lettuce soup

I like how lettuce soup sounds like gruel or something. Thin, watery, tasteless broth with wilted leaves of iceberg lettuce floating listlessly about. Served lukewarm to you in a rough hewn stoneware bowl while you hang your head and try to will it down your throat. Gross. I hope you don’t bypass this. It’s nothing like that. Instead, it’s bright and springy and a fun way to use big beautiful heads of lettuce and perhaps whatever kinds of greens you have around.
I’m going to the Grand Canyon the first week in June. Rim to rim trip. It’s going to be stupid and hot and long. Stupid because what the heck was I thinking to agree to hiking 23 miles one day and then doing it all over again (the way back we’re splitting into two days, but still). So hotttttt. And sunnyyyyyy. Ahhhhh. Oh and I think some of the people we’re going with are going to be running some of it. And how am I supposed to not run it if other people are running. I’m very susceptible to fitness peer pressure! We’re also going to be hiking day trips around Utah before the Grand Canyon hike. There’s going to be so much Southwest in my life. Colorado is kinda southwesty. I still find that weird to think about. I don’t identify with the southwest very much. Except kokopellis. I mean, I do have a rather large kokopelli collection. Including a tattoo of one on my ankle. Joking.

late-summer greens sauté

I get so excited when I see big, gorgeous bunches of crisp local greens for sale at my grocery store. Despite my best intentions to stick to my grocery list, I usually ignore the quantity “1” next to “bunch of greens” and start piling an assortment into the cart. Turnip, mustard, collards, kale, swiss chard, spinach… I just love them all! What I don’t love? Preparing them to cook. I dread it. So each night I open the fridge door and see them all in there becoming sadder with each passing day. I saw this little recipe and it gave me just enough motivation to break out all of my colanders, bowls, and the world’s largest sauté pan. I typically don’t do too much to my greens when I cook them. Just a little salt, pepper, and oil is all I really require, or a little citrus. Seeing apple cider vinegar, shallots, and crushed red pepper was just the little extra addition to my simple greens that was needed to spur me into action. I mean, it’s now officially fall! I made winter squash! So cider vinegar and shallots are totally in order.