First Time Carving a Pumpkin: Halloween Maple Leaf Pumpkin

There's a first time for everything, right?  That's what they say.  Well, not sure about "everything," but this Sunday was my first time to carve a pumpkin.  Let's be honest, I didn't grow up in this country, I moved to America at the age of 13, and Halloween and its traditions were not part of my childhood.  Who knows, perhaps at the age of 13 I thought I was too mature to dress up in costumes and carve pumpkins.

Fast forward a "few" years ahead.  I'm no longer 13.  I'm still mature, but couldn't pass on the offer to carve pumpkins at a friend's house on a Sunday afternoon.  While contemplating my artful master piece, my mom suggested I do maple leaves!  And I thought "why not?!"  I love the fall, I adore seeing the trees in all their glory as they change into crimson, golden, orange and burgundy colors.  And so it was decided - I was going to pick up a few fallen maple leaves and use them as a template for my first carved pumpkin.

I used a sharpie to lightly outline different size leaves in a random pattern and then got to carving.  Don't forget to save pumpkin seeds and roast them while you are carving.  I like to roast mine with olive oil, kosher salt and a touch of cayenne pepper.

Fall is Here: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Fall screams, loudly: "Give me soup!" and I listen.  I oblige, and buy a large butternut squash.  Before I even take it to the kitchen I am already dreaming of a silky, burned orange bowl of soup, laced with cumin, coriander and chili powder.  Surely, you could skip the roasting step and cook the squash directly in the liquid of your choice (water, chicken broth, vegetable broth or beef broth).  But I love what roasting does to the squash - the natural sugars of the squash come out to play and caramelize the edges.  At the same time, the spices that coat the squash with the help of olive oil get toasted and become ever so more fragrant.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, cut into 8 pieces, seeds removed
1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
extra virgin olive oil
ground cumin
ground coriander
chili powder
liquid of choice (see the note above)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Place squash, onion, and garlic in a heavy bottom sheet.  Coat evenly with oil and liberally sprinkle with cumin, coriander, and chili.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until squash is tender.  If necessary, remove garlic earlier, to prevent burning.

3.  Cool squash enough to handle.  Scoop out the flesh of the squash into a soup pot and add onion and garlic.

4.  Add enough liquid to cover the top of the squash.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Lower the heat and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes.

5.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  I really do love the perfectly, silky smooth texture.  If you prefer, you can have your soup on a rustic/chunkier side by pureeing it less.

Want to make the soup a bit fancy?  Serve with a toasted slice of pumpernickel bread and a spoon of pesto.  You can grate some sharp Parmesan cheese or serve with a cheddar crostini.  Enjoy!

Helpful suggestions: since your oven is already "on", do some double or triple duty roasting.  375 is a perfect roasting temperatures for potatoes, eggplant and chicken.  Your home will smell delicious and your stomach will be happy.

My future kitchen is getting a few new things

One of these days I will have my own kitchen.  Yesterday, I took a full advantage of my discount at Sur La Table to buy a few things for my future kitchen.

Lodge Cast Iron Skillet - so excited about this purchase.  I hear a lot of you have received cast iron skillets from your grandmothers.  I wasn't so lucky.  So finally I decided to buy one.  What to cook first in it?  I'm thinking chicken!



Plastic flexible cutting boards, color coordinated, with non-slip bottom to prevent them from slipping.

A wine decanter - I've used it before as a juice pitcher or a vase.




‘The Grid’ Silicone Pot Holders in Lime Green

A few fiesta bowls, just because they were so cute!

Now that I'm looking on the website, I think I'll get a set of nestling bowls too (more useful).

I also picked up a few wooden spoons, a microplane and an apple corer (for my mom).  I'm sure there are a few more things on my list - perhaps a Classic Scanpan Skillet

and a Shun Classic Chef's knife? 

What would you get for your kitchen?