Simple pleasures

When we moved to the flat where we live now I was 8 months pregnant so a lot was left to be sorted later on and since we knew Harry was going to sleep in our room for a while, the nursery was one of those things. Since we decided to move him to his own room, this weekend was dedicated to get the nursery sorted. So for most of the weekend David was potting around moving things from one room to another as well as putting up baby monitor, smoke and monoxide alarms. We still have a few bits and bobs to sort out but tonight i could already rock away on my comfy chair singing lullabies during Harry's last feed for the night and I have to say that felt so good. Our bed time routine have always included songs and cuddles but my back and knees were so much more relaxed - before I used to just seat on my bed and have him resting over my crossed legs - that I had the time to feel the loveliness of the moment and just enjoy the gentle motion myself.
Such a chilly day and with all this rain it was impossible to get myself out with Harry. Poor little boy stuck at home all day, that being said he did have a good few kips today which isn't his normal thing so not too bad. Definitely a duvet day for him. Not for me though;  it doesn't matter the weather, to me is always baby day but again since the other half is at home on the weekends at least I've managed to catch a bit of a kip as well which helps recharging the energy.
To finish off what turned out to be a good day - opposite to Saturday when Harry done a whole lot of crying and didn't want much to do with anything that didn't include staying in my arms - I felt the need to declare autumn well and truly started and cooked ourselves a lovely butternut squash soup with slow cooked chicken thighs and rosemary and garlic croutons. Yummy.

Just to relive my times as food blogger here is a the quick recipe for tonight's dinner:

stir fry some finely chopped onion, carrots and celery (I used frozen ones as these days I'm trying my best to save time and still cooking good food) add a whole butternut squash peeled, seeded, cleaned and chopped until about 1 inch cubes.
Add vegetable stock and cook for about 10 minutes. On the meantime chop some bread into cubes and toss them in olive oil, rosemary and garlic powder then bake in hot oven for about 10 minutes or until golden, you might want to turn them once.
When the squash is cooked put it on the blender with  1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of honey then blend it into smooth, this time I also added some creme fraiche for extra silkiness.

The slow cooked chicken (2 thighs and 2 drumsticks)  were on the high setting of the slow cooker for about 3 hours, I took the skin off and season them with rosemary, garlic power, sage and thyme (all dry herbs) and cooked it on a bit of chicken stock which later I added to the soup to give it an extra flavor.

Well, that's all really, not looking forward to a very wet week and the challenges of going out with little one on this weather but as always I'm sure somehow things will fall into place once again. 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

I know it was meant to be spring already but in London is can never get warm early enough, so here to say goodbye to the cold weather one of my favorites soup recipes...its veeeery very simple to make, cheap and makes you feel warm inside...and it is of course, deliciooouuussss

Roasted butternut squash soup cut the butternut squash until chunks, theres no need to peal it but do remove the seeds. You can just make it with the squash or can also have some sweet potatoes and red onions, Sprinkle some cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg on the top, spray it with olive oil a couple of times and let it roast in a mild oven for 40 to 60 minutes (until its tender enough to go on the blender). O)n this recipe I have also used some chestnuts, because those pics were taken on Christmas time LOL but the main thing is that with butternut squash you can make many different combinations.

When the veggies are tender enough blend them with hot vegetable stock and season to taste, it's ready to serve. For extra creaminess you can add some mascarpone or goat's cheese.

while the oven still hot slice some half bakes ciabatta or white rolls, sprinkle some olive oil, powdered garlic, shredded cheese and oregano plus some cracked black pepper to taste, bake it for about 8 minutes or until its nice and golden...ENJOY IT!!!