Just a lil punkin

So get this…you know those gourds that are sold at the grocery store when we begin to say good bye to the summer?  There are four or five in a weird orange non-biodegradable mesh bag or you can pick and choose the ones that you like from a giant bin. 

White with green specks; orange with white stripes; the ones that look like miniature pumpkins and the irregular ones that look as though like they tried to squeeze into a pair of jeans that were waaaaaaay to small. 

Anyhew….two years ago I grabbed some to add to the fall centerpieces around the house and to keep the pumpkin company on the front porch Halloween night.  Then the time came when you have to say goodbye to the jack-o-lantern you spent more time deciding what kind of design you were going to try than it took to carve the silly thing.  So I dropped mine over the fence into the alley, otherwise known as the failed plant graveyard.  Now heed my warning should  you choose to walk this line – the following summer you will see an unfamiliar plant spring up and within 2-3 weeks it will cover a five foot diameter with leaves bigger than your face.  So the gourds returned from the deteriorated state I abandoned them in and burst forth in a 
GI-NOR-MOUS pumpkin plant (insert Duh duh duuuuuuuh…...)

Who freakin’ knew?  No tending too, a not so friendly pile of dried dirt and those lil’ buggers pushed through.  I have to give them credit.

Now we are in the second year and the plant is twice as big.  I can’t say I mind really….looking outside and seeing bright yellow blooms the size of my hand make me feel like I really know what I’m doing in the garden.  So amidst my harvesting which equals 4 cherry tomatoes and one eggplant along side some dependable chives and rosemary springs I start to wonder about the squash blooms and begin investigating recipes. 

Findings:

1. If you stuff a squash bloom with an egg and cottage (or ricotta) cheese/egg/garlic mixture, cover it in a light panko breading, bake it and serve it with a pasta sauce you feel like a culinary genius.

I researched some recipes beforehand but this one will give you the idea.  I just went with the ingredients I had on hand and baked them at 400 C for 20 minutes.  So I suppose this isn’t exactly food porn, maybe it’s more like food hang out.  Translation – you won’t feel gross after. 

Ricotta Stuffed Squash Recipe  

b. Confidence-fueled from the above….I attempted a squash blossom and roasted corn soup.

Results:

Squash blossom soup booyah!  This was a nice creamy soup medley of squash blossoms, spicy peppers, potatoes, corn, and zucchini.  I’m a diehard substitute-er so I usually end up using whatever I have on hand.

This was a fun one to make…I like making soups.  I think it’s the hands on, involved, process that is satisfying  and you really have to mess it up for it to suck.  Homemade soup, awesome smelling house...pffft please…it’s an automatic good day.

Squash Blossom & Corn Soup Recipe

Lil brown toad....these guys have been everywhere this summer