Give Thanks + Curried Pumpkin Soup

Is there anything more perfect at this time of year than a bowl of fresh, rich soup? I think not. Yesterday as the rain was coming down and there was a chill in the air I sent a message to my aunt: "Quick!  I need your pumpkin soup recipe!"  She quickly obliged and my rainy day was turned into perfection. 

This is one of those soups that tastes like it takes forever but in reality is quite quick. Perfect for when you have someone coming over that you need to impress and you don't have all day... or when you are by yourself and you just want to impress yourself. Why shouldn't we want to impress ourselves sometimes? I think I am going to prioritize impressing myself a little more and trying to impress others a little less... and then I am going to enjoy my soup with slippers on my feet and my hair in an uncombed ponytail. That, too, sounds like perfection.

And now time to give thanks...

You know a village raises a child, right? A village also makes a wedding...

Thank you to my friends who took over the music side of it (and ROCKED IT!), the two ladies who made sure the church was decorated (and did much more, too!), my mother-in-law who made all of the table cloths (and gave me the best person to marry ), our friend in Brazil who made the bridesmaid dresses, family friends who came early from afar to set of the reception, students' mothers for helping me to get food for cheap through the Catholic convent (hehehe) and putting together the fruit kabobs, another students' mom for doing my hair, my former landlord for doing all of the flowers, my friends from work who worked hard to help in all ways, another student's mom for being a fabulous coordinator, and to all of our attendants for being the best support! A super special thank you to Pastor Sam, who made everybody laugh and cry, and set the standard in wedding homilies (everyone still talks about it!), and another huge thank you to Dan and Gina who gifted us with a beautiful reception.

I am grateful for all these people above (and I am sure there are more!) for helping us have the best day ever. Because of you, we ALL pulled off an amazing wedding that was far beyond what we could have imagined. Thank you, thank you!

CURRIED PUMPKIN SOUP

SERVES 6 •  PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES  •  TOTAL TIME: 35 MINUTES

ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb. of cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups canned pumpkin (or cooked and mashed pumpkin)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup evaporated milk

directions

1. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter until onion is soft. Sprinkle with flour. Add salt, pepper and curry powder. Stir in chicken broth, pumpkin and honey. Simmer 15 minutes. Add milk and heat thoroughly. Serve sprinkled with croutons. (Note: can take part out and blend for smoother texture.)

(Tastes best served the next day.  But really tastes great whenever.)

COST: $7.72        COST PER SERVING (6): $1.29

Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Sage, & Mushrooms

There are some meals that are good enough to make once but not good enough to incorporate into your regular options.  Then there are some that are all around great that you can't get enough.  This is one of those meals. 

First of all, look at these ingredients!  (And notice my shameless plug for KitchenAid.  I love me some KitchenAid.)  Sage... oh sage.  The smell alone is enough to make you want to add this fuzzy little leaf to your food.  Mushrooms are one of natures healthiest foods, at least according to all those lists floating around the health magazines and websites.  And Butternut Squash, well, YUM.

The first time I made this meal I nearly chopped my thumb off.  Or maybe my hand.  But I have since learned the proper technique on how to chop up this bad boy and enjoy its flavor and nutrients in my life.  High in fiber, low in fat, full of nutrients that help keep strong bones and reduce the risk of serious illnesses... how can you go wrong with that? 

(You can read all about the health benefits of this amazing vitamin-packer HERE.)

Other than amazing ingredients, it is simple:  Cut, toss, cook, and mix.  The end.  And that simplicity comes out tasting, well, amazing.  Which would be why this has become one of my go-to meals.

Company for dinner?  Here we go.
Want something vegetarian?  And again, here we go.
Running low on time?  Here we...  well, you get the point.

(I know, I know, SO MANY pictures of it.  But look at those colors and tell me you would have resisted the urge to capture its beauty.  Uh-huh.  That's what I thought.)

Recipe from Real Simple, October 2011

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and halved if large
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
• 2 ounces fontina or Gruyère, grated (1/2 cup), plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. On 2 rimmed baking sheets, toss the squash and mushrooms with the sage, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once and rotating pans halfway through, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the tortellini and return to the pot. Add the vegetables, fontina, ¼ cup of the cooking water, and ½ teaspoon salt and toss gently to coat (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry). Sprinkle with additional fontina.

COST: $16.00                 COST PER SERVING (4): $4.00