Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

I know that pumpkin soup doesn't really seem "seasonal" in December... but every year after Thanksgiving, I am left with an assortment of pumpkins and gourds that are still good, but no longer useful for decorating since it's now the beginning of the Christmas season....

(I love the light this time of year! When the sun is low on the horizon, it's the best for photography... No wonder the paintings by the Dutch masters are fabulous, the light must be incredible there all the time... but I digress....)

Usually I just leave them laying around on the back porch until they rot because I can't bring myself to throw them out, but I don't quite know what to do with them... This year I decided to actually put them to use and roast them and make some soup.

 Butternut squash- I halved it and scooped out the seeds with a spoon.

This white pumpkin revealed a lovely creamy colored interior....

 This funky, bumpy gourd was extremely hard- I stuck the knife in and I couldn't get it out! I ended up slamming the whole thing against the counter until the gourd split open and released the knife. I don't recommend it- probably very dangerous! But I think your only other option for opening this type of gourd is maybe a chain saw. (Please note- someone just told me that some gourds are poisonous, which I was unaware of. I believe that gourds native to North America are edible- Please do not consume gourds unless you are sure they are edible. I found 2 articles about gourds here and here.)

Finally got it open! Scooped the out the inside of this one too.

Lovely cross section of the "Cinderella" pumpkin- the color on this one was gorgeous and very dense.

Once the insides were scooped out, I placed the pumpkins on a foil lined baking sheet, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled generously with salt.

Next I roasted everything at 400 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the flesh was tender.

When cool enough to handle, I peeled the skin from the pumpkins. 

Look at that funky yellow gourd now! The skin was still so hard that I couldn't peel it, so I used a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh. A nice surprise was that the rind held its shape really nicely and make a lovely serving bowl (see first photo).

I placed all of the cooked pumpkin and gourd into a blender in batches. I added a generous amount of chicken broth to the pumpkin in the blender until I was able to puree it.

The color of the puree was incredible... And it made a lot of puree, something like 30 cups. I used some for my soup, and put the rest in containers in the freezer so I can make more soup in the future.

So now... the actual recipe! Making the puree from the pumpkins was quite time consuming, but making the soup itself was really quick and easy. (And now that I have so much puree in the freezer, there will be lots of soup to come...)

Ingredients:

10 cups pumpkin puree

1 T. nutmeg

1 T. curry powder

2 tsp chili powder

2-3 cups water

1 pint lite cream

Additional water, chicken broth, or milk for thinning

Place pumpkin puree, spices, and water in a large pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add cream and heat through (do not boil). Add additional liquid for desired consistency.

Serve & enjoy....

Click here for PDF of recipe.

Oh, and those little gourds that didn't make it into the soup? They got sprayed with metallic paint and arranged on the mantle:

What do you do with your pumpkins and gourds after you've finished using them for decorations? Do you just keep them around until they rot? Cook them? Or do you have any other creative ideas for them? 

Easy Fall Decorating: Fancy Pumpkin

Guest blogger Samantha has a handy and inexpensive crafting supply to share with you today. What a modern twist on the ubiquitous pumpkin!

Some of you may already know this, but I'm about to let you into a little decorating secret.  You know what the most valuable you will ever have in your DIY arsenal is? Spray paint. Spray pain helped transform this room and this room, and now it's even helping me throw together some decorations for fall!  I snagged this adorable "spooky pumpkin" from my local produce market and turned it into a rustic yet modern centerpiece for the season!

Here's what you'll need:

pumpkin/ spray paint of your choosing/ painters tape

1. Wipe down your pumpkin with a damp cloth or paper towel.  Then begin taping your design onto your pumpkin.  Think about what kind of design you want to make and how much paint vs. how much pumpkin you want showing.  Make sure you secure all of the paint edges so that no paint gets underneath.

2. Start spraying!  Try to keep the paint can as far away from the pumpkin as you can, so that the spray covers the surface lightly, not coating too thick with drips.

3.  Let dry for an hour or two and then carefully peel off the tape.  Some of the edges of the paint may be loose, so press down on them with your fingers.  Then, put on display!

I love the way this shiny, modern pumpkin looks next to the little pumpkins and the berries!  There are so many ways to decorate your produce for fall; paint polka dots, stripes, or faces!  Let me know what you come up with!

Happy weekend (I know it's only Thursday, but I like to get a jump on my weekends!)

Samantha

PS Don't forget about Jillily's "Blook Tour" with prizes. Saturday is my turn to act as "hostess" for the tour, so stop by here for a chance to win a copy of Jill's newest book!

The Perfect Pumpkin Bread

Samantha's Friday guest post... fall is in the air....


Fall is here, you guys.  We have had the most beautiful weather the past week... one would almost even call it sweater weather.  My husband and I are crazy about fall.  All summer he has been trying to wear sweaters to work and church, only to remember it was 90 degrees when he left the house!
But now the air conditioner is off, the windows are open, and I am ready to start baking again.  We had a few leaders from church over last night for coffee and I made some no bake cookies, as well as this delicious "hello fall" dessert.  I adapted this recipe from here.

Here's what you'll need:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (half of one stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
4 tablespoon vanilla or plain yogurt (sour cream may be substituted)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
15 oz pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 mashed banana
one 3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix (not Cook ‘n Serve)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Nutmeg (to taste)
Ginger (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 325F, spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. To the melted butter, add the sugars, egg, yogurt, vanilla, and stir to combine. Add pumpkin puree, banana, and mix. Add the dry pudding mix, desired spices, salt, cloves and stir. Add the flour, baking soda, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix or bread will be tough.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until top is golden and set, and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in the loaf pan for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

And, if you have a sweet tooth, like me, feel free to drizzle the bread with your favorite type of glaze or icing and enjoy with a big steaming cup of coffee. Sigh.

Last, but not least, I wanted to share these lovely flowers I found at a local produce market for a bargain.  I scattered them around the apartment in small vases to compliment the space and give it some life.  They aren't exactly mums, but I think these flowers say "Fall is here," as well!

Happy Weekend!
Samantha

Hand-Stamped Cloth Napkins

Hey look what daughter Samantha has made! I love the way her napkins came out.... I am thinking you could also make a matching tablecloth with this technique. Remember stamping with potatoes? She has given it a modern twist:

I decided to take up where my mom left off on Tuesday and make my own kind of cloth napkins.  I love the idea of making your own stamps, so I tried it out with some metallic gold paint and loved the effect. 

Here's what you'll need:

potato/ small, sharp knife/ acrylic craft paint/ /paper plate/ paintbrush/ cloth napkins

(You could buy some cloth napkins at the dollar store, but I just whipped mine up really quckly with some leftover muslin.)

1. Cut a potato in half and carve your stamp with a paring knife. Obviously, this is the most fun/most daunting part.  My suggestion is to start with something really basic and add in more details as you go.  I started out with a big sunbeam-like shape, and then made the rays varying shapes and etched in triangles on the edges.  Keep your mind open to whatever can be made with your shape; don't just get stuck on one idea and then be disappointed when it doesn't look how you imagined.

2. When you are happy with the stamp, pour out a little bit of your paint onto a paper plate and brush a light layer onto your stamp.  You will have to reapply between every couple of imprints.

3.  Find the middle of your napkin and begin stamping! You can make a grid pattern or even overlap your stamps; they're your creation!  I did a grid, but turned my stamp different directions with each imprint, since it was an oblong shape.

Let the napkins dry, and you have your personal set of cloth napkins! I love the way mine turned out; I think they look as if they could have come from a department store, especially since I used the metalic paint.  I can't wait to try out some matching napkin rings and have everyone over for dinner!

What kind of shape would you like to stamp onto your napkins? What colors?

Happy weekend!

Samantha

DIY Personalized Coaster Set

My daughter Samantha is making simple inexpensive coasters today. You could get really creative with these: 

I don't think it's an understatement to say that I LOVE these coasters.  I never used to be a coaster kind of girl.  Probably because the ones we had at home were these wooden ones with cats painted on them from 1989.  But now, I see the beauty of coasters because these, well, they have beauty.  Like little works of  art. And I made them all in a couple of hours and it costs about $3 to make a set.

Here's what you'll need:

ceramic tiles/ scrapbook paper/ Modgepodge/ scissors/ ruler/ felt stickers

First, I decided on my design and cut out my pieces.  For the quilt one, I started with a 1 1/4" square and arranged the rest of the "quilt" around it, seeing what I could fit onto the tile.  You can do this with any kind of quilt block or pattern; just make sure you arrange everything on the tile and you like the way it looks.

Next, I spread a thick layer of Modgepodge on my tile.  It should be thick enough that the Modgepodge doesn't dry before you set your pieces, but thin enough that your pieces won't be totally submerged/soaked.

Arrange your pieces on the tile.  Be quick! They need to be in place before the modge podge starts to dry.

Let the tile dry for a little while.  Then, begin spreading thin layers of Modgepodge over top of your paper.  Watch out for any bubbles or bumps and smooth them out as best you can.  Spread about 5 layers of Modgepodge, letting them dry for about half an hour in between each coat. (Be careful, because I found out the hard way that while the paper is damp with ModPodge, it can tear and scratch easily....)

When the tile is dry and you like the way it looks, attach your felt stickers to the bottom so they won't scratch your tables.  I found these pretty easily at Wal-Mart. You could also just glue on scraps of wool or felt.

And you're done!  Aren't they adorable?  You can do them in any kind of pattern or print, and I think they make a very sweet housewarming present! I can't wait to make more to add to my collection. 

What kind of patterns would you put on your coasters?

Happy Weekend!

Samantha

S'more Lovin'

My daughter Samantha has found several ways to make S'mores even more delicious! Here is her guest post for today....

As some of you may know, today is National S'more Day! I have always been a big fan of s'mores; my favorite time to have them is during this time of year when we go on vacation and set up a bonfire on the beach for roasting.  This year, however, since I can't make it to the beach, I decided to make my own s'more variations in my kitchen.

Variation #1: The Breakfast-In-Bed S'more

Ingredients: graham crackers/honey/cinnamon/blueberries/chocolate/marshmallows

Variation #2: Elvis's Dream S'more

Ingredients: graham crackers/ peanut butter/ sliced banana/ chocolate/ marshmallows

Variation #3: The Epicurious S'more

Ingredients: graham crackers/ fig preserves/ mount chevre goat cheese/ marshmallows

Tips: To roast marshmallows inside, turn on your gas stove, put marshmallow on bamboo skewer, and carefully hold over the flame until your marshmallow is golden and melty.

IMPORTANT: Soak the skewers in water for 15-20 minutes before using so that they don't catch on fire!

Don't they look delicious? And believe me, they were. You can mix and match these variations as much as you like; I made a second Breakfast-In-Bed with bananas instead of blueberries and it was so very yummy! 

So please, enjoy National S'more Day in style! Let me know what kind of recipes you can come up with!  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make some more Epicurious S'mores.

Happy weekend!

Samantha

It was really a surprise!

Daughter ended up being very surprised for her Surprise Bridal Shower (thank goodness! we pulled it off!!) All of the stories, lies and stress paid off....

My friend made this beautiful cake. The heart and butterfly are cookies. Youngest daughter and I made additional desserts- petit fours, brownie bites, and miniature cherry cheese cakes.

Also on the menu: Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Parmigiana, Penne alla Vodka, Green Beans Almondine, and salad. (We ate it but didn't photograph it- typical.)

For a Wishing Well, we used a laundry basket- guests could bring small household items and useful "odds-and-ends" to fill the basket. Later, it will be handy for actually doing laundry....

Here is daughter with her bridesmaids:

And here is the happy couple:

And June will be here before we know it.

More Bridal Shower Photos

The table settings for the shower turned out very pretty. Buying flats of annuals and re-potting them ourselves was really inexpensive. Our color scheme was light pink, fuchsia, spring green, and yellow. We found the paper plates at Michael's the week before spring- the colors were perfect.

For a fun game, youngest daughter came up with a "Mad Libs Bridal Shower Edition." The games were on the table for the guests to work on while they waited for the bride-to-be to get there.

We held the shower in our church hall. We found this lattice arch, already decorated (with the perfectly colored pink flowers!) in the closet. I bought the pink parasol from an online wedding supplier months ago, not really knowing what I was going to do with it, but once again, the color was perfect.  This brown chair was not the most attractive piece of furniture in the building, but we did our best to cover it in crepe paper and balloons.

I'll have a few more photos next time- the bride, the groom, the bridesmaids, and the cake.... Very important stuff.

For more photos, click here.

PS Anyone else having trouble with Blogger? This was supposed to post on Friday and I noticed this morning that it never did.