The Modern Proper

Pumpkin Soup

Every once in a while, one of your favorite people gets pregnant. Even less in a while, that person is pregnant with baby number FOUR. Having only a second child in my belly right now, I think of my friend and can’t help but feel empathy, pity, joy and every other emotion pregnant women are capable of (and trust me, the list is long). So, what do I do to process? I host a baby shower, of course! Well, you could call it a “baby” shower. I prefer an “I-can’t-believe-you’re-doing-this-again-you-deserve-more-than-diapers-wipes-and-a-new-burp-rag” shower.

Somehow amidst her three spirited kids and her current pregnancy, my dear friend still pulls off an amazing style that compliments her personality. Deidra is all about the jewel tones. Being that this party really wasn’t about celebrating the baby as much as it was about the awesome woman, mom and wife I know and love, my girlfriends and I did the best we could to put together an event that best represented her. A smattering of bright colors and patterns made up the décor, and I thought the food ought to do the same. Take a look at this pumpkin soup, which worked perfectly with our vibrant fall theme.

Pumpkin Soup (6-8 servings)
2 onions finely chopped
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
3 tbs olive oil
1 ½ lbs pumpkin seeded, skinned and cubed
1 lb butternut squash seeded, skinned and cubed
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 ½ tbs curry powder
½ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
½ cup coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste 

In a large dutch oven or saucepan sauté onions in olive oil just until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for two more minutes. Remove from heat.

Prepare the pumpkin and butternut squash. This is no easy task, but well worth the taste. Your process should look something like this.

Add the pumpkin and butternut squash to the onions and garlic. Pour in the chicken stock. Only add enough stock to cover the squash, if you add too much your soup will be too runny. Season mixture using curry powder, nutmeg, ginger and cayenne pepper (optional). Bring soup to a boil then reduce to medium heat. When squash is tender and can be pierced with a fork remove soup from heat. If you over cook the squash it will loose its color so make sure you are watching it closely.

In batches puree soup in a food processor or blender. If you use a blender only fill half way and cover the top with a towel to avoid an explosion! I leave my mixture in the pot and use an emulsifier to avoid any messes. 

Once your soup is nice and creamy return it to the pot. Add your coconut milk, salt and pepper and warm up on medium heat.

To serve place in a pretty bowl that you got for $1.00 at a thrift store and top with a tsp of coconut milk. 

Celebrating One Year

This week marks the year anniversary of my drastic life change. “For better or for worse?” you may ask. Well, that depends on which day you ask me. One year ago, my husband and I brought home our first-born son, and my journey as a stay-at-home mom began. Like many first time moms out there, my dreams of staying home consisted of making it to the gym every day, canning seasonal fruits and vegetables, hosting weekly lunches with other moms in my circle, redecorating the house once a week, driving my infant to swim lessons, frequently visiting the local zoo (even with a one-week old), finally growing that garden I’d always wanted, starting a small business to further utilize my creativity, and to top it all off, writing a blog to tell the world all about it.

Needless to say, I had high hopes for myself. If I had started a blog on Day 1, you’d be gagging on your breakfast while reading about the mustard color blow-out that covered my sheets twice daily. There would be no beautiful entries of dinner-parties and “making it all happen.” Instead of oooing and awwing at the elegant new curtains I’d hung in the nursery, you would be sighing out of pity as I recounted a typical day. Rather than reading about my disciplined work-out regiment, you’d find that I ate not one, but three donuts at a women’s gathering before heading home for a much needed two-hour nap. If I had posted even last week, you may have been tempted to dial up social services and report me. “This woman is letting her kid eat leftover chips off the floor when she should be making him a balanced and nutritious breakfast!”

So, why am I starting a blog? Is everyone confused? Does anyone feel the need to take a nap after those last two paragraphs? My goal here is not to express my exhaustion so that you too may be exhausted by association. I can confidently say that my life will not become less chaotic. I will probably never follow up my baked-goods eating with a personal trainer session at the local gym, and there will still be days where my greatest accomplishment will be the shower I took at 10:30pm. I started this blog because even though the last year of my life has been a roller-coaster of failures and successes, my dreams are still very much alive.

Scout Murdock is now one year old. As a trophy to myself for surviving, I’m going to make said dreams become reality. I’m going to box my way through the mess and find me. Here is to the closure of one year and the beginning of another!