Thai Pumpkin Soup...

It's that time of year where pumpkin is super cheap to buy and winter bugs are in full swing, so I went about making a huge pot of thai pumpkin soup that is packed with bug fighting ingredients.

It's delicious and simple to make so here is the recipe:

Thai Pumpkin Soup

what you need:

750g chopped pumpkin

2 celery sticks chopped

2 Tbsp Green Thai Curry Paste (2 is really spicey, 1 is good)

1 onion chopped (I grate mine easier than dicing it finely & quicker)

fresh ginger (grated about 2cm piece)

2 cloves of crushed garlic (or more if you like)

400ml Coconut cream

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and sweat the onion, garlic, ginger and curry paste for a wee bit to get the flavours going.

add the pumpkin and celery, salt and pepper to flavour, cover with water and cook for 30mins till pumpkin is soft.

Blend with stick blender and add coconut cream and mix well.

serve with fresh chopped coriander, a dollop of sour cream or grated cheese. 

There you have a delicious and simple pumpkin soup, this serves 6.

On the side Summah and I made a couple of fresh foccocia loaves too...home made bread is the best!!

baby chef testing the dough's firmness...it past the test I think ;).

goodbye to a friend...

Emma I knew you for a short time, back when we were little girls, before we even reached the double digits age.

We did lots together back then, rode horses, farm bikes, played dress up's, played with barbies and annoyed your brothers.

We were so similar in many ways and that is possibly why we got on so well at primary school.

Then one day your family left the coast and that is where our friendship ended, you moved on to Te Awamutu and went to different schools.

For various reasons our lives never crossed again even though we were never that far apart geographically.

Now today I find myself reflecting on the brief time we did spend together as friends and I'm thankful for those few short years.

And those years seem so long ago now that we are grown up adult women who achieved different things in life and been different places.

But from today as we've had a memorial service for you, I Wish I had spent more time with you in our adult years.

The attributes you had that everyone spoke about makes me, think how similar we are.  

You've touched many and left a legacy even if your life here on earth was cut short at 31 years.

Your memory is carried in the hearts of many and I will remember you even though our years crossed briefly.

Thanks for the good times together at Primary School.

fresh flowers...

A few weeks back I was driving home from the city centre and there was a stall on the side of road, 'the flower shack', bunches for flowers for $5.  I often see it and drive past thinking I should stop and get some fresh flowers especially for $5!!! a bargain.  This particular day I did stop and I bought the most gorgeous bunch of non-scented orange lilies, I love lilies and the colour orange.  They have lasted so well, even when I have neglected to hydrate them since putting them in the vase...shocking!! they still survived for a good 2 plus weeks.  

My orange lilies on their last days, still giving so much joy.

I have enjoyed having fresh cut flowers in the house that today I bought some more as they add cheer to my home on these wet winter days, that seem bleak and grey.  I reckon everyone should have fresh flowers in the house they really do bring a smile to your face, and from now on I endeavor to have fresh flowers more often.  In the spring/summer hopefully from my own garden but for the winter months I will have to purchase them from 'the flower shack'.  So if you see a flower stall stop and buy a colourful bunch to brighten your day and home, they could just be the lift you need to get you through the day.

finishing projects...

Today I made myself sit down and finish off a few projects that I had started last week, as I dislike to have unfinished projects around the house, I'm very much a finish what you start kind of person.  I dislike clutter and in effect this means I like to see what is in my cupboards so once they start looking clutter I schedule in some de-cluttering time and have a clean out.

It felt good to finish a couple of my projects this afternoon, as last week went belly up (literally) when our whole family came down with some NASTY!!!! tummy bug.  Which lasted a good 8days...epic!! and now a few kilos lighter we are all good and on the mend and believe me, I'm making up for lost eating time. Needless to say with caring for a little one and myself who got crazy sick, it felt good to indulge in some creativeness and well deserved sewing time.

What did I make??? 

A cute little vest/ hoodie for Summah using leftover sweat shirt material and a nightie that I bought when I was pregnant and never wore once.

(Summah decided stashing her toys in the hood was a good idea too.)

Then I whipped up a few more cushions for the conservatory couch, I'll do a blog on the final look of conservatory when I'm finished that...working process.

What have you all been creating this week?

conservatory make-over part 1...

We have a conservatory in our house and it is awesome in summer time and winter too, but I need to re-do the look, since moving in over 3yrs ago we haven't done anything to it besides buying the couch for it.  The time has come and I'm on the look out for cool ideas to reinvent this space of our house, as it will be used a lot more now with a small child around.  The perfect play room space but then I also want to use part of it as a hairdressing space to cut hair, so the make-over begins.

Below is what it currently looks like:

what this space as I re-decorate this room so it feels more apart of the rest of our house, not just a room that gets shut up in winter months and not used.

Are you re-decorating rooms at the moment share some of your ideas?

a walk in the park...

As the official Autumn months draw to a close Summah and I took the liberty to take a walk in the park behind our house.   There is this stream (not for swimming in I will add...yuk!) through part of park and the trees have had the most gorgeous autumn coloured leaves on them this season.  I wanted to take some photos of Summah exploring the leaves, the texture and sounds they make when you crunch them in your hand or under feet.  She loved it!!! and the best bit is when she is sooo excited her hands clench and she yells with glee.  Love it! Enjoy the pictures from our little exploration in the park the other day, making the most of these beautiful autumn days before we plunge into winter.

We had so much fun together, playing in the leaves and rolling around like kids, it was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon.

Oh! and Summah wears her new t-shirt from Venezia that Daddy bought her on his trip to Italy recently, and the cute red scarf we bought down the South Island...love it!

Nana's bran muffins...

I love a good bran muffin and one day whilst waiting for my car to get a warrant of fitness (WOF) I stumbled upon this recipe, which is delicious and has become my favourite bran muffin recipe.  It is simple and no fail, they always turn out moist and filled with goodness.

Nana's Bran Muffins

what you will need:

25g butter, melted

1 Tbsp golden syrup

1 egg

1 cup milk

1-1 1/2 cups grated apple

1 cup self-raising flour

1 1/2 cup bran flakes

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

Melt Butter & add golden syrup.

Mix egg & milk add to butter, golden syrup & apple.

Add everything to the sifted dry ingredients and mix till just combined.

Bake at 160 C for 12-15mins.

(you can add other fruit besides apple, and I add raisins because a bran muffin is not complete with out these.)

Happy baking ;)