Pumpkin/Squash Soup

The Story

It's been some time since I've posted a new recipe, which illustrates one meaning of "occasional" intended by my blog title. (Isn't it nice when laziness or inactivity can be justified so wonderfully?) Today, however, I'm making this dish for a second time and feel confident that I've made it my own and can share it with you. First off, I'll have to admit that I'd never tried to make pumpkin soup before this year, However, my friend Justine game me some pumpkins to decorate with at a party in September, and when my mother-in-law was visiting last month I decided to take the plunge and turn them into something edible. I checked out a bunch of recipes on the internet, chose ingredients and noted preparation tips that seemed to fit the direction I wanted to go in, and whipped up a batch of pumpkin and squash soup. Gioia, Eddie, and I all enjoyed the results--not bad for a first attempt!  Yesterday I got a winter squash in my farm share, so I decided to refine my recipe. Here's what I've come up with:

What You'll Need

• One large pumpkin/squash or 2-3 smaller
• 5 cups stock (I use chicken, but veggie would obviously work)
• 1 apple
• 1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 6 oz. fat-free plain or vanilla Greek yogurt (or heavy cream if preferred)
• ground cumin (optional, but I love cumin in everything)
• sage or thyme
• salt and pepper
• cayenne or red pepper
• cinnamon/allspice/honey (something sweet)  

  
Preparation

• Quarter the pumpkin/squash, remove the seeds, place on a baking sheet or dish and bake in over at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool.
• Peel and chop the carrot, apple, and onion and saute in olive oil in the in the bottom of your soup pan. 
• Peel off pumpkin skin or scoop out flesh, chop or break into pieces, and add to soup pot
• Add stock
• Add spices to taste. I think this simply comes down to a matter of personal preference, so throw in what seems right to you. We like a balance of spicy and sweet, so I play with the balance of pepper and cinnamon/allspice. If you're going to add heavy cream or vanilla yogurt you won't have to worry too much about the sweet end of things here. If you opt for plain yogurt, a bit of honey will help.
• Heat to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Using a hand blender, blend soup to the consistency you prefer. (Or puree in batches in a food processor or regular blender.) I made it really smooth the first time around, but left it a bit chunkier the second time, and we liked both.
• Add the yogurt or cream, heat to temperature desired for serving and serve.

1/9/12 Update: Because I had an abundance of squash and wasn't in a hurry, I decided to try this in a slow cooker. I basically doubled everything except the stock, since only four cups fit comfortably in the pot. There's no need for oil: I just threw the onions, apples, and carrots right in. I cooked it on high for five hours or so, and the results seem pretty much the same. Now, though, I have 6-8 servings of soup to look forward to!

Serving
There's not much to it, really. You could wait to put a dollop of yogurt or cream in the bowl just before serving to make it look pretty--and/or add a sprig of parsley or other herb for appearance. It is wonderful as it is or served with a hearty bread.

And, if you're waistline conscious, note that I divide this into 4 hearty servings of 4 points each in Weight Watchers. That's with the non-fat plan yogurt, of course, so cream will cost you more at the scale.

Slow-Cooker Lentil Soup (a la Weight Watchers)

The Story

I've been planning to add this recipe to my blog for a week or so, but I was finally motivated when my Aunt Mary sent me an email for a recipe exchange--in which I am asked to type up a recipe, email it to a friend of hers, and then forward the same email (this time with her name as the recipient) to 20 of my friends. In theory, the email says that I may get up to 36 recipes in return, although I haven't done the math there. A month or two ago, I may have simply deleted this request, but there are new reasons for me to participate: the creation of this blog, the fact that my Aunt Mary used a recipe from it recently and it gave us a chance to correspond, and my desire to get a few new recipes.

I'm not really one who checks out recipes very often. In fact, as those of you who know me are well aware, I'm historically not one to cook very often either. Eddie has always been the main cook in our household, with me pitching in when we have dinner guests or throw a large party. That has changed a bit in recent months, though, due to my return to Weight Watchers in August. I've been a WW member before--many times before, in truth--and I've always known it's a healthy weight-loss program. I've successfully lost weight with WW in the past, but I've never been motivated enough to stick with it and reach my goal weight--consequentially rebounding down the road and putting on even more weight. However, each time I go back to WW, the program is even easier and smarter than the time I last joined. And, after five months and 35 pounds, I am feeling confident that this time around both the plan and the timing are right for me.

I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that we've been making some changes in our eating habits at home. Not only are we eating healthier things--more fruits and vegetables, for one--but I'm also participating in the process of meal preparation, and particularly in the planning. While Eddie used to do all the grocery shopping, I am frequently the shopper now. When he used to ask me what I wanted for dinner, I would often shrug my shoulders or snap at him; now, I put out the ingredients for each meal and he does the cooking. It's a nice symbiosis and better for both our health and our marriage. Despite these positive changes, our repertoire of healthy and tasty meals has been growing a bit repetitive in the past month, since the novelty has worn off, so I had been thinking about trying something new. Thinking is as far as it got until this recipe caught my eye when I signed on to WW eTools (one of the new options available since the last time I joined and also a big reason for my success) to track my food one rainy day. Weatherwise, soup sounded appealing, but I thought that this recipe also looked incredibly easy to make and might serve as a good alternative to the eternal pot of Variable Chili which had been serving as a staple.  So, I decided to give it a try, and it was such a smashing success that I made a second batch as soon as we finished the first. I've made a few alterations to the original, and I encourage you to see what choices you can make that will make the recipe your own.

What You'll Need

• 1 bag dry lentils, picked over
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, cut in thin strips (I reconstitute dry ones. Note that this is an alternative suggested by WW, as the original recipe called for 4-5 pieces of Canadian bacon, chopped and added 30 minutes prior to serving. We like the mushrooms, though, so we're sticking with them.)
• 2 large carrots, chopped into chunks
• 4-5 stalks celery, chopped into chunks
• 1 onion, chopped into chunks
• 3-4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tsp sage (the original recipe calls for 1/2)
• cumin (not in the original recipe, but my favorite spice)
• 3-4 bay leaves
• cayenne pepper (also not in the original, but I thought it could use a bit of kick)
• salt and pepper to taste (remember to salt at the end, so as to prevent hardening the lentils)
• NOTE: The vegetables above are pretty standard. However, over time I have started throwing in whatever veggies I have left at the bottom of the week. Beets, green beans, fennel, bell peppers--even tomatillos: every combination has resulted in a tasty product.

Preparation

• Chop the vegetables into large chunks and distribute them evenly over the bottom of your slow cooker
• Throw in the herbs and spices (sans salt)
• Spread lentils evenly over surface
• Add stock
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours. There is no need to stir.
• To thicken before serving, I get out the handblender and run it for a couple minutes in the pot. Alternatively, pull out a cup or two of the lentils and veggies and puree them in your food processor.

Serving

I divide this into 6-7 healthy-sized servings (each 5-6 points, for you Weight Watchers out there) which make a fine main course, and the recipe could easily serve 8-10 with an accompanying salad and/or bread. It's tasty as soon as it's ready, but it also keeps for several days (likely even longer, but that's as long as it lasted at our house!) and microwaves nicely. The original recipe suggested adding a dash of white vinegar to the top for added flavor, but the cayenne pepper I added seems to do the job fine. If you want to leave flavoring up to the eater, hot sauce and/or sour cream might be tasty as well.

Hot Buttered Rum

The Story
 
Last year, my friend Marsha gave us a pint of rum and a jar of hot-buttered rum mix.  She also included the recipe in the package. We did some traveling immediately after the holidays last year, though, and the mix found its way to the back of the refrigerator, where it's hidden for over a year. We finally unearthed the jar and took it to a dinner party with four friends this past Sunday, and the resulting concoction won acclaim all around. It's a great drink for a winter cocktail party, trimming the Xmas tree, or lazing around on a cold winter's day.

I decided to share the recipe with my sister for a party we're having at her place over the holidays, so I typed it up and emailed her. Then I began thinking about a couple other recipes I needed to take with me as well. If I'm doing all this typing, I thought, I may as well put these in a place that I can access regularly and share with friends when they ask for the recipe.  So, for better or worse, this drink gave birth to this blog.

What you'll need
1 lb butter, melted
1 lb powdered sugar
1 lb dark brown sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp all spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Preparation
Sift both sugars into melted butter
Pour over vanilla ice cream
Add eggs and vanilla
Mix spices and add
Mix well
Store in fridge 

Serving
Place 2 tsp mix + 1 jigger rum in a mug
Fill cup with hot water and stir
Sprinkle with nutmeg