Pumpkin Peanut Butter Soup

image and recipe from here

I roasted our uncarved Halloween/Thanksgiving pumpkin

for making pumpkin puree to use in soup and smoothies.

Since my guys are not pumpkin fans,

I enjoyed making this  easy soup for myself and a two other couples.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Soup

2 T. olive oil
Onion large 150g
2 cloves garlic
750g pumpkin or butternut squash (abt. 4 cups)
1L stock, chicken or vegetable
1/2 c. peanut butter 135g
1 t. Marmite, Vegemite or soy sauce

Watch the quick recipe video (click on link under image above) before you get started.
Check the notes at the bottom of the recipe for little bits of extra info and help
Skin, deseed and and cube the pumpkin
Heat oil in a large saucepan
Dice the onion, and sauté until soft and fragrant
Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 mins
Add the stock
Simmer for 20 mins until pumpkin is tender
Blitz with a stick blender
Remove 1 c. of the soup, and put in a smaller bowl/pot, 

add the peanut butter, marmite or soy sauce, blitz until well combined
Return to the peanut butter mix to the large pot and stir well
Season to taste
Serve

prep 10 mins
cook 20 min
total 30 mins
author stacey kemeys

yield 2l approx

Notes:
If you are subbing soy sauce for marmite you will need approx. 1 T.
If you need this recipe to be wheat free or gluten free then

instead of marmite or soy sauce, substitute Tamari
You can stir through a little, greek yoghurt, coconut milk or creme fraiche

Swedish Pound Cake

One of my college roommates gave me this recipe.

My actual recipe card came up missing,

but I think this is the exact replica!

SWEDISH POUND CAKE
1 c. sugar

4 eggs
1/4 c. oil 

1 c. flour
1-1/2 t. almond extract 

1/2 t. salt

Beat eggs and add sugar gradually. Add other ingredients. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes in small loaf pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top while hot. (You can double recipe and make in a bundt pan.)

https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/swedish-pound-cake-379118

Chicken Chili Soup

Once my friend Jill helped with lunch for a family after the death of a loved one.

As a busy mom of seven, she always did great things in a speedy way. 

I love this super easy soup when I need to provide a meal. It needs a better name : )

Jill’s Funeral Lunch Soup 

1 can Ranch beans

1 can Mexican Rotel tomatoes

1 can chicken

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 can corn

(double for 1 full crock pot)

Pulled Pork - Instant Pot

This was some of the best pulled pork I have ever had, and I made it in the Instant Pot!  It was perfect for serving family and friends on Tanner’s birthday.

"Fried" Ice Cream, Chimichangas

recipe from here

Kirsten & Scott came to visit a day after their 29th anniversary.

We helped to extend the celebration with chimes (one of Kirsten's favs),

and a simplified version of Mexican Fried Ice Cream.

"Fried" Ice Cream
1 pint ice cream (such as Breyers Delights Vanilla Cupcake Ice Cream)

1-1/2 T. butter
1-1/4 c. corn cereal, crushed
1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 t. granulated sugar
Whipped cream, for garnish 

Sprinkles, for garnish
4 maraschino cherries, for garnish

recipe from here

Line a small sheet tray with parchment paper and place in freezer. Scoop ice cream into 4 balls and place on prepared sheet tray. Keep in freezer while making cereal mixture.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add corn cereal and cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cereal turns golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Place on a shallow bowl and let cool.

Remove ice cream balls from freezer and roll in cereal mixture. Top with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry, and serve immediately. Yields: 4 servings.

Our notes: 
We used plain vanilla ice cream to scoop 20 little balls so each person had 4. Then we had toppings to choose from: whipped cream, caramel, chocolate and maraschino cherries. No sprinkles! We decided to add more cinnamon the next time we try it, and possibly double roll the ice cream to get more toppings.


If you DO want to try frying ice cream here’s how to do it:

Scoop ice cream onto a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Place 3 large egg whites in a bowl and beat with a fork until frothy. Place corn flakes, cinnamon, and sugar in another bowl.

Roll ice cream in egg whites and then in corn flakes, pressing to coat. Place back on baking sheet and freeze for 4 hours or until completely solid.

Heat a large pot of canola oil to 375°. Working one at a time, fry ice cream for 20 seconds. Top and serve immediately!

Chimichangas
flour tortillas
chicken, pork or beef
onion
salsa
cheese
tomatoes
lettuce
sour cream

Put meat in crock pot and cook with onion and salsa for 12-24 hrs. Shred meat and set aside.

Roll meat into tortillas a flat burrito-style and secure with toothpick.

Fry chimis in about a half inch of oil at 350 degrees. They only need a minute or so on each side to brown, as the meat was pre-cooked. Serve with remaining with remaining ingredients.

Best Butternut Squash Soup

I know it’s 100° outside, but I couldn’t resist making soup. This was good enough for Brandon to want three servings!

Ribs!

Brandon & Stephanie visited with us Friday and Saturday.

Just 24 hrs., but we packed in what we could!

When they arrived, we all picked our delicious and abundant raspberries.

Scott, Brandon and Ian went to play tennis on a friend's grass court.

Steph and I went for a walk, froze berries and made ribs for dinner.

Since I purchased two racks of ribs, we decided to try two methods of cooking
and have everyone taste test to see which was the best.

Method 1:

Boil rack of ribs (we used pork) in lemon lime pop and Coke for one hour. (Steph usual uses just Coke.) 

Drain ribs and put on grill. Slather with bbq sauce and cook 15 minutes.

Method 2:

Put rack of ribs on upper shelf of grill. Make foil pan to catch dripping for lower shelf. Slather with bbq sauce and cook on low for about an hour and 15 minutes.

The winner?

Neither one! It actually depended on the bbq sauce. Both kinds were thoroughly enjoyed. Brandon liked the boiled ones, as they had Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar bbq sauce. I liked the Kingsford Original Smoked Hickory on the grilled ribs. Ian liked the grilled. Scott like whichever one he was eating!

BONUS!
One of my friends baked this divine looking pie for the 4th of July.
Steph and I both want to replicate it for next year.

Sausage Asparagus Skillet

Thai Green Beans

Nutty Cauliflower Skillet

We all enjoyed this fresh, new taste!

Pork Loin & Bok Choy Stir Fry with Cashews

This dinner was super yummy!  My guys kept coming back for more.  😊

Tortilla Soup, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dulsanna and I had delicious tortilla soup at Cafe Rio today, but I like the knock-off version I made at home even better!  I am also including the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies that I got from Haley; they are my current favorite.  

Zuppa Toscana soup

recipe and image from here


Erik & Carissa like to make this soup in a crock pot.
I think they omit the bacon.
There are also pictures from a recent family hike!

Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup

Classic Olive Garden zuppa toscana soup, in slow cooker form! 

It tastes WAY better than the restaurant version (says the blogger linked just under the image.)

1 lb ground spicy Italian sausage (mild can be substituted)
8 slices bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T. flour (cornstarch can be substituted)
32 oz. chicken stock
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 bunch kale (a couple of handfuls) de-stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes. optional

Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot over MED-HIGH heat. Add a small drizzle of oil, then brown sausage, crumbling as it cooks. Drain well, then remove to a plate.

Fry bacon is residual sausage grease until crisp, then remove to plate with the sausage. Drain all but 1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp of bacon grease.

Add onion to pot and cook 5 minutes, adding garlic the last minute.

Sprinkle flour over onion and garlic in pot, then stir to combine. Pour in chicken stock, stirring as you pour. Add in potatoes and bring to a boil.

Gently boil about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Add in cooked sausage, bacon, heavy cream and kale. Stir and cook 5-10 minutes until kale is wilted.

Taste and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired. Top with bacon and enjoy!


6 SERVINGS
prep time
10 MINS
cook time
30 MINS
total time
40 MINS


CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS
Heat large skillet over medium high heat and brown sausage. Drain.
Fry bacon and set aside to a plate.
Add onion and minced garlic and cook slightly.
Add sausage, onion and garlic to the bottom of slow cooker.
Add peeled potatoes, cover with chicken stock and water (if necessary) to completely cover potatoes and sausage.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft)
Before serving, whisk together heavy cream and cornstarch or flour until well mixed. Pour into slow cooker, add kale and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly.
Taste, season according to your tastes, and serve.

INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS
Set a 6-qt instant pot to the saute setting. Add a drizzle of olive oil and Italian sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess grease.
Add bacon and cook until crispy, remove with slotted spoon to a plate.
Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth and potatoes.
Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then a controlled quick release.
When the pin drops, open the lid.
Whisk together flour/cornstarch and heavy cream, then add to pot, along with kale. Stir often and let heat through.
Taste and season as desired.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

recipe and image from here

A friend makes these all the time, so I thought I'd give them a try.

I put half the amount of cayenne as I don't like things really hot.

They turned out just so so. Maybe more cayenne, or 

maybe I'll try one of the other chickpea recipes on this blog!

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas
1-1/2 t. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the spices and the olive oil. Toss the chickpeas in the spice mixture and spread the seasoned chickpeas over a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the pan from the oven. Use a spatula to toss the chickpeas, then replace the pan and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until browned (but not burned) and crispy. Allow to cool. Snack away.