Scrapbooking the Soup

Well, here is my scrapbook page of my soup. I did it all on the computer and had a bit of a hard time since I really don't have a good scrapbooking program. I would be interested to hear what you all think.

Butternut Squash Soup

Here is a soup I made yesterday. It is mildly spicy and fantastic with really good crusty bread.

I'm going to scrapbook this picture. I'm making an 8X8 scrapbook of all the recipes that I really love.

I'll post the page when it's done. In the mean time....here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it.

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
5 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
3 cups granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon parsley or cilantro

In a large heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute
until translucent. Add curry and chili powder, cook 5 minutes. Add
2 ½ cups broth, squash, apples, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce
heat, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Strain soup, reserving liquid. Puree
vegetables until smooth, return to pan
with liquid, add remaining broth and
heavy cream. Return to simmer
and serve in warm bowls, garnish
with parsley.

Valentines Day

Valentines Day is a big deal at our house. The kids especially look forward to it because it's the one time of the year when they get to have a cookie for breakfast.

Each year I make and decorate big heart shaped cookies. The kids don't get to see them until morning so it's always a big surprise.

This year I tried a different recipe for my cookies and this is probably the best recipe I ever used for shaped cookies. They bake without turning brown or losing their shape. Here is the recipe for anyone who wants it.

1/2 pound butter
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract (or orange, lemon, whatever!)

Mix butter until light in color and then add remaining ingredients, add additional water by the teaspoon fulls until dough holds together. Knead until velvety (if you have a kitchenaid mixer you can skip this step and let the machine do the work). Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut your cookies. Bake at 325 for 12 minutes.

We decorate the table and everyone gets a small present. This year I made some milk carton gift boxes and filled them with little candies and small gifts for the kids. For my husband I made a long box and put a package of Cheesecake Kisses from Hershey's that I found.

You can find the template for the milk carton here. The template for the long box is also on Splitcoaststampers but I couldn't find the link. I know it's there somewhere though!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!