Hunker in the Bunker II

We were going to start tomorrow - but hey, I'm not going to the store today anyway, so today it is.

Are you in?

Pumpkin Soup

I was going to make soup in a pumpkin yesterday - until I realized that all of our big pumpkins are doing Halloween decoration duty on the porch right now. I do have lots of smaller pumpkins, so I ended up trying out a recipe for pumpkin soup. Pumpkin/Acorn Squash Soup.

I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com...then I found another one there....then I read the reviews....then I ended up sort of combining the two recipes and making some changes of my own. So here goes:

Pumpkin Soup

1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage, browned and drained
6 cups chicken stock (I used Better than Bouillon)
4 cups pumpkin puree (I used a mix of pumpkin and acorn squash)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I sauteed these first, to soften them)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I used evaporated milk)
2-4 Tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste.

1. Heat stock, pumpkin, sauteed onions, thyme and garlic in a big pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

2. Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time!!!) using the blender.

3. Return to pan and add cooked sausage. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes. Stir in cream.

Pretty simple, really. You could use canned pumpkin puree and it would be even easier. I think I will play around with the spices some next time I make it and try a spicier sausage. It came out a tad sweeter than I expected and tasted more like chicken soup than pumpkin - but that was okay with us. A great way to sneak vegetables onto the table.

Nag, nag, nag.

I'm gearing up for another month in "The Bunker". I need to restock my freezer some and fill in a few gaps that haven't been replenished this month - while I've had double the mouths to feed.

We're hunkering down next Monday or Tuesday (when Stephanie and Cory leave).

Are you ready???

apocalypse...soon

So....it's now October and almost time for the Bunker Buddy "Living in the Bunker" Inaugural Fall Challenge.

Okay, okay, that's not what we're really calling it. But it is nearly time for the challenge. You can look at the previous post for rules...this is just a reminder that you should be looking at your food supply and seeing what you think you need to replenish/stock up on.

In May I learned that we didn't have enough variety of fresh/frozen veggies. This summer we managed to freeze strawberries, cherries, blueberries and apples. We should still have fresh apples out on one of our trees...and carrots in the garden. We also have a bumper crop of pumpkins and some acorn squash and spaghetti squash. I know we'll want more mixed berries from Costco (we're a bit addicted to smoothies). We'll also want some more frozen veggies.

What do you need? When will you start? (We're going in on either the 19th or 20th of this month...after Stephanie and the grandkids leave)

What's in YOUR Bunker?

So.....I've talked to a few of you about a new bunker challenge. Here's the rules:

• 30 days (I'm going from October 20-November 20 - adjust your dates as needed)


• $15 a week for grocery/household items (normal grocery store/Costco stuff..)


• we'll see who has the most money left over at the end (Tia's idea).

Now would be a good time to look at what your family eats, make up a sample menu, and then start stocking up. You've got 2 months.

Go.

And so it begins....

My tomatoes have started turning red this week. It looks like we'll have a ton. What would you do with a ton of tomatoes?

When Life Gives You Pits....

...buy a cherry pitter. $14.99 at Fred Meyer. Works pretty much just like a hole punch. Easy as pie. Cherry pie.

Our cherry trees are providing a bumper crop this year. I need to let my neighbor know that the rest of the cherries on the trees are fair game. In the meantime, I'm thinking our 4th of July dessert will prominently feature cherries.