seasons

Seaweed + Sweet Potato Soup

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I didn’t set out to create a new favorite soup today. But that’s what happened with this seaweed and sweet potato soup!

When January is acting like itself, it’s soup weather here in Massachusetts. So today, I decided to use some sweet potatoes and seaweed to make a quick and healthy soup. I purchased the nori, dried seaweed sheets, a while ago, but hadn’t used it too often. I was inspired to buy it after seeing several vloggers that I follow using it.

It’s not just for sushi. Nori can be cut up and used on noodles, rice and in soups. Since seaweed is so healthy, I want to incorporate it into my diet more often.

When I cook, I rarely use recipes and usually have a feel for what a dish needs. I always have soup stock ready to go in the freezer in easy to use portions. So I grabbed two large cubes of stock, and melted it in a pan with a chicken bouillon cube. It would have been easier if I did everything in one pan, but I did things out of order, so it took longer.

In a larger pan, I sauteed some shallots, sweet potatoes, and garlic in olive oil and butter until softened. I poured the stock into the large pan and added enough water to cover the vegetables with liquid. Then using kitchen scissors, I cut the nori into pieces and added it to the pan.

Now I’m trying to remember everything else that I used. Some ground spices: lemon pepper blend, garlic powder, cumin and turmeric. I think that the only other things were maple syrup, toasted sesame seed oil and rice vinegar.

These are the hazards of not using a recipe or measuring anything. It will be impossible to exactly replicate what I did. But I can come close. Since I’m documenting this for my future self. And for you if you’d like to try it.

This soup was such an unexpected treat and I’m looking forward to having some again tomorrow.

No Candlelight for Renters?

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Are you enjoying all the cozy vibes this season with string lights and candlelight?

For those who own their residence, then it’s no problem. If you rent the place where you live, it might not be so easy. Burning candles is often prohibited in lease agreements.

I love the scents and soft light of candles. They are part of my daily routine when I do yoga, meditate or just want to relax. Especially this time of year when we’re losing daylight. Tomorrow is the winter solstice. Winter starts officially and we will have more hours of darkness than any other time of year. Creating our own light sources indoors is the best way to create hygge and embrace the season.

My first encounter with burning candles being prohibited was at my last apartment. Before signing the lease, I spoke with the owner of the property and negotiated an addendum allowing me to burn candles.

The next encounter I was not so lucky. It was around this time last year that I sold my mother’s house and rented her an apartment. Again, the lease did not allow burning candles. This time I was not able to negotiate anything. It might be the difference between renting an apartment in a smaller multi-family house from an individual versus an apartment in a large complex with hundreds of units and a corporate landlord.

Further, where my mom lives there had been a recent fire caused by a candle, which resulted in a lot of damage. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “Candle fires peak in December and January with 11 percent of candle fires in each of these months.”

Because of the dangers caused by candle burning, I can see why property owners want to prohibit the practice. According to Statista, there were more than 40 million housing units occupied by renters in this country last year. That’s a lot of people who are potentially having lifestyle restrictions.

I wonder about that fine line between a lifestyle choice and a religious and cultural practice. How often do landlords enforce this provision in a lease? When they enforce it, do they enforce it uniformly? At what point could this restriction result in religious discrimination?

Are people allowed to have birthday candles? If someone has a birthday party and they light candles and blow them out right away, that is different from someone burning several candles for a sustained period of time.

What if someone is lighting a menorah for Hanukkah? Or lighting the kinara for Kwanzaa? Not all candle burning is the same, so I wonder how do property owners decide. Maybe there is no actual enforcement, until there’s a fire and someone has to pay.

Polar Night in Svalbard

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Have you heard of Svalbard? I hadn’t until this past week.

A suggested YouTube video for me with the title, “Life in the DARKEST PLACE on earth (24/7 darkness)︱Svalbard, an island close to the North Pole” caught my eye and I watched.

I had never heard the term “Polar Night” until then either. I’ve heard of places where it’s dark 24/7 for periods of time during the winter, but this term seemed to encapsulate something different the way the vlogger, Cecilia, describes it. Polar Night in Svalbard lasts for two months!

The tourism website for Svalbard describes it in a rather fun way too.

‘Winter doesn’t just show up overnight’ is something you’d be safe enough to say most other places in the world without being wrong. But what if the night doesn’t just last a couple of hours, but instead spans over two months? The dark season in Svalbard lasts from around the end of October until the middle of February, but between November 14th and January 29th we enter the darkest and cosiest part of the dark season, also known as the Polar Night. As the days darken during late autumn the cold of winter also creeps in, and with the coming of the sun the light also shines on a new winter in our archipelago. While winter may not show up overnight, a lot can happen during the course of a Polar Night!

Cecilia loves this season and really leans into it. She’s all about the hot drinks with sweets, lighting fires and plaid flannel pajamas. Full on cozy! Which I love, and reminds me of when I started writing my Collection Of Moments series. Where I could find the good in all the seasons, not just the warm ones that I prefer.

I learned about hygge, which is a Danish term, where they also lean into the coziness of the dark winter months. Svalbard is one of a cluster of islands that are part of Norway, but very west of the country and closer to the North Pole.

One of the wildest things that she talks about is the polar bears. There are many around and they are a real threat. In one of the videos when she went for a walk, not only does she have a hat with a spotlight, she slung a rifle over her back. I’m not a gun person, but I can definitely see the need for one. This is no joke and one of the many tools for survival.

So I’m enjoying the videos and will watch more. But I don’t think that I would visit. Especially not during Polar Night. We’re in the darkest month right now here in Massachusetts. It will keep getting darker until the Winter Solstice on December 21st. Getting dark at 4pm is bad enough. Never mind complete darkness for two months!

I don’t want to wish time away, so I’m leaning into the cozy as well. The light will return soon enough. And at least we don’t have to worry about polar bears!

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Image: Screenshot

Pumpkin Spice or Peppermint Mocha?

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This past Saturday, instead of ordering my groceries online and picking them up, I went into the store. This is how the man gets you! I fell prey to seasonal flavor temptations. But did I get the season wrong? Is it still all about pumpkin spice? Or has that ship sailed and peppermint mocha is now the favorite? Enter the battle of the seasonal flavors.

What did I buy? I got Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Pumpkin Pie Spice and Bolthouse Farms Pumpkin Spice Latte, with the tagline, “Made For Sweater Weather.” The tagline got me. It felt so cozy! Also, I like Bolthouse Farms in general, so I often get something from them if it’s new.

As I was linking to these items, I noticed that the pumpkin spice latte is no longer available. Now the season items are Holiday Nog and Peppermint Mocha.

When I was shopping, I kept noticing the Christmas items and peppermint mocha flavored goodies. But it seemed too soon and I still wanted my pumpkin spice fix. But today, I received a Starbucks Rewards email giving me some seasonal instructions.

“Have a very merry martini — Introducing the new Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini, available exclusively at our Starbucks Reserve® Roasteries. Made with Starbucks Reserve® espresso and topped with peppermint-infused whipped cream and candy-cane sprinkles, this cocktail is perfect for holiday happy hours.”

Maybe my seasonal flavor consumption has gone awry. The cereal is really good. I haven’t tried the latte yet.* So pumpkin spice or peppermint mocha? I think it’s whatever you like. Both seasonal flavors are good, but soon pumpkin spice will be gone for the year.

Stores are ready for us to do Christmas shopping and want us in the mood. So they set the tone by switching flavors. It’s interesting that Starbucks created both flavors. Peppermint Mocha in 2002 and Pumpkin Spice in 2003. Then the rest of the world followed.

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* Updated 11/7/23: I tried the latte. It’s neither strong nor sweet, and I prefer both strong and sweet. So that is especially disappointing. I had hoped to taste a more robust coffee flavor and some nice spice. I didn’t taste much of either, so I don’t recommend and would not buy again.