# 314.1: Special Update! Kathleen Thompson Hill to Join our Kitchen Objects March Paid Subscriber Zoom Meetup
Kathleen Thompson Hill owner of one of the largest collections of culinary tools in the United States will join us on Monday for our March Paid Subscriber Zoom Meetup!
I hope you won’t mind an updated missive today but I have some very exciting news and I am simply bursting with excitement to share it with you!
My dear friend Toni Allegra wrote today to say that I might want to connect with Kathleen Thompson Hill as she would be the perfect person to join us for the Kitchen Objects session next week and I am thrilled to share with you that Kathleen will be joining us for our special paid subscriber Zoom session on Monday!
Who is Kathleen Thompson Hill?
Kathleen is a chef, a writer and culinary historian and owns one of the largest collections of culinary tools in the United States. She has been featured on television and in countless articles about her knowledge of food and food history. Her friends have included MFK Fisher, Julia Child, Alice Waters, and Judith Jones to name a few. She and MFK Fisher spent many hours recording and writing together for books yet to be published!
Here’s a link to a piece about Kathleen and her amazing collection of kitchen utensils plus an interview with her on YouTube (below) where you’ll hear her talk about her friendships with M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child and so much more.
I’m bringing a kitchen utensil that has great meaning for me and hoping that Kathleen might know a bit more about it. Can’t wait to see what you bring!
Our session goes live on Monday, March 24th 8AM Pacific/11AM Eastern/3PM GMT and the Zoom link will be sent to paid subscribers one hour before.
More information about Monday’s session in the original post below. ⬇️
Kitchen Objects
Is there a plate, spoon, cooking or baking utensil that has history and meaning for you? Kitchen Objects will be the topic of our March Paid Subscriber Zoom Meetup on Monday, March 24th 8AM Pacific/11AM Eastern/3PM GMT. We can even do a Show & Tell so bring your fav and let’s tell stories!
I’ll be sending the Zoom link out to paid subscribers one hour before we meet on March 24th and for those who can’t make it, the session will be recorded and posted on the Videos Page.
Save the Date, March 24th at 8AM Pacific/11AM Eastern/3PM GMT, bring a mug of coffee or spot of tea and get ready for another lovely paid subscriber gathering!
What I’m Reading
Love & Saffron
by Kim Fay
Remember the days of letters, stamps and penpals? Love & Saffron is a series of missives between two west coast food writers who meet when one reaches out to the other and the lovely relationship that develops and sustains them through both good and some challenging times.
Having lived in and around Seattle, more off than on over the decades, and visiting Los Angeles to see my cousins in the late 50s and early 60s, I knew many of the locations in the book and some of the people, too! I thorougly enjoyed this read and can see why it was a national best seller.
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through The Heart of The Grand Canyon
by Kevin Ferdarko
When I was 40 (back in 1993) I took part in a two-week oar powered raft trip in little 5-person rafts down the Colorado. It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. (Those were the days, my friends!)
My current read, The Emerald Mile, is the true story of the fastest boat ride ever through the Grand Canyon during the legendary Colorado River flood of 1983 with writing that has swept me away starting from the first paragraph.
What I’m Listening To
Libana: The Earth, the Air, the Fire, the Water
Around the same time as the river trip, I was faciliating a women’s song circle and brought Libana to our little town on the North Olympic Peninsula for a very special one night performance. In in a room lit by soft candle light, we sat in circle— listening, signing and sharing. It was magical.
What I’m Cooking
Sweet Potato Miso Soup with Tofu & Spinach
I’m really enjoying my Instant Pot because it’s so darn quick to make soups. Last week I spied Comfort in an Instant by Melissa Clark on the shelf at my library and brought it home. As I had most all the ingredients, I made the Sweet Potato Miso Soup with Tofu & Spinach.
Please note that I didn’t see 2 cups of water listed in Melissa’s ingredient list in the book but it is mentioned in her directions which I conveniently spaced out seeing! I’ve noted my substitions and the omission of kombu and 2 cups water below. This soup is is so good that I’ve made it three times now minus those 2 cups water each time.
What You’ll Need
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (be sure to use toasted)
4 scallions, sliced (Melissa says to keep the white and green parts separate)
3.5 ounces, about 3 cups shitake mushrooms, stems discarded and sliced thin. (I used up the cremini mushrooms in my vegetable drawer and they worked great.)
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
Kosher salt
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock (I used water with 1 heaping tablespoon Better Than Boullion Vegetable Stock)
2 cups water (I missed each time I made it)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 cups baby spinach, torn (I think it would be good with arugula, too.)
1 4 x 5 inch piece of kombu (I didn’t have any so didn’t use)
1/4 cup white miso plus more if needed (I used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Miso)
7 ounces firm tofu (about 1/2 block) cut into chunks
How To Make It
Have everything chopped and ready to go.
Put the Instant Pot sauté setting on Low, heat the toasted sesame oil and sauté all the scallion whites and about 2/3s green parts, mushrooms, ginger and pinch of salt for 2-4 minutes until soft but not brown. Reserve the remaining greens for garnishing the soup.
Add the stock (and 2 cups water if you are making it like Melissa calls for 🙃), sweet potato, spinach and 1/2 teaspoon more salt. (If using the kombu, put it on top.)
Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. Drape a kitchen towel over the vent and then manually release the pressure. (You won’t get a spattery mess if you use this nifty towel trick.)
If you used kombu, remove it now and add to the compost later. Ladle about 1 cup soup into a medium bowl and whisk in the miso. When it’s all dissolved, stir the miso mixture back into the pot. Add the tofu and taste. Stir in more miso and salt if you think it needs it.
Ladle into bowls and top with reserved scallion and a tiny drizzle of sesame oil.
And in case you missed it on Notes today, Mr B joined me when I was being interviewed by
for an upcoming piece on her new Substack !
Nice Things To Do
Something that you can do for me is to heart ❤️ this post. It not only lets me know that you are stopping by but this really helps my ratings on Substack, too. Thank you!
Your miso soup looks great, I will have to try it. Melissa Clark has a recipe for red lentil and lemon soup that is my all time favorite, everyone who I make it for asks for the recipe. She is a wonderful chef.