trailer envy

Thank yous all around for a great soup cycle this month.

Brian: thanks for making coffee, split pea soup, chopping garlic, bringing containers, bread and spoons, and for cycling around with me! It was a good day.
Scott: thanks for letting me borrow your big fancy pot.
Julia and Ryan: thanks for the cauliflower & use of the hand blender.
Jean: thanks for the beautiful organic broccoli.
Josh: thanks for chopping onions until we were all bleary eyed.
Merle: thanks for bringing containers.
Soccer people: thanks for showing me how the trailer is actually supposed to attach to the bike...

perhaps I shouldn't admit this, but when Brian and I were out cycling around I kept having issues with the bob coming off the spoke spike (?). Finally Brian bunjeed the sucker on and we didn't have any more problems. Turns out I was using the pin in the completely wrong way. Brian's trailer is a two-wheeler with a big vinyl platform to set things on -it seems a good deal sturdier than the bob. I also think my issue was not having a kick stand. When I wanted to stop and hand out soup it was really hard to keep the whole system upright with one hand.

The cool thing was that lots of people are really interested in the trailers. They ask lots of questions and I think perhaps see it as a way to haul their own stuff around. It would be cool if a local bike organization started a bike & trailer lending system to homeless and/or carless people, or really any people...hint, hint Bikery? http://www.thebikery.org/

Speaking of the Bikery, I'm headed over there tomorrow to see if my sweet little yellow bike can be salvaged. I currently have 4 bikes with the recent purchase of a rusty old cruiser (my new market bike that I'm going to fix up) and for someone in transition, thats just two too many bikes.

OK, back to the thesis paper. I would tell y'all about it, but it has nothing to do with soup or bikes. Sadly.

thank you again, everybody, for your love & support of this project.
shelly

let's talk soup

Did you not love that show (talk soup) when it was on a long time ago? I have no idea what happened to it since I left the world of TV ten years ago, but that show was hilarious back in the day.

OK, here's an update on soupcycle for this coming Sunday. So far it is me and Jean cooking soup in the CWB gallery, and joining forces with Zulu Brian who is cooking up his own batch. Julia and Ryan have graciously and unknowingly donated a head of cauliflower and the use of their hand blender while they are out of town. Thanks! The rest of the ingredients will be purchased using the remaining funds donated from my mom...but we could still use someone that is willing to dumpster for bread. We also need more containers. If you have any please drop them off in the CWB galley - there is a bag above the fridge just for this purpose.
Like always we'll start cooking at 10:00, cycle it around at 12:30 or so, and head over to the weekly soccer game around 2. Soupcycle Sundays always feel like perfect Sundays to me.

Alright - this was a very tame posting, but there's not much more to say. I just hope the sun stays with us like the last few days. Oh man, spring is almost here.

shelly

soup cycle invests!

Very exciting developments this evening...

1) mom sends generous check to soup cycle
2) super deal bob trailer found on craigslist
3) guy sells it for cheaper due to great cause
4) soup cycle now has its very own trailer!

...practically brand new, with a beautiful, shiny black coat of paint, and a silver fender.
So now, to talk about when she'll have her first soup-laden bumpy ride through the streets of Seattle.

Date: Sunday February 22nd.
Place: CWB Galley.
Time: 10:00 am to approx 2 pm
RSVP: post comment

What to bring:

• Your bike

• Clean yogurt containers or other med-large sized containers with lids that fit.

• Soup-making ingredients (see recipe below for guidance, but feel free to add something else. I'm thinking of replacing the cheese with milk...maybe?)

• A hand-blender

See you there!
shelly


POTATO BROCCOLI SOUP

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 pounds peeled and cubed potatoes
• 5 cups boiling water
• 4 cubes veg bouillon
• 3 cups fresh broccoli, cooked and drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large stock pot saute onion in butter. Add potatoes, water and bouillon cubes. Cover, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove tough outer skin of broccoli stems and cook broccoli. Once cooked add to soup.
3. In a blender or food processor puree half of the soup and return to stock pot. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add cheese and heat soup through until cheese is melted. Serve warm.