Soup's On

We have great friends. The kind of friends you fly 9 hours in coach with, travel Europe with and then still plan to go back with. Rare. I know. We don’t get together nearly as often as we would like but every few months we pick up right where we left off. If this isn’t enough to ensure lifelong friendship, an amazing fall dinner where you leave with the recipe definitely is. Thanks Glen and Karen!

Even though we just had this Saturday I had to make it again.

Go to the grocery store, buy these ingredients and make this soup!

Karen’s Carrot Cauliflower Soup

medium potato, diced 1
medium carrots, diced 4
chopped onion 1 cup
small head of cauliflower 1
water 2 cups

water 2 cups
chicken bouillon 4 tsp
beef Bouillon 1 tsp
prepared mustard 1 tsp
ground nutmeg ½ tsp
salt 1 tsp
pepper ¼ tsp
grated medium cheddar 1 cup

Combine first 5 ingredients in saucepan. Cook until vegetables are done. Do not drain. Remove from heat. stir in next 8 ingredients. puree’. Makes about 7 cups.

Thankful

We celebrated Thanksgiving a week early and as always we went around the table to say what we were thankful for. This year the word that came to mind was possibilities. I am thankful and excited for the things that have yet to come. As I get older thanksgiving is starting to become one of my favourite holidays. It seems there is more time; no gifts need to be opened, no eggs need to be hunted and no balloons need to be blown up. Instead there is more time for laughter and love and time to tell those around the table just how much you truly appreciate them.

I hope you enjoy your thanksgiving as much I did mine.

Eat, drink, loosen your belt and be merry!

Anna Olson’s Pumpkin Pie

ingredients

pastry
• 6 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 to 5 tbsp ice water

filling
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons fancy molasses
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons brandy or orange liqueur

spiced whipped cream
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg

For the pastry, freeze butter and shortening for 30 minutes. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. grate the butter and shortening into flour. toss this mixture with your fingers to coat the fats, breaking up lumps with your fingers as you go. The dough should be a rough, crumbly texture and take on a slight yellow tone. Add 3 tbsp of the water and mix with a spatula to bring dough together, adding a little more water if needed. Shape dough into a disc and chill for an hour before rolling.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to just under ¼-inch thick. Dust the bottom of a 9-inch pie shell with flour and line with dough. Trim edges.

For the filling, whisk pumpkin with brown sugar, molasses spices and salt. whisk in eggs, then whipping cream and brandy or orange liqueur. pour into chilled pie shell.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350 degrees F. And bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until filling puffs just a little around edges but still has a bit of jiggle in center when moved.

For the spiced whipped cream, whip cream with sugar and spices until medium peaks form.

Happy Thanksgiving!