Lyrical Musing: Awake My Soul

 

Mumford and Sons: Awake My Soul

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Best of 2010 - Mumford & Son to Ray LaMontagne

I'm sharing my favorite songs discovered in 2010 - 6 songs a day - I'll post the entire set in a YouTube playlist on December 31.

Mumford & Sons - Awake My Soul
"Where you invest your love, you invest your life."

The album this one came off of is one of my top five of 2010 - I love nearly every song.  This one makes me want to get up and do something.

Muse - Uprising
"Rise up and take the power back."

One of the best workout songs for me this year - it keeps me moving.

Neon Trees - Animal
"I kinda wanna be more than friends."

As luck would have it, today's set is full of great keep moving songs, Animal certainly fits the bill.  I remember listening to this one on the way home from the zoo with my niece and nephew - perfect song for the day.

OneRepublic - Good Life
"What is there to complain about."

Perfect song for a summer day - windows open driving down the highway.

Radney Foster - Angel Flight
"Come on brother, you're with me tonight."

I'll never forget the first time I heard this one.  My dad asked if I had heard it, I hadn't, he said it was a must listen.   We crawled into his car in the garage, along with my niece and nephew (1 & 3 who wanted to tag along) I had both kids on my lap as we listened to this one cocooned in the car.  The sound was amazing, but more importantly, this is one of the most moving songs I've heard in years.  I DARE you to listen, really listen and get through with out cold chills and a few tears.

Ray LaMontagne & the Pariah Dogs - New York City's Killing Me
"Gotta get me somewhere, somewhere where I can be free."

Without a doubt, my most played album of the year.  Love, love him and while I've never been to NYC, I simply leave you the New York part and sing that the city is killing me and dream of getting back to the country. Pin It

Cooking 101 - Warm Chickpea Vinaigrette

Thanks for all of your support and ideas on my new cooking project.  So far this week I've managed to make the world's easiest cookies (1 spice cake mix, 1 15-oz can pumpkin and 1 cup chocolate chips, mix together and bake) and completely mess up a package of jello pudding (who knew pudding wouldn't set up if you used Soy Milk?)

I also tried a new recipe out of a cookbook I won in a giveaway - Simply De-Lite-Ful by Alice Bolen and Janelle Woolley, find it here.  I've had a stash of chickpeas around the house because I want to try making hummus, but I can't seem to find tahini in Utah.  So when I saw a recipe for a chickpea salad in the cookbook I decided to give it a try.  It was super easy and would make a great side dish, although I used it for a main dish.

Warm Chickpeas Vinaigrette

 from Simply De-Lite-Ful

by Alice Bolen and Janelle Woolley

2 (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained (I halved the recipe)
1 large shallot, diced (I'd cut back on the shallot, I'm not a huge onion/shallot fan)
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup large carrot, grated (I had baby carrots, so I chopped them)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leave parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
Freshly ground pepper


In serving blow combine shallot, vinegar, garlic and salt.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, blanch chickpeas in boiling water for 2 minutes and rain.  Add warm chickpeas, carrot, parsley and olive oil to shallot mixture and toss together.  Taste and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and additional salt if needed.

For those of you who asked, here's last week's recipe, along with our best google attempt and converting from the UK recipe, if you are in the UK and want the original drop me a line:

Tomato Soup 

Pret A Manager

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
4 cups Tomato, chopped (we've tried fresh, canned, and bottled - I prefer canned, I use 1 15 oz can and one 32 oz can, slightly more than the recipe calls for)
2 teaspoons Tomato Puree (I've only found it in a giant can, so I froze the leftovers)
1/2 cup Water
2 tablespoons Dry White Wine (I use cooking wine)
4 tablespoons Cream 
2 teaspoons Vegetable Bouillon (recipe calls for Marigold brand)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Oregano, fresh chopped
1 teaspoon Parsley, fresh chopped
Salt
1 teaspoon Thyme, fresh chopped (fresh herbs make a huge difference)
Black Pepper


Gently fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft, around 5 minutes.  Add the tomato, water, tomato puree, wine, bouillon, sugar and white wine vinegar.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Finally add the cream, herbs and seasoning and simmer for a couple of minutes before serving (I prefer the soup after it has simmered for hours.)

While I cooked this week I listened to Mumford and Sons - kept me hopping in the kitchen.
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