Popcorn and Pumpkin

This weekend was all about staying indoors out of the rain and catching up on some things I had neglected of late. I also took this opportunity to do a bit of cooking, some for pure pleasure and some for a reason. I was asked to make caramel corn for a friend's wedding favour and with that type of thing you definitely don't need to ask me twice as I love the chance to help out and if it involves baking then even better. The recipe I chose can be found here, which coincidentally is a wedding blog so very relevant. To pop the corn on the stovetop, I followed the directions on the packet. I popped two and a half cups of corn; therefore I multiplied the caramel part of the recipe by two and a half. I also used golden syrup instead of golden corn syrup. There was every intention of taking photos of the caramel before or even whilst pouring it over the popcorn, however my saucepan was not big enough and when the baking soda was added it foamed over the sides. It was quite the messy and sticky situation so I had to work quickly during this part of the recipe. The caramel corn turned out really well and I know if I make it again then I definitely need a bigger saucepan that is for sure.

My second project of the weekend was to use the butternut squash or butternut pumpkin, for those reading this in my motherland, that I mentioned here in my first attempt at homemade soup. I didn't follow a recipe at all, instead I made it up as I went so there is definitely some room for improvement, but it wasn't too bad. Firstly, I put four cups of water in a saucepan and put it on medium heat to boil. I then peeled and cut up the butternut squash, placing it in the saucepan for thirty minutes. At this time, I blended the butternut squash and water a bit at a time in my blender. I returned the now smooth soup to the stovetop adding salt, pepper, cinnamon (I didn't have any nutmeg) and cream, all to taste. I added an extra half a cup of water so as to achieve a thinner consistency. With the additional ingredients, I believe it is best to add as little or as much as preferred to achieve the ideal taste and consistency. The soup was returned to the boil then served with a dash of cream and some freshly buttered toast. 

It was a great first attempt at both of these projects and I am sure it won't be the last attempt either.