Thai soup and low-hanging clouds

it's been a while since i've had an update, eh? between work, yard work, house work, home renovations & updates ... it's been a boring couple of months!

we ended up getting a lot of delicious, sweet little cherry tomatoes off of one plant, and lots of yummy cucumbers. the hops plants looked really sad, going into fall. better luck for us next year, i hope.

it's been a mild fall - at least milder than the first one we experienced here. not as rainy as i remember last year, but i'm fine with that. just makes walking to work more enjoyable.

i do have to share a recipe i found in sunset magazine - it's absolutely fantastic, and it can be dressed up with extra veggies and/or potatoes if you want something heartier

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

i didn't add the fish sauce or the chili paste, because we didn't have it around. but i've made this three times in about 15 days ... and we had it for lunch today. so awesome ...

fresh, end of summer, soup

1 big, BIG green zucchini
1 beefsteak tomato
half of a walla walla sweet onion
4 small red potatoes
2 yukon gold potatoes
(all previous are chopped/diced)
7 ears of corn

spices:
ground 4-color pepper
ground ancho pepper
ground red pepper
sea salt (any kind, i used 3 types)
thyme

boil corn (after shucking) 10 minutes - add corn to 4 cups boiling water
pull corn out with tongs
to water, carefully add potatoes first - let return to boil, and boil for 10 minutes
add all other ingredients

spices are most easily added to chopped/diced veggies first, then all into the pot. if you try to shake out spices directly above a boiling pot, or even steaming pot, your spices gather moisture and congeal around the lip of the container.

simmer another 20-30 minutes and serve with tortilla chip strips

always better the 2nd (and 3rd) time