Pumpkin Soup

4.5 pounds fresh pumpkin, seeds discarded, or 4 cups pumpkin puree
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large shallots (or one small onion + 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
Ground nutmeg for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
2. If using fresh pumpkin, brush the flesh side of the pumpkin with olive oil, then bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 1.5 hours.  Remove the pumpkin and discard the skin.  Puree the pumpkin flesh in a food processor.  (I wound up just using my immersion blender in step 4.)
3. In a pot or flame-proof casserole, melt the butter over low heat, then add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, to form a roux, about 2 minutes.  Slowly pour in the chicken broth while whisking thoroughly to blend.
4. Add the pumpkin puree, stir to mix well, and continue cooking for 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cream.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Let cool in saucepan, then refrigerate overnight and reheat in a pot the following day.  Dust the top with nutmeg and use any garnishes you want (drizzle with olive oil, roasted red bell pepper, chopped chervil or parsley, Parmesan cheese, and oyster crackers).

A Lot Has Changed

Hey, invisible readers.

I haven't posted in a long time because I'm just not really a blogger.  Or a journal writer.  Or much of a writer, unless it's snarky comments on the Facebook.  :P

Well, almost a year after my previous post of a delicious recipe using freshly-picked wild strawberries, and we've added another baby into our household.  Penelope Rose Clark.

She is such a great addition to our little family.  It was a rough pregnancy, with a lot of hip pain struggles, constant nausea, and buying and moving into a new house.  The labor was rough, too, but her actual birth was beautiful once she was oxygenated.  Not much went as planned, but I stuck out the 30-hour labor with no epidural.  I did, however, beg for one 15 minutes before she was born.  I had been stuck at 5cm for almost 24 hours, my water had not broken, but she was in no distress.

So, we bought a house!  A small, 3-bedroom house that we can finally call ours.  John has been doing such great work around here.  He's built the chickens their own yard to be safely in, and is almost done fencing in our front yard.  Home Depot was out of the hardwire when he went to pick up more, but hopefully they'll replenish their stock soon.  We have plants started so we can grow another vegetable garden this year, and John built a BEAUTIFUL U-shaped garden right next to our driveway.  I can't wait to see how well our crop does this year!

Okay, Penny is fussing now, so I've got to go snuggle this cute baby.  Ali is out with her daddy, running errands.  

Ta-ta for now!