Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Bisque

This is currently my favorite fall soup. Delicious, and easy. I got it from one of the farms up on Apple Hill.

2 whole heads of garlic/halved crosswise
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups chopped onion
¾ cups chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into one-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (I actually think it's better when made with dried sage. Add fresh as a garnish at the end).
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together to resemble heads. Wrap each tightly in foil; bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Let garlic cool in foil.

Mix butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery: sauté until onions begin to soften, about five minutes. Add squash, broth and 2 tablespoons sage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered until squash is tender; about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, unwrap garlic. Squeeze from skins into small bowl and discard skins. Mash garlic with fork until smooth.

Stir garlic into soup. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth, or use an immersion blender. Return to pot. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Stir in ½ cup cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to tureen. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon of sage.

Where is Addie?

She has a new favorite hiding place. Can you guess where she is?

All our Halloween

As I sit here, with both kids fighting over candy and my fingers (and lips) burning from chopping 3 kinds of peppers without gloves on for my entry in tonight's chili cookoff, and my husband out in the pouring rain placing "Yes on 8" doorhangers, and the sliding door open so I can smell and hear the delicious rain falling, I sure am happy in my life. Seriously. Hope you're all recovering well from the sugar comas.

I know some of the pictures in this slideshow are repeats, but I wanted to get all the Halloween in the same place. There are pictures from Grandma Mannion's ward Trunk or Treat and Carnival, our pumpkin carving, Bracken's work party, and our Trick or Treating. We also attended the Tew's Halloween party, but got no pictures taken before we were rained out. We did however, win one very skittish goldfish that is named both Dory and Nemo that Chloe is desperate to hold. And if anyone remembers her past history, you'll know that it is a very real risk.

Happy Halloween

Old MacMannion had a farm

E-I-E-I-O

With a Horsie here and a Puppy there. E-I-E-I-O

And on his farm he (or his wife) grew some pumpkins. E-I-E-I-O.

With a cockeyed grin here.


And a pumpkin face (and hair) there.

E-I

E-I

OH!

Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween. We've got lots more partying to do, so stay tuned for more pictures.

Slipped

I used to do this all the time when I kept a journal. I used to write every day, but then I'd miss a day, and then another, because the more days that piled up, the more I needed to catch up on the more time I needed to write it all, which time I didn't have. Plus, I seem to have just had a generally hard time writing lately--no emails, no comments on blogs. Couldn't really say why, but I'll try to do better.

So what have we been up to? Well, today I missed church unintentionally. Addie really didn't want to take a nap, and we finally got her down about an hour before church started. I didn't want to wake her early, because I knew she would be a monster if I did. I opted to stay home until she woke up, then meet Bracken and Chloe at church. Bracken and I had a discussion about who should take the diaper bag, and decided it should go with him. They left, I finished getting ready and Addie woke up. I got her up, got her fed, put on her clothes, and even got a bow in her hair. I collected the pie pan we needed to return, the notes for the announcements I needed to make to the Young Women, a bottle and my wallet (I forgot that the other day while shopping for fabric for Chloe's Halloween costume and had to make a return trip with a child who was very distressed about her "horse" being left at the store). And then I went to grab my keys. And realized they were in the diaper bag. Which Bracken had. The spare was also in the diaper bag, and Bracken's key was in his pocket. I debated walking it for a few minutes, and gave that idea up pretty quickly. Then I remembered that the cell was in the diaper bag and I could call Bracken and let him know my situation. I waited until the appropriate time after Sacrament meeting would end and before Sunday School started, and called the number. And heard it ringing in the other room. Bracken had pulled it out and plugged it in to charge. So, Addie and I hung out on the couch, fully dressed and cute, and didn't go to church. i'd like to pretend I did something spiritual in my newfound time, but come on. Who do you think I am?

But we have been up to more than that. I might get around to posting all of this in detail later, but the shorter list is:

-We hosted an80th Birthday Party for Bracken's dad, Jack, 2 days after I got home from New York. It went really well, and we had a really nice time.

-Dad and Vicky came to visit and we had so much fun with them. We took our first trip of the year up to Apple Hill. Chloe took a pony ride, and couldn't have been more excited. I think it influenced her choice of Halloween costumes. The list went ghost, pumpkin, cow, banana, and finally, at zero hour in the fabric store, decided to be a horse. But I digress. We had dinner at Womderful Chinese Food, where Chloe astounded everyone with the amount of wonton soup she consumed, and Addie delighted us with the number of noodles she crammed in her mouth. They sure had fun seeing their Nana and Grandpa.
-We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary with dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and a movie the day before. We spent our actual anniversary on the couch watching General Conference. It's been a fast and crazy 6 years. Sure love you honey.
-Addie took her first steps finally on the 7th. She still much prefers to crawl, but at least we're making headway. I just can't wait until she walks. I feel like I'll have a lot more freedom to work in my yard when she's not on all fours.
-On the 9th I did the bravest thing of my life. I drove, by myself, with both girls I Utah. It went suprisingly well. I sure do love those girls of mine. We had such a fun trip seeing my family and friends. Chloe loved being with all the cousins.
She couldn't wait to wake up every morning and play with the boys (we stayed with my sister Sarah and her family). I loved being with everyone, but also remembered what a wonderful husband I have who helps me out so much. I was a tired (and sick with a cold) mommy by the time we came home, but I'm awfully glad we went.
-The reason we took the trip was so I could attend my Aunt Laura and Uncle Jeff's endowment, and sealing to their children DJ and Makenzie. In the LDS church, we believe that it's possible to be with our family forever, that the love we share in this life doesn't have to end at death. Families who are sealed together in the temple are able to have this blessing. Laura is my mom's youngest sister, and I was a flower girl at Laura and Jeff's wedding 28 years ago (Chloe is wearing my flower girl dress). They, along with their children, are some of the finest people I know. It was a wonderful day, and I'm so glad I could share it with them.

-And we've been getting ready for Halloween. All the Young Women were over Tuesday (I can't attend activities at the church this semester because Bracken has class and Addie is not cooperative with staying up late, so we had YW at my
house) and I taught them some makeup tricks. I got Chloe's costume made. She's a horse this year, and Addie is a doggie. We went to a really fun ward activity last night in Bracken's mom's ward. I even got Bracken to dress up as a farmer, and I was a farm girl. The hairpiece from my wedding, which Bracken wore last year as a pirate, got to ride again. We had a lot of fun, but Chloe seems to be getting wiser to us sneaking her candy this year. Good thing we have Addie's

-And good thing I've been on a diet. I haven't been as stict as I could be, but I've lost 15 pounds! I know I could have lost it faster than the 2+ months it has taken me, but on the other hand, I've been trying to just adjust my eating habits, rather than having an "I'm on a diet" mindset. I've still got a way to go, but I weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Chloe.

-But that's the only really good news I've got going on physically. I had an EKG and a whole battery of blood tests done, but am still coming up empty. The good news is that all the tests were negative. The bad news is the tests were negative but I've still got itermittent edema and lots of joint pain in my left hand. In the morning, I can't straighten my fingers and I can't take my rings off. I'm taking a vitamin cocktail that seems to be helping, but I still just wish I knew what was causing the problem. And I think the partly inoperable left hand keeps me from blogging as well.

But all in all, we're doing well. I'm going to try to be a better blogger, but I make no guarantees.

Live from New York

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I heart NY

The trip got off to a rocky start. Despite the fact that I had just been reading an article about Hurricane Ike, I didn't process that a hurricane hitting Houston, where both my flight and my sister's flights were connecting could be problematic until Sarah called to ask if we needed to do anything about our tickets. We called the airline, who wouldn't do anything for us, and by Sunday night, I figured everything must be okay, checked in online for my flight, and tried to catch a few minutes sleep. At 2:30 am, my phone rang, with an automated voice of doom telling me that my flight had been cancelled. I immediately called the airline to try to find a solution, and dealt with several of the most unhelpful customer service reps I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. Long story short, they scheduled me on the 12 o'clock flight, which would put me in New York 6 hours later, not connect with my sisters (whose flight left on time, with no delays or problems of any kind), and ensure that I would be seriously sleep deprived by the time I got to Millionaire. I cried myself to sleep for a couple more hours, and when I woke up, checked my flight online again. Only to discover that it had been delayed another 2 hours, which would cause me to miss my connection in Houston, have to spend the night in the airport, and not make it to New York until 5 hours after I was supposed to be on set. Cue more hysterical crying and unhelpful CSR's.

But Bracken saved the day and hopped on the phone, finding me the last ticket out of Sacramento, and rushing me into the car to get to the airport. He was really the hero of the trip, because left to my own at that point, I was about to just curl up on the floor with a "do NOT resuscitate" sign. I sure do love that husband of mine.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and I do have to say, my first view of New York was beautiful at night. I took my first taxi ride to the Lucerne Hotel, where my sisters were camped out watching Family Matters. They decided to wait to enjoy any more sights of New York until I could join them. They also presented me with a care package from my friend Missy. I looked through the items she sent, but didn't have the time to thumb through the little trivia book inside. This is important later. It was already almost midnight, and I needed to be at the studio at 7:30 the next morning.

We all walked over to the studio together. I was escorted inside where I spent the next 10 hours under heavy supervision. There were 8 other contestants that day, and we got to know each other pretty well as we sat in a 6 x 12 room together all day watching Millionaire reruns. We had to be supervised when we went to the bathroom, got food, or wanted to do anything else outside the room. Occasionally the phone in the corner would ring, and they would tell us they were ready for someone, but the whole day passed without them calling my name. At the end, three of us were told we would have to come back the next day. I met up with my sisters outside and spent of few minutes chatting with the families of the other contestants that they had spent the day with. Turns out we all had really great opportunities to be missionaries. By the end of the day, everyone knew we were LDS, and we were able to show them that we are (mostly) normal and answer a lot of questions they had.

Sarah, Katie and I went to dinner at a little New York Pizza place. Delicious. Then we walked over to the Manhattan temple and did some initiatories. The temple was amazing. You don't realize how loud the city is until you walk into the temple and the sound all stops. It was wonderful to attend the temple with my sisters.

The next day I didn't have to be the studio quite so early, and I was one of the first few contestants up that day. I can't tell you much about it, other than it should air on December 2, but they'll let me know for sure about 10 days in advance. What I will tell you is that the answer to the question I didn't know, the one that will haunt me forever, was in the little book of trivia Missy had sent that I didn't have time to read. I'm trying to figure out how to blame the airline for the lost time and recoup the rest of the million I would have otherwise won if I'd had time to study.

After the taping was over, we finally had time to explore the city. We braved the subways, which really didn't take much bravery at all. I was amazed at how easy they were, and how inexpensive they were to ride. We took the subway down to Battery Park, then rode the Staten Island ferry. We saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and were nearly accosted by a very bold pigeon. Afterward we walked up to Ground Zero. It doesn't really look different from any other construction site in the world, but the presence there is overwhelming. It was all I could to to keep back the tears. I can remember my experience that day, having moved to LA less than a week before, surrounded by talk that we would be next, and the fear my middle Eastern bosses had of retribution, but I can't begin to imagine what it was like to be in New York.

We took the subway back to our hotel, and learned that when you want to get off at
68th street, don't take the express train. We corrected our error quickly, though, changed our clothes, and hopped back on the subway to the Gerswhin theatre to see Wicked. I thought there was no way we would make it in time, but we got there 10 minutes early. New York mass transit is amazing! Wicked was amazing. I loved the show, but I have to admit, it did make me realize I've been involved in some incredible productions.

After the show, we walked to Times Square, then wandered Broadway looking for a restaurant Meredith had recommended. We didn't find it, but we did find a late night diner and I had a delicious Reuben sandwich. We then headed back to the hotel via Columbus Circle. I am amazed by New York City. We were three women, wandering the largest city in the United States at 1 in the morning and felt completely safe. It was amazing. We decided New York is a lot like a large amusement park for tourists. There's lots to see and do, it's clean, there are redes, and there are a lot of people. Honestly, though, it didn't feel nearly as crowded as I imagined it would. I seriously can't wrap my mind around how people actually live there, but I would love to visit again.

The next morning, Sarah left super early to return to Utah and resume her frantic life there. Katie and I got up fairly early and began our walking tour of NYC. We left our hotel on Amsterdam and W. 79th at around 8 and saw:
The Museum of Natural History
A big chunk of Central Park
Rockefeller Center
Secret Service, Snipers and police dogs awaiting the arrival of someone
Saks 5th Ave.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
H&M (Katie's Choice)
Grand Central Station
The Chrysler Building
Times Square again, with delicious gyros
New York Public Library
Macy's on 34th St.
The Grace Building
And finally, the Empire State building.

We arrived at the Empire State Building after having walked over 5 miles around NYC, wanting to go to the top, but seriously debating our time constraints and physical limitations (we were exhausted and hadn't sat down at all all day). We struck up a conversation with two older gentlemen working there, asking them how long the line was (45 min. at least)and whether or not there were places to sit while waiting. We went back and forth over whether or not we could really do it, when suddenly proud New Yorker Phil stepped up and said, "That's it, I'm taking you to the top." He didn't want us to leave NYC without seeing the view. He whisked us past all the lines, and straight up the 80th floor elevator, saying goodbye to us as we got on the elevator to the 86th floor, and collecting no money from us either! We couldn't believe our good fortune. He told us just to to a good deed for someone else that day. I realized that I was actually being repaid for returning the airplane tickets that had fallen out of another person's pocket earlier in the day. It was an amazing end to our trip to New York. The view was incredible, but the way we got there made it even better.

We rode the subway back to the hotel, stopping for a hotdog from Gray's Papaya on the way, then hailed a taxi to the airport. Katie and I were able to share the first leg of our flight, then split up in Houston. I returned home around midnight, grateful to see my family again, but having had a wonderful trip. I had such a lovely time with my sisters, and so many wonderful experiences. Despite the headaches and last minute changes, I would do it again in a heartbeat.