Best Recipe for Fall: Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a recipe so here’s my favorite one for this time of year. To be honest, I don’t remember where it came from since I modified it based on another recipe I found a few years back, but it has surprisingly become a favorite in our family and gets rave reviews from guests. It’s healthy (spare the cream) and the perfect flavors of fall for a stand alone meal or as an appetizer to any dish.  Enjoy!

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large box chicken broth  (or veggie broth if you want it vegetarian)
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 cups heavy cream (optional)

Cook sweet potatoes either in microwave or oven ahead of time, allow to cool enough to peel, remove skins.

In a spice grinder, grind all spices together into a coarse powder. (or just mix together if already ground)

Sautee onion and crushed garlic in olive oil over medium heat until onion is soft.

Combine sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spices, cooked onion/garlic and chicken stock in blender. (may have to divide into batches if making a large quantity)

Once blended, pour mixture into large pot on stove and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.  Consistency can be adjusted with more/less broth.  (Heavy whipping cream and/or a small amount of sour cream can be added for extra yummy & creamy soup, but not necessary)

Pour heated soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley if desired.

goods from the garden

Just a quick garden update as the season is unfortunately going to soon come to and end.  Here is one of our favorite staples from the garden lately – bruschetta made from our vine ripened roma tomatoes and pesto from our abundance of basil.  SO easy and SO good.

garden bruschetta

For this dish, I used hamburger buns, well toasted and cut in half for a nice semi-circle shape, spread on some home made pesto and finely chopped tomatoes (mixed with chopped garlic and some EVOO).  A GREAT appetizer that presents well too!

Baby Roush

Though most have heard through various other means, I realized that I can now put updates on my blog about our little one expected to make a debut around New Year’s Day!  I will be 22 weeks this weekend and we found out a few weeks ago that we are having a BOY!  We haven’t come up with a name yet, but we are having fun preparing for this little guy already.  Here are the ultrasound photos we received from week 19.

not a great quality photo, but on screen we could see his little face

it's definitely a boy!

We have started putting together a room for a nursery so I will post photos as soon as we have something!  My parents spent their anniversary weekend up here slaving away on painting the room and staining some furniture which was a HUGE help!  We’ve been extremely blessed with some friends here who have given us a huge amount of baby gear that their little boy has grown out of, so we already have a good start.  New Year’s Day seems like it is still so far away, but September is just around the corner and hopefully we will be able to enjoy the fall season (but I’m hoping it goes by quickly as I’m already starting to feel large and uncomfortable)!

Breaking the Silence

I think after a month and a half of silence I have broken just about every blogging rule by now.  Things became busy, I wasn’t feeling well and then before you know it I had all but forgotten to come back to my blog!  So….here I am.  I am still alive and well!  Here are some brief highlights of the past month and a half:

• MAY: I turned 30 but it wasn’t so bad.  My husband took me out for a fun night in Georgetown with the best pizza and gelato DC has to offer.  My parents bought me a wii which provided hours of entertainment and they came up for a nice visit over memorial day weekend.

• JUNE: My husband and I had the opportunity to go on a cruise with my sister, brother-in-law, mom & dad (thanks mom & dad)!  It was a fabulous trip and we had 5 relaxing days in the Caribbean visiting Jamaica and the Grand Cayman.  More info and pics to follow.  Upon returning home we had a nice visit with some relatives who flew out for a long weekend from CO and explored more of the sights and food here in DC.

• JULY: Some friends of ours had a litter of Westie puppies and we couldn’t pass them up!  Knowing we would be out of our mind to actually take one and keep it we took in 3 puppies that were eventually going to other homes.  One of them went to my sister so we now have 2 little white dogs in the family although Obi wasn’t too keen on the idea at first.  We STILL have one of the pups and are fervently working to crate and potty train during this next week that he’s in our house.

Versailles

On this day one year ago my husband and I were gallivanting through Paris and hopped a train out to Versailles for the day.  It would be safe to assume that I would like to be there right now instead of sitting in my kitchen thinking of what to make for dinner, how the grass needs mowed and staring at a mound of laundry that needs folded and put away.  Oh well, reminiscing will have to do for now.

the hall of mirrors

If you haven’t been and ever go to Paris, you must schedule a day to travel out to the countryside and visit the Royal Palace of Versailles where King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette graced the hallways in the height of French indulgence just before the terror of the French Revolution.

Hameau de la Reine (Marie Antoinette's Petite Village)

The palace is the epitome of indulgence and luxury though now it is showing it’s wear and age.  To me it is a very real reminder of how riches fade.  Nevertheless, the fountains and gardens alone are a beautiful sight and well worth the trip.

Be sure to call ahead and make sure the gardens will be open and the fountains will be running during your visit.  They occasionally have special reserved events or down times and you want to get the most out of your visit.

Click here for more photos from our day in Versailles.

chocolate molten lava cake

I desperately wish I had come up with this recipe on my own and would be able to take credit for it’s divine qualities, but alas, I did not so I feel I should be generous and pass it along.   This recipe has transformed my entertaining and is definitely THE recipe I now go to when serving guests.  It never fails to impress and on top of that, it’s quick and easy!  My husband used to claim he wasn’t a big chocolate fan, but that all changed with this cake and he now requests this above all else.

Here it is, only slightly adapted from the original by Emeril.

• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, plus 1/4 pound (1 stick)
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
  (I prefer 3 oz of extra dark 60-80% fine chocolate such as ghiradelli, etc & 3 oz milk chocolate)
• 2 tablespoons cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon amaretto (or nut-flavored liqueur)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease and flour 4 (6-ounce) ramekins or baking dishes with the 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of flour in each, tapping out the excess flour. Set on a baking sheet.

In a double boiler, or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the remaining 1/4 pound of butter with the chocolate, cream, and powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt until thick ribbons form, about 3 minutes. Sift 2 tablespoons flour into the egg mixture and fold together. Carefully fold the chocolate into the egg mixture. Divide among the prepared dishes and bake until the sides of the cake are set and the tops are puffed but still soft, about 10-12 minutes.

NOTE: do NOT overcook!  This one will take some practice.  My oven is 10 min MAX or you will have nothing more than a soft brownie, not liquid center…..so if in doubt, take it out!

Remove from the oven and let cool in the ramekins for 2 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto dessert plates.

Meanwhile, in a bowl whip the cream until beginning to form soft peaks. Add the sugar and nut liqueur and beat until stiff peaks start to form. Spoon a dollop of the whipped cream on each unmolded cake, and garnish each plate with raspberries and a sprig of mint. Sprinkle cocoa over the cakes, and serve.

The amaretto whip cream is amazing alongside any type of fruit, but I personally prefer a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a dollop of the whip cream to counteract the warm oozing chocolate cake.  There’s nothing better!

I regret not having a photo as they do not stick around long enough to capture them, but I next time I make these I will be sure to post one!

mother’s day brunch, southern style

I need to apologize for my blogging absence, but we have been enjoying time away in Charleston, SC this past week/weekend!  We had the opportunity to be a part of a fun wedding celebration, but was also able to spend time with my mom on mother’s day!  Charleston has got to be the best city in America for a good weekend brunch.

This past weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day at Magnolia’s on East Bay Street.  You will never go wrong with anything on their menu.  I had a simple egg sandwich with sweet potato fries and it was so good I will have a hard time not ordering it again, though the eggs benedict or bananas foster french toast are always delicious.

If in the area, check out some of my favorite local venues for an amazing Southern weekend brunch….you will NOT be disappointed!

• High Cotton
• The Boathouse
• Fleet Landing
• Vickery’s

monday monday monday

Do you ever have one of those days that everything seems to be almost working out, but NOTHING actually works?  That was my day.  I waited way too long to do some essential shopping for the coming week and everything I came across seemed to ALMOST be perfect….except for some random little thing every time.

I started with dress shopping, which is always a chore when you need something in a tight deadline.  All the dresses I could afford just didn’t seem to fit quite right or be quite suitable for the event.  Then of course the dresses that were absolutely perfect were way out of my price range.  After a long tiring day scouring every store imaginable I finally hit the jackpot!  I found a dress that would work perfectly, fit just right, AND it was on clearance!  All my hard work had finally paid off….or so I thought.  As I stood in line at the checkout I suddenly noticed a stain front and center of the dress and a small snag on the side – WHAT!?!?  NO!?!?  Of course it was the only one in the entire store.  I knew it was too good to be true.  By that time I was so over it that I agreed to pay an extra $12 to have another store overnight ship a dress to me just so I could quit searching.

Unfortunately I wasn’t done shopping so I moved on to looking for a specific gift I knew I wanted to purchase.  At least that one, I thought, would be easy.  Again, WRONG.  Every store I went to had almost exactly what I wanted and when I did find exactly what I wanted they happened to have just short of the quantity I needed (which I would find out after standing in line for 20 minutes because I couldn’t ever find anyone on the floor who could check the stock for me).  AHHHH. Just not my day apparently!

(image: source)

Weekend Fiesta Menu

Ok, one day left before the big Nacho Libre Fiesta and I think I’ve narrowed down the menu.  If you’re thinking of doing a Cinco de Mayo party at all this week here are some recipes and menu ideas I’ve rounded up that may be helpful.  We will have about 20 guests total.  I’ll post a follow-up next week to show how things went!

Taco Bar

• Carne Asada (steaks thinly sliced and set in this marinade for 24+ hours)
• Shredded Chicken (chicken breasts  in Chipotle Lime marinade for 24+ hours)
• Ground Beef with the typical taco seasoning
• Crumbled Mexican Queso Fresco
• Shredded White Blend Mexican Cheeses
• Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, Cilantro
• Corn and Flour tortillas from our local Mexican market
  (check and see if you have a local Mexican food market – the quality is MUCH better & they are generally cheaper)

Chips/Salsa Station

• Tostitos lime chips (my favorite)
• tortilla chips
• Pace Black Bean & Roasted Corn salsa
• tomatillo salsa
  (tomatillos (halved, face down) and corn roasted under broiler, tiny bit of jalepeno, lime juice, onion, garlic, salt, pinch of sugar)
• mango salsa
  (1 diced mango, can sweet corn, chopped red onion, chopped tomato, cilantro, lime juice, pinch of sugar)
• guacamole (courtesy of Kelly)
• chile cheese dip (block of velveeta melted with 1 can hormel chile no beans)

Sides

• Elote (mexican corn on the cob) as featured in Nacho Libre
• Black Bean Cakes
• Fried Plantains with garlic salt (best if plantains are still a bit green but just starting to yellow)

Desserts

• Flan (if my friend Laurie is up for making it)
• Mexican Chocolate Fondue

Drinks

• Margaritas
• Diet Coke with Lime

What a great way to celebrate the first day of May (we will be heading out of town so could not host it on Cinco de Mayo)!  Anyone else doing any Cinco de Mayo festivities?

(image: source)

5 Days in May

Don’t forget!!  Starting tomorrow you can be part of a movement that will directly save lives! Choose to drink water to give water May 1-5 and donate the money that you would have spent on other drinks during that time to provide clean water to the community of Lumban Ginabean in Indonesia!

girl in the community of Lumban Ginabean who needs clean water

This little girl in Lumban Ginabean has these sores on her face from drinking the contaminated water. The average person spends about $43.75/week on drinks (coffee, soda, bottled water, drinks at restaurants).  $43.75 could give 5 people clean drinking water for the rest of their lives. If 600 people participate, this entire community of over 3K people can have a permanent source of clean water.

This is their current water source

HOW TO HELP

1. Join the facebook event to let them know you’re in on the cause!
2. Drink only water for the next 5 days and save the money you’d normally spend on drinks.
3. Donate that money to the community of Lumban Ginabean. (Donation link also found on www.5daysinMay.com)

The people of Lumban Ginabean will be forever grateful – their lives will be drastically changed! Thanks for making a difference!
For more information, visit www.5daysinMay.com or follow it on twitter.

(images: source)