The two garden ingredients were washed and ready.  I used the four color pepper corns instead of just black.

The seeds began popping quickly, and the wine vinegar was ready with the sugar, salt and turmeric mixed in.   I used half the sugar and salt to make it a little healthier.

I made half the recipe, and hope to use them in a week or two.

It had to be painted with two prime coats, and two coats of high gloss so it could be easily washed.

Now I’ve started filling it with pots of seeds, and last year’s parsley.  There’s parsley in the garden now, so the those can be put in the garden.  The other plants coming up on the top shelf are leeks.  Last year I planted them right in the garden, but these should get a head start and grow bigger.

The bottom shelf has parsley, purple basil, coriander, Serrano peppers, Brandy Boy, Fourth of July, and Juliet tomatoes.  This new sunny window should be a great place for seedlings.  The dining room table is no longer covered with pots of dirt!

With no four-wheel drive I wasn’t going anywhere, so I decided to put a new twist on a easy recipe.   Crustless Ricotta Pie is the original recipe.  When I’ve tried it before I’ve put in different ingredients, but today I needed to use baby bella mushrooms, along with a few grape tomatoes.  Here are most of the ingredients I used:

After sauteing the mushrooms in olive oil and a bit of butter, I added balsamic vinegar to enhance their flavor.   Next I spread the mushrooms in the bottom of a ten inch pie plate.  I moved them around enough to oil the plate.  Then cubed mozzarella cheese seemed like a good addition.

After baking I sprinkled some fresh parsley on top.  I thought it was much better than the original recipe I tried, or any other variations so far.

It is a beautiful snow that coats every twig, but I’ll be happier when there is no snow in sight.

I used a combination of Waltham and Butterbush squash.

Above are the rest of the ingredients, except for the chicken stock and cream.

This soup has a simply delicious taste and texture.  I thought last year I was growing plenty of Butternut squash, but with all the soup trials, they went quickly.  This is my favorite, but the Spicy Butternut Squash Soup is a very close second.

The Pumpkin Tureen

Since it called for horseradish, I decided to finally dig some from my patch.  After grating it, my sinuses were cleared out.  It did impart some strong flavor to this soup.

This time I sauteed the onions and horseradish.  I also added about a tablespoon of fresh thyme and three garlic cloves, and lots more bread.

After mixing the dry ingredients, I added chicken stock and milk.  The pumpkin was so large that I cut off some of the top and cubed it.  That’s what’s floating in the milk and stock.

I had to cut off even more to get it to fit into my convection oven.  With the help of the foil, the top did go back on.  Mia wonders what this strange object is that smells like milk.

After three hours of baking, the pumpkin was very tender, but the inside soup was barely warm.  I ended up taking it out and cooking it separately.  I added more thyme and lots of curry powder.  After blending, and reducing the liquid, it was a decent soup.  This is the last time I will try the pumpkin tureen!

Thanksgiving is over.  Now, what would be a different way to use the pumpkin and squash?

This idea appealed to me.  It sounds simple but elegant.

The Pumpkin Tureen

My pumpkin wasn’t quite eight inches in diameter, so I added the winter squashes to the recipe.

After cutting into the pumpkin,  I found a tiny brown spot on the outside that was evidence of rotting on the inside.  So that one had to be put in the compost.  The little squashes absorbed all the liquid, and really were not that tasty.  After checking with the local produce stand, I could find no other pumpkins to try.  Seems I will have to wait until next fall to give this recipe a try with a pumpkin.  However, it depends upon finding a “serious” pumpkin.  Does that mean I have to find Linus’s pumpkin patch?

My camera would not show the delicate lavender of these blossoms.  It was the same with the heather, which is blooming now and will probably last well into winter.

Another  surprise was the beautiful blooms that shot up from the Lamb’s Ears.

The spikes of blossoms lasted a long time, and were appreciated by the bees and me.  I cut them off before they went to seed.  Lamb’s Ears are invasive enough without adding seeds to their production.

Above are the ingredients (except sage) for a recipe that Rabia suggested.  It was a delicious pick, and relatively easy.

Herb Roasted Sausage and Butternut Squash

The sausage I used was poblano peppers with Mexican cheese.

The three of us ate the whole thing! Next year I will have to grow sage to see if it makes it even better.

In both recipes I used less salt and sugar than called for.  Now I just wish I had more cucumbers and okra!

Pickled Okra

Pickled Cucumbers

Another recipe called for leeks, so I replaced the onion in the soup part of the recipe below with leeks.

Spicy Butternut Soup

These are the ingredients, except for the milk, cream and sugar. 

It didn’t seem necessary to grate the apples since the soup was blended.  And the ginger just stuck to the bottom of the pan when it was put in with the onions and garlic.  Next time I won’t add it until the onions are done.  When it was time to put in the milk, the soup was thin enough so I only added a cup. 

The recipe was confusing in two places.  I wasn’t sure what a middle-sized butternut was, so I weighed the squashes I used, and they totaled seven pounds.  And it made a difference which part of the ginger I used for the 2 cm.  One end was almost twice as  thick as the other.  Since I like ginger I used the larger part. 

The addition of orange and orange zest really made this soup taste delicious.  If I had another orange I would have added it.  Next time I’ll have two.  Instead of cream cheese I added sour cream.  Vidalia onions without the sugar might be better, but the red onions enhanced the flavor of the soup.  I added just a pinch of sugar and a teaspoon of vinegar.   Next time I wouldn’t add sugar at all. 

I will definitely make this soup again!