teacher by day - chef by night
The holidays are here (in case you didn’t know) and that means that although today was Christmas – you will probably be spending the next few days entertaining and visiting lots of friends and family. You never want to show up empty handed (Miss Manners …
YUM – I love Chocolate (although I hate headaches – one of which I had a pretty major one while everyone else was enjoying these at Aunt Pat & Uncle Mikes during our annual tree decorating this year)! Every year we bring dessert to Tree …
Growing up in a house with 2 Jewish parents (in an area where I was one of the very few Jewish Kids) I had lots of cool menorahs, went to decorate the tree annually (just did it for the 29th year – we have being doing this with Pat & Mike before I was even concieved!), but always wanted by own “Hanukkah Bush”. Now as an adult, in my own house, with a boyfriend who loves Christmas – we got a tree!! We got a real 3 foot high ‘table-top’ tree, decorated with white (and blue/white snowflake) lights, homemade mint garland, and ribbon bows. After decorating the tree and picking up a container of EggNog (making my own – one day soon?) and sitting on the couch with the dogs, there was nothing more that we wanted than EggNog Martinis….
Recipe
Combine in mixer, shake, pour into martini glasses, top with nutmeg and shaved chocolate… enjoy the season with family!
More treats that we are I am making over the holidays will be posted in the coming days – as they get made and enjoyed! (I’m a ‘new’ blogger – not quite to the “make to post before” stage… you get it as I make it!)
Merry Christmas (Eve Eve) from Pennsylvania and Rachel, Rich, Boca, & Donner!
“Houston – we have a problem” “Its the end of the world as I know it (and I [don’t] feel fine)” … Just a few of the phases that went through my head Thursday night when after about 20 minutes of making cookies and preheating …
Quick and Easy – the hardest part of this recipe is peeling & chopping the squash up before cooking it (I didn’t want the roasted flavor of precooking today). AND the hardest part I got out of doing this time since while making breakfast I sliced my thumb with the knife while slicing a bagel (I know – cut away from me, not toward me, etc), so Rich was wonderful & worked for his supper (which he got to eat & enjoy at home, with the dogs, while I ran out to work part time for the Christmas shoppers at the mall 🙂
Anyways – I love whipping up a quick soup, and this super (souper!?) easy Butternut Squash is perfect (and even easier if you spend the big bucks and get the pre-cut stuff in the produce aisle). So next time you aren’t in the mood to cook but don’t want to make “garbage” whip up this soup (and please, in the fall/winter keep a squash or two on hand – I’m telling you, they don’t go bad and its a fresh good thing to feed your family)!
RECIPE…
Directions
In soup pot: met butter & oil then add chopped onion & all dried spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Then add crushed garlic and cook for about one minute. Add squash, apple (peeled/chopped), water and broth (you can add/delete liquid as you see fit – I like a thick thick squash soup, others prefer it thinner since its a ‘bisque’). Simmer for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Once cooked, puree until smooth (using the scoop to blender method – or what I prefer is a hand-held stick (emulsion) blender! Then add the milk to the soup & bring back to barely a simmer (there is milk here now!) Now do some taste testing with salt (pepper) to get it just right!
Leave me some feedback – what is your favorite soup!?
And I leave you with this: “There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup in a can.”
[From: Laurie Colwin, ‘Home Cooking’ (1988)]
