Soup's On

Time to light the pumpkin candle and set the stage for a cozy fall day spent at home.

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What better thing to do on a cozy fall day than make soup. . . Roasted Squash & Apple Soup to be exact.

Ingredients:

1 (2-1/2 lb.) butternut squash, peeled, seeded & cut into 2 inch pieces

2 medium onions, peeled & quartered

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & quartered

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Chile powder for seasoning (optional)

4 cups vegetable stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large roasting pan, toss squash, onions, garlic & apples with oil to coat. Season well with salt and chile powder. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes until vegetables are fork tender and lightly browned, about 40 minutes.

Transfer half the vegetables& 2 cups stock to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Repeat with remaining vegetables and broth. Return pureed mixture to pot, thinning soup with stock, if necessary. Season with salt and chile powder. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Serve immediately.

I think the hardest part of this recipe is cutting & peeling the butternut squash. To make it a bit easier I cut a small slice off the side of the squash so that it sits flat on the cutting board ( no more rolling around).


Then I carefully cut it into slices. Butternut squash has a very thick skin and I have visions of losing a fingertip whenever I cut them up. Maybe that's because last Thanksgiving I did get a pretty good slice in my finger while doing this. I am trying to be more careful now, but if anybody out there has a great tip for cutting up squash, I'm all ears.

Hmmm . . . now for the really exciting part of my cooking. If you've seen Rachael Ray cook then you are familiar with her "garbage bowl" idea. I think that is a great tip, but I use a grocery bag instead. It's a great way to get rid of those many bags that threaten to take over the house and when I'm done I tie up the mess and toss it out. No bowls to wash.

The apples and vegetables are cut up. Let the roasting begin.

Mmmm. . .

Looking Good

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Tasting Even Better

Now to finish off my cozy day I'm going to light my little pumpkin light

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find a good book to curl up with.

So, until we meet again . . .

Happy Fall Y'all