i have the most amazing lady friends in the world. they threw me a pretty good party this weekend, usually known as a bachlorette party, but i refuse to use the term.

they know me, and they know i love mimosas, so naturally we had a brunch crawl.

cheers | things i made today

we started at sardine, one of my all time favorite madison brunch spots. they all brought me gifts that told a story from some point in our friendship, and i had to guess whose gift was whose. it was quite entertaining, and they really managed to dig up some old memories. i couldn’t stop laughing.

opening presents | things i made today

then we headed to the farmers market to get some hot spicy cheese bread form stella’s, one of my favorite bakeries. unfortunately we’d taken our sweet time and they had run out of the good stuff, but that’s okay, because DLUX had bottomless mimosas. and they weren’t messing around.

the lake outside of sardine | things i made today

finally a stop at graze to enjoy the view and have some more serious story telling. all this before dinner at el dorado and a little (and i mean little, we were dead) dancing at merchant.

high school reunited | things i made today

man, we really did it up (my style, i realize this isn’t everyone’s jam). but i loved it, and had so much fun, and was so thrilled to have my closest friends all together…it doesn’t happen often.

as you can imagine, i did not move off the couch for most of yesterday, with the exception of heating up some soup which i had the good foresight to make on friday, knowing there would be no way i’d want to cook on sunday. the soup itself, the sweet potato part, is mild and filling. but the za’atar oil and feta give it a really unique kick. i love it. and it lasts forever, so we’ll be snaking on it for the next couple of days.

sweet potato soup with za'atar oil and feta | things i made today

Sweet Potato Soup with Za'atar Oil and Feta
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons za'atar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 3 - 4 large sweet potatoes (about 2½ to 3 lbs), peeled and chopped
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1½ tablespoons salt
  • ¼ cup feta, crumbled
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter. Add onion, leek, and carrot. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add sweet potatoes and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add water, chicken stock, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft.
  4. Meanwhile, make the za'atar oil. Heat ¼ cup olive oil and za'atar in a small pan. Cook until sesame seeds start to pop, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let infuse for remainder of cooking time.
  5. Once sweet potatoes are soft, remove bay leaf. Use food processor or immersion blender to puree into a smooth consistency.
  6. Adjust salt as needed, remembering that the feta will add some saltiness.
  7. Serve soup with a drizzle of the za'atar oil and a good hunk of feta on top.

recipe from food52.

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