Another bountiful harvest. My hubby grew 3 lovely pumpkins and we enjoyed this soup twice already. Pumpkins aren't just for carving at Halloween, you know :)

In fact, my hubby made the soup and even took the picture above! (I did tweak it a wee bit).

I find pumpkin soup to be less sweet than butternut squash soup but they are both rich in texture. It's a nice change from the "mushroom soup, mushroom soup, mushroom soup" chant I get from the kids.

"Pumpkin soup, pumpkin soup, pumpkin soup!"

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pumpkin soup

6 cups vegetable stock
3 1/2 lb. pumpkin, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 tsp nutmeg
coarse salt, and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp sour cream

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a medium pot. Add the pumpkin, onions and garlic. Simmer 20 minutes or until soft. Puree soup in a blender until smooth.
Return soup to the pot to reheat. Season the soup with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Pour the soup into bowls. Swirl in some sour cream.

Recipe from: Pumpkin Soup, Food Network Canada

Another recipe back from the fall! We had lots and lots of tomatoes, from our own garden and also tomatoes from my parents. I always get stressed when they are all getting too ripe and you have to use them all up before they spoil. I hate wasting food. I think it's wrong.

So, I thought I'd try my hand at tomato sauce. And any tomato sauce that has roasted vegetables and bacon in it is begging to be made! ROAST VEGETABLES! BACON! I kid you not. It was quite delicious.

But, I still think I'd buy the canned stuff. Takes less time using a can opener. But, if you got big ole bummer crop of tomatoes, it's well worth the effort :)

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oven-roasted tomato sauce
serves 4

2 pounds tomatoes, quartered
1-1/2 cup chopped red onions
4 slices raw bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1-1/2 tsp each dried basil and oregano

2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each black pepper & crushed red pepper flakes

12 oz uncooked penne pasta
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray. Add tomatoes, onions, bacon and garlic. Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes at 400F. Remove from oven and add vinegar, basil and oregano. Stir well and return to ove for 15 more minutes.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a blender or food processer. Work in batches if necessary and puree until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and add tomato paste, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Spoon sauce over prepared pasta and sprinkle with parmeson cheese.

Recipe from: Lawrence of Arrabbiata, Crazy Plates Cookbook.

WOW!

I'm really quite surprised! (can you feel me blushing!)

Just over a year ago, I got my camera. My husband's friend, Jason from PhotoAlberta, recommended that he get me a SLR. And I was actually coveting this camera for a while. So what a great surprise to have got it. I started playing around with it. I remember many times thinking that I'd never get out of the fully automatic mode.

I started out taking shots of my children but they move around so much and many times do not want me taking pictures of them. So, it seemed almost perfect that I move onto food. I needed practice and love cooking and baking and the food doesn't move or tell me to stop taking pictures. Perfect marriage :)

So when I saw this CLICK event, I worked up the nerve to send my picture in. I almost didn't and my husband said "come on, what do you have to lose". Well, nothing I suppose. But, I really was not expecting anything to come out of it!

I want to say thanks to all the judges for choosing my photo and also to the kind people that left me comments. You have all made my day :)

I've been cleaning up my computer to free up some space and ridding pictures that didn't turn out. I should just delete the crappy pictures right off my camera, to save myself some time, but it just never happens.

Sooooo, as I was sifting through photos, I realized I have some food pictures that I never posted recipes for that go way back to summer!

Remember my green beans fresh from the garden?



I also have another green bean recipe that I'll have to type up for another day.

Sigh, post-it notes and recipe books with the pages dog-earred. Typing out the recipes take the longest time!

But, mmmmmm... garlicky green beans!

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garlicky green beans with lemon zest
side dish for 4


2-3 garlic cloves
butter to saute
~ 1 pound of green beans, ends cut
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 red pepper, slice thin
salt and pepper to taste.
1/2 lemon, zest and juice

In a hot pan, saute butter and garlic for about 30-60 seconds. Add green beans, onion and red pepper and toss around for 2-4 minutes or until tender. You might need to add 1-2 Tbsp water to prevent mixture from burning. Zest half a lemon and add some juice and saute for 30 seconds. Serve.

ICEBERG! DEAD AHEAD!