Let's Get a Little Whimsical
WHIMSICAL ROASTED SQUASH AND CARMELIZED ONION SOUP, FROST POEM, BONUS WHIMSY
I’ve been thinking a lot about whimsy this week and how I sort of wish that I’d named this Substack of mine Whimsy instead of Comforting.
I am terrible about naming things. This is pretty well known. Book titles. Newspapers. Newspaper headlines. Blog titles. Children. Pets. It’s a flaw.
Anyway, I love whimsy.
“We need more whimsy here,” I told Shaun (my husband) the other day.
He was silent for a hot second and then he said, “Baby. Have you ever actually looked at our house?”
We have a black bear and a yak footstool. A mouse sticker romps on my wall and pretend birds dangle from light fixtures. There are stars that glow from the ceiling along with broomsticks that I can’t make myself take down after Halloween. I love dandelion fluff and hazelnut charms and trees full of white lights like fairy wings.
“Oh.” I thought for a second. “Maybe just a little bit more?”
Whimsy is about imagination, about play, about fanciful things that amuse. There is so much comfort in that. And I see it in so many places in my town (outside of my house) and outside of the areas where the tourists might look.
This is on a side road in downtown Bar Harbor proper. How cool, right?
And there are places in more formal gardens and woods walks where it happens, too.
There are fairy houses at the historical society, resting under a tree. There are stickers on poles and people giving out flowers, and all these bits of delight everywhere. How cool is that? How hopeful is that to see what people do despite everything else that happens?
It’s so hopeful.
A POEM
A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth.
Robert Frost
WHIMSICAL ROASTED SQUASH AND CARMELIZED ONION SOUP
This soup is from Mariah Renshaw’s SHE TRIES THINGS
What goes in it:
1 kg butternut squash or pumpkin peeled and cut into chunks
2 large onions sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional for warmth
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
How to make it:
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread the chopped squash on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat evenly. Roast until the edges are golden and tender, about 30-35 minutes, filling your kitchen with a sweet, toasty aroma.
Meanwhile, melt a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden and caramelized, about 20 minutes, emitting a rich, sweet smell.
Once the squash is roasted and cool enough to handle, add it to the pot with the caramelized onions. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the ground nutmeg and cinnamon to add warm, complex flavors.
Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture directly in the pot until smooth and velvety, or carefully transfer it to a blender in batches. Blend until the soup is creamy, with no lumps remaining.
Return the pureed soup to low heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer gently for 5 minutes to meld the flavors, and to ensure it’s heated through.
Serve the soup hot, garnished with a drizzle of olive oil or a sprinkle of fresh herbs if desired. Its rich, smooth texture and warm spice aroma make it perfect for a cozy fall day.
BONUS WHIMSY!
Or a lady making her life more whimsical. She has a craft store! She reads a book solo. Wait. Is that whimsical?
Maybe just add in some classical whimsy?
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