Cooking My Way to Happy

Usually when I get down or go through a period of depression I craft. I can thank the summer bout for 90% of my holiday presents already completed, but for some reason this season of downs and blues I've turned to baking, cooking, and experimenting. It is beneficial for my taste buds and for my friends around me; poor husband hasn't dared to try a lot of what I've been cooking, but he has been a good sport in helping me learn to use the food processor, chop up a number of veggies, and well he humors me when I make something that flops. Right now I am obsessed with pumpkin. I love the taste of pumpkin and I've found a ton of recipes to make...that are not just dessert though pumpkin dessert is pretty yummy in any form. Over the last few weeks I've made a yummy sugar free pumpkin pie over sugar free brownies in addition a chocolate pumpkin muffin recipe with a delicious pumpkin cream cheese frosting. Tonight though I made apple pumpkin curry soup. The recipe I used was http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/curried-pumpkin-apple-soup-688399/ I left out the celery (since my tummy can't tolerate it) and went with half honey and half sugar free maple syrup with a pink lady apple and complimented by mild curry. It came out rich and thick. I loved it - to up the protein I sauteed shrimp on the side and added it to the mixture. I also think you could incorporate some quinoa into the soup as well and you would get a more thai feeling to the food plate. I had never ever made a soup before so I was thrilled that it turned out well!

There are still a few things I want to make with pumpkin and here is my list:

1. pumpkin butter (like apple butter)

2. pumpkin sorbet

3. pumpkin marbleized brownies

4. pumpkin dip - made to use on apples

5. a real pumpkin pie - made from real pumpkin not the canned puree!

I'm also really intrigued by squash in general. I got to eat fresh yellow squash sauteed tonight and yummy it was. I had never really cooked squash like that but my taste buds opened up! I'm dying to make zucchini squash lasagna, garlic squash puree over quinoa (my dad used to make it but over rice), and wanting to try to make zucchini bread - i found a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread and thought that might be fun to try. For kicks I would like to try this recipe for soup as well http://www.food.com/recipe/shrimp-and-butternut-squash-in-coconut-milk-broth-155604

So yes, I've been depressed and down, but cooking has been bringing a sense of accomplishment and smile to my face. These past few weeks have been really bad. I haven't really written about it, but over all I've been depressed and my meds have been off as well. The last week I've gone through a med overhaul and the fog (though it isn't lifting) is starting to lessen. I'm hoping by the end of this week that I feel better...at least better enough to get off my butt and do some things that I want to do. I'm needing to get out of the apt and off campus ...getting my butt to the REC wouldn't hurt anything either. Time to teach the depression that there is no place here! Ok...got to clean up the kitchen - the only down side from cooking so much.