butternut squash soup, two ways.

today at the grocery store i found myself face to face with a really good sale on squash {$0.79 per lb!}...and thus came home with 8 lbs of butternut squash.  i would've had more, but they did not have any spaghetti squash and the acorn squashes just looked meh...another gourd for another day. 

so this afternoon jordan went to play a little golf, and i decided to cook up my prize.  i made a gigantic pot of a really basic squash soup {our standard recipe is here}...i didn't have any sweet potatoes, so this version just included an onion, carrots, celery and butternut squash.

i usually wait until the soup is cooked before adding any spices {this goes for salt too} and blending, and when this step arrived i decided to have a little fun.  why make one type of soup when i could make two?   {or 3 or 12...8 lbs of squash will make a gracious plenty}

here are my two creations...if one of them strikes your fancy, try it out and let me know how you liked it!

south of the border

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon mexican oregano

2 teaspoons ancho chili powder

sprinkle of cinnamon

cayenne to taste

sub-continental

1+ teaspoons turmeric

2+ teaspoons madras curry powder

sprinkle of galangal {ok- not an indian spice, but i like the slight sweetness this adds}

cayenne to taste

measurements are of course subjective since it will all depend on how much soup you're working with...i now realize that because of that fun fact, this is a terrible recipe to follow - sorry about that...play with the flavors though!  i am sure you will make something delicious.

happy eating!!

28 weeks.

twenty-eight weeks!  one week for every year of my life, now that i think about it.  that's a lot!

this week baby girl and i have been on a business trip in miami...she's becoming a well-traveled little lady already!   aside from having some seriously good {and huge} lunches, we didn't do anything crazy- i basically walked between my hotel and the office all week...but hey, it was a pretty walk (:  i did manage to squeeze in a club soda & cranberry happy hour with a girlfriend though, which was great.

anyway, i just got back tonight and am pooped, so my apologies for the lame post.  hopefully some belly pics will make up for my lack of energy.

you can't hide, baby!

i crack myself up.

hey there baby girl...i know two people who cannot wait to meet you!

hope you enjoy your wednesday, friends.

oh!  by the way!  i  made the bagels!  my camera sadly was out of commission that morning, but that just means i'll have to make some more to document.  stay tuned!

welcome, weekend!

i feel that this weekend is just full of potential.

we have been thoroughly enjoying ourselves this week, and i feel so well-rested that i am now ready to tackle some projects and get my creative side working.

i have a lot planned, which i love...there is something truly inspiring about keeping busy in my mind.   there is a wall which will get some color, floors which will be washed {am i the only one who puts off this chore until it literally cannot be avoided?}, crafts to begin, and a few recipes to try.

here are a few delicious things i am going to try to whip up this weekend:

{image and recipe via: abeautifulmess}

we have been stopping into a cute bagel bakery close by home for a few weekends now on our way to our weekly grocery shopping, and i love the tradition.  i have always been curious however, about making bagels myself: and truth be told, i am always a little disappointed in the cinnamon to raisin ratio in my CR bagels...so i will be attempting this recipe tomorrow morning, modifying the flavors, and of course loading them up with cinnamon (:

next up: granola!   {another recipe} i loooove granola.  i love the possibilities of adding new flavors, and i don't think it can be messed up too easily.  one tip i will share right off the bat: if you add coconut flakes, wait until there are only about 5-6 minutes of baking left because those little guys like to burn. 

i'll be back soon with updates, but right now i have some serious progress to make.  enjoy your weekend! 

holiday week.

a little while ago, we decided to cash in some time off from work and kick it at home for a few days...and this is just what we've been up to.  and it's been amazing.

we don't usually take time off and not take a 'real' vacation, since we're all about getting out and seeing people, new places, etc...but this time we just felt the need to relax and decompress. 

also, it completely worked out in that randomly - all in the same week - one of my dearest friends + her husband, my middle sister, also plus husband, and jordan's brother and crew are all visiting the area this week.  what luck, right?   so far we've been to 2 beach parties, eaten some fresh {as in off-the-boat-that-morning-fresh} crabs...none for the preggo sadly...hung out at my parents' house for a night with the sister, enjoyed lazy mornings with big mugs of coffee, had a fun girls night gabbing and eating {em: next time there will be wine!}, cooked some good meals {pics soon} and it's only thursday!

it's these times, these little moments, the 'nothing fancy' parts of life that we really try our best to soak up.  it's not always easy, but i believe in my heart of hearts that this is what this crazy life is all about.

i hope you're having a great week as well.

also, i hope you like ribs and margaritas because i have recipes for both on deck.

enjoy your thursday (:

paris, 2011