This morning, I woke to a dark, purply sky. The breeze outside chilled my cheeks as I inhaled the crisp fall air. My eyes scanned the walkway leading to the driveway. Crunchy, colorful leaves scattered the path. “It looks like Halloween,” I thought. The scene before me really did look like the perfect backdrop to a Halloween movie. Just then, my daughter, Ruby grabbed my hand after walking onto the front porch with me. With bare feet, she still had her pajamas on after eating breakfast. Her older brother inside brushing his teeth before school. Or so I hoped! “I’m cold. Let’s get cozy, Mommy!” My toddler said with a shiver. When either of my children say “cozy” it’s in reference to cuddling under fuzzy blankets! Our cuddling time is usually done in either my bed or on our living room couch in front of our fireplace. It’s safe to say, we all love cozy time!
Later that day, the clouds cleared, and the sun warmed everything up. Bright light filled our home illuminating our kitchen. With brother at school, Ruby and I decided to fill our afternoon with all the cozy fall vibes! With chunky scarves on, we decided to make pumpkin soup first. I’ve modified this recipe a few times over the years, and I think you’ll agree after tasting it, it’s perfect for any fall day! The rich, creamy flavor is sure to warm you up. Besides tasting great, this soup is vegan and gluten free! I like to top my soup with roasted pumpkin seeds. Their crunchy texture is perfect for this creamy soup.
While our soup marinated, Ruby and I mixed together one of our fall favorite treats, pumpkin cookies. Now, I am going to let you know, this recipe is not vegan or gluten free. And it won’t be found on any healthy diet, but it’s simply ooey, gooey and delicious. It’s too good not to make every fall season. This is my mother’s recipe and every fall growing-up she would bake these. I remember helping her mix the batter in our kitchen. She’d let us smell the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger before she’d toss it into the big tin mixing bowl. To this day, those warm spices bring me back to my childhood home. Often times my mom would double or even triple this recipe as they were always requested at harvest parties or family gatherings. After Ruby and I assembled our cookies in large heaps on the baking sheet and placed them into the oven, the spices filled the air. Ruby took a deep breath and said, “yum!” I responded with, “yes! Doesn’t that just smell delicious?”
Once our soup and cookies were complete, we sat together in front of our fireplace. After every bite Ruby took, she smiled and said, “yummy!” We were in our cozy element, and I loved every second of it. It was deliciously special, and I didn’t want our time together to end.
Isn’t it amazing what delicious food can do? It brings us together and allows us to create meaningful memories. Some of my favorite memories growing-up is in the kitchen with my mother and siblings. When we were mixing, building, creating, and cooking together we were sharing ourselves. We weren’t trying to prove anything to anyone. We weren’t being anything other than ourselves. Those simple moments shaped us. They allowed us to embrace ourselves and our family. They helped to unite us in a peaceful way. There was no debating or fighting required when we were simply making food together. I’ll always cherish those moments, and those moments are what matter most to me.
As we get closer to the holiday season, remind yourself of those cozy memories you have from childhood. Focus on the positive and share them with others. Even today, my son will remind me of stories I told him from my childhood. It always makes me smile as he retells stories from my past. His perspective now colors those memories. I hope he will one day tell them to his children.
Cooking, talking, and cuddling together. Nothing could be better!
Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh baby carrots
- 1/2 cup sliced sweet onion
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained and dried
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
- Spices: salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, rosemary, ginger, oregano, garlic powder, and thyme
Instructions:
Begin by setting your oven to 380 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place carrots, onion and chickpeas in a single layer. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over veggies and season with spices. I do not include measurements for the spices because your taste is different from mine. And any good soup should be made to your preference. As you cook your soup, continue to taste it and allow yourself to build the flavor as you go. 🙂 We are cooking from the heart here!
Place your veggies in the oven on the middle rack and cook for 20 minutes. Once your vegetables are done, add them to your skillet that has 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp minced garlic. Bring the oil and garlic to medium heat. Once fragrant, add the cooked vegetables to it. Next, add your vegetable broth, coconut milk, and pumpkin puree to the skillet. Stir, cover, and cook on low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir, taste, and season periodically as the soup gently bubbles in the skillet. Next, pour your soup into a blender or food processor. If your broth is too thick, add more vegetable broth to it and keep mixing. Once smooth, pour your soup into your favorite fall mug or large bowl. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds and enjoy!
Pumpkin Cookies
Cookie Ingredients:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger
- 3/4 cup shortening, melted
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
Icing Ingredients:
- 10 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar – continue to add sugar until the icing is to your thickness preference. I personally like my icing a little looser and place it over my cookies while they are still hot. I like to allow the richness from the icing to melt into the cookies.
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add all of your dry ingredients first. Mix fully. Next, add all of your wet ingredients and mix together. Once your ingredients are fully blended scoop out your cookies and evenly place them on your baking sheet. Depending on your size preference, I usually use a large soup spoon to scoop out my cookie batter. The larger your cookie is, the gooier your center will be. Next, place sheet on middle rack in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. While your cookies bake, mix together your icing. Again, I like to add my dry ingredients first and my wet ingredients last. Once your cookies are done baking, you will know they are ready when the outside edges and bottom are firm to the touch and golden brown. Once out of the oven, drizzle icing all over the cookies. If you like your cookies ooey and gooey, coat cookies with icing right away. If you like your cookies not so messy, allow them to cool for 10 minutes before applying the icing. Either way, the rich fall pumpkin flavor will have you coming back for more!
What are some of your favorite fall memories from your childhood? Comment and share below! I can’t wait to hear them!
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