My son has made me promise that the next dinner I make will NOT be soup.  Oh, but that is so hard.  I love, love soup.  But I have gone a bit overboard this month.  Veggie Bin clean-out Minestrone, Tomato Soup, Chili (I think he counts that as soup too), and probably a Lentil Soup a few weeks back, broken up only infrequently with large casserole of veggie lasangna and a few  nights of tacos.  But the weather has had that right amount of nip to it, and our days and nights have been just busy enough with school and soccer to make that easily re-heated soup the perfect fall dinner.  And so, even though I promised him our next dinner will NOT be soup, I had to make one more: a winter squash soup.

Last week in our CSA bin was a beautiful round orange Kobacha squash just calling out, “Soup!  Soup!”.  Fnding a couple hours working from home and with the added incentive of a few rainy days, I finally gave into the call.  Of course, I didn’t have enough Kobacha so I added in a random can of butternut squash puree I had, and an Acorn squash (that is the way most of my cooking goes), then doctored up a recipe for Kabocha Squash Soup I found online.  After my doctoring I was well pleased with this soup, even though it is a bit on the spicy side for the kids (one too many shakes of cayenne).  It is different than one of our favorite squash soups, Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Confit, from a favorite cookbook I’ve written about before, Fields of Greens. That soup is lovely, sweet, and appley.  A complete and utter favorite.  But last week, on a rare and prescious lunch out with my friend Lara, I had a spiced butternut soup.  And it was so lovely too.  Inspired, I decided this soup must be distinctly different from the other one, and so I jacked up the spice quite a bit.

The suprising, but satisfying, result was a hint of Chai tea spices coming through, and nice little heat.  I’ve included my version of the recipe below and although it is mostly my version, I have included their directions for roasting the seeds as next time I will try that as well (remembering not to toss the seeds into the compost before I finish reading through the recipe).  I think a little crunch would of been just about perfect.  Of course, my son grumbled his way through his bowl tonight.  He liked it, he said, but really, really wants something other than soup for dinner soon.  I’ve shown him the chicken bought today and set to be roasted tomorrow.  And so I’ve promised to make something besides soup.  At least for tomorrow.

Chai Squash Soup

3 winter squash- medium sized (I used 1 kabocha, 1 acorn, and 1 can of butternut puree I had on hand)

1 bulb of garlic

4 TBSP olive oil

2 yellow onions, minced

2 celery stalks, minced

3 carrots, minced

4 cups water

2 oz. white wine

3 TBSP honey

2 TBSP cinnamon

1 TBSP all-spice

1-2 tsp ginger

2 pinches cayene pepper (or to taste)

1 cup 1/2 & 1/2, cream, or milk (optional)

salt & fresh ground pepper (about 1 tsp each)

Optional Garnish: parmsan cheese and/or roasted squash seeds

ROAST:  Cut squash to be roasted in half.  Remove seeds and set aside for roasting if desired (see below).  Place squash flesh side down on a well oiled baking pan. Bake for approx. 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until soft and tender.  In the same oven, roast your head of garlic.  To prepare garlic, cut off the top portion of the head to expose the cloves.  Place in a square of foil, and drizzle generously with olive oil.  Wrap in foil and place in oven with squash.  It should be done at around the same time as the squash–should be tender enough, that when cooled the garlic will squeeze out in a paste like consistency.  Cool squash and garlic so you can handle them.

STOVE: When squash is cooled you will be ready to start the soup.  Heat olive oil in a large heavy pat over medium high heat.  Add onions, celery, carrots and saute until soft.  Add in your water.  If your carrots are not soft enough to puree yet, then cook the veggies in the water for a short bit.  Making sure they are really and truly minced should help with this.

When the veggies are soft and the squash is cooled, add the roasted squash flesh (and any canned squash you are using), along with the roasted garlic (just squeeze the bulb toward the cut end to relase all that garlicky goodness) wine, honey, and spices.  Please add all spices to taste.  The measurements given are estimates of what I added to mine, but I did do a bit of tasting and adding, tasting and adding, to find the right spice level for me.  Start with one dash of cayenne and then add second if desired.  Stir and then puree with an immersion blender.  Cook over moderate heat until heated through.  Add the milk or cream just before serving.  Again, this measurement is to taste, so you might want up to 2-3 cups of cream, or leave it vegan with no cream at all.  Add s & p to taste as desired.  Serve garnished or plain.  I thought it was lovely with a nice multi-grain batard.

Optional Garnish: Roasted Squash Seeds

Wash and dry seeds.  In a dry, heavy skillet, roast the seeds over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 4 or 5 minutes.  Transger to a bowl and stir in 1 TBSP oil, a bit of cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.

The weather here has turned distinctively fallish, with some nice crisp mornings, clear starry evenings, and blustery afternoons.  With the onset of these cooler temperatures I have been pulling out my wool sweaters (including the ones thrifted in August!) and dreaming of those baked goods and soups that accompany this time of year.  I’ve got carrot-ginger soup in the works this weekend, but wanted to also try my hand at a sweet from a new cookbook (courtesy the Amazon Vine program), Salty Sweets by Christie Matheson.  (See my review here)

This book is over-flowing with my tags after a couple perusals, and a couple of her recipes might be featured in my holiday goodie baking this year: salted caramels (a huge, huge weakness of mine), nana rodda’s peanut butter fudge, perfectly imperfect pecan pralines….the list goes on and on.  The focus of this sweets book is something I came to appreciate through salted caramels: the intricacy of taste that occurs from carefully balancing sweet with salt.  And she doesn’t stop at candies, but, in nicely divided sections, includes recipes for cookies, cakes, sauces, and more.

This evening, with my son’s friend over to share a movie night with us, I wanted to try something from her book for our noshing enjoyment, but realized that it would have to be something quick.  I quickly settled on Old-fashioned Kettle Corn.  The kids gobbled their half up in no time at all, and I’m sure it will be a repeat request this fall and winter.  The best part, I realized, is that it actually tastes better after it cools and dries out a bit, which would make it fun to make for a Halloween party or other fall get-together, perhaps even served in little paper cones.  And definitely with apple cider.  Oh!  Autumn.  How I love the tastes it brings!

Old-fashioned Kettle Corn

adapted from Salty Sweets

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. fine sea salt

tip: measure everything out ahead of time as you add the popcorn, salt, and sugar at almost the same time.

1.  Pour oil in a large pot with a tight fighting lid–I used my 8-qt pot and  probably would have had room to double this recipe.  My lid does not make a complete seal, but seemed to work.  After pouring in the oil, add in 4 or 5 of the kernels and cover with a lid.  Heat oil over medium-high heat.  When you hear those kernels pop, remove the lid to add the rest of the popcorn kernels.

2.  Quickly shake the pan to distribute the kernels.  When you hear the oil sizzle (should be near to right away), sprinkle the sugar and salt over the kernels..  Recover with lid, and with pan still over heat, shake the kernels lightly for about 3 minutes, until most of them have popped and the popping slows. (Don’t wait for every kernel to pop or you may scorch your popcorn.)  Remove from heat.  Taste and season with more salt, if needed.

3.  Matheson says to serve immediately, but as I noted above, I thought waiting around 5 minutes, at least, allows time for the popcorn to dry out.  When it is first done, mine was a bit sticky and clumpy (kind of like having a light carmel on it), but I was able to break it apart and it had a nice crunch to it after about 5 to 10 minutes.  A half hour later it still tastes great, and I’m guessing that sealed in an airtight container this will taste good for a day or so.

Excuse my silence as of late.  This is my thesis writing semester, and my posts will be, at best, erratic.  I have to catch my writing waves when I can, but channel them all towards finishing this project.  However, I thought I’d share a glimpse of what my work space (aka the kitchen table) looks like.  I am not, as you can see, meticulous about my work space, but there is a system, of sorts, in that tangle.  And out of it will emerge, someday soon I hope, a completed project.

And just for fun, here is some book and writing related links.  These will have a limited appeal, I’m sure, but now you know what this literature major thinks is interesting.

Gendered Punctuation?:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/08/21/girly_semicolon/

Interesting post on books in public:

http://subwaybookclub.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/book-as-accessory/

Interesting poetry/art using text to begin (thanks for fb’ing this Mari!) :  http://www.20×200.com/art/2009/09/how-it-works.html

John Clare (focus of my thesis) on grammar–this is how I knew he was my guy!:

http://books.google.com/books?id=v2LoYUyucHoC&pg=PA481&dq=john+clare+grammar&ei=Kc3DSq-iMInokASGh-SgAw#v=onepage&q=john%20clare%20grammar&f=false

A favorite academic article on academic writing: A Kind Word for Bullshit.  Now how is that for a scholarly title!:

http://writing2.richmond.edu/training/383/383restricted/bullshit.pdf

A great article on writing non-obtuse academic pieces:

http://chronicle.com/article/Prune-That-Prose/48273/

indigo by Clarks Sylvie Pump

Bear with me for a little self-indulgence here about my shopping/clothes fetishes.  I’m having a little fall season shoe love going on here and not a lot of outlet for it.  I can’t really justify buying any (although I really, really want to).  Don’t need them, and don’t, honestly, have any place to wear them, but I have a soft spot for vintage-victorian-inspired shoes.  I craved shoes like these in high school, but was hard pressed to ever find any a) in my size, b) appropriate for school wear, or c) that I could afford.  Sometimes I don’t feel that far from high school.

Aerosole's Eggrole

indigo by Clarks Ella Grace Dress Oxford

Aerosole's Prolific

There is a lot of craziness around here as we all settle into our Fall routines, and as my thesis writing heats up.   This means I am struggling on the organization front and thus have been fairly lazy about snapping photos and organizing my thoughts about anything I’ve been up to lately.  Which doesn’t mean I haven’t been up to anything…

-We finally got some good sized heirlooms from our garden and in celebration I made a panzanella to highlight them.  We happened to have a stale-ing loaf of french bread, so I chopped that in cubes, put on a cookie sheet, topped with some olive oil and toasted under the broiler for about ten minutes (stirring every so often).  I then chopped some basil, red onion, and the tomatoes and combined with a couple glugs of olive oil and a splash of balsamic, finishing off with a little salt and pepper.  When the bread was ready I tossed it all together.  Unfortunately…no pics.  But everyone loved it–including my daughter who can some times be wary of new dishes on our table, esp. ones with onions.

-I Made pear-ginger muffins I mentioned last week.  They were great although my husband was rooting for more pear (even though I had already doubled it).  I want to make again with fresh ginger and something for crunch in them.

-We had a family RV trip to Lassen/Lake Alminore area.  We joined up with my husband’s parents (and owner’s of the RV) for a Labor day weekend trip to this great area, staying at an RV campground owned by some classmates of my son’s.  It was lovely and as I did snap some pics, that’s what I’m sharing with you.  We did the classic Bumpass Hell hike to boiling sulfer pots and in traditional fashion the kids plugged their noses while I had flashbacks to doing the same hike at around age ten–my nose plugged as well.

-I have been searching around the web.  Best stress releaser for me is to spend 10 minutes here and there jumping link to link finding some pretty amazing and talented people and websites out there.  So here are a few that have stuck with me this week.

Parasol online magazine (and the associated craft mag & printaday blog by creator, Yasmine Surovec).

Burdastyle–love-love-loving this site for free and cheap downloadable patterns.  I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve been spending more and more time here looking around.  This week I loved the free yoga bag pattern, this little cape/jacket (and check out the variations made with gathered sleeves), and this vintage-y dress that reminds me of ones I’ve seen here and there.

Hopefully in the next few days I will sort myself out a bit more and be back with slightly more structured posts.  But for now…back to that thesis.

In the busy hubbub of back to school, I’ve been trying to carve out little moments for things I enjoy.  This week it was finding time to can some pears.  I’ve never done pears before, but man, they are the easiest!  Peeling took a while, but the rest of the process was a snap.  A little boiling sweetened liquid; 5 minutes in the pot; fill jars; process for 20 min.  From a large paper grocery bag of pears that we’ve been eating out of for a week, I was able to get almost (almost!) a case of pears with a dozen pears left for baking this week (I’m hoping to try some pear-ginger muffins from one of my favorite cookbooks, Once Upon a Tart, and the French Pear Tart from Dorie’s Baking cookbook).

I haven’t opened any of the jars yet, but what I tasted out of the pan as I was canning was really yummy.  Pear taste, with just a touch of sweetness from the syrup.  I am still trying to source some apples for my apple butter (I think in a couple weeks the next crops will be coming in and I’ve been promised some apples from a friend’s mom), and I didn’t do my blackberry jam (although I might still be able to get some berries this year, late as it is), but for now I have my pears.  Well, perhaps I should say, I’ve made my pears–probably my son will eat them all this winter.

Canned Pears

I took a quick peek in my Joy of Cooking, but mainly used Rachel’s Tiny Farm recipe for Vanilla Pears.  I just added some light spices, and for the second potful, extended the liquid with some apple juice based on Joy of Cooking’s recommendations.

Pears!  Lots of them.  I would guess I peeled about 15-20 pears  For the ratios in this recipe 8lbs is recommened by Rachel, I would guess that is about 10+ medium to large pears.
4 tbs vanilla
4.5 cups water
2/3 cup sugar

I added some cardamon, cinnamon, and cloves.  Just a few shakes to lightly spice.

Peel, core and quarter (or slice) the pears. Stir together the water, sugar and vanilla in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the pears and boil them in the vanilla syrup for 5 minutes. Pack the jars with pears, using tongs and then pour the hot syrup over the pears leaving 1/2″ headspace. Process canned pears for 20-25 minutes depending on your jar size.  Joy of Cooking says 20 min. for pints, 25 for quarts.
Makes 5-6 pints.  I doubled to get my almost case.

I am determined to get a little better this school year about planning out our dinnertime meals.  I haven’t any night classes or meetings, so I really don’t have any handy excuses. (Darn.)  I do have shelves of cookbooks, so I grabbed one down I’ve been wanting to explore a little more: Cuisine Economique by Jacques Pepin.  A good friend introduced me to Pepin, and I found this cookbook through the library, and later purchased a used copy.  It was published in 1992, but seems to me like it might be due for a renewed appreciation with so much economic doom and gloom in the last year or so.

Now the idea behind it is to use inexpensive cuts, prepared simply, and seasonal produce to cut meal costs without sacrificing flavor, and all with a French flavor.  What I like about it most is that it is arranged seasonally, with multiple dinner menus presented for each season.  The other night I flipped to the summer section and decided upon a ratatouille paired with strawberries (topped with sour cream and brown sugar) for dessert.  There was a third dish (called a Grand Aoili) that looked a little more involved than I was feeling up to, so I swapped it for grilled sausages (for all except me–they seem to be one of the few foods I don’t eat).

I’ve posted the recipes below if you are so inclined.  The strawberries were a delightful surprise, but be sure that your berries are cold to make this light dessert even more refreshing.  The ratatouille was good, but I think it would be even better as an appetizer dip with bread.

If you’ve had any success shaking up your dinner routine, I’d love some tips (and recipes)!

QUICK FRAGRANT RATATOUILLE

From Jaques Pepin– You can fine the whole menu here in a N.Y. Times article with recipes, but I’ve reposted them here as well.

My main change to this recipe was to swap the fresh tomatoes for 1 fresh and 1 1/2 cans chopped tomatoes with chiles.  The chiles added a little spice to the dish.

Preparation time: 20 to 25 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

1/4 cup virgin or extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish

3 onions, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

1 large green bell pepper, cut in half, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large eggplant, trimmed at both ends, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)

4 small zucchini, trimmed at both ends, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced (about 3 tablespoons)

4 tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

1 cup shredded basil

Freshly ground black pepper for garnish.

1.Heat oil in a large saucepan. When hot, add onion and green pepper and saute for about 5 minutes over high heat. Then add the eggplant, zucchini, pepper flakes and salt, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking. (There is enough moisture in the vegetables to keep the mixture from burning.) Add the garlic and tomatoes and continue cooking, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes.

2.Remove from the heat, transfer to a serving bowl and cool to room temperature. Just before serving, stir in half the basil, sprinkle the remaining basil on top, and garnish with a few tablespoons of olive oil and ground black pepper.

NOTE: The ratatouille can also be served cold, garnished with additional basil.

LEFTOVER ratatouille can be chopped fine into a ”caviar,” seasoned with a dash of hot-pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, and served as a dip with potato chips, corn chips or crackers.

This mixture also makes a great stuffing for ravioli, which can be served with tomato sauce for a light lunch.

Strawberries With Sour Cream and Brown Sugar

Preparation time: 10 minutes

1 quart ripe strawberries, washed and hulled

1 pint sour cream

12 tablespoons light brown sugar.

Divide strawberries among 6 dessert bowls. Spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons of sour cream over the berries in each bowl and sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

Grey is my new black.  Or blue.  Or something.  But definitely my new obsession.  I’ve noted it creeping into my wardrobe, and started really, really wanting a grey bag.  I’ve been very inspired by some bloggers out there (Made by Rae’s Buttercup Bag comes to mind at the moment, but I know there have been many) whipping up their own bags, and after many months I finally got up the gumption to give it a try myself.

I was able to get this grey corderuy on sale and had the lining in my stash.  Then I started cutting away.  I am still working out the kinks so I will probably post again on this once I feel like it is done.  I wanted a messenger type bag that could also convert to a shoulder bag so I called in the services of my new snap press I purchased at the start of the summer.  However, the snaps aren’t strong enough so they sometimes unsnap and the bag drops.  I think I will be adding a button or something additional to secure it. That is on my list for this weekend.

Other than this technicial issue to resolve I love the size, shape, and the way it carries, so I’m quite happy.  And already thinking about what else I need in grey.

Just a quick post to share some pics of my new niece.  My sis had her little girl yesterday, so the last few days have been a little bit of a whirlwhind with my nephew staying with us during her 36 hour labor.  All are healthy and resting now, and we are playing catch-up trying to get back in the swing of things.  And counting the days until this weekend and we can go visit the new wee one.

As I mentioned last week, my Auntie was a huge help in making my sis’s baby shower special, particularly by bringing two home made goodies for us all to enjoy.  She was kind enough to pass those recipes on, and I am doing the same.

The first is for Lavender-Lemon Shortbread that she got out of Victoria Magazine.  I also found a variation of this at cookthink.com that combines it with a lemon bar, that I think would have great flavor potential.  As a side note, in searching about a bit I discovered this is a scrumptious looking tea/bakery place, called Buttercream, that is only about 40 minutes from here.  I am thinking that I will need to check it out soon!

The second recipe is for a Berry Charlotte, originally from Tea Time magazine. Their version makes small personal sized ones, but my Auntie combined them into one large.  Looking for this recipe online (again, no success), I did stumble upon a very scrumptious looking food blog, Canelle et Vanille, with their own version, and I can’t wait to get back to and explore more.

Hope you’re having a good exploring week as well!

Lavender-Lemon Shortbread

From Victoria Magazine, issue unknown

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

14 tsp salt

1 tsp dried lavender

1 TBSP fresh lemon zest

3 TBSP sugar

In a medium bowl, and using an electric miser at medium speed, beat butter, confec. sugar, vanilla, and lemon extract until creamy.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour and salt.  Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined.  Fold in lavender and lemon zest.

Shape dough into a ball or disk, and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness.  Using a 2 inch round fluted cutter, cut cookies, re-rolling remaining dough only once.  Place cookies on prepared sheet, and evenly sprinkle each iwth granulated sugar.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are slightly browned.  Cool on pan 1 minute; transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Summer Berry Charlotte

Adapted From Tea Time Magazine, July/August 2009

3(3-ounce)packages ladyfingers
1(3-ounce package cream cheese,softened
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Approx. 1-2 cups whipped cream, gently sweetened
1/4 cup blackberry or raspberry preserves
1 pound cake
2 dry pints fresh blackberries or raspberries or a combination of both
Garnish: fresh mint

In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed,beat together the cream cheese and confectioners sugar until smooth.Add about 1 cup the whipped cream and gently combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble charlotte,place slices of pound cake  in the center of a cheesecake pan (or you could use a round cake) set on a flat surface.  Brush the cake with preserves, gently heated if necessary to liquify.  Cut one rounded end off of each ladyfinger. Stand ladyfingers upright side by side,rounded side up,around the inside rim of the ring mold. Spoon cream cheese mixture into center and spread around evenly .Carefully remove mold,and refrigerate until set.Place berries on top of mousse.Garnish with fresh mint,if desired.Serve immediately.