One Alarm Pumpkin Soup

Last night, at 2:30 in the morning, the smoke detector in our bedroom decided that it wanted us to know, that it's battery was dying.

Do they have to be so loud? Geeze.

I mumbled something along the lines of "What is that?" to Brett... knowing full well what it was and how to make it stop, but hoping that my feigned incoherency might propel him out of bed, and into the cold house in search of a ladder, while I stayed safely tucked under the blanket and comforter.

But partnership is a pain, 'cause then I felt obligated to at least get out of bed and stand around with my hand on my hip, like I was totally invested in the beeping box of madness.

Of course the step ladder that we keep upstairs wasn't tall enough. And the dining room chair downstairs was just tall enough that Brett felt obligated to make it work, but not quite tall enough to be safe.

After a good... I don't know... five, ten, thirty minutes of Chinese acrobatic moves, Brett was able to dislodge the battery... only to feel compelled to stand on the chair, in his sleepy stupor, investigating the battery, as if it might be able to tell him something about how Christine O'Donnell got into politics.

So, in my sleep deprived state, I give you One Alarm Pumpkin Soup. The jalapenos give you a nice little kick out of bed, but the cheese and pumpkin welcome you back, like a down comforter at 2:30 in the morning.

What you'll need:

A pumpkin about the size of your head (I used one that was a bit bigger and it took a lot to fill it. That could totally be turned into a really bad joke.) cut open like jack-o-lantern and scraped to remove the seeds and gunk

2 Cups cooked white or brown rice

1-2 Cups cubed cheese (I used about a cup of extra sharp cheddar, and a cup of gouda and smoked provolone combined)

2-3 Jalapenos, chopped

2-3 Cloves of minced garlic

1/4 Cup chopped chives

8-10 Sliced of bacon, cooked and chopped

1 Teaspoon minced thyme

Black pepper to taste

A hearty pinch of nutmeg

1 Cup heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 350*. Line a super sturdy baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cut and gut your pumpkin.

In a bowl, combine the warm cooked rice, cheese, jalapenos, garlic, chives, cooked bacon, and spices. Stir to combine and stuff the pumpkin with the cheesy goodness. You'll wanna fill the pumpkin to the top, so you might find that you need to make one more cup of cooked rice. Top with the heavy cream. As you can see, this is not an exact science. So pour a little more cream on there, if it suits your fancy. Put the "handle" back on your pumpkin.

Place the filled pumpkin on the baking sheet and put it in the oven; let it cook for at least two hours. You want that pumpkin to almost turn a carmel color.

When it's done, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a fancy dish (or in my case, a cheep plate you've had since seminary). As you serve it, make sure your spoon scrapes a good portion of the tender, yummy pumpkin... and enjoy.

This is comfort food at its finest. Cheesy, carbohydrate laden goodness. A hearty "A+" from both of us!

Day 11: Coconut-Pumpkin Bisque

I hate to say it... but this might be another fail. Bleh.

I don't profess culinary savvy. I don't know the difference between icing and frosting. I don't even really know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino, even though I love both. I don't own a baster or know when to use those horse hair paint brushy things that you can buy from Williams Sonoma (I own two). And I can't tell you the difference between a soup and bisque.

What I can tell you is this: I won't be making Coconut Pumpkin Bisque again. It had the consistency of cat puke and smelled a little like it, too. Not good. I mean that. Maybe if I couldn't smell it or see it, it would have been okay. But apparently, part of the culinary experience, is using all of your senses to experience food. I did not like this experience.

But if you've lost your sense of smell (and if you have, I'm sorry) and eat with the lights turned off, you might like this, so...

What you'll need:

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 1 /2 cups (about) canned unsweetened coconut milk
Ground nutmeg

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add pumpkin, broth, sugar, allspice and crushed red pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Sometime during the simmering process is when it starts to smell like a cat. Thin with coconut milk to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with nutmeg. I did all of this. And it still wasn't good.

I found this recipe on Epicurious.com. I give it a D. I don't give food a D. I love food... even bad food. But this... I give a D. And I think that's generous.

Day 3: Southwest Pumpkin Soup

You know you live in Arizona (and I can say this, cause we used to live there) when:

The best parking spot is determined by shade instead of distance. You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron. The temperature drops below 95 and you start to feel a little chilly. You discover that in July it only takes 2 fingers to steer your car. You break into a sweat the instant you step outside... and its only 7:30 a.m. The idea of running out to the car without putting your shoes on... is absurd. And when you need to cool down, you stand behind the motorcycle exhaust for some reprieve. And then...

...there's this soup. It's hot. It's Arizona hot.

And spicy... like J.Lo spicy. The recipe was originally printed in Bon Appetit in the most recent issue... but I've made so many changes, that I'll just write out how I made it, and let you look up the original yourself!

What you'll need:

5 Cups organic chicken broth
2 Cups half and half
2 Teaspoons brown sugar
3 Teaspoons cumin
2 1/4 Teaspoons chili powder
1 Teaspoon coriander
1/2 Teaspoon nutmeg (don't leave this out!!)
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
2 Chilpotle peppers (chopped) in adobo sauce plus 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce

2 1/4 Cups pumpkin puree!!!

Sharp cheddar cheese
Cilantro (for garnish)

Bring chicken stock, half and half, sugar, and all spices (including peppers and adobo sauce) to a boil. Whisk in pumpkin and reduce head to simmer. Cook about 25 minutes, whisking every five minutes or so. Ladle into bowls and serve with sharp cheddar cheese and cilantro.

Note: If you don't like things spicy, reduce the chili powder to 1 1/4 Teaspoon and cut down to one chilpotle pepper.

I give this an A for flavor and texture. It's a little thin, but dunk some crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich in it, and it's Divine! My husband would probably give it an A- because the spice gave him the undereye sweats. And that made his makeup run. (I'm kidding! Geeze!)