Homemaking

I made pumpkin soup for supper last evening, and thought maybe our American family and friends would be interested.  This is a very “Kiwi” dish, and we’ve learned to love it.  It’s the kind of soup that can be made in any number of different ways.  Last night, I peeled and diced a largish pumpkin (all winter squash is called pumpkin here, and you can use any kind for soup), then nearly covered it with water.  I put it on to cook on high, then went to take care of baby.  When it started boiling, someone turned it down for me, and when I was able to get back to it, I chopped the good parts of several onions that were going bad.  I probably ended up with about 2 cups of onion, if you want approximate proportions.  By then, the pumpkin was soft, so I stirred the onion in, then put in 2 quarts of cooked, shredded, frozen potatoes (we had more stabbed potatoes when we dug them than we could use before they went bad, so cooked and shredded, then froze them).  Once the potatoes were thawed and everything was soft, I added a couple of teaspoons of salt and several sprinkles of cayenne pepper, then pureed the whole pot with my stick blender and stirred in a can of coconut cream.  The result?  A delicious, thick soup that the entire family enjoyed!  You can also add milk or cream, but since Gayle can’t have cow’s milk, I used the coconut cream.   It adds a delicious flavor.

Grey pumpkin–the most common variety here.My big pot of soup.

Can’t beat a good cupful of pumpkin soup!

I had a request for my sourkraut recipe, so here goes.

I weigh out 5 pounds of cabbage, then shred them.  If the head is decently tight, this gadget works great–otherwise, chop finely with a knife.  Then, mix in 2 1/2 ounces of non-iodized salt.  Pack this all into 5 pint jars–yes, it will fit!  Fill the jars, then pack it down with your fingers and fill the jars again, then pack it down again, and fill again–the cabbage keeps wilting down and you can pack an incredible amount in.  You want to end up with the cabbage/juice mixture all the way to the top of the jar.  I cover with a piece of plastic wrap, or a plastic bag cut open, then put the lid on.  Warning–don’t use a good ring for it if you use Mason jars–it will rust!  Put in a darkish, coolish but not cold, place for six weeks.  Be sure to have something under the jars to absorb the juices that ooze out, because they will for the first week or so.  After six weeks (mark your calendar), open a jar and taste–should be good!  As long as you don’t open the jars, they will keep on the shelf, but as soon as you open a jar it must be kept in the fridge.  The children and I like to eat this for our salads in the winter at lunchtime.  Gayle doesn’t like it, so we eat it when he isn’t home.  It’s also delicious cooked with porkchops, of course, and Gayle likes it that way with mashed potatoes.  I like to eat it raw because of all the good-for-you enzymes and bacteria.

I should mention–I end up using odd-sized jars for my kraut here, so I just measure out five pints of water and pour it into jars till I have the right combination.

I don’t very often fix a snack for the children, but today I was inspired to make not one but two!  For an afternoon snack, I took a cup and a half or so of ricotta cheese that was in the fridge, and mixed in a bit of salt and some oregano and basil, then spread it on crackers.  That was quite popular!

Busy making sure he got his fair share–and then some, maybe!

After supper and clean-up, I made some quick milkshakes.  I filled the food processor about half full of sliced frozen bananas, then covered them with milk and added a bit of vanilla and a pinch of salt, and ran the processor until it was smooth and thick.  I spooned it into tea cups and everyone enjoyed the treat!

Boys discussing their plans for tomorrow as they enjoyed their treat.