Goethe's Faust and Accutane

It was nice to be 'home'.
I did nothing, but sleep, read, eat and watch cheesy movies by the fireplace.
We did make the effort and put up the beautiful plastic tree, to warm up the house, just for me really.


Greece is in a big tumult and is not looking good though.
Trash spills over the shopping streets once again, broken glass from shop-windows (souvenirs from mini riots in honor of the boy killed a year ago in a clash between youths and police) litters the sidewalks and the overall vibe is rather bleak and murky. Not at all the merry mood one expects for the festive season. But, at least there is a tree this year (last year the poor thing got burned, twice!), that must be guarded 24/7.
Greece must be the only country where even a Xmas tree needs bodyguards...


I also went to see a dermatologist, once again. One more opinion.
A female Doctor, who apparently successfully fixed the spotty  days of Mrs. Moneypenny's daughters. (Prince's secretary)
Promising as it may sound, they are 12 and 14.
The office of youthful (perfect complexion) Anetta was surprisingly clean, airy and modern. Rare stuff in Greece, where usually one is greeted by heavy furniture with gold trim, thick ‘alive’ carpets, the wall sharing every last centimeter with shiny icons and diplomas and the ever prevailing cloud of cigarette smoke.(never mind smoking was officially banned a few months back... a law is really just a friendly advise, nothing else)
First time ever someone took time for my spots.
Anetta gave me over 1h, to talk, to see, to ask...
She explained everything patiently and I learned with amazement, how common 'little' beauty jobs are in sleepy Greece. Who would have thought?
Just like America. Ladies drop by in their lunch breaks. A little Botox, a little collagen fill-up, a little laser here and there. Waving all kind of weapons in front of me (one looked like a miniature fire extinguisher) she seems ecstatic by the magic power they possess. One can burn away spots. One can freeze away a blotch. And others just erase the path of time.
WOW!
When she offered to try deep-freezing my blotches I declined. Never know what happens in Eskimo-land. If ever, first I need to research all this methods. And it is SCARY!!!
Anetta also found, that I have 2 problems (besides all the blotches-freckles- from sun damage)- Rosacea and Acne.
They need combat treatment.
She prescribed antibiotics for a test run, but also mentioned the all-spot-clearing-god-like-super-drug: *ACCUTANE.
Once again. The evil forces seem to follow me.
I also got an anti-spot cream for the morning and an anti-rosacea cream for the night.
More tubes, more money, more testing.
Poor skin... Poor me...
But I must admit, from all the Docs I have seen, I trust most in this charmingly fresh lady, as she seems kind, human and sincere and she does have a glowing complexion!
Let's see what will happen, as my cheeks look pretty close to pizza deluxe.


And this was all the news from Anna reporting from Greece




Food for thought
Thought on vanity
Health or beauty? What wins?

Accutane Side Effects as reported by "The PDR® Family Guide To Prescription Drugs®"

Most important fact about this drug: 
Because Accutane can cause severe birth defects, including mental retardation and physical malformations, a woman must not become pregnant while taking it. If you are a woman of childbearing age, your doctor will ask you to sign a detailed consent form before you start taking Accutane. If you accidentally become pregnant while taking the medication, you should immediately consult your doctor.

More common accutane side effects may include: 
Conjunctivitis (``pinkeye''), dry or fragile skin, dry or cracked lips, dry mouth, dry nose, itching, joint pains, nosebleed
Less common accutane side effects may include:Bowel inflammation and pain, chest pain, decreased night vision, decreased tolerance to contact lenses, delay in wound healing, depression, fatigue, headache, nausea, peeling palms or soles, rash, skin infections, stomach and intestinal discomfort, sunburn-sensitive skin, thinning hair, urinary discomfort, vision problems, vomiting
Special warnings about this medication:
When you first start taking Accutane, it is possible that your acne will get worse before it starts to get better.
If you are a woman of childbearing age and you are considering taking Accutane, you will be given both spoken and written warnings about the importance of avoiding pregnancy during the treatment. You will be asked to sign a consent form noting that:
- Accutane is a powerful, "last resort'' medication for severe acne;
- You must not take Accutane if you are pregnant or may become pregnant during treatment; 
- If you get pregnant while taking Accutane, your baby will be at high risk for birth defects; 
- If you take Accutane, you must use effective birth control from 1 month before the start of treatment through 1 month after the end of treatment; 
- You must test negative for pregnancy within 2 weeks before starting Accutane, and you must start Accutane on the second or third day of your menstrual period; 
- You may participate in a program that includes an initial free pregnancy test and birth control counseling session; 
- If you become pregnant, you must immediately stop taking Accutane and see your doctor; 
- You have read and understood the Accutane patient brochure and asked your doctor any questions you had; 
- You are not currently pregnant and do not plan to become pregnant for at least 30 days after you finish taking Accutane; |
- You have been invited to participate in a survey of women being treated with Accutane.
Some people taking Accutane, including some who simultaneously took tetracycline, have experienced headache, nausea, and visual disturbances caused by increased pressure within the skull. See a doctor immediately if you have these symptoms; if the doctor finds swelling of the optic nerve at the back of your eye, you must stop taking Accutane at once and see a neurologist for further care.
Be careful driving at night. Some people have experienced a sudden decrease in night vision.
Some people taking Accutane have had problems regulating their blood sugar level.
You may not be able to tolerate your contact lenses during and after your therapy with Accutane.
You should stop taking Accutane immediately if you have abdominal pain, bleeding from the rectum, or severe diarrhea. You may have an inflammatory disease of the bowel.
You should not donate blood during your therapy with Accutane and for a month after you stop taking it.


Mental problems and suicide. Some patients, while taking Accutane or soon after stopping Accutane, have become depressed or developed other serious mental problems. Signs of these problems include feelings of sadness, irritability, unusual tiredness, trouble concentrating, and loss of appetite. Some patients taking Accutane have had thoughts about hurting themselves or putting an end to their own lives. There were reports that some of these people did not appear depressed. No one knows if Accutane caused these behaviors or if they would have happened even if the person did not take Accutane.


That is a lot of bad MAYBES for glowing skin. To think of it, it reminds me a bit of Goethe's Faust.
To remind you, Faust sold his soul to the devil for divine knowledge.
But how much is knowledge worth, if you got no soul left?
So Accutane is just like a pact with the devil. You sell your smile (depression), your right to become the mother of a healthy child, you might endure pain, your vision may fail in the dark and some other 'minor' problems in health, like skin falling of when kissing and your lush curls thinning... But hey, you will have the most beautiful clear complexion.
Question: 
If your vision starts failing, how will you be able to admire that perfect glow?
And worst scenario, if you jump out a window, that glow will die with you, won't it?

Leaving for Greece

Will be traveling today...

XOXO

Bugs Bunny and pre-google era

Here I am again.
Xmas stress, no time to write daily.


Who would have ever thought that shopping for a Tree would be such difficulty in Portugal. My naive question to WHY was answered with 4 simple letters.
Crib. (the Christmas Crib-native scene)
And.
Because it is not OUR tradition.
Until just recently our only decorative item for the festive season was a crib. That's all we had and some candles. The concept of dressing up fir trees with balls and bows (odd, once you think about it, no?) arrived just the past years. No wonder that they ask  for more than a 100 Euros for a Xmas tree at the nursery. That is a lot of money for a guest, who only stays 3 weeks.
The ones with roots (if it was hour house, I would try to drag it with me) are beyond wallet limit and also beyond my muscle power.
Maybe a plastic brother will be easier to find?
But also here, the options seem limited and somewhat painfully ugly.
If plastic, it better be good. Better be very good.
Leroy&Merlin has some species on offer, that look like the mirror of our troubled times.
If a tree could be bankrupt, that's what it would look like. Skinny and withdrawn, with a few uncombed hairs sticking out here and there, it certainly makes a humble broomstick an appealing alternative for the 2009 Xmas tree.
I am daydreaming of our plastic wonder, all wrapped up in some dark box in our cellar back at home in Greece. Plastic fantastic!
Me, the Anti-plastic chick, admits to liking something plastic. No tree has to be cut, used and discarded like trash, with a plastic one. And if it is a high quality one, it can last as long as we last...
Year after year, fooling every guest to be the real thing.
I did some naughty cheating, while adding real branches for the forest scent. And everyone complimented our lovely (real) tree...
Thank you China
Just now I remember Mrs. J, who has told me something, once, about a place she takes the boys to choose a tree...
I will call her, as soon we will return from our trip to homeland Greece (tomorrow).
Maybe I should also call our caretaker and ask her to put the China tree up, just for me?


Some time in the afternoon the doorbell rings passionately...
Sticking my head out the door, the rain is thick like a beaded curtain and I see a dark figure in the driveway, waving a white plastic bag at me. I wonder who it is, when I recognize that hat. (also Chinese, by the way) It is Carl, our faithful taxi-driver.
" Misses Anna, Misses Anna, I have a gift for you".
Gift? Me? Did someone say Gift? (funny, but did you know that in German the word gift=poison?)
"I am coming, Carl. What is it?"
Carl just grins at me, obviously very proud.
Excited like a little girl I tear the bag open and stare in shock at something cute with a bit of fluff on its ends. Oh my goshhhhh, it is a dead bunny. Naked too, poor thing. The ears are missing, it must be cold, I am thinking strange thoughts. " And, do you like it?", Carl beams at me. " I shot it myself and my wife skinned it for you. I know you love cooking, so I brought you one."
"Carl (stutter), but Carl (cough cough), You shouldn't, I mean..." (stutter, cough, stutter)
" Oh, Misses Anna, it's nothing. I will bring you some boar next time."
Stutter...stutter...stutter...
BOAR?
Did he say boar? Oh please, don't say deer. Please... Oh dear!!!
" Thank you Carl, I love bunny. I will cook it tonight. Thank you so much. That is so kind of you."
There we go, I did it. I thanked him and I did not hear deer.
All smiles under his Chinese version of a Borsalino he jumps back into his car and vanishes into the rain, while I am left speechless, hatless and wet in our driveway, a naked bunny richer.
" Prince, Prince... where are you???" I am storming back into the house, heart racing way too fast.
Gift=poison in my country. Maybe there is some truth in it. Some gifts should be just not given.
I am contemplating to throw Mr. Bugs into the trashcan, or maybe the river. Next idea is to burry him in style. But then I think of Carlo's eyes, so happy and proud. I must cook it, there is just no way around it.
The worst is yet to come.
I have to face the dead and blood stained body in the kitchen sink.
The little is head still attached, but at least the eyes are missing. Nevertheless, I am sure I can feel it watching me, even though I say sorry a hundred times. Prince finally comes to rescue, but leaves when he sees the bloody corpse.
" I think I must throw up!" he screams from the bathroom. Great strong man I've got! Looking at the pink bunny I realize that the paws and the popo still have some fur...
Soft fluffy
Oh no.
Bunny-god please help me.
I can't do this!
"Prince......pleasssssssssssseeeeee, I need a drink!"
A glass of wine arrives mysteriously on the kitchen counter, but no Prince in sight.
It is just me now. Me and Bugs.
I AM SORRRRRRY!!!
But here is the good part - rabbit is the most healthful meat on planet earth.
Red wine in hand I seem more ready for the bloody task ahead. Somehow the fluff and that cute head have to go! Thank god, or to be precise those 2 Mortal Creators: Larry Page and Sergey Brin for google. I can't even imagine what difficulty life must have been before the goofy G. I don't even remember! Now every question has an answer less than a minute away. What was it like before?
Ask Mom?
Call a wise friend?
Open one of those big fat encyclopedias and hope your question has been asked before?
Bike over to the library, hope it is still open and pray that your book is not out on a date with some geek?
Best option then, probably was:
DON'T ASK!
So here I am, bloody cruel German, looking for answers on how to cut bunny heads.
I think a question like this, would not have made me popular in the pre-google era.
At least google never judges me for any question, no matter how evil, dumb or vain.
Google gives us the freedom to be children again, free to ask anything and everything without being scrutinized. What amazing gift those guys gave us. GODS after all?!
Here we go, let's gooooooogle!
Google:
bunny how to cut

Bunny and Carrots Cut-and-Paste Art Pattern: A to Z Teacher Stuff ...

 -

Video: Field Testing the Louis Vuitton Bunny Ears -- The Cut

easter bunny pug photo cut outs from Zazzle.com
...
NOPE!
I must change my search. The right answer only comes with the right question. Almost Guru like.
rabbit how to cut

How to Make a Rabbit Cut with a Table Saw: How to Make a Finger ...

How to Cut Up a Rabbit | eHow.com

How do you cut up a whole fryer rabbit? « The Rabbit Wrangler

BINGO!
There are some more options for help - like youtube, but I refuse to even go there.
So, I learn, I simply chop of the head with a meat cleaver. What the heck is a cleaver? I know cleavage, but cleavers?
Here is the answer:
A rather painful looking knife, a butcher's tool with a gigantic blade.
AUTCH!
Naturally I don't have one. I am calling once again on Prince hoping for mercy in any shape or form. He suggests the axe that our gardner uses to cut the wood.
My desire to turn vegetarian was never stronger than today.
Mercy is not passing by and the bunny is still naked and head-on.
That's when I just had it and reaching for my super-scissors, I start cutting off the little scull.
The crunching sounds of breaking bones echo through the kitchen.
Small head it may be, but a strong one.
I need another slurp of wine. A long one.
Ahhhhhh, and with that the head is gone. The fluff is nothing compared and soon my bunny is ready for cooking. Cut into 8 small parts.
The recipe is from my absolute favorite cooking site:

www.epicurious.com


MR. MUSTARD BUGS (or rabbit in mustard sauce)

ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• a 3-pound rabbit, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth (13 3/4 fluid ounces)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

preparation

Finely chop onion. Pat rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a deep large heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and brown rabbit pieces on all sides in 2 batches. Transfer rabbit as browned to a large bowl.

In skillet cook onion in 1 tablespoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced by about half. Return rabbit to skillet and add broth. Simmer rabbit, covered, until tender, about 40 minutes.

Transfer rabbit to cleaned large bowl and boil sauce until reduced to about 2 cups. In a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup sauce and mustard and whisk mixture into sauce. In another small bowl stir cornstarch into 1 tablespoon cold water and whisk into sauce. Simmer sauce, whisking, 3 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk in remaining tablespoon butter, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Return rabbit to skillet and cook over moderately low heat, turning rabbit to coat with sauce, until heated through.

Oh, before I forget to mention it with all the bunny troubles. The house is all dressed up and just lovely. I call it my IKEA XMAS this year, as that's all I have...Mixed with pine-cones and real branches from our garden, it looks still a million. Especially at night with the fire is on..
Oh, Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year...
***
We enjoy bugs. He is a delicious little feller and I am proud for all the hardship I went through, because he is a perfect dinner companion for the fireplace season.
Thank you little bunny.


Oh, must call grandma, she will be 83 today!!! Wow, 83...


And with that, I am off...

Happy Saint Nikolaus

Pete is leaving today, too early for me, sorry, so Prince is taking him and I sleeeeeeep...
Oh... what heavenly tranquility here. The only 'disturbance' are those sweetly singing birds and the sound of the wind ruffling the leaves. Funny, that sound always reminds me of the soothing play of waves. Schhhhhhhh... Schhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Schhhhhhhhhhhh
It is also the sound of me sleeping some more.
In our modern world quiet is pure luxury. And so is clean air and so is space. I can't even imagine what the future will behold, when mankind explodes into double the billions of now.
Where will they all go for peace and quiet?
For fresh air?
For romance?
Will there be any trees left?
Any animals, like elephants?
Any giant cats?
A recent article in National Geographic (one of the magazines I subscribe to, along with Conde Nast and Vanity Fair) shocked me tremendously. The numbers of endangered-ready to be erased from Earth forever- species has fallen drastically in as little as the past 50 years. How can we have done so much damage in such short time? It just doesn't fit in my head.
   Black Rhino
Since 1970, the Black Rhino population, native to southern and east Africa, has declined by 90% to less than 3,000.
  Giant Panda
Within a few short years, Giant Pandas could be facing extinction. Fewer than 1,000 remain in their native habitat of China. The main reason for their decline is due to loss of natural habitat and poaching.


  Tiger
These magnificent cats are native to tropical zones in Southeast Asia and temperate regions like the Russian Far East. Less than 6,000 tigers remain in the wild...


So just imagine the eyes of a child, wild with joy and excitement when looking at a Disney Classic like Jungle book. "Mom, mom, come fast fast...mom... What is this stripy big cat? Why is it so big and fat?"
"Oh, honey, this is a tiger, the are enormous... but they don't exist any more... Aren't (weren't) they beautiful?"




It is Saint Nikolaus today, a typical German tradition:


In Roman Catholic areas of southern Germany, such as Bavaria, Sankt Nikolaus still comes as a bishop with flowing beard and a bishop's miter and staff. Houses are thoroughly cleaned and children clean and polish their shoes or boots in preparation for the saint's visit. On the evening before St. Nicholas Day, children put letters to the good saint along with carrots or other food for his white horse or donkey on a plate or in their shoes. These are left outside, under the bed, beside a radiator, or on a windowsill in hopes of finding goodies from St. Nicholas the next morning. During the night Sankt Nikolaus goes from house to house carrying a book in which all the children's deeds are written. If they have been good, he fills their plate, shoe or boot with delicious fruits, nuts and candies. If not, they may find potatoes, coal, or twigs.




Okay, in modern days all that is left, is the part of kids polishing their boots (preferably the highest and biggest, to collect more stuffings), leaving them outside the door and when the first light tickles their noses, they are up to raid the gifts Nikolaus has left for them. Today it is gifts children want, but when I grew up it was just some chocolates, some nuts and fruit. Apples... and if it was a good year (if Nikolaus got lucky), Oranges and bananas. Bananas and oranges, they were rare goods behind the iron wall and treasured just like gold.
If Nikolaus* was kind enough to bring the gold (*we used to get Xmas parcels from our friends in West Germany) mom would cut the treasured fruit and serve it on bread slices. Like this, we had more gold for longer.
And today? I can walk into any market, any time of the year and buy as many Chiquitas and Vitamin C balls as I wish. Just like that.






I don't think Prince polished any boots, specially for Nikolaus, because his shoes are always perfectly polished. Opposites do attract, it proofs once again, because my boots (only the everyday riding boots) have enough dirt to tell my whereabouts of the past year. I have just a cute little gift for Prince. i reckon he does not care much for bananas either, even though he grew up in country that had issued a BANANA BAN.
YES!
BANANAS?
And since we are already there, do you know why we say: Going bananas?


Trying to google the prefect answer for you I came across this interestingly confusing blog...
www.goingbananasblog.com
But not the answer I searched for. I was sure, that I once read that going bananas came from the time, when bananas where shipped back from Africa on long sweaty journeys. Of course, under such sauna conditions, most fruit will go bad fast and so did bananas. But apparently bananas give out a toxin when rotting, which then turned the sailors crazy. Funnily enough, I seem to find no evidence of this facts on the net at all. Either I read rubbish or the net has not been to keen on bananas yet.
Let's keep it an amusing myth for now and next time you feel like going bananas remember it for me.


So I better get up now to fill his pantoffels. Pantoffel is the German word for house-shoe, a very funny sounding word, even in my own language. It reminds of candle carrying, sleeping hat and white gown wearing grandpas from the times before electricity. His pantoffels, naturally, are BIRKENSTOCKS.
Comfy, cozy and bio, they are hippy-businessman cool. They are also good for Prince's flat-feed, which are a constant source of pain. With Top-Model Heidi Klum designing one fashionable cork-sole collection in 2008, this pantoffels got a whole new life and the Rasta-dude, pipe smoking surf-bump became an image of the past.
They are the smallest (volume-filling-wise) shoes (next to his flip-flops) in Prince's closet and perfectly sized when it comes down to Nikolaus-stuffings.
Since my present is tiny, a small shoe-cave will make it look much bigger.
Personalized collar stays, with naughty messages will be the fillers for my pantoffel-hero.
From www.redenvelope.com
Check them out, they have cute stuff, but sadly do not ship to Europe...Luckily we were in NY and so I got it send to 70 Park...

Prince returns rather late and I am ready to question the distance to the airport, when he pulls a bunch of roses-mixed with eucalyptus and some beautiful branches of prickly holly from behind his back. Ohhhh, what a Darling, he did not forget my German roots at all.
I am officially impressed! Especially when I discover naughty panties hidden in the bunch of reds. They have H-O-P-E written on them, I wonder if he is sending a message?


Happy Saint Nikolaus


I will go back to decorating...

Making the wreath

Can you imagine... we sleep till 2 o'clock!!!
OUT!
Bammmmm!
It was seriously needed I guess.


I am feeling not too bad, surprise-surprise, and so, Pete and me decide to go for an afternoon walk (unpacking, my least favorite thing to do can wait), to collect some evergreens for the beginning of my season's home trimming. I love to dress up the house, for any and every occasion. (poor Prince, as there is always something to get me going... if autumn, if cherry blossoming, or anniversaries of any kind, always a reason to redecorate)
It just makes home even homier.


There are a lot of Xmas ornaments available in the Sintra mountains. Red berries, pine cones and lots of different greens. Cutting branches always makes me feel bad though. Prince says it is only like a haircut for the tree, and the trees like it, as they grow healthier and stronger after. But how do I know this is true, as most of the time trees don't tell me their feelings. Or I don't understand tree-talk (yet)?
So I am left with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, even when I thank each proud species, for their kind offer of Xmas accessory.
We return with full baskets and I am extremely excited. First thing on my list (after turning on the fireplace and cooking up some GLUEHWEIN*) is making the front door's wreath. I have a straw skeleton ring from IKEA (like everything else this year), which is somewhat of cheating, but also makes life much easier. Just tie the greens and the berries around the wreath and then add some balls and bows and voila, wreath ready!
Our door looks dressed for the season now, happy entrance!


Since nobody is in the mood to slave in the kitchen, we go for dinner at a cute restaurant in St. Pedro. The little road is all decked out with glittering stars and the air is crisp and clear.
I take a huge breath of this oxygen-laden night, what bless after the polluted stink of a big city.
Chateau Briand for the 3 of us and very good wine served by the mischievous waiter with that certain something in his eyes...
Happy happy and good night


I come across a lovely sentence today:
"Here in this moment called NOW...Life is dancing. Come reside in that place called the moment." Prem Rawat 
I will try to always remember this, especially when I am counting spots!




*Gluehwein (hot wine) Recipe


1 bottle of decent enough dry Red (Lidl wine will do)
2 oranges, juiced (keep the orange skin halves, if organic)
3 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
6 star anise
honey to taste


Pour the wine in a pot with the orange juice. Add the cinnamon sticks and the cloves and anise (you can also put the spices into a tea egg, as not to strain the wine after) and the orange skins(if) and bring to a gentle boil. So longer and harder you boil, so less alcoholic the brew will be, obviously. I prefer mine on the stronger side.
Stir in enough honey to sweeten to your liking. Again - be aware - the more sweet, the more powerful the alcohol will be. Gluehwein can be the ultimate giggle material, hitting your head without warning. But hey, it is Christmas, what better reason to giggle...

Back to Europe and Pumpkin soup

Prince sleeps all the way on the plane... This is very rare, since usually it's me, while he is restless.
Today I am thinking...turning...tossing...
Luckily only one stop in Munich and then, we are back in Lisbon.
Mom's boyfriend Pete (he was dog and house sitting), smiling in the crowd is waving excitedly at us.
Our private chauffeur today, I like it...


It is nice to be back at home and our four legged kids are very happy...
'Damage control Pete' has kept the house pretty intact, even though the Puppy is like Mad-MAX. It is a puppy after all... Only that I know nothing of puppy behavior, since this is my very first. I guess, it is just like having a baby and you learn as you go along...
There is of course lot's to do, unpacking, washing (shirts by the kilo), cleaning, grocery shopping, Dry- cleaners visit... CINDERELLA TASKS or HOUSE WIFE CORES, it is the same.


Pete, a passionate cook, stirs up some pumpkin soup, before we drift into our sweet sweet home dreamland...
Last thought, somewhere in between being ripped of in NY and looking tomato-like as ever, is the Christmas decoration, that has to be done asap... To lift up my spirits... And to put magic into our home...


***

Pumpkin Soup recipe (makes enough for a big family)


1 big pumpkin or other winter squash such as butternut, halved and strings and seeds discarded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 leek (white and pale green part only), halved lengthwise, washed  well, and chopped
2 liters of chicken broth (homemade or from a stock cube)
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4-6 spoon maple syrup
200 ml heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°C)

2. In a shallow baking pan arrange squash(the cut sides up) and bake about 45 minutes, or until soft. Spoon out pulp and purée in a food processor.

3. In a large heavy casserole, heat butter over moderate heat and cook  the other vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 10 to 12 minutes. Add broth, squash purée, cinnamon, and nutmeg and simmer, covered about 40 minutes. All vegetables should be soft.

4. Cool soup slightly and in a food processor or blender purée in small batches until smooth. Transfer back to the casserole and when you want to dine, reheat the soup and stir in the cream and syrup. (it is up to your taste, so add slowly and check)

If cream is too heavy, you could also add milk instead, or nothing. 

EXPERIMENT...

ENJOY...

PS: PUMPKINS are very healthy vegetables, stuffed with tons of goodies: