Giving Thanks

So what are you making on this day of thangsgiving? I am making what I made last year. My mouth is watering already for the green beans...

Drooling concluded, moving on. If you should find yourself with leftover squash, may I suggest this? I was craving a creamy squash soup, but not the curry that typically flavors such things. This hit the spot. It's also a great way to use up extra squash (the butternut that I had from the farmer's market was huge). The only note is that if your squash is already cooked it should not be too heavily sweetened or seasoned. The seasonings in this are very much dependent on the squash you use and your own taste, so the quantities should be viewed more like guidelines.

Autumnal Squash Soup

Serves 2-4, depending on how thick you make it and if you are serving it with anything else.

2.5 cups steamed and mashed squash (mine was homemade and therefore a looser consistency; you can use canned, just add about 1 cup of water to a 15 oz can of packed squash)

2-4 tbsp cream, half and half, nut cream,or milk of choice

1-3 tbsp dark agave

~ 1/2 tsp rubbed sage (use less if using ground)

~ 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

~ 1/3 tsp ground ginger

fresh ground black pepper

salt, to taste

1 can or 1 1/2 cups mild white beans, rinsed and drained (optional)

water, broth, or additional milk/cream sufficient to achieve desired consistency

Place everything in your blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Heat over medium-low until bubbling gently. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes and then taste and adjust seasoning and thickness as needed.

Serve hot.

Local Deliciousness

Along with my soup (which was made with local butternut squash) I had this yummy (mostly) local salad: lettuce (CSA), pear (CSA), toasted pecans (gifted by a friend who's father-in-law brought them from TX where he had shelled them himself!), goat cheese, and honey mustard vinaigrette (with local honey).


I am winding up the last 2 weeks of my first quarter of my Ph.D. program. That combined with the work on our house has made for a busy and challenging last couple of months, hence the lack of activity here. But I do have a few things I'm working on and I look forward to more doing more regular posting. I'll have some house updates as well as a few recipes. 


Also, a small note - I'm sorry I had to add word verification to commenting but I was getting a lot of spam comments. I'm hoping this will take care of that and I can remove it shortly.


In other news I have taken Crunchy Chicken's challenge:



I know it's getting later in the season, but I hope you will consider making at least some of your holiday handmade, or planning ahead to do so next year. We've been doing more and more of this the last couple years and we find that everyone seems to really enjoy the gifts. And we enjoy giving them because we feel like they actually come from us and are within our means (which makes the whole season so much less stressful!). It's a win-win all around.  


I hope you have a very joyful Thanksgiving.