Perfect Pumpkin Soup

Perfect Pumpkin Soup

                To make perfect pumpkin soup, you will need a large stock pot. It should hold at least 6 quarts, 8 quarts is better. You will also need a blender, a cutting board, a good sharp knife, a wooden spoon for stirring the cooking soup, and the following list of ingredients:

1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, peeled and diced

4 ribs celery, washed and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and diced

4 cups water

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 heads cauliflower, washed, cut into florets

1 28 ounce can pumpkin puree

¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1 cup cranberry juice

4 ounces unsalted butter, divided

1 cup half and half

Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

            Melt 2 ounces butter in your stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the melted butter, cook until the onions are translucent, stir frequently. Add 4 cups water, and the 4 cups of chicken stock, the salt and ground black pepper, then the cauliflower to the pot. Cover the pot; cook until the cauliflower is softened. Add the canned pumpkin, the pumpkin pie spice and the nutmeg, stir thoroughly.

            Turn off the heat; let the soup cool for a half hour. Transfer the contents of the pot to a large bowl. Puree the soup in small batches in the blender. Pour approximately 2 cups of the soup into the blender, cover and process on highest setting until the mixture is smooth. If the soup is too thick, add some liquid from the bowl, or add a little of the cranberry juice.   

           Caution! The soup will be very hot! Handle the blender container with a potholder if necessary. Empty each blended batch back into the soup pot.

            Heat the soup to just under boiling, add the cranberry juice, the remaining 2 ounces butter, and the half and half. Stir well, taste, add salt or pepper if needed.

            Serve in a deep bowl, top with a few toasted pumpkin seeds.

            You can also top with a spoonful of crème fraiche, or sour cream, or plain yogurt.

           

You can substitute any winter or autumn squash in place of the pumpkin. To use fresh squash (including pumpkin), wash the squash well, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and discard*. Brush the cut surface of the squash with olive oil, then lay it face down on a foil covered baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a fork inserts freely into the squash. Remove from the oven, let it cool, and scoop the cooked squash from the shell. 3 ½ to 4 cups cooked squash is comparable to the large can of pumpkin called for in this recipe.

*The seeds can also be roasted and salted for a snack or for a garnish.

           

Social media web platforms and the opting out of same...

 Social Media- 
We're all doing it now, on the home computer, on the laptop, the iPad, the cell phone, the work computer, at the library, anywhere there is wifi and a device you can count on seeing people connecting to others electronically. They are a great way to keep in touch.
 
  The big player, you are almost obligated to be "on" it, everyone I know, with the exception of a few brave or stubborn holdouts, is "on". It's the preferred way to share photos, party invites, for some people every aspect of their life. So, ok, I'm "on". The plethora of games, advertising described as "likes", and the scrolling play by play of everybody's interesting tidbits has become maddening. When you think you have it figured out, they change it up, it's all about the advertising, and if you ever thought differently, well, sorry.
 
  There is another social media platform that presents itself as a user forum for reviews of clubs, eateries, shopping experiences, etc. Sounds like a great idea, you can sign up for a free user account, read reviews about places you may be interested in, post a few reviews about your favorite places. The thing I noticed about this particular platform is the system they have of removing seemingly arbitrary postings under the guise of randomness, ensuring fairness, etc. Their verbiage states they will remove a review if the user has a new review history, for example.
 
  The truth appears to be a bit more straight forward than that- it's all about the advertising. I tried a little experiment after a review I posted for a local eatery was summarily removed. I had rated the bistro a 5 out of 5, and noticed that the 5 out of 5's seemed to be removed at a rate of about 80% for this restaurant. I posted 12 other reviews for various other merchants in my area, some 5 out of 5, others 4 or 3 out of 5. 1 other was removed, then when I posted a note to my profile about it, it was replaced. Hmmm. The 5 out of 5- not replaced. I asked a few friends who have also eaten at this restaurant if they wanted to post reviews, using my laptop but setting up their own accounts. We're a scientific bunch, so you betcha.
All the reviews were removed by the overseers of the platform.
 
  I spoke with the owner of the bistro, because it appeared to me that this one establishment had a lot of removed reviews (the site makes a note of how many reviews are removed to not factor into the average # out of 5 rating awarded). The owner had noted the trend, had contacted the social media platform, and apparently was first asked if the business would advertise at a chunky monthly rate, perhaps implying some nicer results.

  The owner declined, and asked to be removed from the platform as a business, as the removal of the nice reviews was driving down the deserved higher rating. The owner was told this was "public domain" and there was absolutely no way the business could be removed. Basically suck it up and pay the vig, or suffer the consequences.
 
  Public domain, by definition, refers to information that is available to the public for use, without private ownership.

  A trademarked or licensed name,(for example,  the name of a business), is not public domain.

  When a company is making a profit through the use of the business name, as appears to be occurring with this social media platform, this is very questionnable use of public domain freedom.

  This appears to be an internet company attempting to manipulate markets and extort monies from business owners. Now, I am not naive, I know that competitive business works this way, however,  disguising your business as a public domain driven, social media platform and not as the for profit machine it truly is, well that's something that makes me mad. 

  Most people have no idea how they are being maneuvered when they log on to their social media and start looking around. It's a shame.

Where's my New Year's pencil box?

I try to be excited when New Year's comes around, however it has always seemed a forced celebration; we're all exhausted from the Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa frenzied round of parties, shopping, cleaning, gift-giving, guilt, over-spending, arguing, over-eating and under-sleeping, and here comes New Year's! No matter how you celebrate it, you're duty-bound to celebrate somehow. Another night of too much to drink and eat, maybe a good night out somewhere with your loved one, if you're fortunate, a rude reminder of your aloneness otherwise. 
For me, the new year has always started in September with the school year. It's been that way since I first went to kindergarten, with my Bobby Sherman lunch box (they were sold out of David Cassidy, sigh), my shiny red pencil box filled with lovely new writing instruments and fragrant pink erasers, in my plaid jumper, white cardigan, knee socks and leather Mary Janes. The excitement, anticipation and fear as the school bus pulled up to a squealing halt in front of my house will never be matched by the wildest rollercoaster.
Every September, that feeling always crept over me, even now, when I don't go to school every day (taking some college courses, but not the taking the bus to school kind of fun classes). Can happiness be found in a new eraser? I think I will go buy one, rub it on a piece of paper to heat it up, then bring it up to my nose and breathe deeply to check it out. Somehow I think we all might be a little happier if we had a new pencil box every year. Happy New Year.