Monday, March 15, 2010

Tortilla and Butternut Squash Soup

We had perfect soup weather this weekend. On Saturday, I asked Jeff what he wanted for dinner and he replied, “the yummy squash soup.”  I never expected him to use yummy and squash in the same sentence.  This is a man who HATES orange vegetables. You should see the faces he makes at cooked carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. He claims there is something addicting about this soup.  I’m just happy that I finally found something with squash in it he happily eats.

Tortilla and Butternut Squash Soup

1-1/2 Tabl. butter

1-1/2 Tabl. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 carrots, sliced

3 ribs celery, sliced

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and diced

12 cups chicken stock

1 cup sherry

8 oz. salted tortilla chips, plus more for garnish

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 bunch scallions, sliced

2 Tabl. freshly squeezed limed juice

8 dashes green Tabasco sauce

Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

In a large stockpot, melt the butter in oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and squash and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the stock and sherry and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is soft and tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the tortilla chips until softened. Add the cheese it melt into the soup. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or in a regular blender until smooth. Add the scallions and stir to combine. Season with lime juice, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Serve hot with garnished with crushed tortilla chips. Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Florida 2010: Beach Day

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The day after we arrived in Florida, we went to the beach.  We knew that it was forecasted to be the warmest day of our trip, so we wanted to make sure the kids had a chance to play in the sand.

At the beach, it was breezy, misty and chilly.  FL 2

Carter didn’t care. He couldn’t wait to get in the water.FL6 

He was soaked before I managed to get his swimsuit on him.

Reagan wanted to play in the sand and test out the sand sprayers.

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We tried using a block mold, but the sand was too dry and the ocean too cold, so the sand kept crumbling.

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So, we decided to build a giant turtle instead of a giant castle. Everyone pitched in and got sandy. We even sprayed him with colored water:

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Carter mostly sprayed himself in the face and chest instead of the sand, so he ended up looking like a crime-scene splatter pattern. Feb 10 Florida 046

The result: one psychedelic giant turtle.

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He had so much fun chasing the pesky seagulls all over the beach,

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taking Grandpa for a walk, Feb 10 Florida 021

and venturing in the frigid waters:

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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Junk in the Trunk

We spent the last week of February in Florida at Jeff’s parent’s winter home in Sun City Center.  While we didn’t have the usual Florida warm weather, we did have sun and lots of fun.  We also missed a 4+ day power outage and lots of fallen trees, which meant that we came home to the usual busy schedule and lots to clean up.

And, of course, I always can’t resist a new project, so I signed up for a weekly blog recipe challenge, where once a week (Sunday evenings) I’ll post one of my family’s favorite recipes.  This week, I actually have a story to go with a recipe:

One evening when we were in Florida, Nana (Judy my MIL) made meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Carter was cranky after many long busy days at the beach,  Busch Gardens, a car museum, a train ride and the aquarium, and did not want to eat dinner.  To pacify him, we let him play with the new truck  Grandpa bought him at the car museum. 

I kept trying to get him to eat some meatloaf, which he normally devours.  Eventually, he took a piece, put it in the back of his truck and drove it away. No way was he eating it.

The next day, I staged a reenactment:

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Here’s my family’s favorite Meatloaf recipe:

Upside-down Meatloaf:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1-1/4 lbs. ground beef'
  • 1-3/4 cups cooking oats
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger
  • 1 Tabl. Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Press the brown sugar on the bottom of the pan, and then spread the ketchup over the sugar.

Combine the remaining ingredients.  Shape into a loaf and place it carefully on top of the ketchup in the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.  To serve, flip the meatloaf out onto a plate, and cut into slices. Serves 6.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Just Another Week in February

Here’s a pictorial review of the past week with the kids:

Carter on Saturday playing outside with Ella in the freezing cold, while Jeff, Reagan and I watched  and laughed from inside the house. He went all the way down the ice skating rink that is our backyard and climbed up the playhouse swing set, with an incredible sense of balance. 

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Carter in the fridge. He loves to stand in the fridge or sit in it. It’s a battle to get him out.

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Lobster claws:

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It’s no wonder I can’t find my pot holders when I need them.Feb 2010 058

Reagan swimming in Regionals in Vermont last Sunday. She’s in the yellow swim cap:

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Her name in lights. Her relay team came in 3rd place and they won a real metal, which she is extremely proud of and had to wear to school today.

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Lobster boy sprouts feathers:

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Reagan came home from school on Monday and insisted that both her and Carter wear their pajamas inside out so we would get 15 inches of snow on Tuesday and have a snow day off from school. Well, we had a snow day, even though it didn’t start snowing until after school would’ve been out. Here are they are Tuesday morning:

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That’s all for now folks.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Reagan’s 7th Birthday

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Reagan turned 7 (!) last Saturday.  I meant to blog about her birthday and party last Sunday, but her party just wore me out. The night before her birthday, Jeff and I decorated the dining area in the kitchen. Reagan was surprised and loved the decorations.

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Jeff made her blueberry pancakes in the shape of a 7. Reagan's 7th birthday & Valentines 002

He made a 1 for Carter too. Reagan's 7th birthday & Valentines 003

Reagan invited 18 girls to her party; 17 came, so we ended up with 18 girls at the party.  _MG_3548

Thank goodness it was at Chunky’s (a movie theater) and not at my house.  We also hired a babysitter to watch Carter, so Jeff and I could enjoy the party too.

Here’s Reagan with her party favors before the guests arrived: Reagan's 7th birthday & Valentines 006

The girls had popcorn, pizza and cake. We opened presents and then watched Tooth Fairy. It was a cute movie that the adults even enjoyed watching.

We had 2 tables of girls:

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Me trying to get the silly girls turned around so they can all watch Reagan open presents:

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Opening presents:

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The cake:

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Watching the movie:

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Lauren, Reagan’s best friend since she was a baby, spent the night.P1000174

We went out to dinner for sushi, Reagan’s favorite, with Nana, Grandpa, Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Kevin. P1000181

We ordered so much sushi that they brought us 2 sushi boats!

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We came back home to open the family presents and eat more cake and ice cream.

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Nana and Grandpa gave her a shopping spree day and lunch with them.

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Lauren brought matching pjs for them to wear.Reagan's 7th birthday & Valentines 011 

The girls stayed up way too late, even later than me! Reagan's 7th birthday & Valentines 016