Halloween Dinner

I wish I could remember where I found this recipe for pumpkin soup,  all I know is, with it I hit the JACK'O Lantern POT! I made it last year for friends and once the fall weather blew in those great friends began to ask when I was making it again. Silly me I had almost forgotten about it! Not to worry - I pulled out my recipe book and added ingredients to my grocery list.

Due to popular demand I made it today and doubled the recipe as I knew we all loved it and wanted to make sure we all left the table satisfied until next year! Its quite a work out! Between the cutting and the peeling of the pumpkin I worked up a sweat! It brought back great memories of pumpkin carving with my niece and nephew! I even baked the seeds to enjoy with the soup (although I'm not sure there will be much left after all my "snacking" :)

Thanks to my amazing MIL (who not only loves Halloween but also loves sending us packages) we've got some great decorations to make dinner quite an  event! Over the years she has supplied these great place settings. I got the spider bowls from Big Lots last year.

This year she gave us wine and glass ornaments - Such a cute idea.

We ended dinner with sugar cookie - putting to use the cookie cutters that arrived this year. I wish I could capture the smell of the soup combined with the great candle she sent because its absolutely heavenly!

I happened to have the day off and it happened to be a good night for everyone to come over and it happened to be the night that this came on TV -Coincidence? Who cares! All I know is that Great Friends, Great Family, and Great Food is a priceless combinations! So happy the Holiday Season is OFFICIALLY HERE!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Soup

Crock Pot Pumpkin Soup

1 1/4 Cup Butter
2 Lbs Pumpkin
2 Cloves
1 Med Onion
2 Tsp Sugar
Pinch of Salt
2 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Cup Milk
Bacon or Ham - Optional
Sour Cream


Clean out pumpkin, peal and cube

 Combine butter and pumpkin in crock pot - once butter is melted let cook on high 1 hour


Stick cloves into Onion add to  Crock pot along with Stock and pinch of salt. Cover and cook 
Low 8-9 Hours
High 4-5 Hours

Puree soup in blender
Add ham


Once ready to serve add milk.


Serve with a dallop of Sour cream and sprinkle of nut meg.

Blog On Fire

I've been picked and linked by my fellow Blogger and real life friend Nicole over at Table for 4
She has given me my first Blog Award

Im supposed to tell you 7 random facts about myself and I admit, I've been thinking and cant really think of too many interseting facts so I created a draft and kept adding facts as they came to me - hopeing, wishing, praying for enought topics to entertain you.


#1
I <3 Hot Fries -

Like truely, madly, deeply love them. They reach me on an emmotional level yet to be  surpassed. The hub's has even realized its the instant pick me up that can lift any mood, forgive any wrong doing and over all  "fix" any problem I face.


#2
I fell into a career that I really love. I remember being away a college and telling a friend "I just don't want to go home and work in a mall" That's exactly where I landed and managed to work my way from a part time sales associate to an Associate Manager of a #1 store in a matter of 6 years. Although the stress level can get high and its not your typical childhood dream - deep down I really enjoy it! Aside from owning my own business or being a stay at home Mom there's nothing else I can see myself doing.


#3
I got into the car March 1st 2008 and drove to Florida to see my BFF on an extended vacation. I bought clothes and that's all. 3 1/2 years later I'm married we're home owners in the land of Mickey Mouse. This is officially the longest vacation I've ever had!


#4
I'm an avid fan of General Hospital.

Soaps . . . I know I know the  definition of trashy and the past time of bored house wives . . . *sigh* It just sucked me in after Jason's accident where he lost is memory and joined the mob and then there's Lucky and Elizabeth who I practically grew up with. I realize I am not your typical Luke and Laura generation fan but I'm a fan none the less and wish I could find my signed photo of Tyler Christopher that my sister got me when she met him . . . I'm in deep and if they ever think twice of canceling this show I will go into a deep mourning. Even though my sisters and I share our frustration over the stupid story lines its just some thing I cant give up!


#5
I've been called a human jukebox.
I can hear a song once and be able to sing along. The lyric's . . .the melody . . .they just stick with me. This has created a need to sing loudly when every I hear a song. In the car or at home this is fine but then there's the DR's office or work or the mall or the movie theater. . . it tends to get out of hand! We watched brides maids the other night and then Welson Phillips came on the Screen and then the piano started and next thing I knew "I knows there's pain, why do we lock our selves up in these chains . . . " I couldn't help myself I had to sing the entire song with them!


#6
I love to read! I attribute this to my mother who limited TV time and made trips the the library a weekly event.  I can thank my Dad for teaching me how to spell Library - that second R was always a killer! I can sit down with a book and have no concept of time 5 minutes or 5 hours or 5 days . . . all the same to me if I have a good book to read. Its to the point where I have to limit myself to a chapter a day because I cant afford the addiction! I used to visit the bargain book section of Boarders (RIP) and but any one that was $3.99 or less. Under $5 for weekly entertainment was ok buying a full price best seller at $15 or $20 for me to finish in under a day is just not practical nor financially smart. I broke down a few months back and bought myself a Kindle and its become my favorite ever! Love all the cheap and *gasp* FREE books!


#7
I don't see myself as an adult, I'm pretty sure I'm still a teenager. I still think I'm 18 but it turns out i'm 28 and high school was 10 years ago! Its amazing! I watch 16 and pregnant and think I'm too young for kids then I do the math and realize if I had a kids at 16 I'd be walking around with a 12 year old . . hello not a kid in day care I'd have a kid in middle school. I mean really when will I feel like a grown up?


So there you have it - my 7 Facts that I had to rack my brain to provide!


Next I'm supposed to "tag" others and award them the Blog on Fire award but . . . I dont know too many bloggers or have very many follower (ahem I have 7 to be exact!) But here are the ones I read regularly and I guess its the test to see if any of them read mine! :)


Kristin - My inspiration and friend for over 7 years now!


Sarah - My old college-mate who I've gotten to know better thru face book and her blog


Anna - Another college friend who I'm glad to still be in touch with despite the distance


Krista - My friend who fell off the blog band wagon and This is my attempt to get her back on


Maureen - My cali  blog stalker who needs to keep up with her own blog.


Jacqui - My Camp partner in crime who has amazing excursions! 


Rachel - My friends older sister who started a Mom blog.


Ok So I'm a few shy of my required 10 but its the best I could do. Hope you enjoyed my randomness and cant wait to read yours!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 Butternut Squash pealed and cubed
Nutmeg
1/4 cup unsalted butter
salt & Pepper
1 Onion
4 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Apple pealed and sliced

Melt butter add onions and cook until translucent
Bring to simmer and add squash, apple and chicken stock
Simmer until tender

Remove chunks and puree
return squash to pot add salt and pepper to taste
Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg

Love love love this recipe.I came across it last year and gave it a try and couldn't wait for a cold front to come thru to have an excuse to make it again this year! It made just enough for dinner and my lunch the next day. I prepared it in the early after noon and put it in the crock pot until we were ready to eat. Its got great flavor and its a nice warm fall meal that is not your ordinary soup. Defiantly a keeper for chilly nights, its super simple and delish - 2 things I love!

Back on Track

The whirl wind is calming down and its time to get back on track. Back to blogging, Back to cooking, Back to cleaning, Back to routine, Back to health . . . (Was I ever there?)


I'll got a few topics that need to be blogged about but today I'll start with our menu for the remainder of the week. We closed on the house October 1st, we painted and moved in all in one weeks time (Blog #1). I attended a work conference in NOLA.We celebrated our 1 year anniversary with a cruise and got back Monday (Blog #2)  and it was right back to work Tuesday morning. I am now full circle with this Blog and still have so many new recipes to try so I plan to recap my year and set some goals for the next(Blog #3). . . just a little to keep up hanging . . .


I went grocery shopping for the first time in about 2 months . . .wooowee did we need some food in this house! I'm grateful for an amazing husband who doesn't complain when I fall off the cooking band wagon!  I LOVE fall and have lots of plans to celebrate the season by cooking and baking up a storm!


This week's menu is as follows


Tuesday - Taco Tuezday of course!
Wednesday (tonight) I close to the hubs will have to fend for himself
Thursday - Butternut Squash Soup (Blog #4)
Friday - Spaghetti
Saturday - I work late so it will be left overs
Sunday - Lettuce Wraps made by the master chef himself (Blog #5)


As you can see we've got a lot of catching up to do! So check back in this weekend.