TGIF. Carrot-Ginger Soup and Red Curry Crostinis

Well, it's Friday. Thank heaven. Tonight's dinner was inspired by autumn and a nice man.

The Soup, brought to you by fall:

Carrot-Ginger Soup

This soup is fast, cheap, and easy. It's also bright orange and has a nice punch of flavor, which can really perk you up on a cold, drizzly, and gray fall day.

1/2 an onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
a piece of ginger half the size of your thumb, peeled and chopped
1/2 lb. baby carrots
1-2 T. canola oil
boiling water
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Use medium-low to medium heat. Toss in the onion, garlic, and ginger (you can add in a bit of chopped chili if you have it and like the heat). Stir it around. Once the onion starts to turn translucent, add the carrots. Stir again. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are totally translucent. Cover the whole thing with the boiling water and turn the heat up to medium. Allow the whole thing to bubble over medium heat. Stir once in awhile and add more water every now and then so that the ingredients are always covered. Once you can easily squish a carrot with the spoon, remove from heat.

Puree in a blender, put through a food mill, or blend with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. If you need/want it, toss in some white wine, too. If you have some garam masala hanging around, a little sprinkle of it on top is nice.

The crostini thingies, inspired by a nice man:

Red Curry Crostinis

I admit, I've never tried to do crostinis before. However, a gentleman friend recently invited me over for movies and made nice little toasts and a cheese plate. He also had an impressive selection of wine. Anyway, I've had cheese and toast on the brain since then. So, toasts tonight!

You'll need:
2 slices of bread (please use real bread, not the fluffy weird kind)
1 t. canola oil
1/8-1/4 t. red curry paste (depending on how well you tolerate the heat)
1/2 t.- 1 t. brown sugar
a few drops of vinegar

Blend the oil, curry paste, brown sugar, and vinegar well. Spread onto the bread. Toss under the broiler. Keep an eye on it. Burned toast is not too sexy.