Carrot soup with a touch of chili

Let me start by saying this is the best soup I've ever made. Ever. Words cannot describe how pleased I am with this soup. The combination of coconut and sweet chili is just my thing.

(Note: I do mean the best soup I've made, not necessarily the best soup ever. I'm afraid this doesn't beat the absolutely fantastic pumpkin soup I had in New Zealand some years ago. It comes close, though.)

Carrot soup with a touch of chili (2 portions)

3 sliced carrots
1/2 chopped onion
5 dl (2 cups) water
1 1/2 tbsp (or one cube) chicken or vegetable stock
2 dl (1 1/4 cups) coconut milk
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
about 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or other herb of your liking)

Boil carrot slices and chopped onion in water with chicken or vegetable stock until soft (about 20 mins). Puree the vegetables (a stick/hand blender comes in handy). Add coconut milk and sweet chili sauce, bring to a boil. Sprinkle the fresh basil on top just before serving.

Also works well served with a bit of chopped and fried bacon on top. I imagine a dollop of crème fraiche would be lovely too. =) Enjoy!

Tuesday Finds: Playful Things

Who says only kids can have fun, playful things?

Orwell Clutch - Teal Alligator Purse by
tsurubride.etsy.com

Duck Feet Bowl by
TwoTreesBelgium.etsy.com

King of Hearts Journal Sketchbook Album by
somavenus.etsy.com

Geek Chic Toy Brick Cuff Links by
glamasaurus.etsy.com

My Creative Space: Houston the Dragon

Say hello to Houston the Dragon!

Houston is knitted and crocheted using my Primrose the Dragon pattern (available via Etsy and Ravelry). I made the pieces a while ago, but only managed to sew the pieces together this week. He's a bit of a troublemaker, constantly getting himself tangled up in my yarn as I was putting him together. Tsk. ;)

I used needles size 3.5 mm/US 4, so he ended up a little smaller than Primrose, about 25 cm (10") long.

Want to see the creative spaces of others? Head on over to Our Creative Spaces for a look!

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

My blogging seems to follow a certain pattern. Looking at past years, February and March have often been very quiet months. I was quite pleased to break the pattern this year and manage fairly regular posts in those months. Turns out I was only postponing the inevitable. Darn.

Truth be told, it's been a pretty tough year so far with many worries. When I worry, I have little energy for things like blogging, hence the silence in this little part of the web. Or for creative things like new knitting projects. I wouldn't have had much, if anything, to show you lately anyway.

So, does this mean I'm back? We'll see.

Spring is turning into summer though, which is always a good thing. The balcony garden's perennials have been woken up for a new summer and while the balcony doesn't look like much at the moment, it's at least warm enough to sit there enjoying tea with a slice of cake.

In this case, a zucchini cake filled with ginger-flavoured lemon curd and covered with yoghurt-cream cheese icing. Mmm. I just might manage another update soon(ish) with the recipe.