Dishin’ with Dody

Fall for autumn and these two dishes

It’s autumn in Texas.  Do you know what that means?  Nothing, it means absolutely nothing.  It is still 90 degrees in South Texas. You know it’s fall because all the tree leaves are on the ground…brown, dead, dry leaves covering everything.  The nights do get cooler.  What that does is chill the swimming pool water so that even on warm days the temperature of the pool is uncomfortably cool.  In keeping with the baffling weather I decided to meld a couple of dishes in to a new food fusion.

The calendar reads October and soup seems mandatory.  Homemade Potato Soup and Broccoli Cheese Soup are among my favorite easy dinners.  However, I never combined the two…until now.  The results were creamy, warm, comforting and all the things you want soup to be, including flavorful and satisfying.  I served the soup with warm Italian bread and seasoned olive oil for dipping.

Dessert was a mash up of pumpkin and butter pecan cake.  The end results transported you to dessert dreams!  The cake is not my original idea, it was found on the internet and I have no idea who to credit for such a luscious creation.  This will be your favorite cake throughout the autumn/winter holidays.

Delight in the sunshine and warmth.  Winter is coming.  The calendar says so.

Broccoli Cheese Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T flour
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup milk. (I use 2%, but any would work)
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh pepper
• 3 to 4 cups broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
• 1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 4 slices American cheese

Directions

Finely dice onion, carrot, celery, garlic.

In a large soup pot, melt butter with oil.  Add vegetables and sauté on low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add flour, salt and pepper to the pot and stir until smooth.

Stir in chicken broth and milk. Cook on high until it comes to a boil.

Add broccoli, stir well and reduce heat to simmer.

Cook covered until broccoli and all vegetables are really soft, about 15 minutes.

Blend about half of the soup or to your desired texture.  I use an immersion blender.  Otherwise, add 2 cups to blender then return to pot.

Bring back to a boil and add cheeses.  Stir well and remove from heat.

Optional:  Sprinkle with a little grated cheddar cheese.

Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake

INGREDIENTS

Cake

• 1 pkg butter pecan cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 package 3 oz vanilla pudding (not instant)
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( or 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp cinnamon)
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces

Icing

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon.
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

Cake     

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients except the pecans in a large bowl. Beat about 30 seconds to moisten, and then beat 3 minutes on high. Fold pecan pieces into batter.
3. Pour into a buttered and floured Bundt pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until tooth pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Icing

1. Sift the powdered sugar and ground cinnamon together.
2. In a medium sauce pan bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil for one minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
3. Slowly drizzle the milk in and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
4. Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time mixing with the spoon between each addition until mixture is lump-free.
5. Fold in the pecan pieces.
6. Pour over top of the cooled Bundt cake.

If the mixture starts to harden before you glaze the cake, return the pot to the burner and heat on low, adding 1 Tbsp. of milk until you get a thin enough consistency to pour.