MAKE IT STOP! THE LEAVES, THAT IS. PART DEUX

Leaf Collection Week on my street. Actually not as bad as previous years. But I have blisters on my fingers.

MUTE MONDAY - TOUCHING

Moi's Beet-the-Band Throwdown

Somehow, Troll roped Moi from Bite the Apple into hosting the culinary throwdowns that he started. So, with a theme of beets, we have Moi's Beet-the-Band Culinary Throwdown. With this challenge in mind last week, I did a double-themed dish that I could enter in this challenge and Big Shamu's Dim Sum Sunday Challenge last week with a pumpkin/squash theme. Confused? I was the one that had to sort this out and put together a dish. And this is the payoff because all I have to do is put together a one paragraph blog and link the crap out of it. So, with out further gilding of the lily or fanfare, I humbly enter my Beet Soup in Roasted Acorn Squash for the amusement of all those who didn't make sport of it last week.

An extra bonus (and something that just hit me like a bolt of lightning in the middle of my large forehead) is that the beets are in fact, beet red. I'll take that one step further and call it Phillie's Red - Go Phils!!

MAKE IT STOP! THE LEAVES, THAT IS.

Leaves are fallin' all around, time I was on my way
Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay
but now it's time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way
for now I smell the rain, and with it, pain
and it's headed my way
Aw, sometimes I grow so tired
but I know I've got one thing I got to do...

-Ramble On by Led Zepplin

Kenneth: Is everyone there dead?
Steve: Well, dead-ish.
Kenneth: Is everyone there dead?
Steve: Yeah, in the sense that they all sort of, uh... fell down... and then got up... and started eating each other.

The Pudge (left) and his buddy on Halloween.

MUTE MONDAY - (Fall) CLASSIC

Note to Readers: I know I'm inviting Blogger Jinx on this one but it's how I'm spending my time right now.

The Phillies in 6 (prediction made October 27th)

GO PHILS!

Dim Sum Sunday/Throwdown Challenge - Beets and Pumpkin

What you say? Two challenges for the price of one? You know me, if I can cut a corner I'm all over it. So this week Big Shamu over at the Karmic Kitchen has her Dim Sum Sunday Challenge with the theme this week being pumpkin/squash. Moi at Bite the Apple is having a Culinary Throwdown with a theme of beets. This throwdown was formerly hosted by Chef Troll. So old Buzzy decided to combine the two challenges with Beet Soup in Roasted Acorn Squash.

Now I don't normally (ever) cook with beets. My mom use to make them when I was a kid as a side, Sometimes pickled but mostly canned. The first obstacle I ran into was the beet soup. When I told the family, well, let's just say it wasn't well received. The 2nd obstacle was finding the acorn squash. I went to my local produce junction and they had everything except the squash. I ended up getting them at the local ShopRite and pickings were slim.


I took these pictures outside with all the leaves from last night's torrential downpour.

The recipe calls for small squash that you take the top off of. I decided to go with a couple of bigger ones and cut them lengthwise. That worked pretty good.



Cutting up the beets was a red mess. My hands still have a red tint to them. Overall the prep and cooking wasn't that bad.



The final result was a very earthy but slightly bland, beet tasting soup. I'm not sure what I expected but it needed something. It was better when you scooped some of the squash with soup. I added some salt and pepper and that helped. Interesting dish but I don't think I'll make it again.

MUTE MONDAY - (Bud Light) ADVERTISIING

Buzz Kill's Disclaimer: Buzz Kill and it's subsidiaries do not like nor do they endorse Budweiser or Bud Light. We drink it only when there is absolutely nothing else (like at ball games or while Trick-or-Treating with the kids). That said, Bud Light (and technically Budweiser for the 1st one) has the funniest commercials EVER MADE (if you're a guy) and are what all TV advertising should look like. These are the best of the best - so enjoy.