Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

I know that pumpkin soup doesn't really seem "seasonal" in December... but every year after Thanksgiving, I am left with an assortment of pumpkins and gourds that are still good, but no longer useful for decorating since it's now the beginning of the Christmas season....

(I love the light this time of year! When the sun is low on the horizon, it's the best for photography... No wonder the paintings by the Dutch masters are fabulous, the light must be incredible there all the time... but I digress....)

Usually I just leave them laying around on the back porch until they rot because I can't bring myself to throw them out, but I don't quite know what to do with them... This year I decided to actually put them to use and roast them and make some soup.

 Butternut squash- I halved it and scooped out the seeds with a spoon.

This white pumpkin revealed a lovely creamy colored interior....

 This funky, bumpy gourd was extremely hard- I stuck the knife in and I couldn't get it out! I ended up slamming the whole thing against the counter until the gourd split open and released the knife. I don't recommend it- probably very dangerous! But I think your only other option for opening this type of gourd is maybe a chain saw. (Please note- someone just told me that some gourds are poisonous, which I was unaware of. I believe that gourds native to North America are edible- Please do not consume gourds unless you are sure they are edible. I found 2 articles about gourds here and here.)

Finally got it open! Scooped the out the inside of this one too.

Lovely cross section of the "Cinderella" pumpkin- the color on this one was gorgeous and very dense.

Once the insides were scooped out, I placed the pumpkins on a foil lined baking sheet, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled generously with salt.

Next I roasted everything at 400 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the flesh was tender.

When cool enough to handle, I peeled the skin from the pumpkins. 

Look at that funky yellow gourd now! The skin was still so hard that I couldn't peel it, so I used a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh. A nice surprise was that the rind held its shape really nicely and make a lovely serving bowl (see first photo).

I placed all of the cooked pumpkin and gourd into a blender in batches. I added a generous amount of chicken broth to the pumpkin in the blender until I was able to puree it.

The color of the puree was incredible... And it made a lot of puree, something like 30 cups. I used some for my soup, and put the rest in containers in the freezer so I can make more soup in the future.

So now... the actual recipe! Making the puree from the pumpkins was quite time consuming, but making the soup itself was really quick and easy. (And now that I have so much puree in the freezer, there will be lots of soup to come...)

Ingredients:

10 cups pumpkin puree

1 T. nutmeg

1 T. curry powder

2 tsp chili powder

2-3 cups water

1 pint lite cream

Additional water, chicken broth, or milk for thinning

Place pumpkin puree, spices, and water in a large pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add cream and heat through (do not boil). Add additional liquid for desired consistency.

Serve & enjoy....

Click here for PDF of recipe.

Oh, and those little gourds that didn't make it into the soup? They got sprayed with metallic paint and arranged on the mantle:

What do you do with your pumpkins and gourds after you've finished using them for decorations? Do you just keep them around until they rot? Cook them? Or do you have any other creative ideas for them? 

Make Your Own Hostess Snoballs!

Guest Blogger Samantha has made some yummy treats for us today:

Was anyone else devastated by the news that Hostess was going out of business?  Where will we get our Twinkies? Our Ding Dongs? Our Snoballs?
The good news is that you can make them! And while they might not have that "delicious" processed aftertaste, you'll probably feel a little bit better about yourself if you make them instead of just unwrapping them from some plastic wrap.

Oh, and by the way... I can't lie.  These Snoballs are not for me.  I actually hate coconut.  It reminds me of Easter grass.  But they are for a very special guy... my brother-in-law, Joey.  Joey is currently in the US Navy, and when we drove out to Chicago a couple weeks ago to see him graduate boot camp, he made me promise him home-made Snoballs when he comes home for Christmas.  So Joey, here's to you and the hard work you do to protect our country!

And now, without further ado, the Snoballs you've all be waiting for.

Here's what you'll need:

For cupcakes:
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 small box Jello Chocolate Fudge instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream

For topping: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
3/4 cup Marshmallow Creme or Marshmallow Fluff, about half of one 7-ounce jar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
1 cup sweetened, shaved coconut

Preheat oven to 350, line cupcake pan with liners, set aside.

Mix together cupcake ingredients until combined, about 2 minutes.  Scoop batter into pan so that each cup is about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife or cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool completely before icing.

Beat together marshmallow and butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add in vanilla extract and sugar, beating until combined.  Add in more or less sugar until you reach your desired consistency.  Ice the cupcakes and top with coconut.
This recipe makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.

Have you promised any special dishes to your loved ones this season, or a recipe that your family looks forward to every year? Do you have your own Hostess imitation recipe! Tell us about it!

Happy weekend!
Samantha

Don't forget about our Snuggle Up With A Good Book Sale now through December 31. It's 25% off, PLUS get a FREE quilt pattern with every book purchased.

Settler's Pride: Re-Boot Time!

I was looking through some of my old blog posts, and came across a bunch of posts with photos from my favorite UFO (you quilters will know that UFO stands for UnFinished Object!) I went to the cupboard in my studio and started pulling out blocks- I have 8 finished! Only 1 block, plus 2 borders to do to finish this project! So why did I set it aside? I don't know- I guess I got busy and figured I'd "get around to it" but forgot all about it. You can click on each photo to see the original post where it was first featured.

This block was finished but never appeared on my blog (I guess I never "got around" to that either!):

This project is a wool applique quilt designed by Maggie Bonanomi. I saw it at a quilt show, fell in love with it, and signed up for the Block of the Month program- way back in 2009! I am glad that I found it in my cupboard- my goal is to get it all finished this winter. I really love stitching wool because there are no edges to turn under, and it's so soft on your fingers when you are working with it. But I have to admit (and this is probably the reason why it got set aside...) I hate doing the prep work, for any applique project, wool or cotton. I don't like cutting out all of those pieces and then pinning or gluing them to the background. But it must be done before you get to the fun part- stitching!

And of course, when I laid all of the blocks out on the floor, Maddie decided to "help" again- she's good at that:

What's your oldest UFO? Or your favorite- the one you really can't wait to get finished? Let me know!

By the way, I had a great time joining Pat Sloan on her American Patchwork & Quilting radio show on Monday. Pat is super fun and friendly and I always enjoy chatting with her. I was really nervous beforehand, but once we got to talking, it was like sitting in a coffee shop with one of your best girlfriends. If you missed the show, you can catch the podcast here.

I spent the weekend re-reading over all of your wonderful comments and suggestions from last week's big giveaway- so many great ideas. It was really hard to pick a winner! The first winner was Marcia W. of Florida who entered via email. She suggested that the free embroidery patterns in the newsletter have some sort of stitch guide. Great idea, Marcia! We will try to do that in future editions of the newsletter. The second winner, chosen randomly, was Judy R. from Oregon. Although her name was chosen randomly, Judy also happened to have some nice suggestions regarding a new name for the newsletter. So congratulations, Marcia and Judy- your prizes are on their way :) And thanks to everyone who took the time to comment and give their suggestions- I really appreciate it and will keep it all in mind over the next several months as we work to improve the newsletter & blog. (I have to say "we" because my husband & kids help me a lot... it takes a village to build a blog ha ha!)

This Week's Ornament Tutorial : Patchwork Bird AND Pat Sloan's American Patchwork & Quilting Radio Show

(Wow! that was like, the longest blog post title in history, right?)

For the month of December, we will be doing a tutorial for an ornament every week. This week's ornament is a patchwork bird. It's an excellent way to make use of your scraps! If you have bags full of tiny pieces that you've been saving for someday- today is your day!

If you are short on time, there is also a plain version- you can sew up a "flock" of these in an afternoon.... You could also add lavender or a few drops of scented oil to your stuffing to make sachets. I've done "modern Christmas" colors of bright green, fuchsia  and turquoise- you can use whatever fabric scraps you have lying around (I know you've got some fabric there, somewhere... ha ha)

Supplies:

• Scraps of fabric
• Polyester filling/stuffing
• 1/8" ribbon
• Embroidery floss
• For the eye: a tiny button, seed bead, or thread (such as embroidery thread or wool thread) to make a French knot

Print out and cut out pattern pieces (link at bottom of post).

To make the patchwork version, piece together scraps of fabric until you get a piece about 5 x 9” big.

For the bird's body: For the patchwork version, place you patchwork piece right sides together with a plain piece of fabric. For the plain bird, place 2 pieces of fabric right sides together, pin pattern to fabric. Cut out around pattern. Remove pattern piece. Pin fabric pieces together.

Sew the pieces together (still right sides together) with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving an opening as indicated on pattern piece. Backstitch at beginning and ending of stitching.

Hint for sewing around curves- shorten your stitch length, and as you go around the curves, go slowly and stop every few stitches to lift the foot just slightly and pivot the fabric slightly.

Clip seam allowance at points of tail and beak. Make a few small notches at the curves. This will eliminate some "bulk" of the fabric and make your seams flatter when you turn it right side out.

Turn bird right side out. You can use tweezers to help pull tight areas right side out. Use a wooden skewer to gently push out the points of tail and beak. Press (press the raw edges of the opening in.)

Loosely stuff bird with polyester filling. Use a wooden skewer to push filling into head and tail. Hint: stuff bird with many small pieces of filling, instead of a few large pieces.

Hand stitch opening closed with matching thread. 

For wing, place 2 pieces of fabric right sides together, pin pattern to fabric and cut out. Remove pattern piece. Sew together (do not leave an opening.) Trim seam allowances.

Carefully cut a slit about 1 1/4" long into 1 side of the wing.

Turn right side out; press. Stitch opening closed and/or put a few drops of Fray Check on the raw edges. 

Use embroidery floss to stitch around edges of wing- you can do a blanket stitch, whip stitch, or make an X stitch. To make the X stitch, bring up needle through A, bring it around to the back, then bring it up through B (to the right of A). Continue making X’s.

Use matching thread to stitch wing to bird (you don’t have to stitch down the whole wing, just the top.) 

For the eye, sew on a tiny button, seed bead, or make a French knot.

Tie a bow around the neck with 1/8" wide ribbon.

Use a sewing needle to attach a 12" piece of embroidery thread to top of bird; knot to form a loop for hanging. 

Click here for a PDF of this tutorial (including pattern pieces.)   

  

(Here is the link to last week's ornament, Glittered Forest Friends, in case you missed it.)

What colors would you make your birds in? I think this would be a really cute project any time of year, not just during the holidays.

Oh! and don't forget I will be on Pat Sloan's American Patchwork & Quilting Show later today! I am excited, and pretty nervous- I hope I don't say anything stupid, you know??? I mean, it's one thing to say something stupid to the bank teller or the store clerk, but with so many people listening on the interwebs..... it's a bit nerve wracking!

Merry Moss: A DIY Christmas Decoration

Guest blogger Samantha has come up with an easy project for your home! I love this idea, it will add "rustic elegance" to your home. At the end of the post, I will have an announcement...

Happy December!
While I am sad to leave Fall behind, I am looking forward to the Christmas season.  It's my first Christmas as a married person (!!!!) so it's extra special for me this year.  To get myself into the spirit, I've been listening to Christmas music, doing lots of baking, and of course, making decorations!
My first decoration is actually something I've been wanting to make for a while as a permanent "non-holiday" decor item.  But once I had the Christmas music on, I was like, "Aw yeah, Christmas. Here we go."
Want to make your own? It's surprisingly simple and endlessly customizable!

Here's what you'll need:
wire, about 18 gauge (it needs to be easily bendable, but hold its shape when you add the moss)
fake moss (available in floral department of craft store)
clear fishing line
needle nose pliers

1. Form the wire into whatever word you would like it to say.  If you get it perfect, it might help to take a picture for yourself to refer back to, since you'll be bending the wire a little bit to attach the moss.
2. Cut a piece of fishing line about 18" long and tie it to the end of the word wire with a square knot. Take your first, small piece of moss and hold it against the wire. Carefully begin wrapping the wire around the moss in a spiral motion to hold it to the wire.  It should look like this:

3. Continue adding on more pieces of moss to be wrapped to the wire until your fishing line runs out.  Give yourself a little bit of extra line so that you can tie it off.  Once you have tied and clipped the fishing line, tie on another piece and continue wrapping the moss to the wire until the whole word is covered.

As I said, you could make this moss word say anything; "Christmas," "joy," "welcome," or even the name of your family.

I hope this project has gotten your holiday gears in motion, and that this rustic and whimsical decoration brings warmth into your home!

Happy weekend!
Samantha

So here is my (Jacquelynne's) announcement- in case you haven't heard yet, I will be on Pat Sloan's American Patchwork & Quilting radio show this coming Monday, December 10! Please join me- I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun! (Can you from all of my !!!!! that I'm excited???!!!) Please tune in and tell all of your quilt-y, craft-y, sew-y friends about it.....

This weekend we are going Christmas caroling, and I'm going to try to finish putting all of my decorations up. And then, maybe some much needed down time and relaxation on Sunday afternoon. What's going on with you this weekend? Holiday decorating? Baking Christmas cookies? Maybe just catching up on laundry and other domestic necessities?? Remember to take time to do something fun....