Riding Out the Storm

Oh Sandy!!

Call it Frankenstorm, call it a blizzicane - either way Sandy has been wreaking havoc across the eastern seaboard since yesterday.  Here in the DC area, that means that Metro has been closed and nearly everyone seems to be off work.

Metro Remains closed through Tuesday AM

I'm lucky living downtown in that my power seems to be relatively reliable.  Cross my fingers, but I haven't lost power in the city yet (Take that Irene, derecho, and Sandy)! I know there will be some cleanup, but it feels good to be prepared.  Going about the prep in my little 1 bedroom made me feel grown-up in a way -  the plants had to come in off the balcony and be cordoned off from the cat, filled up water jugs, and had flash lights, lanterns, and candles at the ready.  Even though I'm nearly 30, I sometimes am surprised by my reaction: oh! I can do this myself, and I don't even need my parents!  Actually, I think my parents may have been a little disappointed that I didn't need them, since they called throughout the day just to check up on me (they're the best!).

The internet has really changed the way we deal with Mother Nature.  Facebook is entirely taken up with Frankenstorm posts - and mostly with my female friends posting about cleaning their apartments and baking.  All that inspiration and a little dose of restlessness left me hungry!  So off to Pinterest to finally try out some of those recipes I've pinned ages ago.  A blizzicane obviously calls for warm comforting soup - so I made a white bean and roasted garlic soup based on this recipe from Pease Pudding.

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

I used canned white cannellini beans, and roasted my own garlic.  There is nothing like the delicious rich smell of roasted garlic infusing the air in your apartment to instill a sense of calm while a hurricane rages outside.  I roasted mine in foil packets with a tiny bit of olive oil (and sopped up that oil with some bread after roasting!) I also included some of the thyme from my newly relocated plants.  Comforting, delicious, and pretty dang easy.  This will definitely go into the rotation.

Oven Roasted Garlic