For My Dear, Sweet AJ

Well, I will be the first to admit I'm not doing so great at this food blog thing.  I was all pumped up at the start, so excited to have an outlet for my hobby of cooking.  But here's the thing...I was really trying hard to write out the recipes to be exact measurements, include detailed instructions, etc.  And I'm sorry, but, that's not how I cook.  A regular meal in this house is usually thrown together with little planning, a dash of panic and a hefty serving of a two year old running in circles around my legs screaming at the top of his lungs (he's cute, but he's loud).  So, writing down a recipe and keeping track of how much of each ingredient I used?  Not happening.  That's why I haven't been posting much...or anything, I guess.  But, I've decided, who cares?!  I'll just write about what I cook, give you a quick run down on how I made it and a good estimate of how much of each ingredient I used and you can take it from there.

And my dear, sweet AJ...since you're probably the ONLY person still reading or wanting to read this blog, I'm sending a personal apology to you!  I'm sorry I've been so bad about updating...I'll be better in the future (I hope).  But THANK YOU for reading this and even trying my dishes!  

So now, the food!  I made halibut soup a few days ago.  We have it pretty often (when we have the fish)--it's a dish my mom makes and taught me how to make.  This batch however turned out especially good.

Halibut Soup

1 tbsp Olive Oil

6-8 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (do NOT use maple bacon--just the plain smokey stuff)

1/2 of a large yellow onion, diced

3-4 stalks of celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I like to use the stalks from the middle of the bunch, with the leaves)

3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds

~6 cups water

~2 potatoes, diced

dried thyme (about 1 tsp)

celery salt (about 1/2 tsp)

kosher salt (Add to taste.  And, you'll feel like you're using a lot since you're just using 

water as your liquid.  So, just keep adding a pinch at a time until it tastes good.)

fresh cracked pepper (to taste)

fresh halibut (or bass, ling cod, whatever white fish you prefer.  Use enough to serve 2-3 people and cut the fish into 1 in cubes)

1 head bok choy (washed, and cut into 1 in wide ribbons.  Use mainly the leafy parts and half of the white part)

Heat your soup pot on medium heat, add about 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook the bacon bits.  When they are cooked to your liking, remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.  Leave the bacon grease in your pot, still on medium heat and add in the onion, celery and carrot.  Cook for maybe 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  When they look about halfway cooked through, add in the water, potatoes and seasonings.  Let this cook for at least 15-20 minutes.  Taste the broth and adjust your seasonings as needed.  Taste the veggies to make sure they're done.  About 5-10 minutes before you plan to serve, drop in the cubed fish and bok choy.  Cover, reduce heat to simmer and let that cook for about 5-7 minutes.  The fish should be cooked through and the bok choy wilted and tender.  Taste again...adjust again if needed.

Ladle the soup into a bowl and top with crunchy bits o' bacon.  Enjoy!

NOTE: I haven't always added the bok choy to this soup.  I only did this time because we've been getting a delivery each week from a local farm of fresh veggies.  Over the past few weeks, we've received A LOT of bok choy.  I've been trying to add it into everything.  It was certainly good in this soup!