Picnics

I believe in picnics. They should involve cookies. And soup. Seriously. This sandwich only shenanigan just don't fly. Soup in thermoses. Clutch. and cookies in glassine envelopes. Yerm. This weekend David and I are going to my alma mater for homecoming. We're making the rounds, meeting each other's homies. I'm making brie, basil and tomato on baguette tomorrow morning and I have already made these cookies from Heart-of-Light and I made an incredibly luminous Carrot-Ginger Soup from The Best of Cooking Light which is one of my top five fave cook books. Make this soup. Eat it. Put it in a thermos and take it in the car.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 star anise

2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 cups chopped carrots

2 cup water

2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans vegetable broth

1/3 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons honey

1. Place first five ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together. Tie securely.

2. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute five minutes or until tender. Add minced garlic; saute one minute. Add cheesecloth bag, carrot, 2 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook 1 hour or until carrot is tender. Discard cheesecloth bag.

3. Place ginger and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor; process until finely minced, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Place ginger mixture on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; squeeze to extract juice to equal 2 tablespoons. Add ginger juice, milk and honey to carrot mixture. Pour into a food processor and blend until smooth.