The easiest pumpkin soup recipe ever and … my pressure canner to the rescue

Everyone has their favourite pumpkin soup recipe.  My favourite is one I have posted before – Pumpkin, cashew and coriander soup.  It is a beauty (check it out here) but it does take a bit of effort.  And there are plenty of times when effort does not figure.  For those times, I have been dreaming of a recipe my mum used to make.  I had it hand written in my recipe book but somehow I lost it.  I did ask my sisters but to no avail.   I remembered the ingredients – chicken stock, pumpkin, tomatoes and onion but I couldn’t remember the proportions.

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A country life… all you need is patience

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About 18 months ago, I decided we needed a retaining wall built behind our garage.  I was reluctant to call the guy who had built another wall for us.  It was not that the garden wall he had built was not good – in fact, it was bloody good.  The problem was he took ages and ages to come.  I remember ringing him on a regular basis until, finally, he arrived.  When he did come, he came with a smile, did a good job and did things over and above what was called for.

In the end, I decided to risk it and called, let us name him, ***.

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Pressure canners

185copyWhen I started this blog, I included a category entitled “My Favourite Things”.  I haven’t added much to it but, lately, I have been thinking about my pressure canner and it occurred to me that it sure deserves a spot in that category.

I bought my Presto Pressure Canner from Redback Trading Company whilst I was still working.  It was one of those items I dreamt I would need in retirement. It epitomised the life I wanted to lead.   Well, I am living that life now, and my pressure canner is being put to use. Continue reading

Chicken Stock

OK, I accept it, I got carried away ….. I will have to make lots of soup this winter.

I read in Choice magazine not so long ago that most of the chicken stock we buy from the supermarket is just reconstituted stock cubes.  I had been buying chicken stock in preference to stock cubes and to find the chicken stock was probably no different from stock cubes, but costing me so much more, was devastating. Continue reading