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.

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. 

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!

  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.