Sunday, July 22, 2012

Vegan curried butternut squash soup

I do Bountiful Baskets so frequently I get to make up or modify recipes based on what produce I have on hand. I have made butternut squash soup before, but with how I tweaked it this time, it turned out SO good. The problem is, sometimes I forget what I did to make it different, so this time I'm posting and pinning it so I can find it again. This is my own recipe, and while it may not have started out 100% original, I feel I've tweaked it enough to still call it 'mine.' Enjoy! Ingredients: *1 Yellow Onion *1 Butternut Squash *2 Apples (I use granny smith) *4 Carrots *1 can Coconut Milk *1 tbsp of Curry Powder *1 tbsp of Cinnamon *1 tbsp of Ground Cloves *1 tbsp of Red Pepper flakes *Raw Ginger, to taste *1 to 2 tbsp Olive Oil *Apple juice, as needed Directions: (You will need a masher or an immersion/hand blender) Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Once the squash has softened, cut into two inch chunks. You can remove the skin if you choose to, however it is edible. (I leave it on.) Place into crock pot. Peel the carrots and ginger and quarter the apples. Place into crock pot with enough juice to just cover vegetables. Add spices, raw ginger, and coconut milk to crock pot. Dice the onion and saute it with the curry powder in olive oil until translucent. Deglaze pan with a few tbsps of water/stock/juice. Add it all to the crock pot. Just before serving, use a hand masher or immersion blender to puree the vegetables. I like to serve it topped with vegan sour cream and chopped cilantro. You can adjust the spices/ginger to make it more/less spicy, based on your preference. Follow me on Pinterest!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Baptism gift

My friend's son was baptized recently and since this is the time of year to get sparklers, I made this cute little gift. The tag says "Thanks for being such a 'sparkling' example of 'chewsing' the right!" I thought it was pretty cute! Follow me on Pinterest!

Flip flop wreath

I have seen several flip flop wreaths on Pinterest lately. This is my take on it!
**Tip** Instead of using a wreath form that can cost $4.99 or more, I used a piece of foam pipe insulation from Home Depot. It cost $0.97, and it is 6 feet long so you can cut it in half and make 2 wreaths! I secure the ends with duct tape, and voila! Follow me on Pinterest!