Pumpkin soup

For Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I re-post today this entry, which I originally wrote in October 2009, it's still as good as then, I tweaked the recipe to accommodate vegetarians as well. 

Everywhere in my blog neighborhoods appear dishes and recipes. See here and here... The season invites for home cooked meals, friends around the table and the splendors of autumn to be enjoyed. Last Saturday's market stroll yielded many fruits and vegetables, among them a sumptuous heirloom pumpkin, which begged to be made into a lovely soup for Sunday nights family dinner, book club guests snack later and follow up lunch on Monday.



My youngest stood by when I carved the top off and deep into the orange flesh to reveal a wonderful terrine for the soup later on.
It smelled delicious and we first roasted the pumpkin seeds as a snack.



Recipe for heirloom pumpkin soup:

1 medium size pumpkin
2 apples
1 medium size onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
5 carrots
1 quart of vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/4 stick butter or 3 tbs olive oil, thyme, parsley, ginger, chopped raw spouted almonds, pepper and sea salt.
1/2 cup half and half

To sprout almonds: soak raw almonds for about three hours, rinse, drain and put in a glass jar to sprout for a few hours, small tips will appear on the small end of almonds, use as usual or dry in dehydrator until dry. If you want them raw, do not roast them.

Carve the pumpkin carefully, let there be enough flesh be around to keep the pumpkin as a serving bowl.
Set aside.
Cut flesh in to smaller pieces, take out some of the stringy pumpkin fibers, sort out seeds for roasting.
Spread seeds - washed and dried - on to a baking sheet, bake @ 350 degree for about 15 min, until crispy.
Cut apples, onion, garlic and carrots in smaller pieces and roast in butter or oil for a couple of minutes. Do not burn the garlic and onions. Empty chicken or vegetable broth in large stockpot, add pumpkin pieces and all the gently roasted vegetables and bring to a boil, add thyme, gently cook for about 30 minutes, until all is soft.
In Blender blend small batches of soup and return to pot. Add fresh ginger, pepper and salt and keep warm. Reduce to a comfortable thickness. Take off the heat.
Add half and half. (Or leave that out) Serve with chopped almonds and a good measure of parsley!
For added drama serve in your pumpkin!

Bon appetite!






It lasted until today, when the last soup was finally eaten for another lunch!
All what's left now is a pumpkin waiting to get a happy face!

xx
Victoria




All images by V.Zlotkowski

British movies

I am a fan of British TV movies and after Downton Abbey has passed - way to fast- it left a void...

I roamed a bit and found a few movies to fill the gap!


(Source)

All are available on Netflix and surely as good!

Have a look!

Lark Rise to Candleford (click title to read more)


Set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town of Candleford, the series chronicles the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry at the end of the 19th Century. Lark Rise to Candleford is a love letter to a vanished corner of rural England and a heart-warming drama series teeming with wit, wisdom and romance. (Source)

A dance to the Music of Time


There'll always be an England--and Anglophiles shall be forever grateful. A Dance to the Music of Time is a sumptuous, leisurely portrait of a time in Britain's history (from the 1920s to the '60s) that epitomizes the pinnacle of romance. At the center of this Dance is Nicholas Jenkins, the narrator of the tales of intrigue, infidelity, queer friendships, and ruthless ambition that intersect throughout the series. Jenkins is played by the appealing James Purefoy, who, with starring turns in the likes of the film Vanity Fair and the HBO series Rome, clearly has not met a period drama he could not master. Flawed but clear-eyed, Jenkins observes the machinations of the upper crust from a bit of a remove, as if watching a play unfold.
And unfold it does. The plot is far too intricate to encapsulate, and in the end, plot isn't the appeal of British drawing-room dramas, anyway. Instead, it's the evocation of a time bound by intricate, unspoken rules--which participants seem to spend as much time and furtive energy trying to break as they do abiding by them. Notable characters include the greasy Widmerpool (played by the BAFTA-winning Simon Russell Beale), who, despite being utterly unremarkable, manages to build quite a career in the British government and military. John Gielgud is riveting as the novelist St. John Clarke, whose books are wildly popular but sniffed at by serious critics, and Miranda Richardson is the devilish Pamela Flitton.

The miniseries bears more than a passing resemblance to the much-beloved Brideshead Revisited, and in fact the cast of characters is so complex that the boxed set includes a "cheat sheet" guide to the most prominent 15 of them. But keeping tabs is less important than simply being swept into the lush period of time and allowing its gorgeous details wash over the viewer. For Anglophiles, the experience of watching A Dance to the Music of Time is truly transcendent. --A.T. Hurley (Source)

The Grand

Welcome to The Grand, a four-star 1920s English hotel where melodrama is offered in high style. Love, lust, adultery, greed, prostitution and plenty of juicy gossip come into play as owners John and Sarah Bannerman (Michael Siberry and Julia St. John) host a crop of colorful characters. This collection includes episodes from Series 1 and 2 of the acclaimed British television show, which originally aired on PBS. (Source)

To Serve Them All My Days

This is a movie I particularly love. Perhaps of the subject of a teacher, full of good influence and beloved by his students. Something I so missed as a child growing up in East Germany...

In this classic BBC drama based on the novel by R. F. Delderfield, shell-shocked WWI veteran David Powlett-Jones (John Duttine) goes from the trenches of war to the trenches of education when he lands a job teaching history at an elite boarding school. Scholastic life transforms him from cynic to an idealist loved by his students, even as a long-running conflict with the headmaster and unimaginable tragedy threaten to destroy his personal life.


I hope to have inspired some wonderful movie nights! This winter is still long!!!

Happy weekend!

All images as indicated!

Lace and Fringes

Nature forms the most enticing patterns. Last night's ice storm, hitting the East Coast with a vengeance, left trees covered in sheets of ice, everything frozen in place and it looks magical and a little eerie at the same time.

I hope you are all cozy! And drive carefully!

xx
Victoria




All pictures by V.Zlotkowski

A walk in the park

Brilliant sunshine beckoned us out into this cold, but picturesque day, filled with wonderful light.
We followed our well known trails in the neighboring park and yet all looked so different under a blanket of snow. For me this place is always magically new!


The dog had a blast, running back and forth between us, covering the walking distance at least twice....






The sky was turquoise blue and the snow crunched under our steps. There was little wind, but oh, so cold! We bundled up and
marched on!








Although we walked together, the cold forbid much exchange and we enjoyed the quiet meditations and following our own thoughts as we trailed the dog along the winding path.
The virgin snow covered all unevenness and created a landscape filled with foot marks of people before us. I could not help but to think of life...




Wishing you all a peaceful week!

xx
Victoria




All pictures by V.Zlotkowski

Sunday morning

There is simply nothing nicer than to begin a Sunday morning with a leisurely breakfast, reading the Times and making plans for the deliciously vacant hours of the afternoon!

No need to be somewhere, not need to do something, apart from taking the dog for a walk in the nearby park.

This morning the sun was shining bright and feeling the temperature outside it seemed a tad warmer. Picking up the newspaper from the driveway I hear dripping.... the icicles are melting away. I know, it's just an interlude, winter will still be here for a few more weeks, but it is nice to feel that warm sunshine on my face, not the icy winds and clouds overhead.

Wishing you all a wonderful long weekend and sunshine along the way!

xx
Victoria


All pictures by V.Zlotkowski

Merry Christmas!

This year is coming to an end and with Christmas approaching I will not post much more in the coming days!
We have so much to be grateful for: A happy family, health, peace and prosperity have been with us this last year! We do not take it for granted!

To all of my lovely blog friends, may you all have a peaceful and relaxing holiday time! May the next year bring you what you need and hope for! May life be good!

Wishing you all the best!
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

XX
Victoria

What I am reading now

Image

Lately, with winter upon us I love to read more and hang out next to the fire place, after all the day's work is done.
I can hear my daughter singing upstairs, my son playing guitar and my husband still working next door on his computer. The dog cozies up next to me, expecting a neck rub and perhaps a treat and then I curl up on the couch and open my book! Heavenly moment! Well, until the familiar Maamaaa! call is heard from upstairs....

Last year I had read Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and when The Distant Hours came out a couple of month ago I could not wait to find the right moment to begin with it! Kate Morton, a native Australian, lives in Brisbane with her family.
Her first book The House at Riverton is still on my list. I like to tease myself...Another long winter is ahead!


Image

So that's where I am now: An old English castle, family secrets and a young heroine, a wonderful recipe for a tale which has me in it's grip way later then my usual bedtime....
I found Kate Morton's website and check out this fabulous trailer to her new book!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton from Pan Macmillan on Vimeo.

So if you are in with me for a mystery with all the trimmings, go ahead, find a reading nook, get comfortable and open the first page!


xx
Victoria

PS: Click on the book titles to go to Amazon to shop!


Pictures as indicated.

After the rain

Our young tree in front of our house glistened and sparkled this morning in the early sunlight after yesterday's rain.
Beauty on an ordinary Monday....
Wishing you a good week!

xx
Victoria




Picture by V.Zlotkowski

A week in December

This week has been everything from exhilarating to down right dull. It began well enough with a wonderful visit to the German School Christmas bazaar!
Gluehwein and cakes, cookies and sausages galore... Find recipe here.


We spent a lovely afternoon, met our German friends and marveled at all the decorations and handmade goodies at the market. I came home with inspirations and a few stocking stuffer.
But also with a sick child and a strange feeling myself...
We both ended up being truly under the weather and with a bronchitis! Now my son and I are taking antibiotics...Yikes!


And this not being enough, the 10 year old dishwasher broke on the same day as the as the 4 month old microwave, my stove gave up after 20 years (!) with two heating plates a day later. Oh, well! Now I have been looking for new appliances, had our brand new microwave oven exchanged (we had bought this one in August '10!!!) Did I tell you I have an older kitchen? It's gonna change now....
The delivery is set for January 2011! Can you believe it takes so long to get a new stove and dishwasher? Go figure.
At least I will really appreciate the arrival of my new appliances!
Here is was I bought!

GE Profile Built-In Tall Tub Dishwasher Energy Star in Stainless Steel

GE Profile
I am particularly excited about the amazing range. A double convection oven, with a ceramic stove top!!!
I can't wait.
All on the mend now....
Oh, what a week it has been!

xx Victoria