Category Archives: Holidays

Recipe // Pumpkin Soup with Parmesan Crisps

October 6, 2015

I am teaming up with Harmons Grocery to share with you one of my favorite fall recipes!
Be sure to tag #MyHarmons to share your favorite fall recipes on your social media!  
Pumpkin soup always reminds me of Fall time!  My mom used to make big batches of Pumpkin soup. Sometimes I would eat it with a little scoop of rice or pasta.  It was always a fun tradition!  Some may not look at Pumpkins as something you can eat, but they aren’t just for your front porch!  They are a squash too!  Just be sure to buy the sugar pie pumpkins at Harmons Grocery!
I am very excited about Harmons brand products that are popping up all over their store!  When you see the Harmons name on anything, you know it will be good quality and well sourced!
My favorite way to use the flesh of the pumpkin is to roast it!  My mom used to skin the pumpkin with a knife then cut it into cubes, but this is so much easier!  When it is nice and roasted, the flesh will just scoop right out!  I also throw my garlic and potatoes on to roast with the pumpkin!
I just wash the pumpkin and cut it in half and add about 1/4 cup of water on top of parchment paper then place the flesh side down.  I don’t even take out the seeds or pulp because they easily scoop out of the way after you roast it.  For the full instructions, check out my homemade pumpkin puree post.
Outfit:
Romper- Eva Jo Rompers c/o
For the parmesan crisps, (or scary cobwebs if you need something with a Halloween theme) I just took good quality Parmegano Reggino and shredded it.  I placed a tablespoon on some parchment paper and added a little garlic powder (optional) and baked it at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes or until a little golden on the top.  Remove and allow them to cool, remove with a spatula.  Store in an airtight container.
Pumpkin Soup
Serves 8

7 cups roasted pumpkin [about 2 or 3 of the 3-4 lb  Sugar pumpkins pre-roasted}
8 cloves garlic
2-3 Russet Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper
6-8 Shallots, diced
8 cups chicken broth (64 ounces or two 32 ounces boxes)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme, removed from stems and washed
1 tbs fresh Sage, washed

Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on halved pumpkins, potatoes and un-peeled garlic cloves.  Place cut side down pumpkins on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, along with garlic and potatoes. Add 1/4 cup water.

Bake at 375 degrees uncovered for about 1 hour. Or when you can easily slide a knife through the top of the pumpkins.
Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and pulp, then scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin and measure 7 cups. Peel garlic and roasted potatoes.
In a large pot, saute/sweat shallots in 1 tbs olive oil over medium, medium low heat until soft.
Add pumpkin, garlic, thyme, and chicken broth to pot.  Simmer for ten minutes over medium to low heat, and stir. Next, blend in batches in a blender and place blended soup in a new clean pot.  Add salt and pepper to taste, add heavy cream and warm soup through.
Serve with Parmesan crisps (recipe above)!
Enjoy!
Here’s how I was able to serve it at a Halloween Themed party I attended! A very fun and festive soup for a Fall or Halloween party!
Cute little Pumpkin soup with “Cobweb crisps!”
Be sure to check back this week for more on a very fun Halloween Ghouls Night out Collaboration!
{all photos by me}

Harmons Mother’s Day Basket Giveaway

May 4, 2015

Mother’s Day is fast approaching, and I have a really fun giveaway for you fellow Utahns from Harmons Grocery!
I had a really fun time browsing my local Harmons for some of my favorite items to giveaway to one of my readers!  I love browsing the isles at Harmons, they have the best stuff!  So many cool non-grocery items too!  Have you seen their kitchen section!  My happy place!
If you’re still in need of some ideas on what to get your favorite Mother, Harmons has an amazing floral and gift section!  They also have some amazing recipes online that focus on showing Mom your love through food!  They are also offering hand-made cheesecakes, freshly topped by a pastry chef at all their locations May 9th from 11 am-7 pm, that would make for a nice Mother’s Day dessert!
There are some real goodies in this basket, and they would make a great gift for your Mother for Mother’s Day, or keep it for yourself for a little treat!
Here’s a run down of the items you can win from Harmons Grocery!
  • Insulated picnic basket
  • My favorite Pop art Rosemary Truffle popcorn
  • Lindt chocolates
  • Nail polish
  • My favorite microplane zester and grater
  • A lavender mint bath bomb to help mom relax
  • A glass water bottle
  • Hand Lotion
  • Rose Lemonade
  • Dutch Waffles
  • Dish Towels in my favorite color
  • A teeny tiny succulent from Harmons floral department
  • Beehive Lavender Lemongrass soap
  • My favorite Tea Tree oil Shampoo and Conditioner
  • Harmons peanut butter brownies, the best!
  • Stem Gem Strawberry Huller gadget
You have until Friday May 9th at midnight to enter!  Enter below using Rafflecopter!  In the comments below tell me who you would like to give this basket to and why! (mandatory to win!) (or maybe keep it for yourself 😉  )  {GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED, AND WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING!!}

My outfit and picnic blanket from Flor de Luz shop.

Holidays // Favorite easter basket fillers

April 2, 2015

I love a good Easter basket!
Over the years of “helping” our Easter bunny put together baskets for my children, I have found that we have some favorites in our household. 
Before you check them out, be sure to check some of our past easter basket fillers, and ideas here, here and here, !
First up, I wanted to share Norah’s Easter basket.
It is fun for me to look for fun items for their Easter basket’s!  I’ve been known to grab things months and months ahead if I come across something that is just perfect!  I usually put my items in a bin as I gather them up over the weeks or months before Easter.  Holidays tend to sneak up on you, so it’s always nice to be prepared!
One of my favorite things to put in their baskets are Annie’s Bunnies Snacks.  The Cheddar bunnies snacks and fruit snacks are a great alternative to candy, and the bunny shape is perfect for easter!  See what else I’ve done with cheddar bunny snacks here
Another favorite Easter Basket filler in our house is Lindt Chocolates.  The tiny carrots, bunnies, lambs, chicks, bee’s, lady bugs, frogs.  So So cute!!  And, I’m a fan of high quality chocolates, none of that yucky chocolate, even for my kids!
Like I said, I love browsing stores for cute little items.  The Dollar Tree is a great place as well, I find some cute little items there!  
Another favorite Easter Basket filler are these darling 2 inch size photo books that you can print directly from your Instagram feed.  I print one for each of my children, and put in into an Easter Egg.  My kids think it’s amazing that the Easter bunny was around to see them doing all these activities they were doing in the photos!
Easter Basket Girl Edition Sources:
Bunny Tights- Target
Sandals– Gap
Social PS Tiny 2 inch photo books that fit perfectly in Easter Eggs
Bunny Headband– Hello Shiso
Kid Made Modern Colored Pencils- Target
Carrot Pen– Oriental Trading
Flashlight/pen- Dollar Tree
Strawberry wind-up toy- Dollar Tree
Lindt Chocolates– bunny, lamb, chick, bee, lady bug
Colorful easter eggs- Target
Little baby chicks– Oriental Trading
Toy filled egg- Walmart
Hopping bunny- Oriental Trading
Now, I wanted to share our favorite Easter basket fillers for my boys!
Much of the fillers are the same as the girl basket, with the exception of a few things.
My favorite Easter baskets for my kids are these plain natural wooden bushel baskets I find at Hobby Lobby.  I love them, they are classic, and fit lots of items for Easter Egg hunts, and for Easter morning!

My boys, especially my youngest Thomas just loves little tiny things.  Tiny animals, tiny people, you name it.  
We just love the Schleich toys.  They are such high quality when it comes to little plastic toys, and they stay looking nice for a while!  We have a big collection!  I love putting the teeny tiny animals, especially bunnies in some of the plastic easter eggs!
I love the classic toy cars.  This red truck is a favorite!
My kids are really into Kendama’s lately.  They fit perfectly in an Easter basket.  And, the tiny mini keychain novelty kendama’s fit perfectly in an Easter egg!
Easter Basket Boy Edition Sources:
Schleich Animal Toys- Bunny, Crocodile
Little Red Toy Truck– Land of Nod
Carrot Pen– Oriental Trading
Mini Orange Kendama Wooden Toy– Black Rhino Toys
Keychain/Novelty tiny Kendama– Black Rhino Toys
Wind-up eyeball toy- Dollar Tree
Spiderman Flashlight/Pen- Dollar Tree
Hoppy Bunny Toy– Oriental Trading
Sticker and Toy filled Eggs- Walmart
Hope this helps with your Bunny Shopping!!  Or for any of you last minuters who need a few ideas.
Happy Easter!
While, Easter is so fun, and so is the Easter bunny.  This is a lot of fun for our kids for Easter, but we also teach our children our belief’s on the real meaning of Easter.  
Check out this amazing video here!
{disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.  all photos by me}