two of us, there are a limited number of foods we will eat. As noted previously, he does not like most root vegetables, with the exception of potatoes. I find this discouraging, as I love beets, onions, and a variety of other things he will not touch with a barge pole. I won't eat dairy unless it is in something in such small quantities t that it won't cause obnoxious skin problems.

So, crapshoot night. Last week I made myself eggplant parmigiana (made with Daiya). The Boyfriend wanted mac and cheese from a box with veggies mixed in. So, that's what he got. It was glorious. I was happy, he was happy, and angel choirs could be heard singing from the heavens. This week I decided that I wanted veggie burgers with sweet potato fries. Normally, The Boyfriend shrinks at anything involving sweet potatoes, so I was surprised when he told me that he wanted that as well, and I had to find something else to have for crapshoot night this week.

Well.

Clearly, he gets his way.

Also surprising to me was how long it had been since I last updated. Five months. I need to stay on top of it. I do have a few excuses though. Involvement in community groups, family commitments, and a new job have been keeping me busy. No more. I had coffee with a good friend today and he kindly suggested that I take time to write each day. He's not the first who suggested it, and he's right. Maybe I'll aim for three times a week?