Smooth corn soup

Very smooth corn soup thanks to the Vitamix we just got, but you can get very similar results with a food processor. Ingredients: 5 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed • Olive oil • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped • 1" x 1.5" fresh ginger • Small piece of jalapeño depends how hot you like your soup • 1 bay leaf • 1 tsp of each of the listed dried spices: coriander, fennel, cumin, thyme and rosemary. Heat in a pan and grind a little in a coffee machine. Put all the spices in a cheese cloth and make a knot • Salt. For garnish: Kernels and cilantro. Soup: Set aside a few tbs of the kernels. Sauté the garlic in olive oil, add the corn, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add water to cover the corn, bay leaf, jalapeño and dried herbs in the cheese cloth. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cover partially, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15-20 minutes to blend flavors. Discard the dried herbs, ginger and bay leaf. Cool soup slightly. Place mixture into the Vitamix container or food processor (if using a food processor work in batches) and blend until very smooth, add salt. Sauté the kernels you set aside in olive oil, add to the soup with fresh cilantro. Bon appétit.

Mandala

The meaning of mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning "circle." Even though it may be dominated by squares or triangles, a mandala has a concentric structure. Mandalas offer balancing visual elements, symbolizing unity and harmony. –whats-your-sign.com • My mandala was created to capture the beauty of the hand drawn lines and basic shapes. I created repeats in gray and silver to show the harmony that can be achieved with one element and similar colors. Hand drawn, manipulated in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.