Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Tim was chomping at the bit to pick a butternut squash before the vines died so I decided to make this beautiful fall soup. I found it on a cooking blog for gluten free cooking. I have been searching different blogs for interesting healthy foods to get me and the old man on track. This fits the bill.

I made a few deviations. Us Freemans are all about deviant behavior! Anyway, this recipe has just a few ingredients and the only thing you might not have ever cooked with, is the coconut milk, but dont let that turn you away. You must try this.

I didnt have any celery but I did have some Pak Choi and I used the stalk not the leaves. I put it together and got it started cooking when my BFF came over and we had to leave because I had some money burning a hole in my pocket.

Shopping was great! Got a cute pair of jeans just like I like, Tummy control, a little stretch, boot cut and cheap! Old Navy "Dreamer". And I picked up some everyday tees. V-neck with a little stretch.

After all that the BFF let us come home. (she has shopping stamina !)

When the Goof Troop gets together we work up an appetite and thats when I can try out new stuff. After I returned home from shopping ,released the hounds , I gathered up the last ingredients for the soup, the pot that the soup was in , my bottle of wine and headed to Carms.

I have not used my new immersion blender yet so I was very excited to get it out and try it. Assisted by Carm we tried to read the directions and figured it out quickly. I stuck it in the pot and did o.k. but when Carm tried it she didnt put it all the way down and it blended by drawing everything around it into a tornado in reverse. The color was rich golden orange and everything was completely blended in just seconds. It was beautiful. Then we added the remaining ingredients stired a bit and turned off the fire.

As you can see the Goof Troop liked it very much and we all had two bowls and there was enough for the old man and a bowl for me at breakfast.

I Know you all think that I am a wild child and that I Boogaloo all night but I was still home and in bed by 10.

Looking out my Window

Looking through my window today the cotton wood tree is shedding its leaves while the sun shines through a hase of clouds that was fog this morning.

I didnt go for my walk because I chose to lay in bed a little longer. I did walk the last two days. Not a great excuse but one, none the less.

Last night Tim and I attended a public meeting for the upcoming lake that the NRD is proposing to build where we live. We learned that the appraisals are to be done in the next 3 months and after that they will come with a $ figure and it will be a done deal. After 10 years of living in a house that will be sold , torn down or whatever. It wont be mine and hasnt been mine since we heard of the plans 10 years ago. I want a house that is mine and no one will knock on the door and take it away from me. I am a homamaker and that is my bliss. Playing house is what I like to do.

I have been afraid to dream too much about the new place. My husband is very forward thinking and we have purchased land about 3 miles from where we are now. Its a beautiful sight. With 55 acres there is some farm ground,some pasture, some timber and plenty of view. We pastured cows and horses this summer and whenever I got a chance I would slip out and sit where we are thinking of putting the house. It feels right. And if you think my present place is peaceful you need to come out to Crazy Acres. Thats what we decided to call it. Some of our relatives dont like that name but it suits us. Hey, crazy aint so bad!

Sometimes I suprise my self and make something yummy out of nothing. I had some leftover deer meat that I didnt use all of for the chili on Sunday. I started out with a little olive oil in the pan added the meat cut up really tiny. Added a few cloves of garlic and onion. I had some little eggplant on the counter so I sliced them up threw them in a collander and sprinkled with salt to let the bitterness weep out for a few minutes. Then I added the eggplant and cooked for a bit and added what I am afraid is the last of a truley worst year for tomato production, EVER!

Oh ya and I threw in some chopped pak choi that i picked up at the Asian store. This all tasted pretty good but it was lacking. I hate to try something totally different that would cause the whole dish to be ruined so I took the easy way and added some soy sauce. not much just a few hearty splashes.

Since Tim likes a little bread I had some bakery buns and I opened them up and spooned the mixture onto the buns then ladeled some of the juices over top to drain through and soften the buns a bit. Srinkled this with parmesan cheese and we both really liked it.

Do you like Soap Operas? Oh, I do! And so does Tim. I told you he is a great guy! We watch the first part of all my children together everyday, then he goes to work and I alone must endure the trials and tribulations of Pine Valley, Lanview and Port Charles. Its a tough job but somebodys got to do it.

Sometimes the shows really crack me up. Like a while ago Blair had a vision of what it might be like if she and Dorian were the Beils (Grey Gardens). Very funny stuff. I love looking at the fashions and the home decor in the background.

Later today I am going to take diner to my dad and hang out for a while. Dad is a retired policeman and hes 85. Does ok by himself but should not be driving. Still golfs. He and I also share the same love of books so I have been providing him with different selections. He read the western I took him real fast and now he is reading Barbara Walters book, Audition. He says its real good so I cant wait to read it. I started "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. I really liked the begining but when it got further along I lost interest. I am taking it to dad and see if he likes it. One of the little towns by me has a book club and posts what books are to be discussed in the newspaper so I am going to try and read a few of those. "The Shack" is a pick for Oct. and that is all I could get at the library this time. I will have to look them up on my on-line library and see if I can download them to listen to. I am currently listening to Shanghai Girls,by Lisa See. Very good and a pleasure to do cleaning, laundry and yardwork listening to such a good story.

I have been yacking too long I better get going. See you next time I look out my window.

Zuccini Crazy

This year the garden was real slow to start. The rabbits ate all the cauliflour and broccoli that I set out then the weather was strange and the rest of the garden was very slow to produce. The zuccini were the first veggies ready. We have been eating them since! Everyday I go to the garden and pick whats ready. I put them in everything. Scrambled eggs, taco meat, stir fry, soup, cake, and pico de gallo.
The pico de gallo was a surprise because I did not have any peppers so I thought I would try zuccini instead. Suprisingly it works very well and picky critic son did not even notice. It is best fresh.

I diced up red onions, tomatoes, unpeeled zuccini and tossed them in a large bowl.
Squirted the juice of a lime, chopped some cilantro and added a hot pepper and threw in some salt. Thats it! Let it sit for a bit to let the flavors meld.

We love it so much that we caught each other standing at the counter with a spoon and eating right out of the bowl.

One day I diced up an avacado and shrimp and put some clamato juice in it and ate it like a soup.
How healthy can you get!

I am fat! My knees hurt. My back hurts. I have become very lazy and just do not have the energy to get up and go. I need a change. I do not work outside the home other than getting up real early to sit at my daughters house when one parent goes to work and wait for the other to get home. Then I come home have coffee and when my husband gets up we feed the chickens and horses then we take water to the cows and horses that are in a pasture a couple of miles away. When we get home Tim gets ready for work and i cook lunch which is our biggest meal for the day. After lunch we watch the news and then hubby goes to work and the rest of the day is mine.

Left alone to my own devices I clean the kitchen and then I am ready to clean something or work on one of my many projects. Lately this is where I get stuck in nuetral. I find myself sitting and thinking about doing something yet I do nothing. It is starting to get to me. I cant take the guilt.

I am so fortunate to live my life. I am so very loved by my husband. I have great kids and darling grandkids. Two dogs and a granddog are my companions all day.
So whats my problem? I think I am complacent. Too comfy in my safe lovely life. So I need a change and this blog is going to be my springboard. I am going to share with the world the details of my fortunate life.

So jump starting things the first thing I will do is walk as many days a week as I can. The dogs will really like that. Eating healthy with lots of fruits and veggies will be a challenge especially not eating after 7 o'clock. I am a night time bored eater. I love bread and soft mooshy foods.

I plan to start eating just veggies for my evening meal that way Tim will have something to eat when he gets home and he wont have to prepare anything for himself and it will be good for him too. We both need to lose about 30 pounds. Well here goes I will keep you posted.