Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Soup

Well this soup just screams "Fall" doesn't it? With the classic pumpkin pie spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice, and two staples of the holidays - pumpkin and sweet potatoes, this soup makes your kitchen smell like November and December. The soup has a slight sweetness from the brown sugar, but it's not like you're eating pumpkin pie soup. The brown sugar simple highlights the other spicy fall flavors in the soup. I chose not to puree the sweet potatoes because I liked the idea of a sweeter version of a chunky potato soup, but you could puree the soup if you like. Enjoy the fall flavors and subtle sweetness of this festive holiday soup :)

Featured in La Petite Fashionista Magazine!

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup

Makes 3 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

15 oz pumpkin puree

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1. Mix pumpkin puree and vegetable broth in a large pot. Turn the heat to high.

2. Peel sweet potato and chop into 1 inch cubes.

3. Add sweet potatoes and spices to the pot. When the soup comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and simmer covered for an hour or until the potatoes are tender. Turn the heat off and mix in the heavy cream. Enjoy!

Whisk the pumpkin puree into the vegetable broth and turn the heat to high.

Peel one large sweet potato and cut it into one inch cubes.

Add the potatoes and spices to the pot! Get ready for your kitchen to start smelling like fall...

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover for 1 hour. The potatoes will get nice and tender!

Turn the heat off and mix in the heavy cream. Mmm so luscious and warm.

I really enjoy how familiar all of these ingredients are, yet I've never tried them put together in this way before! I'll be honest, I'd been dreaming about this soup but wasn't quite sure what to expect of the final result. I'm quite pleased with the blend of sweet and savory that I achieved :) Just enough sweetness to highlight the savory/spicy fall flavors without being overwhelming. If you are in the mood for something outside the box yet familiar, try some Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup! 

Potato Salad

My mom is admittedly not a big fan of cooking. I always cooked with my dad growing up and my mom GLADLY  passed on the cooking duties to us, but there are a few select dishes she LOVED to make. One of those dishes is potato salad and it's her specialty! She makes enormous batches for cookouts and barbecues and parties and it's always a big hit! The key to this potato salad - the crunch. It has plenty of crunchy little bits with the celery, onion, and radishes that are a nice variation in texture from the soft potatoes and creamy dressing. 

*Disclaimer: My mom insists that the hard boiled eggs are crucial in this recipe. I'm not a fan of hard boiled eggs so I left them out and it was still PHENOMENAL. Add them if you like hard boiled eggs in potato salad!

Mom’s Potato Salad

Makes 8 cups of potato salad

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

10 redskin potatoes (or other types of potatoes)

5 radishes

3 celery stalks

1 white onion

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp salt

A sprinkle of paprika

(optional) 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1. Rinse potatoes and boil in a large pot of water over high heat until fork tender, about 30 minutes.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, chop celery, onion, and radishes into small pieces. Mix together mayonnaise, milk, mustard, and salt.

3. Pour potatoes into a colander and let cool for 5 minutes. Peel the skin off of the potatoes. Cut potatoes into large 1 inch chunks.

4. Mix together all ingredients and season with more salt if desired. Let cool in the refrigerator before serving.

5. Sprinkle paprika on top and enjoy!

It takes a while to boil the potatoes, but that gives you time to chop the veggies and mix the dressing. It took these 10 redskin potatoes about 30 minutes in boiling water to get fork tender. Make sure you don't over cook them or else your potato salad will be mushy! Drain them when you can easily insert a fork into them but they're still firm enough to hold their shape and not fall apart.

Ah all the crunchy bits! This is my favorite part of the recipe because you get different textures in the potato salad. There's nothing worse than mushy potato salad!

Let the potatoes cool and peel the skin off. Chop the potatoes in larger chunks than you think you will need because they break up a bit when you stir everything together!

I forgot to take a picture of the dressing, but its very easy! Just mix the mayonnaise, milk, mustard, and salt. You can taste test the dressing before you mix everything together and add more salt if desired. Mix all ingredients! Let it cool in the refrigerator before serving.

Sprinkle with paprika and you've got a perfect side dish for any barbecue or cookout!