Holiday Recipe from Cindy Loraas

This is the time of year to enjoy new recipes and each others company. We love this soup, it will warm you up on a cold day and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. From my family to yours, enjoy!

Fiesta Pumpkin Soup

1 cup onion
1 cup red pepper
2 TBL oil
2 tsp garlic
---cook down---

1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup jalapeno peppers - diced
5 cups pumpkin chopped (sometimes we will puree later once pumpkin is cooked for a creamy, smooth soup)
5 cups lowsalt chicken stock (if you puree the pumpkin - add more liquids, water is ok)
1 tsp cumin
dash hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or Tapatio)

cook 15-20 minutes -after boiling - when pumpkin is soft (at this time you can scoop out the pumpkin or all of soup and puree - it is a little messy - but it is all worth it, turns nice and creamy)

add these items after cooked - then do 5 minutes more
2 cups cooked turkey (great for leftovers, we love to fry up chicken breasts with salt and pepper and then cube)
1 ripe avocado - slice them and then cube them up
2 TBL cilantro

when serving, add a handful of tortilla chips and a spoonful of sour cream

Independent Living

This past weekend we moved my Grandpa and his wife into an independent living facility. We have moved the majority of their home, large items and a few nik naks. As I was doing this, I thought to myself at what point do we lose the design element when we grow old. Some people have it and some people don't, I have noticed throughout the years in this design business. I am wondering when do we start to allow certain things to come in our doors? At what age do we start this, posting free calendars in every room, kitty or flower poster pictures with that cheap plastic brass frame, cute postcards tacked up and even stuffed animals on the wall? Don't get me wrong, my little collection of things, I'm sure one day will look like junk and my children just might be thinking the same thing!

So what we have been trying to do, is this, go throughout the boxes and any little thing that might be sentimental value, we are adding to a collage on the wall in each room. We have framed metal work of cowboys, grandkids pictures, old cast iron trivets with sayings on them and even a hand carved back scratcher. Then those items are up and they can see them and talk about them daily if need be.

This a going to be a journey, my mom and I started it and my aunts will be over next week to join in the fun. So slowly we will uncover those little treasures, that we just might want to take home and add to our own little pile. I actually found a little turtle magnifying glass and I will keep you posted if I find anything else to go in my collection.