Recipe Friday

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Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog!

It's fall, and October!  That means pumpkins and cool days.   Today I am going to share my recipe for Pumpkin Sausage soup.  (You didn't think I only made cookies and candy, did you?)  At one point in time I actually had a written recipe for this that I got somewhere, but I have no idea where it is.  What I am giving you is the simple, basics for the soup and how I modify it when I make it to get different flavors.

Pumpkin Sausage Soup

1 large can pumpkin (not the pie flavored kind) or 3 soup can sized cans
1 container chicken stock (approx 32 oz) (you can use beef or vegetable stock, too)
1 tube frozen sausage, thawed (I prefer Jimmy Dean Sage or the blue wrapper Great Value breakfast sausage)
1 to 2 teaspoons Mace or Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Cumin
Red Hot or Tobasco Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Cream/Half and Half (optional)

Cook the sausage in a deep skillet (or a regular skillet if you want to do the rest in a separate pan- I don't like to do dishes, so I do it all in one pan!)  Chop into small bits while cooking.  Add stock and pumpkin.  Mix.  Add mace/nutmeg.  (I used Mace this last time and found it worked better than the nutmeg- a more subtle flavor.)   Add cumin (this gives it a smoky flavor).  Add a dash of Red Hot or Tobasco, (or more if you like things spicy!) Salt and pepper to taste (I don't use a lot of salt, but found this helped balance the sweet from the mace).  Cook until hot.  If you want a creamier version, add a pint of cream or half and half.  Serve sprinkled with grated romano or parmesan cheese.

It goes very well with a fresh loaf of bread, or grilled cheese.  And, I found Saranac's Pumpkin Ale is a nice accompaniment for the over 21 crowd.  (Cider works well for the under 21 crowd in our house!)

Enjoy and have a great weekend!