Butternut Squash Soup

Cooler days are upon us,

Welcome Autumn with this delicious soup. 

Hearty, nutritious 

and so easy to make.

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash

1 onion

1 stock of celery chopped

2 carrots

2 potatoes

1 box chicken stock,
I use Campbell's 900ml.
(reduced sodium)
salt, pepper and parsley to taste.
(I add a parsnip because I
don't use salt, and parsnips
add a nice flavour)

Thick, rich soup full of flavour.

Directions:

Peel and remove seeds from the squash

(Sorry for the dark photo)

Chop up in cubes

Dice up carrots, potatoes

and  (parsnip, optional)

Celery and onion also

With 2 tbsp butter in the pot

cook the squash, onion, celery,
 carrots, potatoes and 

(parsnip, optional) for 5 minutes. 

Add the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil,

reduce heat to low,

 cover pot and simmer 40 minutes or

 until all the vegetables are tender.

With a hand blender,
or an ordinary blender,
blend until pureed.

Delicious!

This recipe is adapted from AllRecipes

Thanks for visiting my blog xo

Pumpkin Orange Jam

Pumpkins are in season.
This jam is a family favourite.

My Mom made many kinds of jams.
She grew her pumpkins

and made this jam every year,
to feed her large family.
Pumpkins are easily grown.

We always had a pumpkin patch.
I remember pumpkins being kept over 
the winter months and she would make
 jam whenever she got the time.

You won't find pumpkin jam on the 
grocery shelves and
 many people have never heard of it.

I am sharing my Mom's recipe.
A simple recipe with only three
ingredients, pumpkin, oranges and sugar.

8 cups pumpkin chopped up
4 cups sugar
3 medium oranges

Cut up pumpkin in small pieces.

I prefer a smaller cooking pumpkin

 than those huge ones for carving.

Add 1 cup sugar for 

each 2 cups of pumpkin.

Let sit overnight. 

The sugar brings out 

the juices of the pumpkin.

The next morning
2 large oranges or 3 medium oranges
  Grate outer layer of oranges.

Cut out the white skin/membrane

 under the rind and discard.

Chop up orange

Combine the grated rind, 
chopped orange and
any juice to the pumpkin mixture.

Bring mixture to a boil, 
reduce heat and simmer uncovered 
stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

Optional: Mash the jam with a potato masher, 

 or hand held blender.

Fill sterilized jars

After washing my jars and covers, 

I put them in the oven on a low temperature

and keep them hot until I'm ready to fill them.

Great on toast for breakfast
or an afternoon tea
on a tea biscuit.

My "Sunshine Jam"

Thanks for your visit 

💛💛💛

🌅🌅🌅

Apple Jelly

Apples are in season

I am using my MacIntosh apples to

make apple jelly this year.

Their red skins 

 enhances the colour and flavour.

Ingredients:
9 pounds apples
9 cups water
6 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Wash Apples

Chop up apples in chunks

leaving skin and seeds.

(I remove the black end and any brown marks on the apple.)

The skin and seeds contain pectin

which help thicken and colour the jelly.

In a large pot bring the apples, 

water and lemon juice to a boil

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Do not stir the apples,

(you'll have a cloudy jelly)

With a potato masher,

gently push down the apples

while they are cooking.

Place apples and juice in a jelly bag

or: a colander lined with at least 4 layers of cheesecloth 

 placed over a large bowl.

Let the apple mixture drain overnight or at least 5 hrs, 

without crushing or squeezing the fruit.

My contraption:

I hang the bag from 

the cupboard doors

and let drip.

I used 2 bags and 

one strainer with cheesecloth.

Or use a colander lined with cheesecloth.

After the dripping is finished,
measure the juice.

You should get about 8 cups of juice.

 If the amount of juice is different,

 count about 3/4 cup of sugar for each 1 cup juice.

In a large pot bring the apple juice and sugar to a boil

Simmer until a candy thermometer reads 220 deg. F.
Skim carefully while cooking.
I use these small strainers for skimming.
They work well.

Boil until it reaches the 

temperature of 220 deg F.

Or test for the jelly stage.

Fill sterilized jars.

After washing my jars and covers, 

I put them in the oven on a low temperature

and keep them hot until I'm ready to fill them.

Enjoy!

Delicious served with pork or lamb.

Great on toast or with a

 tea biscuit for an afternoon tea.

Thanks for visiting my blog xo