Plagued with a case of aggressive nesting, the local superstore executives have overturned every department where I shop in order to give birth to something I no longer recognize: Aisles 1-15. I used to know where they were and what they contained, but not anymore. Now, I drift about aimlessly, my paper list waving in the wind. I desperately cry out, “Someone help me! I can’t find the ice cream! I can’t find beans, either! Where am I?”
My list contains produce, a few canned goods, some snacks, meat, milk, and eggs, but I can’t zoom about with confidence anymore because that’s how I’ve ended up in the automotive section with windshield wiper blades for cars that we don’t own—and no toothpaste.
However, I do happen to notice a stray can of pumpkin, which I could either use as a guidepost for finding my way back to the cash registers— or I could just take it home because it’s edible and versatile, and I can’t find anything else on my list.
I go for option “B” and grab the can, rushing home to tell Nate, “I found this! Today, I found something!”
It’s 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and I’m waving canned pumpkin in front of Nate’s face, hoping he’ll wrap his arms around me and say, “My God! You did it! I’m so proud of you!” But he hasn’t had his coffee yet, and he hasn’t seen the things I’ve seen. (Salsa is now refrigerated and sharing a shelf with shredded cheese. This has never happened before.)
To celebrate my safe return from “the place of confusion/grocery store,” I decide that I will transform the pumpkin into a soup. The temperature outside does not exactly call for soup. It’s still pretty hot out there, but I’m determined to make some kind of steaming pumpkin stew anyway because it’s October.
A “spicy southwestern pumpkin soup” recipe catches my eye on the Internet. Here is the link to the recipe from Sommer Collier’s website: “A Spicy Perspective.” I’m also providing some of the steps and ingredients that I used from her recipe:
Ingredients that I used:
–1 tsp of olive oil
–1/4 cup of finely minced shallots
–1 tsp of chopped garlic
–1/2 of a jalapeño seeded and chopped
–1 tablespoon of ground cumin
–1 tablespoon of dried oregano
–1 teaspoon of salt
–6 cups of vegetable broth
–1 15-oz can of pumpkin
–1/2 of a 15-oz can of white beans
–2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
–2 tablespoons of honey
–green pepita/pumpkin seeds for a garnish
Method:
–Over medium heat, cook the olive oil, shallots, garlic, and jalapeño for a few minutes.
–Add the cumin, oregano, salt, vegetable broth, and beans.
–Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes.
–Add in the vinegar and honey and let the mixture cook an additional 3 minutes.
–Blend it until the mixture is smooth.
–Serve with the pepitas/pumpkin seeds.
Results: The soup was flavorful, warm, and had all of those wonderful “fall feels.” Sour cream would be a good topping as well—if I could ever find it. Once I do, I’ll leave a trail of canned pumpkin from the parking lot at the superstore all the way to wherever the sour cream might be (the seafood counter?) and that’s just how I’ll have to find everything from now on.
In Other News: A super short fictional piece of mine called “Salud” was published in Safe & Sound, which is a really cool literary magazine that focuses on writing and well-being. You can check out the poem and the magazine here: “Salud.”
–My second column at The Daily Drunk is also live. You can find a recipe and review of Nate’s Rum Punch here: Rum Punch Review.
Your Turn: Do you use the same method/route each time for finding items at the grocery store? Do you make a list, or do you just wing it?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
When the freezing days around us a soup… it could be a delicious alternative… unfortunately Mafalda hate soups. A nice recipe to the nearest Halloween. A rare day due to COVID. Stay well and safe and good taste
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Hope you get a chance to try the soup! Thanks for stopping by:)
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I must be trying it. Kisses from Spain and stay safe and well
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Sounds great–I do something similar with Butternut Squash. And yes, I hate it when the store rearranges the aisles!
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Oh, butternut squash soup is wonderful as well! I love soup season:)
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Oh yes, the shelf re-arrangements. Apparently it’s done so that you can’t buzz through. They want to keep you in there as long as possible so that you impulse buy. 😉 Very annoying.
Thanks for the recipe. I’m not a big fan of pumpkin, but your recipe looks good.
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I know–these days especially I just want to get out of the store–I don’t want to linger. Thanks for stopping by:)
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Such an inventive flash story at Safe & Sound, Cecelia; congrats on that publication! What’s your trick for finding all these neat places to submit? I also enjoyed your piece on The Daily Drunk. No one else presents a recipe quite like you:)
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Thank you so much! Ever since I started submitting to The Daily Drunk, I’ve been following the literary magazines and writers that they follow on Twitter–and there are sooo many new magazines out there that are wonderful. Cheers!
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Oh, that’s good to know!
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I love the look of this pumpkin soup.
My local supermarket has also revamped its look, and now, I have no idea where anything is. It now takes me twice as long to shop because I have to walk up and down every aisle to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.
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Thank you! Yes–grocery remodels are so frustrating. Just when I get used to one arrangement, the management switches everything up again.
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Pumpkin soup is delicious, next time I’ll follow your flavoired recipe. I always do a list! It’s the best way to buy just what you need and to prevent food waste
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I hope you enjoy it! Yes–making a list helps!
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Congratulations on published these articles, I enjoyed both of them.
I don’t drink cocktails very often, but in the fall & winter, will usually have a few rum punches with my pumpkin soup – – when I worked in Williamsburg, VA, I really liked their Fish House Punch, and your recipe sounds great, too! Then I listened to “Islands In the Stream,” hmm, I don’t think it was bad seafood or seagull attacks that were the problem on that cruise. I’ve been exposed to several minutes of lyrics like “I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb/I was soft inside…” (??) Oh good, it’s past noon, I’m going to see if there’s a bottle of rum under the sink, it’s going to take a few punches to remove Dolly Parton and the Bee Gees from my brain.
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Thanks! I had no idea you worked in Williamsburg! I love that place–it must be different to work there though, than to be a tourist. Yes–“Islands in the Stream” is not really known for its deep, thought-provoking lyrics. 🙂
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Well, I should’ve said, I was living in Williamsburg, but actually was working at the Jamestowne site. All kinds of interesting stuff was being unearthed there – evidence of cannibalism, etc. I loved eating in the colonial inns in Williamsburg, and walking through there in the evenings when it was quiet.
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Wow! That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to live in Williamsburg. When I was younger, I thought about applying to the College of William and Mary–ah, dreams.
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I’ve saved the soup recipe to try, but I’ll have to pass on the rum punch. As for the grocery store, my husband does that now. Hurray!
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Glad to hear about the soup recipe–too bad about the rum punch–that sprinkle of nutmeg really pulls the drink together. Cheers!
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🙂
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