Monday, October 31, 2011

Trick or Treat

It was a dark and blustery night. The rain seemed to be holding off, at least for now. We knew we had to do it but did we have to? Couldn't we just sit home and get ready to watch the next episode of Castle? No, we had three kids (our daughter and her two young uncles) waiting patiently for us to put our coats and hats on. We had to do it. We couldn't hold off anymore. We had to go Trick or Treating.

Me (with Harrison) and Mel. Photo by Mel 
And we did. We  (me (with baby Harrison the Cat in the carrier), my husband, father-in-law and his wife Mel), followed our excited children (Minnie Mouse, Harry Potter & The Green Lantern) as they ran gleefully (albeit coldly) to each house eager to get their treats.

Harry Potter, Minnie Mouse (minus the ears) & The Green Lantern (holding a cat)
Luckily, the kids seemed happy to just do our cul-de-sac, and we were back home a short while later.  The loot was spread out on the floor to see what they had gotten. For the number of houses we had gone to, they did very well. Way too much for our three year old. Too much for Mommy and Daddy too, but that's another story.

Now, what will I keep?

 My little girl is excited about her treats, but she is more excited about the Switch Witch. What is that you may ask? I heard about the Switch Witch last year on the radio. The Switch Witch comes on Halloween Night and switches children's candy for a present that they've requested. The idea is to prevent the kids from eating all the junk. Now, Charlotte is three so it wouldn't be that hard to gradually make the candy disappear, but I figure that if we introduce the witch now, it'll work as she gets older too. The presents will obviously reflect their age, but it's worth a try anyway. So that's what we did. She went through her candy, decided what she'd like to keep and left the rest for the Switch Witch. Tonight, the witch will come and bring her what she requested - a skipping rope and a pink halloween hair extension (she asked for pink hair like Ariel, so we're hoping this will do). Now what to do with that candy...

So, as I sit here now, drinking a glass of wine and partaking of a chocolate or two, I watch Castle knowing both children are safely tucked in bed, having survived this spooky night known as All Hallows Eve. Thankfully, we did too.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Have pumpkins, will carve and make soup

Today was our annual Pumpkin Carving Get Together. It all started 8 years ago, just the two of us, my husband and I carving a pumpkin. Today, there were 12 of us and 6 pumpkins. Needless to say, there was a lot of pumpkin, seeds and all around fun.

A pumpkin in all its glory


While the kiddies and adults alike were carving their chosen designs, I was in the kitchen preparing the pumpkin soup. The first time I tried this soup was in England with my husband's family. I was dubious at first, but I have to say, I look forward to it every year. While it's easier just to purchase a pumpkin and cut it up, it's just as fun to scoop it all out before carving your masterpiece to light up on All Hallows' Eve.

Making the soup is very easy, and well worth it. While I adjust this a little (I use more pumpkin and less stock for a thicker soup), here's a basic recipe a dear friend gave me when I lived in England; hence the weight measurements.

25g butter
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1.25 kg fresh pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded (see recipe below for toasted pumpkin seeds), cubed
1.2 litres chicken stock
1 tsp ground coriander
1 small chilli, de-seeded and chopped (leave the seeds in if you want it with a little heat)
250 ml of cream (I find this a little too much and use whole milk instead, but it's up to individual tastes)
salt and pepper to taste

Mmmm good!
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic over a low heat until soft. Add the pumpkin, stock, coriander and chili. Bring to a simmer and cook until the pumpkin is tender, stirring once or twice. Puree the soup using a blender or a submersion hand blender. I recommend purchasing a submersion blender if you make a lot of pureed soups. You can blend the soup directly in the pot you've cooked the soup in instead of having to puree in batches. Canadian Tire often has the Kitchen Aid submersion blender on sale, especially this time of year.

Once you've pureed the soup, add your cream, salt and pepper. Gently heat through and serve.



Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

This can be adjusted depending on how many seeds you get. Your average pumpkin has about a cup.

1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 1/4 tbs butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed hot pepper flakes

Preheat over to 250 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the seeds, and put in a bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, butter and salt. Cover thoroughly. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet and bake for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Bake until crisp.  I find it usually takes about 1 1/2 hours.

While the soup was cooking, the carving continued. All 6 pumpkins turned out fantastic. The secret? Carve the small, intricate parts first. My secret? When time is tight, carve a traditional looking pumpkin.

Carving a masterpiece for little Harrison
So, our pumpkins are carved and out front, ready to be lit tomorrow night for all the ghouls and goblins to see. The only thing left to do is dress up. Oh, and toast those pumpkin seeds.

Happy Halloween!

Traditional, Mickey Mouse, an Owl, Ariel, a bat, and an old tree in a graveyard

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Welcome. Blog #1 - the first of many

I've considered for awhile to begin a blog. I decided today that tonight would be the night. I want this blog to be an outlet for my thoughts, views and what's going on in my life at the moment. So, let us begin.

I can't complain though. Well, I can, but I shouldn't. We've been very fortunate with our two kids.  Charlotte, right from day one settled well in the night and Harrison has been following suit. At 11 weeks old, he is usually settled in bed by 9pm and wakes once during the night before I am woken by little Miss C around 6:30am. Well, tonight, he has finally settled and it's 10:56pm. Maybe that means he'll sleep through the night. I've topped him up and one can hope.

So, now, half an hour past my usual bedtime, I now have to decide if I'm going to have that glass of wine I had planned on enjoying or if I'm going to go to bed to ensure a half decent nights sleep before having to start my day again tomorrow. I think the wine will win tonight. Why not right?

Just one more sip... then off to bed