28th January 2026

I Do Love a Blocky Study

I feel like people often divide themselves into either hot or cold weather folks. I like both, to be honest. Although I’m not excited about brushing more snow or scraping crusty ice off the car. Didn’t I just do that yesterday? If they made a movie about my winter life called One Battle After Another, it would be about getting snow off the car and all the car chases would be at reasonable speed.

Right now, everything in our neighborhood is blanketed under a foot of snow. It is cold, for sure, but also very beautiful. For a brief moment at sunset, there’s a special color combination of lilac grey and pale orange that makes my heart leap. And also want to do blocky Procreate studies.

I like to eat soup when it’s cold and I’m also really into doing the equivalent of blocky studies of more complicated food. So, lately I’ve been experimenting with food sketches of Instant Pot chicken soup with whatever’s in the fridge or freezer. Here’s my most recent one:

Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Corn & Spinach

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Set the Instant Pot to saute on high. Add oil. Then add garlic and onions and saute until onions are translucent.
  2. Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook. Add whole chicken breasts and bay leaf and fill to top line with water. Pressure cook for 35 minutes.
  3. Let pressure dissipate on its own. Once pressure has released, open lid and remove chicken and place on cutting board. Discard bay leaf. Once chicken has cooled, remove from bone and shred.
  4. Add chicken back to the stock in the pot, along with corn and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pressure cook for 20 mins.
  5. Let pressure dissipate on its own. Serve by itself or thicken with yogurt.
  6. Change up the flavor by adding in kimchi or green salsa. Top with chopped cilantro, parsley or fried onions. Or just eat the fried onions out of the can, you heathen.

Give it a try whenever you’re feeling cold and/or lazy.

❦
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