This, That and a bowl of soup

Wow, the last ten days have been crazy here in the north east. In my little corner of Long Island we were without power for 8 days. Gas is ridiculously hard to come by, lines stretch for blocks with people looking to either fill up their cars to get to work or to fill gas cans to run the generators keeping their families warm in the cold temps.

And in the midst of people clearing away trees, searching out hot meals and equally hot showers - the country voted.

I've witnessed extension cords tethering generators from house to house, neighbor to neighbor. I've witnessed screaming at the pumps as people filled huge SUVs full of gas while people waited for a precious 5 gallons for their generator to keep their family warm. And through it all, the hate of the campaign flowed alive and well on facebook and twitter to push political agendas. Yup, people are interesting.

What did I do during my time without electricity?

I enjoyed some down time with my family. Yes, there was lots of grumbling and complaining, but we are lucky to have a generator and an engineer husband who can hotwire anything!

I had my logo updated to coordinate with my website! Since I could get online every now and then on my smartphone, I enlisted the designing talents of Amy from BrandLand. She took my logo and gave it a fresh feel with colors to match my website and added my tagline. I love it and hope you do too!

The morning the storm started I made soup! Because soup is a comfort food for me and I have this dream that one day my family will embrace the magic elixir like I do. Yes, I know...I'm a dreamer.

Squash & Carrot Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion - chopped

2 large carrots - chopped

1 1/2 lbs. squash (I've used butternut and acorn, both with good results) - cut into chunks

6 cups water or low-sodium broth (I've used chicken and vegetable broths, both with good results)

Salt & pepper

Rosemary

Thinly sliced scallions - optional as a garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot, add onion, salt & pepper. Stir frequently and cook about 6 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add carrots and squash. Cover and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water or broth and a few sprigs of rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the veggies are tender (about 15 minutes.)

Either blend the soup in small batches or just mash the squash and carrots inside the pot. Add a little cornstarch to thicken if desired. Continue to cook and serve hot with scallions on top if desired.

Great with toasted rye bread for dipping too!

What is your go to comfort food in a storm?

What's Cooking? Crock-Pot Chicken Corn Chowder

Fall officially arrives on Saturday, but that hasn't stopped me from getting out my favorite kitchen appliance - the crock-pot!

A crock-pot has been in my kitchen since I received my first as a wedding shower gift 26 years ago. We've gone through quite a few models (one was recalled for going on fire - not exactly a good thing when this appliance is DESIGNED to be used when you're not home!)

We've had smaller ones, but with a family of five, the large one in the picture is what we've been using for years.

Today the weather is windy and rainy and I'm thinking it's the perfect day for some crock-pot soup!

This recipe comes from the Gooseberry Patch Slow-Cooker Recipes Cookbook for the Nook! (and right now it's FREE!)

CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER

3 Cups cooked chicken, diced

2 Cups carrots, peeled and sliced

2 12 oz. cans sweet corn & diced peppers

2 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of potato soup

4 Cups milk

2 Chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 Teaspoon celery seed

salt & pepper to taste

1 8 oz. pkg shredded Mexican-blend cheese

Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the cheese in the slow cooker. Stir it up, cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir in the cheese just before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Enjoy!

Do you make soup in your Crock-pot?