Some weeks it’s worth celebrating just making it to Wednesday. Like this week, when you skipped out on all your to-do lists two nights in a row to cook elaborate yummy meals and then ended up dropping both, yes both, meals on the floor.

Oh, was that just me? Grumble, grumble. I don’t want to talk about it.

My mom says to just rinse it all off so as to not be wasteful. Mom, I love you and I hate waste, but you are crazy and our house has far too much pet hair for that.

So when the week is dragging on and there are more things to be grumpy about than happy and you just don’t think you’ll make it to Friday, here are my recommendations for survival:

1. Only wear flannel to work for the rest of the week (with skirts and dresses if your workplace is fancy). Flannel with a dress. Definitely business casual.

2. Eat blueberry biscuits with strawberry rhubarb jam for breakfast. I love to make these and sub in 2 cups of blueberries for the strawberries. Pre-baking they are a big blue mess but I promise they’ll make breakfast all the happier.

3. Complain about how you did not see the Northern Lights even though the local news and Facebook and Twitter all said “there was a very good chance we’d see them in Wisconsin for the first time since 2013 because blah blah big solar storm something or other”.

4. Look up beautiful pictures of the Northern Lights to make you feel a little less bitter.

5. Chat with co-workers about how to turn your old minivan into a make-shift camper for much needed adventures.

6. Wear your favorite earrings that your super sweet husband got you on your totally awesome honeymoon. Proceed to daydream about your honeymoon and all the hiking and all the relaxing until your coworker has to shake you back to reality.

7. Eat curried carrot soup with roasted chickpeas (below!).

8. Bring your dog(s) to work. Feed them the extra roasted chickpeas. Doggies need to celebrate making it to Wednesday too!

9. Resist, at all costs, dropping any more food on the floor.

Lots of love. Good luck on this longer than average hump day,
-Leek

CURRIED CARROT SOUP
Adapted from Bon Appetit
I use a combination of butter and oil because I love the way butter tastes in soup when cooked low and slow with veggies for a while, but if you are vegan, feel free to use all olive oil. It really won’t impact the flavor much. Also,  you can use a tablespoon of any curry powder you have laying around. We have these really nice hot and sweet variations from The Spice House and have discovered the perfect ratio of each to yield a sweet soup with a subtle degree of heat.

Takes 1 hour, 20 minutes
Makes 6 cups

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sweet curry powder
1 teaspoon hot curry powder
1 teaspoon siracha hot sauce
13.5-ounce can coconut milk
4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock

Add butter and oil to a large stock pot. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic as well as a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, spices and hot sauce and turn the heat up to medium. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until carrots are tender and liquid is nicely reduced.
Let cool and puree with an immersion blender. We don’t puree until completely smooth. We like some small chunks of carrot in there, but that is up to you. Taste and adjust seasoning. Top with chickpeas if you are feeling extra fun!

CUMIN ROASTED CHICKPEAS
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chickpeas with oil, cumin, salt and pepper. I use 1 teaspoon of salt if I’m making these chickpeas for my carrot soup (because it’s already a little salty) and 2 teaspoons of salt if I’m making these chickpeas as a non-soup-addition, generally-delicious snack. Roast for 20 minutes or until crunchy. Take out the pan and shake it occasionally for more even crisping.