A Simple Week

When I threw some seed and carrot out for the guinea pigs this morning, I left them happily feasting away. A couple of minutes later I looked through my kitchen door to find that a companion had joined them. She must have heard me open the door and quick as a flash there she was helping herself. Naughty roo poo. Just as well I put out plenty for all. Whatever shall we do with her. Whatever shall we do without her.


I'm afraid I have done very little cooking this week. I have been pretty much alone since Friday and a simple pumpkin soup has kept me going for the last four days. A bit of yoghurt in the morning, marinated beetroot, bread and cheese, pancakes with strawberry and apple jam and I am doing okay. I'm annoyed I didnt have the camera for a few days because I did make a fruit cake for The Borb and hubby to take out to Broken Hill. I soaked the fruit overnight and baked the cake the following day. I could have shown you had I been able to take a pic but oh well, never mind. Next time.

Nikka and I shall be flying down to Broken Hill in a couple of days to join them, so I shall be away for at least a week. We are having a bit of an outback adventure you might say. I believe we shall be camping in the Australian desert along the way. Our destination is going to be Lake Eyre. It most certainly ain't going to be a five star luxury trip I have been forewarned! Nikka is taking her camera gear and we are expecting to see some pretty spectacular sites on our trip, so hopefully she will capture some wonderful images.

Pumpkin Soup

5 handfuls of cubed pumpkin
2 potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 large leeks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large yellow zucchini, diced


Gently saute the leek, garlic and zucchini in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Place lid on the pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Keep the temperature fairly low as you do not want any browining. Add the pumpkin and potato. Stir through for a minute. Put in enough water to cover all ingredients. Season only lightly. Cover pot; cook for about 1 hour. Serve with crunchy bread.

I really liked the simplicity of this soup. No extra additions, no stock, no cream, no herbs. It felt really healthy and the sweetness of the slow cooked leeks with the natural sweetness of the pumpkin combined beautifully with some quality sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sometimes we overlook the beauty of keeping it simple.