My favorite Pumpkin Soup Recipe

My Pumpkin Soup Recipe is my way of notifying my family that winter is here.

For some people the pumpkin soup recipe is a sign of Halloween coming, but trust me – after trying this Pumpkin Soup Recipe you’ll find yourself making it over and over again.

Pumpkin Soup Recipe Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds (900 gr) peeled and chopped Pumpkin
• 1 roughly chopped large onion
• 1 peeled and chopped large potato
• 1 peeled and chopped large carrot
• 1 stick of chopped celery, strings discarded
• 1.5 pints (700 ml) vegetable stock
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1oz (25g) butter
• half pint cream
• 2 tblspoons of chives chopped to garnish
• Salt and pepper

This pumpkin soup recipe is very easy to prepare – follow the preparations below and your pumpkin soup is ready to serve within one hour!

Pumpkin Soup Recipe preparations:

1. In a large heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter and add all the vegetables
2. Cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure the vegetables don’t get brown
3. Add the vegetable stock and the stock cube and stir
4. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are just cooked and then purée with a blender
5. Return the puréed vegetables to the saucepan and season to taste
6. Add the cream and re-heat very gently
7. Sprinkle with the chopped chives before serving to complete the pumpkin soup recipe

Pumpkin Soup Recipe Tips:

• If you plan to freeze this pumpkin soup do not add the cream until you defrost the soup before serving
• This Pumpkin Soup Recipe can be kept refrigerated for over a week
• This Pumpkin Soup Recipe takes about 25 minutes of preparations and about 30 minutes cooking

If you have any comment regardeing this Recipe please let me know, I’d appreciate if you could recommend this pumpkin soup recipe using une of the social networks below.

Happy Cooking

How to make a diaper cake – Readers experience 2

My “How to make a diaper cake” post is one of two special posts (the second is my “how to make fondant” post) that keep surprising me.
The special thing about those posts is that people get such good results, that many of them make it into a business.

Look at this Diaper cake made by Gerry G, I guess she took the video tutorial I recommended…

Pati’s Diaper Cake pictures:

How to make a diaper cake

How to make a diaper cake

And this is what she wrote:

“This is my first attempt to make a diaper cake, and WOW did I have fun!!! There are 100 size 2 diapers, 130 rubber bands, plus “gifts”. The mother-to-be loved it. This cake took me 5 hours to make. If I can do it, anyone can:) Good luck to all, and thank you for letting me share my success story. Gerry G, CA
PS
I am making a 2nd diaper cake, which I have already sold!! I did not roll my diapers, but did the fan look. I will send pics.”

Not only she’s making great diaper cakes, she also turned it into an additional income stream – WOW!

In my original “how to make a diaper cake” post I mentioned this “cheap as chips” video tutorial that showed me the in’s and out’s of how to make a diaper cake.
I never thought that following it is a way to generate more income

Gerry, thanks for the diaper cake pictures, I will be happy to get pictures of more cakes you made, diaper cake or not.
I hope you can develop your “how to make a diaper cake” adventure into a real business, my benefit will be getting the pictures to post here.

You are welcome to see another diaper cake made by one of the readers at “How to make a diaper cake by Pati” and you’re most welcome to send me pictures of cakes you made to: theduke@thecookduke.com
 
Happy Cooking

How to make a diaper cake – Readers Experience

My “How to make a diaper cake” post is online for 2 years now, and nothing makes me happier than getting picture from people who made diaper cakes following my “recipe”.

This diaper cake was made by Pati B following my How to make a diaper cake post.

Pati’s Diaper Cake picture:

How to make a diaper cake

“Dear Cook Duke
 I can understand how hard it is to make the diaper cakes.  I have seen the one you tried to attempt on a site that sells the cakes.  It’s the diapers fanned out around a center, very hard to do I would think.  It was a valiant attemp.  I just made a plain old rolled diaper cake.  I did the diapers first one night.  Then my cousin and I made the cake together.  She’s my “bow” expert LOL 
It’s not too bad for a first one.
 Caption:  Diaper cake for shower 4/6/08 for my daughter Erin.  It was fun to do.”

So first of all, not only it’s not too bad, it’s actually good for a first try!

In my original “how to make a diaper cake” post I mentioned this “cheap as chips” video tutorial that showed me the in’s and out’s of how to make a diaper cake.

The thing I like about this video tutorial is that it saves you the need for first tries and takes you to a complete different level, although Pati shows us that you can make a beautiful diaper cake without any training.

Pati, thanks for the diaper cake picture, will be happy to get pictures of more cakes you made, diaper cake or not

Anyone that followed my “how to make a diaper cake” post is welcome to send me pictures to theduke@thecookduke.com
 
Happy Cooking

Pirate Ship Cake – Readers Experience

My Pirate Ship Cake recipe is online for almost 2 years now, and finally I got mail with pictures from someone who actually used it.

Caroline J sent me this lovely 2 Pirate ship cake pictures and I think the cake she made looks GREAT!

Caroline’s Pirate Ship Cake pictures: 

Pirate Ship Cake

Pirate ship cake

After mastering the Pirate Ship Cake, I hope her next step is to learn how to make fondant, following my fondant recipe.

As always, it’s a great pleasure getting responds from my readers, and if you send pictures of cakes you made using my recipes it’s best, as other readers can see that the recipes are not impossible.

Caroline – Many thanks for the pirate ship cake pictures, I hope you’ll try more recipes and send more pictures J

Happy Cooking

I tried this Banana cheese cake recipe and the cake is so good I’m sharing this cheese cake recipe on the same day.

If you follow my blog I hoped you already try my banana cake recipe, and I’m sure you’ll find this banana cheese cake recipe just as good.

Banana Cheese Cake Recipe Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups quick?cooking oats
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons melted butter 

Banana Cheese Cake Recipe Crust Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stir together the oats, pecans, brown sugar and butter until well combined
• Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9?inch baking pan
• Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown
• Set aside till Cool

Banana Cheese Cake Recipe Filling Ingredients:

• 16 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 4 eggs

Banana Cheese Cake Recipe Filling Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat together the cream cheese, bananas, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice until well blended
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and pour mixture into the crust
• Bake for 40 minutes
• While the cake is baking, prepare Sour Cream Topping

Banana Cheese Cake Recipe Topping Ingredients: 

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Banana slices for garnish

Banana Cheese Cake Recipe Topping Preparation: 

• Mix together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract until well blended
• Take the cheese cake out of the oven and top with the sour cream mixture
• Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes
• Keep in the oven till the cheese cake is cooled to room temperature
• Refrigerate overnight in a covered pan
• Garnish with banana slices before serving

OK, now the cake is finished, but sometimes when you finish following this banana cheese cake recipe you have leftover crust or filling – don’t throw it away!

Pull out any small baking dish, press the crust in the dish and bake it.

Once the crust is baked add the filling and bake again, when the baking time depends on the leftover you have left (it may only take 20 minutes to bake at the same temperature)

It takes a short time and you have your own personal cheese cake, I usually use it as a treat for my wife…

I hope you love this Banana Cheese Cake Recipe, as always, you’re welcome to send me questions, comments and pictures of the cakes you made following this banana cheese cake recipe.

BTW – You can now follow me on Twitter – just look for thecookduke

Happy Cooking