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Monday, July 25, 2011

Hunkering down

Snow falls in the Hutt Valley?  It’s hard to believe but it’s happening right here and now!  The sight of snow flakes dropping down outside our window is not a sight we often get to see, but it has happened twice so far today.  We do get snow falls in winter on the higher back hills surrounding the valley, but today there is snow covering the lower slopes too.  The cause of all this is the polar blast all the way from Antarctica which is working it’s way up the country.  Snow is even predicted for the warmer climes of Auckland, practically unheard of.
P7250107 Snow on the hills
So after venturing out in the cold for an appointment this morning, we are spending the rest of the day hunkering down inside and keeping warm.  And what better way to warm up with a bowl of home made soup for lunch.  I often make pumpkin soup, but this time tried a slightly different version, roasted pumpkin soup.  Yesterday, while cooking the dinner I roasted  a dish of pumpkin and onions, so it would be all ready to finish off today. This rather flummoxed Robin, who commented that he had never heard of using roasted veggies in soup before. 
DSCF6849 Ready to be turned into soup
Cooking the pumpkin this way, instead of the usual boiling, gives the soup a lovely nutty taste.  It didn’t take too long to put it through the kitchen whizz, add a bit of stock and some chopped cooked bacon, and there, all ready for a nice warming lunch with a hot bread roll.  Oh, mustn’t forget to add a swirl of cream to the soup, it really does make all the difference!
DSCF6851  Lunch is ready
The evening meal (beef and veggie casserole) is simmering away in the crock pot.  In all honesty, I couldn’t live without my crock pot in winter, it is such a useful appliance.  It’s strange, isn’t it, how we seem to focus more on hearty food once the temperatures drop.  Now, I think it’s time to put the kettle on, then I’m going to settle down by the gas fire and do some knitting, it’s a knitting sort of day, I think.  Hope everyone else is keeping warm and cosy too.

4 comments:

Katie said...

Oh my! I'm trying not to be jealous of your snow and cozy food. It's been over 100F here for days and I'm tired of hiding inside in the airconditioning. Oh well. At least I'm sewing. :-)

Lis Harwood said...

Those bowls of soup look delicious and I agree with you about a slow cooker, a great invention. Keep warm and enjoy your snow.

FlourishingPalms said...

As wonderful as your hot pumpkin soup and bread look, and surely taste, it sounds awful right now. I'm more in mind of a lemon-lime and bitters over ice. Whew, it's been hot. We've cooled down this evening to 88F (31C)!

June said...

What a great sounding recipe Jenny, I've never made soup that way - seems we both had the same idea for a winter's day!