Hurricane Arthur has blown in....

(Not sure how this will look on the page - my computer is acting up, so apologies in advance for layout mistakes!) After days of sweltering heat, Hurricane Arthur has roared in with a vengeance. Heavy rains, strong winds, and, thankfully, cooler temperatures. Fortunately - for us - we are one of the few houses in the neighbourhood that still has power. All over the city, trees are down and power is out. But, as we do have power, I was able to go about my days plans without any major delays (just a few visits from powerless neighbours and family!). First off, was making red clover jelly from the flower heads I had left steeping the night before. I picked the clover up by the Mactaquac headpond yesterday, cleaned them, and then poured boiling water over them to steep. (The recipe/instructions can be found on my July 10, 2011 post.) This morning, I finished making the jelly and sterilized the resulting product. Photos of some of the 8 jars are above.

Next on the list was soup. #1 son had all his wisdom teeth removed yesterday, so he's on a soft/liquid diet. After checking what I had on hand, I figured roasted pepper and zucchini soup would be a great addition. For those of us who were not dietarily challenged, I added spinach and sun-dried tomato bread to go with the soup. The bread recipe was brought home to us by Clara, who got it from the lady who she stayed with this summer in Riviere du Loup. All agreed, the soup was a tasty way to ride out the storm at lunchtime. Providing we still have power, supper will probably consist of vietnamese rice-paper veggie rolls, chicken and various other oriental-inspired dishes.

Roasted Pepper and Zucchini Soup

1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
½ red pepper
1 med. Zucchini
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
1 med. carrot, peeled and grated
1 green onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp fine sea salt + enough to dust the peppers
Ground black pepper
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp lavender pepper
Olive oil in mister
2 tbs butter
4 cups chicken stock
1 c. whipping cream
Fresh chopped chives

Preheatoven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Julienne the peppers and
quarter the zucchini and place on parchment paper. Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with
sea salt and ground black pepper. Roast the peppers for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the
butter in a large pot. Sauté the celery and yellow onion for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock,
carrots, sea salt, oregano, garlic, green onion, and lavender pepper. Bring to boil, adding
in zucchini and peppers when roasted. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Pour into blender or
food processor and blend to smooth consistency. Return to pot on stove, stir in cream and
simmer for 5 minute. Serve topped with chopped chives.