I miss mixed tapes. Listening to them. Making them. Gifting them. Receiving them. I loved the experience of putting a tape into the cassette player in my car on a road trip, the pavement and songs unfolding before me. I would never read the list written on the cardboard insert first, if one was provided. I wanted to be surprised by the songs chosen for me and pay attention to how one song segued into another. I would think a lot about the order of each one when I made them and know my friends did too. Truth be told, making a mixed cd was a much easier process and I could put one of those together in a fraction of the time, sliding songs around rather than pressing "play" and "record" together at just the right spot, a few seconds after the last song ended. Now, it's even easier with Spotify with most every song in the world available as options to add. It's a less satisfying experience somehow and doesn't feel as meaningful a gift to send to someone.
I have made and received some playlists on Spotify and while creating one for a friend yesterday, I discovered a new feature I like and hope to use more. Tricia was returning home to the Pacific Northwest after a whirlwind weekend back east and was going to be driving her daughter back to college, both of them being short on sleep. It's a two hour drive and I thought having some good road tripping tunes would make the drive more pleasant. I quickly assembled about 20 songs and as I was sharing it saw there is an option to invite someone to collaborate on the playlist with you. By today she had already added a bunch more songs that worked really well with the vibe I had going. I listened to it while cooking this evening and smiled every time I heard a song she had chosen. I think this could become a way that we stay in touch, continuing to add songs to this list and making new ones.
It made for a lovely end to a Fall weekend. I made this soup for a second time and a friend stopped by for dinner and a game of Scrabble while we listened to the joint effort "mixed tape".
This soup can be made on the stove top or in a crock pot/Instant pot. The original recipe is here. I plan to try some fresh herbs instead of a dried spice blend next time.
Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup
6 cups water
2 veg broth boullion cubes (or use 6 cups of veg broth of your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 large sweet potato, not peeled, diced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay spice blend (or something similar)
1 cup wild rice
1 14 oz can coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 cups chopped kale
salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat olive oil in large stock pan over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Sautee for about 5 minutes, then add garlic. After a minute add celery, carrots, sweet potato, and mushrooms. Stir to coat them in oil and then sauté for a couple more minutes.
2. Add broth, seasoning, rice and some salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes until rice is cooked.
3. Add coconut milk and kale. Let simmer for about 10 minutes more to let kale cooked down. Add salt and pepper.
