I’ll never forget what my mom said to me three years ago as I was boarding a train from my hometown back to the city.  It was right before Christmas and Evie was my only baby. I was dashing about, trying to make the holiday special for my little family, and my mom could see that I was…tired.

“Holidays are hard for moms, aren’t they.”

In these days of Pinterest and Facebook, it seems like we can never live up to the holidays of our imaginations.  Until I was a mom myself, I never realized just how much work went into making holidays special and memorable.  From Christmas to Easter to Halloween, my mom planned ahead to make sure we had fun memories and traditions.  Now its my turn to do the same for my kids.  Its a big responsibility!

When I was growing up, my mom always made chili on Halloween night.  I hoped to continue this tradition, but Evie and Mack do not like chili.  They love homemade soup, though, so I thought a pumpkin soup similar to one my sister Colleen makes might be a fitting dinner for Halloween night.  Mack helped me prepare the fresh pumpkin, and he was so proud of himself that he bragged about it to Evie when we picked her up from school.  The meal was so good that Evie declared it to be “her most favorite soup” – I think it will be our family’s Halloween tradition.

Curry Scented Fresh Pumpkin Soup

2 medium pie pumpkins

4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

2-3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

3/4 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons butter

salt, pepper

Remove the tops from the pumpkins,

slice in half,

scoop out seeds,

slice into wedges and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Roast at 425 degrees for 30-45 minutes (until the pumpkin flesh is tender).

Trim and discard rind, chop flesh, and add it to a soup pot with the broth and garlic.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the pumpkin softens.  Puree directly in the pot using an immersion blender.  Stir in syrup, curry powder, milk and butter.  Add salt and pepper to taste.