roasted pumpkin + butternut squash soup

 

this soup is fall. literally, everything about it screams fall! right down to the beautiful velvety orange colour. today i am teaming up with vitamix to share the recipe (as well as the most gorgeous copper vitamix) for this roasted pumpkin + butternut squash soup! i think everyone knows by now that if copper finish is one of the options for any kitchen item, i have to have it! i just finished putting up the open shelves in my kitchen this weekend (fingers crossed they hold) & decked it out in ALL the copper things i could find! so this vitamix looks gorgeous out on the counter next to the shelves.

instead of just doing a classic butternut squash soup, i wanted to roast some pumpkin into the mix. i bought a ton of pie pumpkins this month because i can't help myself (they are so cute) & now that halloween is over i am putting them to use! i roasted both the butternut squash & pie pumpkin in olive oil, fresh sage & fresh thyme for maximum fall flavour. i asked my dad if he could bring me some fresh sage for their garden to my house for this recipe since i don't have an herb garden yet.. he brought every herb he could find because he didn't know which one sage was LOL! gotta love dads.

this vitamix is probably one of the most amazing blenders i have ever used. it literally pureed this soup within seconds & left no chunky bits behind like i find most blenders do. what's left was a silky soup that i decided to drizzle with cream because it looks so pretty. it is stressful getting that photo perfect swirl though! BUT if you want to keep it vegan, just leave that last touch of cream out.

anyways, you should probably add this soup to your thanksgiving menu! it is healthy & a light way to start a big feast. we devoured this batch after spending an afternoon raking up leaves, only for the ground to be covered in even more leaves. yay for being a homeowner! haha

ingredients

  • 1 pie pumpkin, seeded & roughly chopped
  • 1 medium butternut squash, seeded & roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 fresh sage leaves + 4 sage leaves, chopped
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled & roughly chopped
  • 5-6 cups homemade vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • heavy cream, optional to finish

directions

  • preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • on a lined baking sheet add the chopped pumpkin & butternut squash.
  • toss with olive oil, thyme, sage, salt & pepper. roast for 1 hour or until the flesh softens.
  • while the squash is roasting, prepare the soup base. in a large pot over medium heat add the additional olive oil, thyme, sage, garlic & onions. cook until the onions turn translucent.
  • add the celery & carrots, cook for 5 minutes. season with salt & pepper.
  • add the vegetable stock & bay leaf. let simmer covered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
  • remove the bay leaf & pour base into the vitamix. blend.
  • remove skin from the roasted squash & pumpkin, add to the vitamix. puree until silkly smooth.
  • if desired, serve with a touch of heavy cream.

like what you see? get it here.  vitamix| feast bowl | soup bowl | linen | flatware | planter

salted caramel apple crisp

 

who is ready for another apple recipe?! of course this one has to have some salted caramel sauce incorporated too. when i was out for a walk in my new neighbourhood this past weekend, i discovered just down the street from me is ANOTHER apple orchard (um, i love this place). i don't know how i didn't discover that sooner, this one was beyond cute. i knew it was time to purchase another bushel full & get baking.

i don't really think it is possible to ever get sick of apple desserts. there are too many! one of my favourites growing up was apple crisp & this one my mom said is the best apple crisp i have ever made. i think that is saying a LOT. instead of just finishing it off with salted caramel i even tossed the apples in salted caramel sauce before baking. you can always use store bought, but i highly reccomend making it yourself! nothing will come close to this flavour & i even made a simple video on NOM last month on how to make it. hope you have a lovely weekend & who knows what i will discover next in this quaint little hood of mine:)

ingredients

for the salted caramel

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

for the filling

  • 3 lbs baking apples, peeled + cored + thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup salted caramel
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

for the topping

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • salted caramel, for topping
  • whipped cream, for topping

directions

for the salted caramel

  • in a saucepan add the sugar and water. bring the pan to a boil while wiping down the crystals that form on the sides of the pan using a pastry brush (do not stir, i repeat, do NOT stir).
  • continue to boil until the mixture turns to a deep amber colour, approximately 5 minutes. be sure not to burn the caramel! it will go from a deep amber to burnt sugar VERY quickly.
  • remove from heat and immediately whisk in the butter, cream, salt & vanilla.
  • cool to room temperature before using in recipe. can be made in advance!

for the filling

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl toss the apples, sugar, caramel, cornstarch, vanilla & lemon juice.
  • add to baking dish & set aside while you prepare your topping.

for the topping

  • in a large mixing bowl whisk the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt & walnuts.
  • add in the cubed butter & work into the mixture until pea sized crumbs are formed.
  • evenly disperse over the apples & bake for one hour.
  • remove from oven & drizzle with additional salted caramel.
  • serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

like what you see? get it here. copper pan | ramekin | linen | porcelain paper plate

chocolate halloween mummy cupcakes

 

happy hallow's eve!!! because you are never to old to celebrate halloween, i made some chocolate MUMMY cupcakes. maybe i got a little carried away with the stop motion GIF, but i found it pretty damn hilarious to shoot. all it needs is some horror movie music in the background while he gets all eaten up. i don't know if these cupcakes are really considered spooky with those little googly.. instead they are cute little mummies!

what is everyone up to this halloween? tomorrow i will be handing out candy at the new house & dressing up as a witch! super original, i know.. i think this is the fifth time i have dressed up as a witch in all my halloween years. i thought handing out candy to the kids in the neighbourhood would be a great way to meet everyone & so i don't eat all the candy before it gets to the children i made these cupcakes to snack on! they will probably be finished by tonight though, lets be real. they are my simple one bowl chocolate cake recipe scaled down to a dozen cupcakes & a simple vanilla buttercream frosting. i used the wilton piping tip #233 to create the textured mummy look. this is the tip that is usually used for grass & fur, but i think it worked perfectly here! just pipe as you would a regular old cupcake.

ingredients

for the chocolate cake

  • 1 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup dutch dark cocoa powder
  • 1 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter or chocolate chips (optional)

for the buttercream frosting

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 24 wilton googly eyes

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a mixing bowl add raw sugar, oil vanilla, eggs & almond milk. stir until well combined.
  • sift in cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking soda until just blended.
  • slowly pour in boiling water and stir until you have a silky looking cake batter.
  • fold in peanut butter or chocolate chips if using.
  • evenly divide between 12 lined cupcake tins.
  • bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cupcakes bounce back to touch. let cool completely before frosting.

for the buttercream frosting

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter, sugar & vanilla. beat until light & fluffy.
  • place frosting into piping bag using the wilton #233. pipe like you would a normal cupcake & add two edible googly eyes onto each cupcake.