RECIPE JOURNAL: ROASTED SQUASH SOUP

My roses are fading and the kids headed back to school today. That means the nights will start to cool and the evenings will be filled with kid activities and homework. So hot soup will become a weekly supper event in our fall household. And this is one of my favorites!

ROASTED SQUASH SOUP

2 pounds butternut squash (or a combination of winter squash and butternut squash)

2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped Vidalia onions
1 1/2  teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450º.

Peel the squash and cut into 3-inch chunks.  Put the squash and 1 cup of water into a glass roasting pan and bake until squash is tender, 30 - 40 minutes. Take out of oven and cool in pan.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until onions are soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the spices and the cinnamon stick, stirring constantly for five minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard.

Add the cooled roasted squash to the saucepan and puree with an inverted blender until smooth. Reheat soup and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6. This soup can be made three days in advance and/or frozen for up to two months.

NOTE: Serve with a side salad and warm baguette. Chocolate pudding would make a wonderful dessert!

Do you have a favorite soup recipe you'd like to share? I'd love to know!

STUDY IN PINK: A VIRTUAL BOUQUET FOR KIERAN KRAMER'S LOVING LADY MARCIA

To my sister-in-law Kieran Kramer, congratulations on the release of Loving Lady Marcia!

(aka The Pink Book!)

So Kieran, in honor of your book's birthday, here is a virtual pink bouquet from my garden "picked" just for you. I know it's not a delivery, but at least the blooms will last forever. I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

Kieran, I am so proud of you! Congratulations on Loving Lady Marcia. You deserve it!

IN THE GARDEN, AFTER THE RAIN

For after all the best thing one can do when 
it is raining, is to let it rain.
 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

But once it stops pull on your boots, grab your camera, and head out to the garden. Because this is what you might find . . .

 I hope you all have a moment today to spend time in a garden.

THE DARK LADY

Isn't this one of the loveliest covers ever?

And to show my thanks to Máire for sharing her cover with me, I'm asking you to tweet the link to this cover to all of your followers. 

Why am I showing my appreciation?

Because it's been a long, dark winter.  

I know it's a strange thing to say since the weather has been so mild and my garden is in full bloom a week before Mother's Day.  

But as many of you already know in February my CP and best friend Karen Johnston was diagnosed with brain cancer,

and for months I've blocked out the world and stayed silent.

Then yesterday something amazing happened to draw me back to blogs, loops, and all things Social Media. One of my Golden Heart sisters and fellow Duchess, Maire Claremont, sent me a link to the cover of her dark Victorian debut novel The Dark Lady. It is one of the most beautiful covers I've seen in a long, long time, and it reminded me of why I spend so much time at my desk writing stories.

A cover like this makes all the rejections worth it. 

This cover proves that if you don't give up amazing things can happen. Unpublished authors can achieve their dreams and sometimes friends can recover from cancer.

The bonus is that Máire's fabulous cover is only eclipsed by the story itself:

The Dark Lady

Childhood affection leads to adult romance in this haunting love story and captivating debut that shifts from the wretched hell of a cruel insane asylum to the lavish ballrooms of London’s high society. 

Lord Ian Blake failed to keep the oath he made to his childhood friend Eva that he would bring her husband Hamilton back from India. Though his heart longs for her forgiveness, he knows he doesn’t deserve it, as he is responsible for Hamilton’s death. And not only has Ian failed Eva, he has returned to England too late. Eva’s brother-in-law has locked her away in a madhouse. Nothing will stop Ian from saving the beautiful, independent girl he’s always loved and claiming her—at long last—as his wife.

Lady Eva Carin doesn’t think she deserves to return to society, not after the death of both her husband and young son. When her childhood friend appears in the dismal asylum for women to save her, she cannot ignore the hope that sparks in her heart. Against all odds, fate has reunited her with the one man she has ever loved, but he turned his back on her once before. How will she be able to trust him again?

And for those of us with little patience, Pocket Books has put up a sample chapter for The Dark Lady, and the sexy, lyrical writing (yes, those two words do work well together) will pull you in and not let go. 

Like I mentioned above I have a huge favor to ask. Please send The Dark Lady link to your favorite Social Media sites. Twitter, Facebook, and anything else you can think of. I know Máire will appreciate it as much as I do.

And, I humbly ask again, please keep Karen and her three children in your prayers. They mean more than you can know.