These are some of the leaves popping  up around downtown. They are so pretty!! Most of them are already falling off in droves and rustling around the sidewalks and streets. 

I also wandered across campus, where I passed these sidewalk stencils (at a sorority house, I believe), some juicy looking berries, and the duck ponds. The ducks are a little crazy- they all came traipsing over once I sat down to say hello. And begged for bread, of course.

I came back exhausted, but rejuvenated. I need to remember to go outside (for more than ten minutes) more often! More pics on flickr.

Last night we tried the zuchinni pasta recipe along with some pumpkin soup. It was delish! Paul thought we could add some sausage to zing (and meat) it up- so we might try that next time. One caveat- don’t go crazy when salting the zuchinni to release the water. I wasn’t paying attention and it ended up a little salty for my taste.

Paul shelled and crushed the pistachios while I whizzed around trying to time the soup and the pasta. It’s nice to have a helper!

The soup was yummy, too. The recipe is a favorite of mine that I usually make once or twice a year since it’s a bit of a pain. I found it in my old roommate’s InStyle mag in 2002, of all places. The acorn squash I made earlier was from the same article on Thanksgiving dinner. The recipes are below.

(Adding the cream is the best part!)

I really do like to cook, and since I’m only working part time (& restaurants here make me sad), I’ve actually had the time. Tomorrow I want to make roasted asparagus and lemon garlic chicken….and I plan on using the leftover asparagus in a quiche for the weekend. I’ve also got the ingredients for an apple pie, once I get to it. Mmm!

Pumpkin Soup (I halved the original, so this serves 6 generously.)1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

2 carrots, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
24 oz. chicken broth
15 oz. pumpkin puree
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I never add this)
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add celery, carrots and onion, sautee 7-8 minutes or until softened. Add broth, pumpkin and thyme if using. Lower heat, simmer 15 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor.  (VERY important!– Let the soup cool a bit and don’t over fill your blender– the soup will rush up and you’ll feel it’s heat through the lid, possibly making you stop holding the lid on. I did this once and it led to pumpkin soup everywhere! Till you get the hang of it, fill your blender about 1/3 full.) Return to soup pot. Stir in cream, simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Baked Acorn Squash

1 large acorn squash
1/2 c. dry, plain breadcrumbs (I usually make them myself with fresh bread and a cheese grater- they’re coarse and less crunchy)
1/2 c. cornmeal (stone ground)
1 tbsp. chopped garlic (you can add garlic salt, too, since it’ll stick better)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet w/nonstick cooking spray or butter.  Cut squash into 1/2″ rings and scoop out seeds. (I cut the rings in half to make more fit on the sheet.)  In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, corn meal, garlic, salt and pepper. Place beaten eggs in a pie plate or flat bowl. Dip both sides of squash into eggs, then  dredge in bread crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (don’t be shy, the oil makes it soooo tasty!). Bake 30-40 minutes, turning once, until squash is fork-tender. Season with salt.

Enjoy!

This morning I insisted we hike, since yesterday was rainy (mostly shower, only slightly snow) and today was gorgeous. We didn’t stay long because there are always things to do, but I loved all of the colors in the leaves! I never feel like I get to observe enough, I could stand over plants and stare at horses through fences for hours.

After that, Paul went to the studio. I stayed home and cleaned up, then decided to cook him an early birthday meal (it’s tomorrow). I made baked breaded acorn squash, rosemary lemon chicken and a little spinach salad. It was delicious! And there is squash leftover. I love fall, with all of it’s oddly shaped gourds. I definitely need to make something with pumpkin soon.

P.S. If you are participating in the Patchwork Swap, you should have received an email from me by now. If you didn’t, please email me to let me know.