{recipe} butternut squash soup

{recipe} butternut squash soup

10.27.2010

After many weeks of craving this dish, I finally caved and made my mom's Apple & Butternut Squash Soup. It's been unreasonably warm in Dallas but I've still been craving hot apple cider, cute brown riding boots, chunky sweaters, and all things pumpkin flavored. I decided I couldn't wait any longer, so I headed to Central Market after work yesterday to pick up the ingredients.

Here is my version of the recipe

• 1 large butternut sqaush - peeled, seeded, diced
• 3-5 Granny Smith apples (depending on how big they are) - peeled, cored, diced
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 2-3 shallots (depending on size) - chopped
• 2-3 cups chicken/vegetable stock
• 1-2 cups water (basically to cover the veggies)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and saute shallots and garlic in olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add chopped squash, apples, stock and water. (My mom sautes her apples in butter and a touch of cinnamon instead of boiling them with the squash but I was too lazy to dirty another pan.) Cook squash and apples until fork tender (about 25 minutes). Puree soup by using a blender, food processor or immersion blender until very smooth. Return to pot. Add cream, nutmeg, salt/pepper to taste. Garnish with shredded aged cheddar, dollop of sour cream or paprika. Enjoy fall in a bowl!

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well, hello October and hello fall!

well, hello October and hello fall!

10.05.2010

I posted a record of 2 times in September. Ouch, not so good. It's not that I've been particularly busy, just not particularly inspired. Things have been sorta "ho-hum" lately and I haven't really felt very excited about anything. Let's get you all up to speed. The second half of September consisted of my cousin's wedding in Chicago and the infamous SMU vs. TCU rivalry game. The wedding was a BLAST and I had a great time catching up with my family.

The Boehm Family (Mom in white and her sisters and brothers)

Mom has perfected the pose!

Cousins!

I hadn't seen my cousin Tyler and his wife Erica since their wedding 5 years ago and now Erica is pregnant!

Me and my cousin Tyler probably when I was about 8

The SMU vs. TCU game was on a friday and it was also family weekend. I was able to sneak out of work at 4:30 and make it over to the boulevard just in time. The stadium was packed full with 34,000 fans in red, with a sprinkling of purple TCU fans. SMU was the first to score and was beating TCU at two points in the game but in the end TCU won out. I still feel pretty good about my Mustangs for holding our own against a #4 ranked team. So far SMU has a winning record in our conference!

I also finally was able to buy my bike! Action pictures to come!

Ok now on to the real point of this post. So far, I have the feeling that October is going to be a great month. I started the first day of October by attending the Citizen Cope concert at the House of Blues with some of my friends. We had such a good time! (pic) Then I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing on the couch and reading outside. The weather has been just perfect!
This morning I met with my small group for the second time. I've joined this 'bible study' through HPUMC for young adults. I was skeptical at first because it can be a scary thing, pouring your heart out to 'strangers' and discussing our spirituality. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually loved the group! I look forward to it every week and the 8 of us really get along so well! Last Tuesday when I got to work, I felt just a little bit different, had a bit of a spring in my step. We meet at 7am so I had to wake up earlier than usual so I expected to be a little more tired at work but it had quite the opposite affect on me. I'm really looking forward to more Tuesday mornings with this group and maybe I'll be inspired to wake up a little bit earlier each morning and have a little quiet time before the craziness of the day.

"Let your light so shine before the world so that he may see your good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven"
~ Matthew 5:16

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wait what.

wait what.

9.16.2010

Not only was this my "favorite" phrase in high school (it donned the back of my SENIOR GIRLS shirt) but this phrase also accurately describes this time in my life. There are days when I wake up and say to myself "Wait what...?" I wonder how the heck I got to this place...it's the middle of September, I have officially been a member of the work force for about 4 months, I have to start investing in my 401K, I have a car payment, my friends are getting married....the list goes on.

I'm on an alumni committee for SMU called SeRVe which helps recruit prospective students. We called students from our hometown and help answer questions about SMU and the experience. A lot of times when I called, I reached the parents and it's amazing how they change the way they talk to you when you say that you're an alum. They totally change their tone of voice from the "I'm addressing a college student" tone to the "you are my equal/peer" tone. It really started to hit me that while I may still feel like a unprepared student of the "work force", people around me don't necessarily see it that way.

I know that my world will keep changing every day....but sometimes I just wish it would slow down and let me be a kid again. Good thing I'm going to my cousin's wedding this weekend where I'll be the oldest, unmarried cousin in the family...I think it's the perfect excuse to act like a kid.

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soundtrack for a rainy day.

soundtrack for a rainy day.

9.02.2010

Blessed - Brett Dennen

Slow Mo - Steve Moakler 

When a Heart Breaks - Ben Rector 

Yellow - Coldplay 

Heaven - Brett Dennen

Better Together - Jack Johnson

So Damn Lucky - Dave Matthews 

Run - Steve Moakler 

In Your Eyes - Ben Harper 

The One Who Loves You The Most - Brett Dennen 

Something Beautiful - Needtobreathe

Skinny Love - Bon Iver 

I'm On Fire - John Mayer 

Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson

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{recipe} espresso fudge cupcakes

{recipe} espresso fudge cupcakes

5.23.2010

I LOVE to bake. This is most likely because I like rule and guidelines and I would consider myself very good a following exact measurements. So today's recipe was for a wonderfully delicious cupcake!

This first recipe proved to be a bit of a challenge since my empty kitchen lacked many of the necessary tools. So my day started with a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond as well as Kroger to acquire all the ingredients. Note: This recipe calls for espresso powder that I could not find at Kroger but good 'ole Central Market had me covered.

The meticulous measuring, pouring and stirring began. It is important to know the difference between tablespoon and teaspoon abbreviations because otherwise you'll have a cupcake that tastes like a strong cup of espresso instead of nice balanced flavored. I absentmindedly, added 2 tablespoons of espresso power instead of teaspoons but I realized this just in time to scoop a little out and save the recipe. The batter is this unbelievably smooth, rich chocolate color that my fingers just couldn't resist. I obviously licked the spatula clean. This recipe makes 16 (smaller) cupcakes but I'm sure you could just pack all the batter in and make 12.

The worst part about baking is waiting for something to cool. I learned as a kid that you cannot, no matter what, put icing on anything that is even slightly warm. You will just have a puddle of icing on the plate and a very soggy cupcake. The only baked good you can eat fresh out of the oven are chocolate chip cookies - which is arguably the only way to eat them.

The icing came out a little thinner than I would have liked. The recipe calls for a 'splash of milk' which could be a big splash for some and a small splash for others. I put it in the fridge to chill and get thicker which helped a little bit.

After [im]patiently waiting for my mini morsels to cool, I frosted them and topped them with marshmallows. Seven cupcakes in hand, I headed off to Banditos to let me friends be guinea pigs and try my first creation! Luckily, they were a hit and everyone enjoyed them. Now what to do with the leftovers....

CUPCAKES

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup unsw. cocoa
• 2 tsp espresso powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar on medium until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add vanilla and egg. Add milk and flour mixture alternately while still mixing. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out almost clean.

ICING

• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tsp cocoa
• splash of milk

Mix cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed until creamy. While beating, add sugar, cocoa, and milk gradually. Spread on cooled cupcakes with icing spatula. Top with chocolate chips or coffee beans.

(Recipe found here!)

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