Pumpkin Soup

It's that time of year when my fancy turns to making soups. Homemade soup is just nice comfort food. This soup is especially good if you use fresh pumpkin. We also used the rosemary bread recipe to make bread bowls.

Ingredients:

6 C chicken stock

1-1/2 tsp salt

4 C pumpkin puree

1 tsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1 C chopped onion

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 C heavy whipping cream

5 whole black peppercorns

Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or blender. Return to pan, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered.

Stir in heavy cream.

Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

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Processing fresh pumpkin

Processing fresh pumpkin is easy, but it also a bit time-consuming. You should plan on at least 1-1/2 hours to complete it all, depending on the size of your pumpkin. I did two pie pumpkins (the small, sweet ones). It was really fun to see them growing in the garden, harvest them, and turn them into something as wonderful as pumpkin soup.

Needed:

Fresh pumpkin

Big knife

Microwave-safe dish with a tight lid

Water

Blender or food processor

Wash the outside of your pumpkin with water, but no soap. Cut your pumpkin open.

Remove the seeds. Keep these for planting next year or roasting. Remove the stem.

Cut into quarter or smaller pieces. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it cooks and the easier it is to remove from the skins after cooking.

Arrange in dish so that the lid will fit all the way. Add 1-2 inches of water. Cover.

Cook for 15 minutes on high, check to see if it is soft, then repeat in smaller increments of time until it is soft enough to scoop the innards out. It make takes as little at 15 minutes or as long as 30.

Scoop out the pumpkin. It should already be separating from the skin, so this should be easy.

Put in blender or food processor and puree.

Freeze, refrigerate, or use right away.

That's it. Really. It's that easy.

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Chicken Salad

We love good chicken salad. And this is good chicken salad.

Ingredients:

1 12.5 oz can of cooked chicken breast

2 apples, cut up

2 large pears, cut up

2 C black grapes, halved

1 large medium onion, chopped

6 almonds, chopped

1 C mayonaisse

2 Tbs brown (deli) mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix mayo and mustard to make dressing. Add salt and pepper to the mix. Set aside.

 

Cut up fruit and onion and put in bowl.

Drain chicken and separate with a fork. Add to fruit and onion.

Pour dressing over fruit and chicken mixture. Mix well. 

Shell and chop almonds.

Add almonds to salad.

If needed, add more salt and pepper to taste.

Chill. Serve on bread or with crackers. However you like chicken salad.

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Fresh Grilled Trout

And when we say fresh, we mean fresh. We caught these at Little Lyman Lake in the High Uintahs and grilled them at the lakeside. The meat fell off the bones.

Ingridents:

4-8 fresh trout

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 large onion, sliced

Juice from one lemon

1 lemon, sliced

butter

aluminum foil

salt & pepper to taste

Clean fish.

Tear off enough foil to surround all fish lying flat. Place fish on shiny side of foil. Dab butter on and in fish. Crush garlic into lemon juice and pour over fish.

Arrange onion and lemon slices evenly over fish.

Cover with foil and seal edges of foil packet.

Grill for 10 minutes on each side until meat flakes from bones.

Serve hot.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

From the Kitchen of Carol Berlin

Life should always be this easy. I love easy. I love cream cheese frosting. This is a perfect combination.

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 C butter, softened

8 oz. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Beat for at least 3 minutes. Spread on whatever you want.

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