Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everyone! My favorite season is upon us......Autumn! I must tell you i was not always a fan of this season....I found it depressing and sad. But I guess you could say I have grown into it and now I can not imagine anything better than spending the day outside enjoying the sun and marveling at the fall colors. It just so happens, that my favorite holiday takes place in autumn.....HALLOWEEN! Halloween used to be a foreign concept to germans...they had no idea why we americans would take a pumpkin and carve it and stick a candle in it instead of chopping the thing up to make all sorts of treats! Back in 1991 when we hosted our first party, I had to have the costums and decorations flown in from Chicago, now lots of years later I am able to get everything I need right here in Berlin.(maybe we should have a party? Tonight is a school night so no chance of any sort of party, but my family and I are going to have a the pumpkins glowing, enjoy hot dogs and the grill and maybe even some smores at the fire pit. Life is good and I am going to do my best to enjoy it!

Happy Halloween 2013!

 

Mike and Klaus carving pumpkins.....(last night, we made it just in time for Halloween)#

not the best quality from a photographers stand point.....still think it is sooo coool

you got to love Ikea and the local home improvement store.....they sold orange and black bulbs for Christmas!!!!

Posting to Tablescape Thursday and the Tablescaper



Tablescape Thursday

The Tablescaper

Fall Colors

The best part of fall.......the trees and how they change their colors.This morning I took a morning stroll through our garden and took some pictures.

Happy Fall Wednesday Everyone

Pumpkins.......pumpkins

I love it when i get a deal at the store and I love it even more when I get inspired by that deal!  You see, one of the local grocery stores had hokaido pumpkins on sale....  .99cents per pumpkin! Of course I do not take just one! My original plan was just to make gallons of soup to freeze for the upcoming months of winter. BUT, when I got the pumpkins home...the inspiration kicked in and the following tablescape came together!  

the orange frames are still empty....my idea is to put the menue card in the frame.

Blogparties I am posting to this week:

Tablescape Thursday
The Tablescaper 
Masterpiece Monday
Mop it up Monday

My favorite month of the year!

Hey Hey....it is October already! Happy Halloweening to all of you. I am a bit out of the weather today with a massive headache, but just wanted to take 5 minutes to pop in and say hello. October is a busy month....dinner parties, family coming in(my onkel is coming to visit he has not been in Berlin since the wall came down, I am so psyched to show him the city.), and of course it is Halloween. I can imagine the brooms will be flying through the air soon. Wonder if the wicked witch of the east will finally make the curve around the trees this year.....will post any broom citings, should I be able to get a picture!

Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup

You know it is Autumn, when there is pumpkin soup on the menu. This week for New Recipe Sunday I would like to share with you a recipe for Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup! Hope everyone is having a great day. Wish you all the best for a great start in the new week.

Ingredients:

1 Hokkaido Pumpkin cut into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
50 grams olive oil
app. 400 grams water
1 Tablespoon veggie broth(although I did not have any, so we used chicken broth)
1 Teaspoon Thyme
Pepper
100gram cream and 1 Teaspoon Cumin---optional


Now I made my soup in my thermomix, but for those of you who do not have one, I am sure it is no problem to recreate this recipe on the stove.

Directions for the Thermomix:

Add the onion and garlic to the thermomix and chop for 3 Seconds at Speed 5. Add the olive oil and cook for 3 Minutes/Speed 5/Varoma.

Then you add the pumpkin, water and the stock and cook for 15 Minutes/Speed2/100°.

Puree for 1 Minute on Speed 10. Add the spices and cream and cook for another 4 Minutes/Speed 2/100°



Enjoy

a "Prima" Day for a Barbecue

For me, summer always officially begins and ends with a barbecue. This year we invited some of my co-workers to help us celebrate. The weather was simply perfect and oh the hamburgers tasted soooooo good. The only question left to ask is: how to survive the long cold winter till bbq season is back?

 

This week I am posting to following blog parties:

Tablescape Thursday
The Tablescaper
Let´s Dish