Today: Martha Stewart Pumpkin Soup Recipe + Thanksgiving Place Cards

Today Show: Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving continues to be a popular tradition for those who can’t make it home to be with their families. Martha Stewart visited Today Show with some thoughts about how to entertain a group. She also shared a Pumpkin Soup Recipe.

Stewart is hosting 35 guests for Thanksgiving, and she said that advance preparation is the key to success. She said that she is not a fan of pot luck-style celebrations, because she loves to give to her guests and do the work for them (though Matt Lauer suggested she is simply controlling).

Today Show: Thanksgiving Place Cards

Martha Stewart suggested creating place cards for your guests using old childhood photos. If you are hosting a Friendsgiving with young people, they might not have black and white photos to bring, but maybe you can print some out from Facebook for this purpose.

You can spray paint pumpkins and gourds in gold to create a festive centerpiece.

Today Show: Martha Stewart Pumpkin Soup Recipe Ingredients

“It’s a vegetarian pumpkin soup,” Martha Stewart said. She said she does not ask about dietary restrictions on Thanksgiving, I guess because she attempts to offer enough options so that everyone can find some things to enjoy.

• 1 skinned, seeded, cubed Sugar Pumpkin (in 1” pieces)
• 1 diced Red Onion
• 2 1/2 quarts Vegetable Stock
• 1 washed, drained, diced Leek
• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• sauteed Chestnuts & Celery Root
• Salt & Pepper

Martha Stewart: Today Show Pumpkin Soup Recipe Directions

1. In a pot, place pumpkin with onion, leek, and stock. If stock does not cover the other ingredients, add water so that everything is covered.
2. Bring the soup to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. Let cool a bit.
3. Transfer soup to a blender in batches, pureeing (or use an immersion blender).
4. Return pureed soup back to the cleaned soup pot.
5. Reheat the soup on medium, stirring now and then; salt and pepper.
6. Whisk in butter and serve hot. Use pumpkin seeds, chestnuts, and celery root to garnish.