Keeping it COOL

Seems like we hit a HEAT wave this past week... one day it fe;t like the Sahara Desert, the next we were in Hawaii. So, naturally we had to go to the beach...and take pictures.

nothings says fall like pumpkins & SOUP

First of all....my blog has been lacking for the last SEVERAL months... Not sure why, but here I am again.

I keep thinking that Summer might just show up this year....but it hasn't. And when I went to Trader Joe's and I saw Pumpkins & gourds for sale, I came to the sad conclusion that I really didn't have a summer and it is time to move on to my 2nd favorite time of the year. FALL! So, we bought pumkins & squash, started my fall decorating
& made

SOUP.

Butternut Squash soup is an all time fav of mine.... I have made it with curry, with coconut milk, & with apples. But this time, I was inspired by Roasted Corn (amazingly enough, it is frozen in a bag from Trader Joe's). So here is how my delish soup came about.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Corn Soup

makes ~ 4 hearty servings

1 large butternut squash (halved and seeded)

*tip is to poke with fork & microwave a few minutes so you don't risk chopping your hand off when cutting.

a few Tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 medium sized white/yellow onion

2 celery stalks

1/2 to 1 cup frozen roasted corn (or fresh would be yummy too!)

some mexican seasoning (I get mine from bulk @ Henry's)

2 cups broth of your choice (I used chicken)

1/4 c. half and half

salt & pepper to taste

fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat oven to 400 degrees

Halve butternut squash and place in large baking dish with a 1/2 inch of water on the bottom. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and slice garlic & put in the hole of the squash. Bake about 30 to 45 minutes (until soft and browned).

Meanwhile, sautee onion, celery & corn with olive oil until soft. When squash is done (and cooled), peel & place in blender or cuisinart with onion mixture and puree. Add about 2 cups veggie (or chicken) broth to thin out.

Reheat on stove, add seasonings to your liking. Just before serving, add the half and half.

Garnish with extra corn & chopped cilantro.

Serve over brown rice (if desired)

the boy eats fruit

Miller is my picky kid... the one that puts everything to his mouth, hesitantly, as if the food will come out and bite him! His palate is very plain...mainly boring kid food. He only eats 2 kinds of fruit....tangerine & orange, and he has to peel them himself. Today, we picked out a watermelon, brought it home, cut it up and much to my surprise....he ATE it! He called the little cubes, "waarmulen boxes"...and he "lubed them." Music to mama's ears.

Sunday BMXing

Our oldest child is quite coordinated..we learned that when he learned how to ride a bike without training wheels close to his 3rd birthday. Santa brought him a new 16" Redline BMX bike for Christmas this year. We could hardly wait to see get him to the BMX track at Kearny Mesa Raceway
It didn't start off that good actually.... Mason sat in the parking lot on his bike, sizing up his competition. Most of the kids were riding these fancy race bikes with name brand gear from head to toe. Mason had on jeans & a jersey that was 5 sizes to big for him. He didn't care, he had that look of determination in his eye.

We get him up to the start of the big hill, he timidly rides down & doesn't make it up the 1st jump. He falls, throws his bike down and screams, "I hate it, I don't want to do it." Oh boy... here we go. His Dad quickly put him back on, pushed him into the next jumps and he was off. He finished his first lap and that was that...he was hooked.


We definitely had a proud parent Sunday. To see your 4 1/2 year old riding with the big kids, not being intimidated, and just loving riding his new bike should make any parents day.

Looks like we will be spending many more days @ the BMX park.