It's been a year since my last update. So much going on. New baby (ok not so new at this point, 10.5m old) and two older children taking up all my time. Husband adding on to the house, me juggling trying to get the kids here, there, and everywhere. I've had very little time to cook, let alone actually play with any recipes I've found. There have been a few successes and a few failures. None of which I have pictures for, but I'll attempt to get you caught up over the coming weeks.
It's my favorite time of year to cook. It's crisp outside, so heating up the kitchen isn't quite as big a deal as it is in the summer. I baked an apple pie yesterday. Middle child is begging for a slice with every single meal. Always a good thing, and I can validate pie for any meal with a variety of reasons. Last week we went to the orchards;
Russell's Orchards to be exact. That's where the apples came from for aforementioned pie.
While there, I selected an
acorn squash. Just a small one, knowing full well I would be the only one consuming it. However, middle child said she'd try it with me. This is not my first time with an acorn squash, I ADORE acorn squash. Roasted in the oven, then served with butter, maybe a smidge of maple syrup. So much yum. But, it sat all week. One dinner went by, two, then three, then pizza take out, followed by Chinese take out. Which got me where I am today. Knowing I was going out tonight I wanted to make the squash, for myself, for lunch. So I set the oven at 350 to pre-heat. Sliced the squash in half, scooped out the guts, gave it a good spray of cooking oil (so it doesn't dry out), and placed them on a middle rack. 45m later out they came. And that... is when I decided to do more with it. Remembering back to a Spicy Pumpkin Soup recipe I received from a friend, I started to pull spices from my cabinet and decided to play.
Spicy Squash Soup
1 acorn squash, guts scooped, roasted to tender, cooled
1-2c chicken broth (I keep jars of
Better than Bouillon in my cabinets should the need ever arise, I use it in everything)
Onion Powder
Ground Ginger
Curry Powder
Cumin
Coriander
Cinnamon
Salt/Pepper
Cream
1.) Scoop the squash into a blender, add to it 1c chicken broth
2.) Start adding spices, how much? Come on, you know me better than that by now. If you don't like Curry, add less curry. Don't want onion, don't add any. Start with "less is more" and add some later. But add a little bit of everything.
3.) Whirl it all together on puree setting. If you like a thick soup, add less broth, if you like a thinner soup, add more broth. I tend to go about 1.25 to 1.5c of broth.
4.) TASTE, adjust spices
5.) Whirl more, finish with a splash of cream, whirl again.
6.) Pour into pan to warm on stove, bring to simmer. Let simmer for 15 minutes. This is where the spices will really come into their own.
Serve. Enjoy.
And then realize, that, you purchased this for your middle daughter try with you, and now that it's soup, she's not going to touch it. Thankfully, this made just two servings. Lunch today, and lunch tomorrow. Win.
