Wednesday Only Happens Once a Week...

At the Compound, (aka, my house) we don't really need a reason to cook some yummy food and open a bottle (or 2) of good wine.

Usually, "Wednesday" is a good reason to do all of these things.

And we had 2 nice dinner guests! Chris came all the way from California via Robert Sinskey Vineyards. Laurel came all the way from 5 houses down the street. We let them pick out our wines to have with dinner. 2004 Eyrie Reserve Pinot Noir, and 2005 Produttori del Barbaresco Pora Vineyard. And a pretty tasty Semillon from Boekenhootskloof in South Africa (and OMG, did someone need to wrestle the bottle out of my hands because Feb. 1 was NOT a good start to this extra long month, 29 WHOLE DAYS,  and I wanted to consume the whole bottle with a couple of qualuudes and call it a day. Yoga is SOOO Relaxing, y'all).

"And what was for dinner" you ask? Let me tell you, I didn't so much care what the hell we were gonna eat because for the first time (and I really hope not the last time) in our 3 year marriage, Boyfriend cooked the ENTIRE MEAL. And it was delicious!!!

The highlight? Carrot Ginger Soup.

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 small carrot, peeled, grated

Preparation

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

No, we didn't finish all the wine. Yes, we offer you a choice of Templeton Rye and/or Bushmills 16 Irish Whiskey to go with your scoop of Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. You don't know Talenti? For shame. Go out and get some. This one is my favorite, so far.

Hope your Wednesday Evening was as good as mine!