Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

The weather is turning cold, autumn is coming so I am getting my 'soup on' in the kitchen!

Recently I have bought what I call as "joosher" known to everyone else as a hand blender, a marvelous invention that makes my soup making very easy.

Actually making soup is very easy it is the preperation that can be the time consuming part.

So here is my Duckey recipe for this dish...

RECIPE: A heart warming spiced Butternut Squash soup with black pepper croutons and crusty bread.

You will need: 

1 onion
1 butternut squash
3 carrots
1 sweet potato
1 garlic clove
Spices - paprika, chili powder,  cumin, rosemary, tumeric (a good shake of each)
2 chicken stock cubes with 2 pints of water (hot)
Oliver oil (2tbspns) 

1. Cut and prepare your carrot, onion, sweet potato and butternut squash.

2. In a pan fry the garlic and spices in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

3. Saute the vegetables in the spices and oil for about 2 minutes.

4. The add in half of the stock and simmer on a low heat.

5. When the stock has started to reduce add the remaining.

6. Then simmer for about 45 minutes until there is a little water left and the vegetables are soft.

7. Leave to cool and in a measuring jug use the "Joosher" hand blender to blend the soup.

Hey presto that it is - soup - done! I have to say my partner James enjoyed this soup so much it is all I have made for the last few weeks! Lucky its an easy dish hey!

This post was sponsored by Sauce Communications experts in Food Marketing.

Duckeys Famous Coffee and Walnut Cake...

This one is dedicated to my almost Father In-Law Richie!

I know that Coffee Cake is one of his favourites and he has helped James my partner and I a lot on the changes within our house.

So as a treat I wanted to 'keep the workers going' by making a little tea break snack!

RECIPE: A traditional Coffee and Walnut cake covered with light coffee buttered icing.

You will need: 

For the cake:

150g self raising flour
150g butter
150g caster sugar
1 tspn baking powder
1 egg
1 tspn of instant coffee mixed with a small amount of water (to a paste)
100g Walnuts

For the icing:

150g icing sugar
150g butter
1 tspn of instant coffee mixed with a small amount of water (to a paste)
Walnuts to decorate

1. Cream the butter and sugar together

2. Then add one beaten egg

3. Slowly sift in the flour

4. Add 1tspn of baking powder

5. Add the coffee mixture

6. Mix well and insert into two lined cake tins

7. Cook in the over at Gas 4 (180 degrees) for 20-25 minutes.

In the meantime make the icing - 

1. Add the butter and icing sugar and cream to a good consistency

2. Add the coffee mixture

Its as easy as that!

Once the cake is cooked and cooled, spread on a layer of the icing and a sprinkle of walnuts to one side of the cake... then sandwich together and cover the cake completely with the rest of the icing.

Decorate as you wish with the remaining walnut pieces!

And the cake went down very well, even thought Mrs P will probably tell me off for feeding Richie cake!

This post has kindly been sponsored by the Home Decor Company - Grand Illusions.