Pumpkin soup

Winter chill has finally arrived. The sun has been shining but the wind is coming off snow from the blue mountains and beyond. We got home late from my brother in laws birthday lunch so made pumpkin soup. 30 mins from start to finish & 25 minutes of those were watching tv & doing chores while it cooked.

Ingredients

1 onion, peeled & quartered 

1 clove garlic, peeled

Splash olive oil

500g butternut pumpkin, peel & roughly chopped into cubes

2 carrots, peeled & roughly chopped

1T vegetable stock

300g water

Method

1. Put onion & garlic in TM bowl, chop 7 secs/Speed 8
2. Add oil (no more than 1t), sauté 2 minutes/100 degrees/Speed 1
3. Add pumpkin & carrot, chop 15 secs/Speed 7
4. Add stock & water, cook 25 minutes/100 degrees/Speed 1
5. Add a little more water if too thick (no more than 100 grams)
6. Blend 30 secs going slowly from Speed 1 to Speed 9
7. Serve with teaspoon sour cream &/or coriander &/or crusty bread

Chorizo, bacon & basil pasta

Sometimes we need a quick and easy meal. This is it.

INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove
1 onion
1 carrot
1 cup baby spinach
1 cup basil leaves
2 cups passata sauce or 1 tin tomatoes
1 chorizo sausage
1 rasher bacon
1 cup pasta
Small amount of grated cheese (we use tasty or Parmesan)

METHOD

1. Blitz garlic, onion, carrot in mixing bowl on Speed 9/3 seconds
2. Add passata sauce or tomatoes, basil and spinach. Cook 100C/Speed 1/reverse/15 minutes. For the last 3 minutes removed to let the sauce reduce.
3. Put pasta on to boil in saucepan as per package instructions. Drain water when cooked.
4. Meanwhile cook the chorizo sausage in a fry pan. I cut it into rings and fry it, the crumble the rings when cooked. When done, put on paper towel to drain fat. 
5. Chop bacon into small squares. Fry in saucepan. When cooked, add chorizo to reheat.
6. Combine pasta and sauce in serving bowl, add bacon and chorizo them stir through.
7. Lightly sprinkle grated cheese on top. 
8. Serve.

Cinnamon rolls

Until last weekend I would say I was not a fan of the cinnamon scroll. That was until husband and I went to a farmers market where he bought the most divine sweet, cinnamony roll. O my. This recipe made a good substitute for when we can't get to the market.  That was even with using less brown sugar and cinnamon as we didn't have enough and again, I wasn't going to the shops. I sprinkled extra icing sugar over the buns when iced and cooled.