Dreamy Things: Creamy, Dreamy Carrot Coconut Soup, A PUPPY!, Illustrations, and Three Songs
Plus, Elizabeth Coatsworth
Right out of college, I fell in love with this book, The Enchanted, by Elizabeth Coatsworth.
It’s set in Maine.
It’s set in the middle of the last century, which feels very long ago but still close somehow. The writing is so beautiful and lyrical. And I adored it. Plus, it has deer.
I don’t want to spoil it, but a man from away settles into the wild to run a very small farm. His neighbors are a bit interesting, as all Maine neighbors are, and he falls in love. But … the woman he falls in love with might be a little bit different than most people would expect.
There’s a bit of a biography about her over here on the Island Institute page. but here is a poem. For those of you who don’t know of Elizabeth, she began as a children’s book writer and poet (and her last book was poetry as well). She was not confined by genre. Her daughter, Kate Barnes, became Maine’s first poet laureate.
For me, it was a dreamy book, right up there with Richard Bach’s Illusion.
Rain Poem
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
The rain was like a little mouse,
Quiet, small, and gray,
It pattered all around the house
And then it went away.
It did not come, I understand,
Indoors at all, until,
It found an open window and
Left tracks across the sill.
DREAMY ILLUSTRATIONS
Have you all seen julia_dreams.co on Instagram? She’s an illustrator and pretty dreamy. She made this:
SUPER DREAMY SOUP OF THE CARROT AND COCONUT CREAMY DREAMY VARIETY
2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 sweet onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
3 cups vegetable stock
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 lime, juiced
2 scallions, thinly sliced, for topping
HOW TO MAKE IT
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss carrots with the olive oil and put them on baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper on them.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes. They should be carmelised when done.
At the same time as the roasting, heat the coconut oil in pot. I used my cauldron pot because I will use it whenever I can, honestly. It makes me feel dangerous and witchy. Since I am not dangerous or witchy this is super fun for me. I digress! Sorry!
Once the oil melts, stir in the onions, garlic, and ginger. Add a generous pinch of salt and and of pepper.
Cook, stirring a lot, until the onions get soft, which is usually 5 to 6 minutes.
Turn the heat to low if the carrots are not done yet and your cauldron work was speedy.
Once the carrots are done, add them to the pot.
Add in the stock.
Bring it all to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and very carefully transfer the mixture to a blender. Cover the blender with a towel and blue until pureed. Pour the soup back into the pot and heat it over low heat.
Stir in the coconut milk and the lime juice. Stir until the soup is warmed throughout. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
Serve with a drizzle of coconut milk or cream, plus scallions on top.
AND THREE VERY DREAMY SONGS
DREAMY PUPPY HOPES!
Also, I want you all to know that I might be getting a puppy. Gasp! I know! I know! LOOK AT HER! Look at her belly! Look at her smile! Look at her joy!
I am so nervous! You are the first to know about this, I just wanted to share it with someone.
We’re currently taking care of Em’s dog, Mr. Murphy, while she’s deployed, but I really miss Pyrs and their whole funky mentality. One of my friends founded a dog rescue and she was out in Tennessee processing and pulling pups from places that pups should not be and she found this girl.
I’m in love.
I hope she gets to be part of our family.
Cross your fingers for me, okay?
PUPPY!! All fingers crossed!