The Pumpkin Experience

Fall is just around the corner and so is the pumpkin season. In my home country, Poland, pumpkins are not as popular as here, in Canada. In Ontario, from September to November, you can find pumpkins in almost every store, in every farmers market and on many fields across the province. Pumpkins come in different shapes and are used as fall decorations, as ingredients for many seasonal recipes and, of course, as jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween.

Today I’d like to share with you one my favourite pumpkin recipes: pumpkin soup. It is delicious and will warm you up on a cold autumn or winter day. My advice is to freeze some of the pulp and you can use it later, after the pumpkin season is over. Here’s the recipe. Bon appetit!

PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pumpkin (fresh or frozen)

• 1 onion

• 2 carrots

• 3 1/3 cup vegetable broth

• juice from 1 orange

• 1 tbsp. butter

• ginger

• 1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

• coriander

• salt and pepper

Now it's time to get to work!
1) Preheat oil.
2) Add onion, pumpkin, butter, carrot, a little bit of ginger and juice from 1/2 orange.
3) Cook everything for about 5 min.
4) Add vegetable broth and boil for another 15 min.
5) Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix it all with a hand blender until smooth and cook for another 4 min.
6) Sprinkle on some coriander, and add salt and pepper to taste.

The "Buble" Experience

My name is Justyna and I’m from Poland. I came to Canada 4 years ago. I got married to a wonderful man, Damian, and nine months ago I gave birth to our first child, a boy named Christian.

I love music. I’ve always loved music. My parents tell me I needed a small radio in my crib when I was a baby. My husband shares my passion for music and once in a while we like going to concerts. So far, we have seen Chris Botti, Leonard Cohen, The Police, Sarah Brightman and now Michael Buble.

Tickets to Michael Buble’s concert were a gift from my husband for my birthday. Since my birthday was back in April, I had to wait four months to "see" my gift but it was worth it.

The concert started at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010, in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. We managed to get there, struggling with quite heavy traffic, shortly after 8:00 p.m. Luckily for us, there was another band singing before him, and we could still get some drinks and take our places just in time for the show Michael Buble prepared for his mainly female fans.

I must confess the concert was great: good music and lots of laughter. It turned out Michael Buble is not only a very good singer, but he also likes to entertain his audience by telling jokes, funny stories and imitating celebrities. I had a wonderful time and I’d definitely like to see him again in a couple of years.

If you like music of a specific singer or a band, going to their concert can give you a new musical experience. My advice for you would be to prepare a good camera, a pair of binoculars (especially if your seats are far from the stage) and maybe a CD, just in case you are lucky enough to get an autograph. But, most importantly, have lots of fun, because that’s what it’s all about!