My Favorite Things!

Time for another edition of My Favorite Things! Here are some of my cold weather favorites!, which has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that my heater, a device we use all of about three days in Texas, and usually for only about an hour before we turn the a/c right back on, went out last week.

1.) Crocs Gretel: Say what you want about Crocs…go ahead, laugh, I don’t care, my feet will be warm and toasty all the  way to the car and back. These shoes are the bomb. First of all, they actually look great with jeans. Second, they are absolutely the most comfortable shoes I own right now, hands down. If I could wear them to work, I would. The lining has kept my feet nice and warm, which is great when your heater goes out, a freak snowstorm hits the Gulf Coast, and it rains for 3 straight days.

2.) Hollister Men’s Lounge Pants: Okay ladies, after you get done laughing at me for wearing Crocs, you can laugh at me for wearing these. I stole these from Tyler last week when our heater went out (that seems to be a common theme here?) After wearing them for about 15 minutes, I’m fairly certain he’s not getting them back, unless I just lose so much weight that I need to buy a new size. I don’t care if they are for men or not, they are super comfortable, yet look just thhhisss much nicer than sweat pants, so you can wear them in public and not need to hide behind your Jackie O shades. LOVE THEM. (Sorry, Tyler.)

3.) Gourmet Pumpkin Soup:  Yes, I know those of you who’ve known me for a long time (and probably STILL think that I was born in Hawaii and don’t eat any vegetables or Sushi) find it hard to believe that I like pumpkin soup. Belive it, people. I LOVE it. It’s very healthy for you, it’s savory, and best of all, it’s easy to make and hard to screw up. I don’t know if the Pumpkin growers of America got together and formed the website I am linking to, but their recipes are great. The reason I love this recipe is because it took me all of 15 minutes to make a soup that tasted as good as anything you can get in a restaurant. And no, I wasn’t drinking. I used canned pumpkin, which is just fine. And, while the pumpkin is cooking, you can stand there and eat your roasted pecans while you wait. Please, try it. I promise, if you have one taste bud in your head, you will love it.

Coconut Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Curried Pecans

Ingredients -

14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup pecan halves
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons curry powder
4 dollops heavy cream, for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a big pot over a medium heat. Add the onion; cover the pot and cook it for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and all the pumpkin puree. Whisk in the vegetable broth until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and add salt and black pepper to taste.

Simmer for 10 minutes. Combine the pecans with the rest of the maple syrup, tossing them well to coat them. Sprinkle the rest of the curry powder in, tossing it well. Put the curry and maple pecans in a small baking dish and bake them for 10 minutes or until they are toasted.

Set them aside to cool.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender until it is smooth, and then put it back in the pot.

Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the coconut milk.

Adjust the seasoning if necessary and heat the soup without boiling it.

Serve the soup garnished with the cream and curried pecans.

(Serves 4)

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