[INDY] Girl in Love A little Fall Gardening + What I'm Cooking: Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup

Where did our Fall go?  It seems like we jumped right into Winter here in Indiana.  How does it go from mid to upper 80s down to low 40s all in a span of a week?  Indiana weather is so finicky sometimes.

Over the weekend D's parents and a couple of his aunts made the drive down to Indy, bringing along plants, trees, and invaluable horticultural knowledge to help rescue our drab-looking back yard.  I gained a whole heap of information on how to properly spot and space each section and each particular plant.  Also, tips on watering and tools of the trade.  They even relocated existing plants that were on improper sides of the yard, moving some from the front to the back and vise verse.  It was such a fun experience and the work totally paid off.



There's a spot we left in the corner for a bench



Can't wait to add flowers to this mulch bed and maybe even some fish to the pond!



Loving the beautiful, bright red mums!

It turned out better than I would've imagined and was completed way faster, too.  I can't wait to see everything in bloom in the Spring.  It's going to look so lush in a couple years.

Later that evening, D and I hosted a BBQ with some of our good friends to fire up our new grill and fire pit.  Great times had by all!

What's a better way to embrace the drastic drops in temperature than to whip up a fantastic seasonal soup?  About a week and a half ago, I created an amazingly hearty and completely fitting Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup.  It is sure to warm you up on these dreadfully cold and misty days.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  I started with a standard, whole butternut squash that I halved and placed on a lightly oiled sheet pan and roasted in the oven for about an hour (until tender and scoopable). 

As the squash was coming to the end of roasting, I went ahead and prepped and diced my mirepoix (onion, celery and carrots).
 

I removed the squash from the oven to allow it to cool down enough to handle.  Once that was done, I scooped it out and collected the seeds (to be used later on in the recipe). 

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat and saute the mirepoix in about a half a tablespoon of canola oil until softened, covering and stirring often. 

Next, cube the cooled down squash and then combine it with the mirepoix. 

A key feature to this soup was the surprising combination of flavors produced, not only by the rich, buttery squash, but in the bold seasonings:

• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle chile powder (a new favorite of mine!)
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of all spice



Combine the seasonings into the pan and continue cooking all the ingredients for about 10 to 12 mins. 

Stir in approximately 3 cups of vegetable broth and 3 cups of chicken broth. Simmer for about 20 mins or until the vegetables are tender. 

I let it cool down for about 20 mins before taking an emulsion blender to it.  Although I was anxious to try a spoonful, the thought of hot liquid and veggies splashing up was too much to risk.  I put the blender on low and slow while adding a half cup of Greek plain yogurt and then pureed it down til all the chunks were smoothed out.

In the meantime, remember those seeds I saved after coring the squash?  I laid them on a cookie sheet, sprayed with canola oil, and then sprinkled with a little bit of salt and ground  chipotle.  Then I popped them in the oven for a bit to toast.

Horrible picture, but you get the point

Once everything was complete, I poured a bowl out for myself.  I am often quite generous when it comes to soup-topping.  I went with crumbled bleu cheese, chopped green onions, toasted & seasoned squash seeds, and just a dash of the chipotle chile powder! 

Mmm Mmm GOOOD!  I wish I still had some left but D and I (mostly me!) devoured it over the next few days.  This was one of those recipes that I really had to give myself a pat on the back because it was so unbelievably delicious! 

If you decide to give it a try, please let me know what you think!  Stay cozy these next few days.  It's not supposed to get back into the 60s until this weekend!!

Some of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of my new house

Eventually I will get around to posting pictures of the new house and all it's glory but it's still such a work in progress right now.  Instead, I'm going to preview some lovely discoveries I made over the weekend.

THE GOOD: Beautiful sunrises  

My Blackberry's camera does not do enough justice in capturing this amazing pink and purple sky

This spectacle was seen from my back deck this morning before heading out to work.

THE BAD: Little Miss B went on a giant rampage
My lovely mutt, B, was a bit of a terror all week.  Earlier in the week, upon returning home from work, I would be greeted by Swamp Thing 2 aka my dog drenched and caked in mud.  She has discovered it's fun to hide out under the decks and run a-muck back and forth in our unkempt yard.  After some stern disciplinary actions (immediate baths or cold hose downs) she made some progress and on Wednesday and Thursday, I came home to a clean and excited doggy! I was so excited, I gave her a couple slices of lunch meat.  Then Friday, I decide to meet up with some friends in Broad Ripple and didn't arrive back home until pretty late.  As had been the past 2 days, I went to excitedly greet B for steering clear of the mud while I was away when suddenly I noticed something far more sinister....

This was actually one of the lesser damaged screens

She clawed and completely ripped through all, but 2, of the 7 screens on the windows along the back porch!   I was extremely upset and dreading telling D about it but I promised that I would pay to have them all rescreened.  I suspect that all of the neighborhood fireworks probably startled her and sent her anxiety levels through the roof.  I just wish my dog had a bit more self control.

THE UGLY: ARACHNOPHOBIA 2

Last night before heading upstairs to hit the hay, I noticed a giant black spot on my carpet that from afar looked like dirt.  To my utter surprise and complete fear, this is what I came across:

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I realized it was a gigantic Wood Spider (of which the previous owner had forewarned me about).  This was the first time I had seen one live in our new place.  I quickly took a pic to send to D and ran to grab a cup and do the nice thing by letting it go outside.  But after trying to wrangle it up, it some how eluded capture and scurried somewhere out of sight (I think under the couch).  Now I am completely paranoid to sit on it and the rest of the night I felt like creepy-crawlies were all over the place.  I won't rest easy until I know he's caught next time I won't be so generous in sparing spiders' feelings or lives.

Weekend Recap + What I'm Eating: Creation Cafe

The past weekend was pretty busy.  It began Saturday afternoon with the Broad Ripple Arts Fair and a Hog Roast at a friend's house in Broad Ripple.  Being the bad blogger that I am, I didn't take any pictures at the BRAF.  Kelly and I made our way there around 2pm on Saturday.  Parking was a bit scarce and we decided to pay $10 to park nearby for the convenience and because of the looming storm clouds ahead.  Admission was a bit steep at $15 a person but I'm sure it costs a lot to organize such a massive event.  The smells of greasy, goodness smacked us in the face upon entering.  The aroma of roasted nuts was mesmerizing but I decided to skip them.  Instead, we made a beeline to the beer tent.  I started out with a Honey Moon.  The event was set up with various, winding fingers of vendor booths that zig-zagged around the property.  There were some really talented artists, vendors and performers scattered throughout the venue.  I saw a lot of pottery, paintings, jewelry.  I loved the student section which reminded me of SCAD (down in Atlanta).  Kelly purchased a beautiful ring from a lady who was studying jewelry-making.   We continued our journey past more booths and stood to watch a glass-blowing demonstration.  We grabbed another beer (an IPA) from the Broad Ripple Brew Pub before finishing up.  I was sad that I didn't leave with anything.  I am constantly on the lookout for items to decorate the new house.  I did get a lot of ideas for future projects, though.  All in all, it was a great experience.  We rushed through most of it for fear of the skies opening up.  It started to rain right as we were leaving.

Immediately afterwards, we made our way to our friend Cam's (and Creed's) 2nd Annual Hog Roast.  They live in a great 1 story bungalow-style home in Broad Ripple that reminds me of a place on HGTV.  It's a definite bachelor pad with an amazing backyard, perfect for entertaining.  They began roasting the pig earlier in the day so by the time I got over there, it was almost ready for mass consumption.  There was plenty of space for people to congregate around.  The garage served as the main area that housed the kegs and margarita machine.  Flip-cup tables, beer bong and corn hole was also out for people to take part in.  This was the first big event this year that really brought to light SUMMER! 

Luckily Mel took a pic (Me*Fefe*Alicia)

It was a definite high school reunion.  I went to HSE and saw several people I hadn't seen in years; however, there were also plenty of other non-HSE people on hand.  I ended up only staying for about 3 hours.  D suggested we call it an early night so we could get up early without a massive hangover.  Although I initially protested, it ended up being a great call.  We went home and sat out on the back deck for a while, enjoyed a few more brews and just enjoyed eachothers' company.  Good Night!

The following morning (Sunday), we rose to a beautiful, sunny day.  D, myself and Little Miss B didn't waste much time before getting dressed and scurrying out the door.  We decided to finally walk to the canal and grab lunch at Creation Cafe.  From our place to Creation Cafe, it's a little over 2 miles.  We decided to then walk the entire canal (a 3-mile loop) before grabbing lunch.  I had no idea how beautiful the canal really is.  We saw the Indiana Museum of Contemporary Art, the Eiteljorg Museum, the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center.  We also walked past the enormous JW Marriott and Victory Field that stood nearby.  Next big walk, I want to keep going past the Indianapolis Zoo. The new Cosmopolitan complex really intensifies the landscape and the views along with the other various apartments, condos and businesses.  

By the time we made it back to Creation Cafe, I was weak, thirsty and starving.  We grabbed a table outside despite ominous storm clouds off in the distance.  They sat us against the wall, wedged between a couple with a frou-frou lap dog and another couple with a large hound-mix.  That could've been interesting but luckily all 3 were so well behaved.  A table that was seated a few minutes after us was greeted and had drinks before someone approached our table.  They were pretty busy and it usually wouldn't be a problem but we were all parched.  We quickly ordered 2 iced-teas and a bowl of water for B.  She pretty much took the whole thing down immediately.  I went back and forth with the menu.  This was my 4th visit to Creation Cafe and the experience has been mixed.  Some of the food has been great, other times, not so good.  I also think their food is a bit pricey for what they have.  They charge $10-$12 for their salads which are medium-sized.  The sandwiches and wraps are around $9 and come with one side.  Ultimately, I couldn't decide if I wanted lunch or to try something off of the brunch menu.  The Monkey Nut Martha (either pancakes or waffles with banana, chocolate chips and peanut butter) was so tempting but I resisted.  I finally went with the Hoity Toity Sandwich (grilled chicken breast with sage aoili, Granny smith apples, toasted walnuts, and brie).  D chose the Italiano Panini (salami, pepperoni, ham, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, hot peppers and mayo on pressed sourdough bread).  I could've bet $100 that's what he was going to choose. 

As we waited for our food, our server brought us the Doggie Menu provided by Three Dogs Bakery. OMG. So cute and thoughtful.  There were items such as whole wheat "ribs" slathered in BBQ sauce or entrees with chicken, carrots, green beans, and rice.  They even had "desserts".  Everything was decently priced but I knew that there was too much going on around B for her to eat so we passed on that.  She would eventually enjoy some scraps from our food.  Speaking of the food, it arrived very promptly.  I was very much relieved because I thought I was going to faint.  (D and I were stupid and didn't eat breakfast before embarking on our journey downtown.)  D quickly scooped his panini up and took 2 bites before I got a chance to take a picture.  I love when restuarants use panini presses and the bread is perfectly charred.  He would later tell me it is in his Top 3 favorite Italian sandwiches ever.  I'm always happy to hear that when introducing someone to a new-to-them restaurant.  The french fries were kind of an after thought. 

He seriously couldn't wait

My sandwich was equally delicious.  It had tartness from the apples; buttery sharpness from the brie and sweet from the toasted walnuts.  The chicken was cooked perfectly and the cheese was very "melty."  Although my sweet potato fries looked lifeless, I really enjoyed them.  They were naturally sweet with a hint of salty.  They really complimented my sandwich.

Love the mismatched plates and colorful placemats!

About midway through our meal, the storm shelf finally made its way to us and it began pouring.  People who were seated near the railing tried to wait it out under the tables' umbrellas but quickly realized that was impossible to do. 

Major downpour!

Many tables were resat inside.  We were in the perfect spot and didn't get wet.  One downside was that there was a sewer grate right next to us that began stinking once the rain came.  That was pretty unappetizing. 


Thumbs up: dog bowls for water and food Thumbs down: yucky sewer

We called our room mate to make sure he could pick us up if the storm didn't let up but just as quickly as it came, it left and the sun came out again.  This time around, my time at Creation Cafe was very pleasant  so I think it's 3:1 with me so far.  The location on the Canal and eclectic, dog-encouraging atmosphere is what really sells it.  I hope we can get a few more walks and dining experiences before we move to the 'burbs in 3 weeks.  The bill was about $30 including tip.  We walked the final 2+ miles back home where D and B crashed immediately.  I was exhausted but had to go meet up with The Bride and her mom to look for shoes to wear with my dress.  The Bride: Not having luck finding a size 5 in the style/color/design she's looking for.  Me: Success. Check that off my massive to-do list.  When I got home, I mustered up enough strength to cook dinner before my body finally said ENOUGH!  Stay tuned for the amazing Fish Tacos recipe....

The Verdict: Out of 5 stars

Location/Atmosphere: ****  The beginning point of the North end of the Canal downtown.  Lots of indoor (quirky, fun decor) and outdoor seating (beautiful city views) plus extremely dog friendly

Service: ***1/2 We sat a little while before being greeted but the rest of the time was smooth


Food: **** D and I both enjoyed our sandwiches; the sweet potato fries were delish! Doggie Menu is another PLUS

Will I eat there again: Yes

Creation Cafe and Euphoria

337 West 11th Street 

Indianapolis, IN 46202-3001 

(317) 955-2389