Leek and Potato Soup

Leek and Potato Soup

Simple dishes are great!  They're quick and easy to make after a long day at work and delicious to devour.  This is definitely one such dish.  The ingredients are simple:  leeks, potatoes, butter, water and seasonings.

The one thing to screw up, which I did, is the amount of water.  I added a few cups too many.  The soup still turned out good and was enjoyed, but next time I am definitely going to cut back to make it more hearty.

Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized
Onions and Mushrooms

For a while now I've been seeing spaghetti squash all over the internet.  Of course, that meant that I had to try this gourd out for myself.

I baked the squash and scraped it out with a fork, but the flesh came out in chopped pieces.  Not at all like the long strands that I was seeing in pictures.  I found out later that I scraped the squash out all wrong.  You're supposed to do it crosswise, I did it lengthwise.  No wonder I ended up with something resembling vermicelli more than spaghetti.  Good thing looks didn't affect the taste of the dish.

As I was looking at different recipes online, a lot of people seemed to think that the squash was rather tasteless on its own and required lots of help from a flavorful sauce or the like.  I opted for a tried and true mushroom and onion addition.  I made sure to season it on the heavy side to account for the bland-ness of the squash.  Unfortunately, it turned out that the squash had plenty of flavor all of its own.  Next time, I am definitely going to go easier on the seasoning.

I was pretty impressed by the spaghetti squash and would definitely try my hand at it again.  At one point, I'd like to try to make a baked dish using the spaghetti squash.  Maybe a baked "pasta" with meat sauce is in the future.  Although, The Guinea Pig might kill me for that one.  He's been dying for a pasta dish.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

It feels like fall outdoors.  That means it's time for hearty soups.  I wanted a smooth and creamy soup while at the same time trying something new.  I settled on seeing what a carrot and sweet potato soup would taste like.  I wasn't disappointed.

I came up with a relatively simple blend of carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, chicken stock, water and salt and pepper for seasoning.  The result was tasty and satisfying.

I was going to use water for the soup, the way I usually try to keep vegetarian soups vegetarian, but something nudged me in the chicken stock direction.  I'm not sure if it were a good nudge or not.  The flavor wasn't very noticeable.  Although, there is something to be said for subtlety.

While at the market, I picked up a loaf of sourdough.  I was going to just slice it up and serve with the soup, but in a stroke of inspiration, I made croutons instead.  I'm glad I did!  The croutons provided a much needed crunch and texture to the soup.

As I was finishing up the seasoning, The Guinea Pig asked me why I chose to use black pepper instead of white pepper.  The funny thing is, I was just thinking to myself that the soup would go well with either.  I guess I just wasn't feeling like it at the time.