Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

So I have this pumpkin. It's been on my porch you see. Uncarved. Since the middle of October. After the first of three pumpkins molded I said to myself "Hey you, you like to cook, you should disect that thing and roast it." Well hey me, that sounds delicious. Lets do it!

1 pumpkin- scooped and peeled and diced into large chunks.
1 can of coconut milk
4 cups of chicken broth
1 onion- diced
Olive oil- enough to coat all of the pumpkin
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tbs Cinnamon
1 tsp Clove
4 tbs Curry Powder
2 tbs Garlic Powder, regular garlic can be roasted in with the pumpkin and onions
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. This will take a while but cut your pumpkin up. I cut it into giant strips, then used a paring knife to cut the guts off the strips. I then cut the strips into giant chunks between 2-3 inches long and wide, then stood them up on their sides and cut the skin off.

2. Dice up your onion and toss it in a bowl with the pumpkin pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, shake in your seasonings, and put your vegies in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 400F or until tender.

3. Let your veggies cool so they won't burn you in the blender, and start loading them up. Pour in your coconut milk and chicken broth in batches since it most likely wont all fit at once.

4. Pour your blended soup into a pot to be reheated on the stove. Feel free to thin out with more chicken stock or water to get it to the right consistency. I decided to add a pinch of chili flakes to spice things up, feel free to heavy up on the other spices to get the flavor just to your liking!

Crabby Patties

  

So, little known fact about my Alma Matter, Humboldt State University, one of our alumni is Stephen Hillenburg the creator of Spongebob Squarepants and, thusly, the crabby patty. I have dined at both diners said to have inspired the Crusty Crab and the Chum Bucket, and by far, the Chum Bucket is my favorite. However I leave the debate up to you, I could use a visitor or two and I would be happy to give you the grand tour! The Crusty Crab is said to be inspired by Stars Diner and the Chum Bucket was inspired from Toni's Diner which used to be a block down the street from Stars but has since relocated to a different part of town.
Not trying to put the place down, but Stars diner is true to the depiction in Spongebob. Really great tasting food, but they seriously nickel and dime you for everything. Bring your own ranch if you need it with your fries, you will be charged extra. Toni's on the other hand, The Chum Bucket, is open 24/7 but the bummer is they are cash only. Aside from that though, I reccomend the onion rings and the chili dogs, but the chili dogs come with ketchup so unless you're into that remember to request it not be added.
That being said, if you are looking to add some Humboldt Spongebob to your day, I made some delicious crab cakes that reminded me of little sausage patties when cooked up and I felt they were best dubbed crabby patties!

Ingredients:
4 cans of crab meat
1/4 cup of mayonaise
1/2 cup Chex- your choice, I used rice since that was in my pantry
1/2 stack of Club crackers
2 eggs
1 tbs worchestershire sauce
3 tbs Old Bay Seasoning
2 tbs dried basil flakes
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs cajun seasoning
2 cups Canola or Veggie oil, or just enough to make a thin pool in your pan.

1. Crack those cans open, anything wet, minus the oil, needs to go in the bowl. Btw, make sure you have clean hands because there are no spoons needed, you will be mixing this with your fingers. Sprinkle in all your spices and pretend you're making mud pies. Enjoy it. You know you want to.

2. Smash up your crackers and your chex and squish those in. You don't want too big of chunks in there but you don't want powder either, these will stabilize your patties.

3. Hope you have been getting that oil hot! You need just enough to make a nice layer on the bottom of a non-stick skillet so you can get your patties crispy golden brown.

4. With your hands, make some little round patties just smaller than the palm of your hand and gently place them in the pan. They should fry on each side for about 2 minutes each or until they are golden brown. If they start to get too brown before a minute, your oil is too hot so turn that heat down. You should watch the patties puff up a little with the egg and crackers inside swelling up to hold all that yummy crab together.

5. DEVOUR. But make sure they have cooled a few minutes first. I burned myself on the pan reaching for something. Don't be like me. Be careful when using hot things. Be the adult. BTW- A plate with a paper towel on it is probably a good idea too, keeps the extra oil on the plate and not in your belly.