Tis the season for soup!

I am bat shit crazy about soup. It's one of the first few things I learned to cook - which is a really great place to start because a little bit of almost every cooking technique is involved in making a fab pot of soup. Sautéing, braising, simmering, double boiling, pureeing, thickening, etc. - I know it's exciting stuff. Anyway, the temperature is dropping here in Texas and I've been souping it up a lot. That being said, there is one soup I make almost all year long & I eat it for breakfast almost everyday. (Why breakfast? Well, because it's full of vitamins, it's easy to digest so it helps wake up your digestive system first thing in the A.M. & eating soup helps hydrate you.) So many of my friends are curious about this morning soup action & have asked me for the recipe. I figured I would just post it here rather than track everyone down and email it out.

Here we go!

*Morning Monster Soup*

1-2 table spoons olive oil (I just eyeball it - like everything else in this recipe)
1 large onion diced
1 large turnip diced small (If you don't like turnips - get over it)
3 garlic cloves smashed or minced (add more if you like)
2 teaspoons thyme (you could use dill, but dill makes me ill so I never go that route)
5 cups veggie broth
*Okay this is important - if you are not making your own broth please use something with low sodium content. If you find yourself wishing that your soup was saltier later on - just put some Braggs amino acids in when you are serving yourself a bowl - cool?
1 large zucchini sliced into half moons
2 stalks celery chopped
6-7 stalks kale rinsed, drained, de-stalked and chopped (say that 5 times fast)
1/2 a lemon - juiced
pepper to taste if you like

In order to dance this mess around you'll want to:

1. Put your olive oil in the pot - let it get hot & add the onion & garlic.

2. Once the onions are starting to get soft add your turnip & thyme. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add your broth & zucchini - now simmer on medium high for 5-7 minutes

4. Time to add the lemon juice & kale.

5. Once the kale is super green and starting to get soft you'll want to take 1-2 cups of the soup out of the pot and puree it in a food processor, blender, or if you have a hand held blender just pop that in the pot for a few seconds to help spread that hulky green color around.

6. Mix the blended stuff with the chunky stuff and boom! You are done.


*this photo was taken with my phone - it's not the best photo in the world, but you get the idea.

I like to serve my soup with extra lemon & some pumpkin seeds for an additional dose of manganese, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc & protein. Noms!

Seasoning Alternatives:
If I'm feeling a sickness coming on I will add turmeric, cayenne pepper, the juice of 1 whole lemon & more garlic.

Well, I thought I'd never say this, but that's enough about soup for one day.

Enjoy!
Bonnie Rue

Triumphant Return!

Hello Lovely Readers!
I'm back from Portland & in a super-duper good mood! Vacation will do that to you *wink*
My arrival to the City of Roses was a late one indeed. I rolled in around midnight on Monday and my friend Eli picked me up from the airport. What a doll! We got up fairly early on Tuesday and hit the ground running. Breakfast @ Paradox was Eli's call and a delicious call at that. I had the vegan "eggs" benedict, so filling, so yummy and totally affordable. Then we were off to visit a ton of fabric stores and to take a stroll across the St. Johns Bridge - which I was totally into and then I sort of wimped out over the height. It's a TALL ass bridge and I'll admit it - I was scaredy fraid. BUT the photo ops from that height we're uh-mazing! See? It was so beautiful it didn't feel real. How many places can you say that about? Well, sure there are others, but c'mon you know what I mean.
There are a lot of reasons to LOVE Portland. The people are friendly even when they're in traffic! On top of being friendly, they are also crafty, stylish, well read & well fed! We went to get bubble tea (the best I've EVER had) one afternoon and I picked up a the Microcosm Publishing catalog! It is filled with crafty and informative zines - TONS of them! I wish Austin's zine scene could compete, but Portlands zinesters are in a league of their own. If you love zines I suggest you give the Microcosm catalog a thorough flipping (or clicking) through.
Unfortunately I arrived JUST after Crafty Wonderland, it's just how the dates worked out, but next year I think I'm going to try and participate. Portland NEEDS some Model Citizen action AND I am happy to report that they won't have to wait until next year for that to happen! Soon - Naked City on Hawthorn will be carrying Model Citizen Clothing! I stopped by one afternoon to met the owner and we are a go! I'll keep you all posted as to when the goods get there.
I also met with Michael @ Tinymeat and got to see their awesome space in the Mississippi neighborhood. We went to lunch and talked about crafting and what is to come next in the craft scene. Enlightening and fun! Before we parted ways Michael gave me a few wallets that I had designed for them and in the coming weeks I'll be giving one of those wallets away to one very lucky reader. Stay Tuned!

A week in an amazing city leaves me with too much report, but here are some other highlights from my trip:
*Seeing Austin's band (LIONS) play a show at the East End with Red Fang! I picked up one of the coolest band t-shirts I've EVER owned!

*Visiting Voodoo Doughnuts in the middle of the night and loading up on crazy deliciousness! We got one TEX-ASS doughnut which was just a big-ass doughnut! Like the size of a dinner plate. We also got a Maple Bacon eclair kind of thing that everyone fought over due to it's extremely tasty nature. Then there was my favorite - The Old Dirty Bastard. Oreo cookies, chocolate & peanut butter. Watch out! It was incredible & edible & undeniably my favorite. This place could keep Portland dentists in business.

*Taking a lot of photo booth pictures with some of my oldest & greatest friends. See:


*The afternoon I spent with Austin @ The Portland Classical Chinese Garden. It's a living museum tucked into the middle of downtown. Once you enter you just forget where you are & it's uh-mazing! Perfect date place, if you ask me.

*And last but not least, my friend Russ from Seattle came to see me for a few days & we drove out to Multnomah Falls. Again - it was so lovely that I just couldn't believe it was real. Strange Magic indeed. I say that because I had Strange Magic stuck in my head for the entire trip. Thanks ELO.


To see more photos check out my flickr PDX 2009 set.

Where did YOU go on vacation this summer? Do I need to add it to my long list of places to see before I die? Tell me all about it!

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Out with the Old, In with the Awesome

If you read my blog often or follow me on Twitter you know that I like to party with a purpose. You may recall my post about the Art Raffle we held a few months back? Well, me & the same group of friends held a YART Sale this weekend @ BiRDHOUSE Gallery. There were maybe 15 people total who brought out their unwanteds for the public to dig through. Clothes, books, records & nicknacks galore! Everyone also brought some art they'd made. Small zines, large paintings, photographs, prints, greetings cards, & even some sculpture pieces. It was really amazing, totally inspiring & quite profitable! I sold a bunch of old clothes, lot's of my new jewelry & a few prints, yay! We sat on the porch soaking up the sun, haggling our tails off drinking Tito's all day. Oh did I forget to mention that Tito's sponsored YART & gave us a case of vodka?! The folks at Tito's are mighty generous. I'm thinking of asking them to sponsor my next breakup... Anywho... Let me show you some of the incredible booty that I scored at YART. Prepare to turn green with envy!

First off Larissa Swindle put this little shindig together. Round of applause for her! I know that getting all of us together had to be a lot like herding cats. She had these amazing photographs she'd taken with her Holga and I was lucky enough to make three of them MINE! I came home & directly hung this shot in my kitchen, so I can see it every day. The kitchen - most popular room in the house.

Clayton Kalman created these "semi autobiographical" greetings cards - which I instantly fell in love with! Sure, Clayton is sort of my brother-in-law, but that doesn't make me biased. Cross my heart. I love that these cards are written on left-over sticky pages from an old photo album. You get the sense that he just had to tell someone this RIGHT NOW & found whatever was near by. I can't count how many times I've run into an X & thought this exact thing. If only I'd had this card or the balls to tell them. This next one is straight out of a movie. "I almost lost my job because I over slept... because you were in my bed." This is a note anyone would love to find on a pillow in the morning. It'll give you goose bumps & make you blush. I purchased a third card that reads "I surrender... I'll do anything you say". See what I mean about the goosebumps? The other amazing thing about these "greetings" cards is that they require no signature. I'm trying to convince Clayton to put these up on Etsy... If you would like to help me persuade him please leave a comment here so I can point wildly at them and make my case. I do have one item for sale in my shop that was created by Clayton - The Sinking Ship earrings. There are only 10 pairs - so when they are gone, they are gone.


Last but certainly not least - I picked up this Fake Steak that was created by a cute little vegan girl named Michelle. This makes me so happy I can hardly tell you! A screen print of a steak resting in a styrofoam shell & saran wrapped for your giggling pleasure. Finally! A steak that is good for something!


YART was so incredible AND we will be doing it again! I hope this post inspires you and your friends to get your YART on!

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Want. Need. Pt. 3

Recently I've been saving a lot more & spending a lot less. Not letting myself scratch that "shop therapy" itch. It's frustrating & (currently) I dislike it, but it makes me think about the things I really want, rather than just buying things on a whim. Me & my little household have talked about following in the foot steps of San Francisco's Compact. This means we would buy nothing new for 365 days. To learn more please visit their blog. BUT we haven't made the commitment yet so let's get started with Want. Need. Pt 3 - shall we?


Riedell's Vegan Derby Skates!
Let me start by saying that my life is seriously devoid of roller skating. I've been window shopping for skates for quite some time, I don't like the idea of renting skates. I just don't want to do it. They're funky & they're funky because of other people's feet. No thanks. I like these because they are not leather, smokin' hot, & designed by derby dolls specifically for speed. Did I already mention how freakin' cool they look? I don't want to join the derby or anything. I spend my entire life trying not to fall down in front of strangers. I just want yet another hobby ;D



A Blue (or pink?) Ukulele
Austin & I were talking about banjo's & ukulele's the other day & how the chords are the same. I am currently not interested in playing the banjo but the ukulele is another story entirely. After our talk I did some research about the cost, different models available... but before I got too far I found this video posted by the lovely, talented, & hilarious Liz Wood . I am sold! One Ukulele Please!




Number 3 on this Want/Need list needs no explanation, it's just freakin' RAD!
Here it is, A quilt dedicated to Blythe! What could ever be more fun to curl up in? Please tell me. This photo is from Heidikira's flickr photostream - which you should check out. She is traveling across Europe eating many dee-lish looking things & taking lots of pictures with her Blythe dolls.


November is here & in the blink of an eye Thanksgiving will be upon us. Me & mine have chosen to stay home this year & host an orphans holiday... but Im going to need some more serving trays and plates if we are going to do it right. I've got my eyes on these two pieces from Trixiedelicious. Im going to go ahead & file this directly under "NEED"




































And last (for now) but not least, I've been daydreaming about my next tattoo. Im not sure where I want it to go, but I know what I want! Tons of vegetables! A collage of vegetables just like the illustrations on old timey seed packets! It excites me so!

Everything hits at once!

September is slipping out the door and now it is crunch time for Bazaar Bizarre!
Luckily for me Austin has returned from his tour (!!!) and now I have some helping hands, which are much needed!
He got into town @ midnight on Sunday, so last night was our real first night together. Austin made vegan tortilla soup*, we watched Heros, & I showed him how to make some jewelry. It was very relaxing. We both needed a night of puttering around. He's been living in a van on tour with the Toadies for a full month & I spent the weekend roaming around ACL, drinking vodka & vitamin water. More on this later...

Pretty exciting news!
Just as Austin & I finished dinner last night I got word that Tinymeat has finished one of the wallets I designed for them! It's now available in their shop - check it!


Also, remember the coloring book I told you about a while back? Well it's done!
It's called Peer: 25 Artists 25 Self Portraits
Who else participated? Here is a sneak preview of the each artists page along with their names & a link to their personal websites. Pre-order for the book begins now & shipping will start on October 1st.
When you get your copy & color it there is a Peer flickr group for you to post your fun to. There is a Peer 25 Vol. 2 in the works, so if you are thinking to yourself "I would love to be a part of a project like this!" all you have to do to throw your hat in the ring is email Rene of Wolfie & the Sneak with 3 images of your work.
nobiting [at] gmail.com



*if you would like our Vegan Tortilla Soup recipe I am happy to share - it is TASTY!

Soup, Beautiful Soup

Last night I found myself at Emo's watching PJ & The Bear. I was happy to see my dear friend Pat there too. Like it happens with friends as you get older you see less and less of eachother. People get busy, move further away, blah blah. Pat is generally on tour which is pretty exciting. At least I don't see him because he is doing something interesting.
So, we get to visiting, catching up & what not. Pat informs me that he's been cooking a lot! This is very exciting because he once was a typical bachelor, consuming only things made out of potatoes, or worse - coffee, beer & cigarettes. He tells me that he's into soups. Says he's makes a killer tortilla soup. I don't think he knew this, but I am a "Soupie" & as such I challenged him to a "Soup Off". Heck Yes!
Today I was thinking about it & I dug through my recipes to see which soup I was going to put in the ring & I decided on this awesome Indian bean soup.
It's really tasty & pretty unique I think. So I wanted to share the recipe with you.
For a split second I thought that I should not post the recipe until after the soup off, I don't want show my cards ya know? But I'm pretty sure Pat doesn't read my blog, so here we go.

Indian Bean Soup
serves 6

Ingredients:
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups potatoes cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips
1 1/2 cups chopped turnips aka rutabaga
2 sticks celery chopped
2 medium zucchini sliced
1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp mild curry paste
5 cups veggie stock
1 14 oz can black eyed peas (drain and rinsed of course)
handful chopped cilantro to garnish

here's what you gotta do:
Heat up the oil add all the prepped veggies except for the zucchini & the bell pepper.
Stir it up for 5 or so minutes then add the garlic, coriander, paprika, & curry paste
cook & stir for another minute

then ya gotta:
Stir in the stock, season w/ salt & pepper to your liking. Bring to a boil
cover & simmer over low heat for 25 minutes

after that:
ya gotta stir in your pea's, zucchini & green bell peppers. Cover & cook for
another 15 minutes.

this next step I feel is optional, but it does make for a thicker texture (if you are into that sort of thing):
transfer a little over a cup of the soup to a blender, puree that shit &
then put it back in the pot with the rest of your delish soup.

now you are done. Grab a ladle - serve it up, top it off with some
cilantro & TAH DAH!
Dinner :)

if you decide to make this soup please let me know what ya think.
I made it a week ago & Austin ate it all up so fast that I didn't get a chance to take pictures... there will be Soup Off pictures though. You can be sure of that!