Curried Pumpkin Soup, November 18, 2016

I sent Jeannene, who was in Vancouver for work all week, a text giving her 3 options for tonight's dinner. She very promptly responded that she wanted curried pumpkin soup---"Yum!" We picked her up at the airport at nearly 7 and came home to throw together supper. Along with this quick, easy, very delicious soup, I heated some brown & serve rolls and opened a jar of chunky applesauce.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 c. chopped onion

2 tsp. olive oil

2 1/2 tsp. curry powder

Salt and pepper

32 oz. chicken broth

15 oz. pumpkin purée (I actually used an extra half can I had left over from pancakes, too)

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Sauté the onion in the oil, in a soup pot, until translucent. Add seasonings, stirring until the onions are coated. Add broth, pumpkin, and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, partially covered, another 10 minutes. Serve garnished with parsley. Serves 4-6. 

Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese, November 17, 2016

I've been waiting since September 22 for a rainy day so I can make my First Rainy Day of Fall soup. Now that we live in Colorado, though, rainy days are few and far between. Not that I'm complaining about the sunshine, but it would be nice to have at least one rainy day in the season! Today, we got our first snowfall, so I decided I'll change my tradition to First Snowfall Soup. This year, it turned out to be a delicious sherried tomato soup. I'm not usually a big fan of tomato soup, but it's beginning to grow on me, especially with grilled cheese. This recipe is modified from Ree Drummond's version. I made grilled cheese sandwiches with Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar and Health Nut bread and added a red pear on the side.

Sherried Tomato Soup

1/2 onion, diced

1 tbsp. butter

1 can petite diced tomatoes

23 oz. tomato juice

1 tbsp. sugar

1 chicken bouillon cube (actually, I used a packet of the powdered stuff)

Pepper

1/2 c. very dry sherry

3/4 c. milk, half & half, or heavy cream (I used fat-free half & half mixed with 2% milk)

Snipped parsley & basil (forgot those tonight---oops!)

Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add onion & cook until translucent. Add tomatoes, juice, sugar, bouillon, pepper. Heat until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add sherry, then cream. Heat through, carefully. Serve garnished with herbs. Serves 4. 

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes, November 16, 2016

My wee boy's been a bit under the weather lately and hasn't had much of an appetite. One thing he loves is pancakes, so I made us a batch of pumpkin pie pancakes, along with some Morningstar Farms bacon & apple slices. The pancakes make a great breakfast to celebrate fall while it's still here!

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, beaten well

15 oz. pumpkin purée

12 oz. evaporated milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix the other ingredients together. Combine. Coat skillet with cooking spray and place on medium-high heat. Dollop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into skillet and spread to 4" circles. Cook until golden on both sides. Good with warm maple syrup & butter.