It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

After a wonderful Thanksgiving with Peter's family in Syracuse, we returned Sunday and set up our tree.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we spent Thanksgiving at Peter's grandparents house in Syracuse, NY along with his parents, brother Gabe, and Uncle George.  This was a tough Thanksgiving as it was our first without Peter's Aunt Mary, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in July.  Despite the grief, it was wonderful couple of days with family. 

My love of pie

 Drew Kelly for The New York Times

The New York Times recently ran an article about the growing popularity of pies, and pie-only restaurants.  As many of you already know, I looooooove pie.  So much so that we had pie instead of cake at our wedding.  I have fond memories of spending weekend nights in high school - nerd alert! - baking pies (banana cream and lemon meringue were my favorites) and watching movies with girl friends.

In the last few years I've gotten comfortable with making fruit pies, but now I'm motivated to try some new types.  And it's been years since I've made a lemon meringue!

And of course, some gratuitous wedding pie photos:

All photos by Carmen Valentine Design

San Juan Islands architecture

One of my favorite places in the world is the San Juan Islands.  I saw this slideslow in the NYT the other day, and was blown away.  It's honestly a bit too modern for my taste (I think I'd want something a little cozier and rustic), but I love how it is built into the rock.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup and Zucchini Bread

Last week I made this Spicy Pumpkin Soup and it was a huge success!  Just the right amount of heat and curry flavor to balance to creaminess.  I know this sounds cheesey, but the taste had a lot of "depth" that I enjoyed.  I ended up making my own curry powder out of coriander, tumeric and cumin. 

I also made a Zucchini Bundt Cake, which wasn't bad, but I don't think I'm a huge fan of zucchini bread to begin with.  But if you do like zucchini bread, then this was a good recipe; very moist and not too sweet. 

Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
• 5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)**
• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Method

1. Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.
2. Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.
4. With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix. Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.
Serve in individual bowls. Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds.
Serves 8.