Simple! Fall Dinner Get Together

After writing about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and recommending getting together with friends, I thought I would share some recipes and entertaining ideas. One of the simplest dinner ideas is soup: inexpensive and easy but always a winner. You can make one or make several for your guests to choose. Serve with good bread and end with dessert. An assortment of cheese and fruit would be an easy appetizer. What could be simpler?

I subscribe to House Beautiful magazine; in this month's issue, Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) shared a recipe for Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting. I haven't made them yet, but I plan on it. I think I'm going to have some friends over for soup and make these cupcakes. 

Here is the menu idea:

·      Tomato Basil Bisque

·      Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

·      Roasted Garlic Bread

·      Ina Garten's Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Here are the recipes:

Tomato Basil Bisque

1 Tbls. Olive Oil

1 medium onion (or half a large)

3-4 cloves of garlic chopped

6 ounces basil- no stems

½ Tbls. Dried Oregano

1-cup heavy cream

28-ounce can of tomatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a soup pot, cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until onions are soft (not brown). Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in basil and cook about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes. Simmer 10- 15 minutes.

Puree contents of the pot in a blender or food processor. Stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. TIP: add a pinch or two of sugar if it is too sour/acidic. Serve with good bread; my favorite is roasted garlic. Serves 4

Chicken and Gnocchi soup

3 tablespoons butter

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 lb. chicken chopped in 1-2” cubes

4 tablespoons flour

2 carrots, cut in ¼” coins

2 cups fresh chopped spinach

4 cups chicken broth

1-cup heavy cream

Cracked pepper to taste

1 package gnocchi

Over medium heat, melt butter in a soup pot; add in the garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Add the chicken and cook until almost done. Next, add the carrots and sauté for another few minutes until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the flour; cook for a minute or two. Next, add the chicken broth- bring to a boil (stirring continuously) and then turn down. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots are no longer crunchy. Add the gnocchi and cook 3-4 min. Then add the spinach. Simmer for another minute or two until the spinach is wilted. Lastly, stir in the cream. Serve with shaved Parmesan and crusty/rustic bread. Serves 4. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Makes 10 cupcakes

1-cup all-purpose flour

1-teaspoon baking powder

1/2-teaspoon baking soda

1/2-teaspoon kosher salt

1-teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2-teaspoon ground ginger

1/2-teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2-cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2-cup vegetable oil

Maple Frosting (recipe follows)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush or spray the top of 10 muffin tins with vegetable oil and line them with 10 paper liners.

2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide the batter among the prepared tins (I use a level 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop) and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.

Maple Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon Boyajian Natural Maple Flavor

1/2-teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple flavoring and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

The importance of friendships

Hey, folks! I'm getting ready for a big comprehensive exam this weekend so, I haven't had time to write-all I've been doing is reading the "The Encyclopedia of Counseling." Fun! (read: sarcasm).  


Anyway, since my friends have been showing me so much love and support, I thought it would be good to share with you some reasons why friends are important (besides the obvious reasons).  I found this article on the Mayo Clinic website and thought I'd share an excerpt (to read the whole article click here).  In the future, I'd like to tell you more about the importance of friendships or social capital as researchers call it. 

Why friendships are so important

Good friends are good for your health. Talking with a friend over a cup of coffee, going to a ballgame together, chatting while your kids check out the playground, or hitting the links for a round of golf can offer simple but powerful ways to connect. The connections of friendship increase your sense of belonging, purpose and self-worth, promoting positive mental health.

Friendships can help you weather the trauma of a divorce, a job loss or the death of a loved one. Your friends may encourage you to change unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking. Or they may urge you to visit your doctor when you feel overly anxious, sad or hopeless. Friends can also share in your good times — a new baby, a new job, a new house.

They can celebrate the good times with you or offer comfort during the bad. Just knowing that friends are there for you can help you avoid unhealthy reactions to stressful situations.

Ways to actively seek out friendships

Some people benefit from large and diverse networks of friends, while others prefer a smaller circle of friends and acquaintances. You may have certain very close friends you rely on for deeply personal conversations, and more casual friendships for movies, a pickup game of basketball or backyard cookouts.

But many adults, especially men, find it hard to develop new friendships or keep up existing friendships. For one thing, time may be short, and friendships may take a back seat to your other priorities, such as long days on the job, tiling the kitchen floor or caring for aging parents. Or maybe you've moved to a new community and haven't yet found a way to meet people.

Developing friendships does take some work. But because friendships are so important to your overall sense of well-being, it's worth the time and effort.

Here are some ways you can develop new friendships:

• Get out with your pet. Seek out a popular dog park, make conversation with those who stop to talk on your daily neighborhood jaunts, or make pet play dates.
• Work out. Join a class through a local gym, senior center or community fitness facility. Or start a lunchtime walking group at work.
• Do lunch. Invite an acquaintance to join you for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• Accept invites. When someone invites you to a party, dinner or social gathering, say yes. Resist the urge to say no just because you may not know everyone there or you may initially feel awkward. You can always leave if you get too uncomfortable.
• Volunteer. Hospitals, places of worship, museums, community centers and other organizations often need volunteers. You can form strong connections when you work with people who share a mutual interest.
• Join a cause. Get together with a group of people working toward a goal you believe in, such as an election or the cleanup of a natural area.
• Join a hobby group. Find a nearby group with similar interests in such things as auto racing, music, gardening, books or crafts.
• Go back to school. Take a college or community education course to meet people with similar interests.
• Hang out on your porch. Front porches used to be social centers for the neighborhood. If you don't have a front porch, you can still sit out front with a cup of coffee or a good book. Making yourself visible shows that you are friendly and open.

You may not become instant friends the first time you meet someone. But the seeds of lasting friendships can be sown with a friendly wave as you're mowing the lawn or bringing in the newspaper.