duck-shaped pain

Thank god for soup, though, and its ability to blot out the tedium. I made this tonight, and it was very good.

Sweet Potato, Chile and Lime Soup

(adapted from�.some book)

• 1 bell pepper

• 3 to 4 Anaheim chiles

• some olive oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, diced

• a reasonable amount each of whole cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, dried basil and crushed red pepper

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces

• 4-5 cups vegetable broth

• juice of 2 limes

• a couple of tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro

• salt, pepper

1. Roast the damn peppers. Peel 'em, seed 'em, chop 'em. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, heat a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and seasonings, and cook for about seven minutes, until onion starts to become translucent.

3. Add the roasted peppers, sweet potatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until potatoes are very tender.

4. Puree soup in blender. This will be messy and tedious.

5. Put puree back in pot. Add lime juice and cilantro, stir to mix. Add cheese, salsa or whatnot on top. Serve with bread or quesadillas.

Seventeen trick-or-treaters came to the house last night, fifteen more than came last year. I was prepared this time. There was candy, and I was wearing pajamas with pumpkins on them (the only thing I really like about Halloween, other than the candy, is the chance to acquire pumpkin-themed clothing). Last year, I was very unprepared, and had contemplated giving out spare boxes of macaroni and cheese to the unfortunate children who knocked on my door. The theme this year for the children in my neighborhood seemed to be Dress As Bloody As Possible: we had blood-splattered pirates, skeletons, princesses, and ladybugs. It was only bad when they began to drip red juice onto the patio.

I bought a new pair of Dansko clogs last week, in a very dark shade of blueberry. I have never owned blue shoes before, but I really love these, because they're such a rich blue. My other clogs are several years old now, so they're extremely comfortable by this point, which is important to know, because this means that I had completely forgotten the commitment required to get a pair of them into wearable condition. These are stiff, achy horrible stiff, and I've been hobbling about all week, looking pensive and miserable. Then I'll stop for a bit, look down, and think, "hey, blue!" and things are forgotten for a moment or so.

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