Staff Highlight: IVAN PEREZ
This month I want to recognize one of our favorite long-term employees, Ivan Perez!
Ivan started at Souper Jenny seven years ago as a dishwasher and now manages our flagship store in Buckhead.
Customers have come to know and trust Ivan's daily friendliness and expertise. When he is not working, Ivan spends his time training in ju jitsu, watching sporting events and checking out all the delicious food options in Atlanta.
I have to give Ivan a lot of kudos because he also works every day with his father and his aunt, who are chefs in Buckhead. Not many people could do that!
At the end of the year, Ivan will be leaving our soup family and heading out to Los Angeles to explore what might be next for himself. Maybe I can convince him to open a Souper Jenny!
Jenny’s Azteca Squash Soup!
My Dad's Turkey Chili Recipe
Our Children & Their Devices/Electronics
This is a great article from Dr. Kelly Flanagan for anyone struggling with how to limit screen time and what will happen when you do. I am going through this in my own house and each step Dr. Flannagan mentions, I am living at this very moment.
A sober reality read for any modern parent. Please feel free to share your experience, vent and offer hope to all of the amazing parents out there!
What I Learned on the Mountain: Tales from UT
It’s taken me a full 10 days to recover and reflect about my experience of doing an ultra-endurance hike in Utah before I could intelligently share my experience with all of you.
As most of you know, I signed up for an event in Snowbasin, Utah called 29029. It is the number of feet it takes to trek to the top of Mt Everest. I talk through the beginning of the journey in this post. But the short version is I took at a great class with Jesse Itzler called “Build your Life Resume”. We needed a 90-day goal. Climb a mountain. Boom!
Chicken Tikka Masala Soup
Serves 4
I have been craving Indian food all week, so last night a played around with a Tikka masala recipe and of course I had to turn it into a soup!
It’s hearty, like a stew, so it's also great served over basmati rice or couscous!
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, rough chopped
2 cups greek yogurt
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon urfa pepper or chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large finger ginger, peeled and minced
16 ounces crushed tomatoes
3 cups Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
16 ounces coconut milk
32 ounces chicken broth
fresh cilantro
Marinate chicken with yogurt, coriander, cumin, chili, garam masala, salt and pepper for at least an hour.
While the chicken is marinating, heat heavy bottom soup pot to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute onion, ginger and garlic on low until softened.
Remove chicken from yogurt, shaking off excess marinade and cook chicken pieces in a single layer 4-5 minutes per side. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, chicken broth, coconut and any remaining yogurt. Simmer slowly for 45 minutes.
Garnish with fresh parsley
GUEST POST: Finding Calm
Jenny called me a few months back and asked me to assist her with getting her blog back up and running. Usually on a weekly basis we jump on the phone when she’s driving (hands-free!), FaceTime when she’s not driving and exchange texts brainstorming new stories for social media or recipes and things to mention in the monthly newsletter. It was really only a matter of time that the request of a new post or having a guest blogger would be met with, “Hope, why don’t you do it?”