Donna Salazar Designs: Grammy Donna's Pumpkin Soup

Hello my peeps! Today is Halloween here in the U.S.

My family isn't big into the scary stuff. What we like are the cute little toddlers running around in costumes that make them look like little stuffed animals, the fall decorations everywhere, sitting around a firepit on our front lawn, spending time with friends and my family's MOST favorite thing is my Pumpkin Soup. I make it more than once during the Fall but my family won't let me miss making it on Halloween.

I know some of you might be like... "Ewww" because you're thinking pumpkin pie in a soup... but this is NOTHING like that. I started making this soup when I was a teenager. My mom and I had watched the Frugal Gourmet make it and then we made it and we fell in love. I lost that recipe a long time ago so I make it from memory but every year I've tweaked it a bit here and a bit there anyway until I finally came up with the recipe below.

Grammy Donna's Pumpkin Soup

1 medium pumpkin peeled and diced (approximately 6 cups)

6 peeled and diced medium potatoes (approximately 4 cups)

1/2 onion diced

2 Tbs of minced garlic

1 pound of bacon (keep 2 Tbs of drippings)

2 cups chopped chicken (white or dark)

1/2 cube butter

1 can chicken broth plus an equal amount of water

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon in a frying pan and strain the cooked pieces. Drain bacon grease except for approximately 2 Tbs. Place the chopped onion, butter, and garlic in the frying pan and carmelize the onions. Move the ingredients from the pan to a large pot, add the chopped chicken and cook over medium heat.

While the chicken is cooking, begin peeling and chopping the potato and pumpkin, throw into pot as you go. Make sure that you periodically stir the pot as you are peeling and chopping. Once the pumpkin and potato is in the pot, add the chicken broth and water and continue to boil over medium heat stirring occasionally. At 1.5 hours, use a potato masher to break up any large pieces that are left.

Crumble 3/4 of the bacon and add to the soup with 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Use the remaining bacon and cheddar cheese to top off each person's bowl. Then just serve hot with a Sourdough baguette! I promise you... it will be DELISH!!!

Thanks for Stopping by!!! Smooches ~D~