Gallery

Sunday, October 11, 2009



Lately I've been enjoying looking at photos of old Halloween decorations & cards that feature vegetable people. So for fun I made this guy. Butternut Squash man. And I thought that I would include my favorite Butternut Squash soup recipe. This came from the magazine Cook's Country Oct/Nov 2008.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (Southwest Style)

1 med. butternut squash (about 3lbs) peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 in chunks

3 med. shallots, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salt & pepper

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I'm a vegetarian, so I use vegetable broth)

1 tbs. honey

1 tsp. lime juice

1/2 ground cumin

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tbs. finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbs. minced canned chipotle chile

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, shallots, oil, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper in large bowl, then arrange in single layer in a large roasting pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and softened, about 45 min. Add 1/2 cup broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return to oven and cook until liquid has reduced and vegetables are glazed, about 5 min.

Working in 2 batches, puree squash mixture and remaining broth in blender until smooth. (I have a hand mixer, so I usually blend it all in the cooking pot I'm using. They are inexpensive and are really handy for making soups). Transfer pureed squash mixture to large saucepan and stir in honey, lime juice, cumin, and cream. Bring soup to simmer over med-low head, adding 1/4 cup water at a time as necessary to adjust consistency (I usually like mine to be a little thick, so I don't add too much water). Last add the cilantro & chipotle before serving. Can add dollop of sour cream, if desired.

It's a wonderful warm, smokey soup that's perfect for fall. Yummers!

Also, I drained off of the pumpkin & spices from my Vodka. Here are some photos

Right before draining:



And right after:



I had a little nip & I can definitely taste the pumpkin & spices. I'll have to wait until next Thursday, as I will be away working for the next 3 days. When I get home a Pumpkin Pie Martini would certainly hit the spot!

4 comments:

  1. Good Gourd...he's cute! Love this little used cartoon icon for Hallowe'en Belle! I always liked those old postcards with the veggies on them too....so funny! Great work! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This little gourd guy is great! Your style is tops.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting. I have that exact same jar. We filled it with candy corn and bring it out every year as a decoration. When we first filled it up, I added a note that says "Do not eat! This candy corn was put in this jar in 1987." Now, maybe candy corn has a 20+ year shelf life, but I felt the need to protect future generations.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the compliments on BN Squash Man!!

    glimbit, thanks for stopping by. I'm loving all the stuff you're posting at your blog for the Halloween countdown! Great stuff!

    Mike, do you know where your jar came from? I pulled mine out of my grandparents canning cellar in mid-90s, but I have no idea where it came from. I'm going to have to put mine away because it has a light crack in it. It's one of those cracks that's just waiting for something to hit it in just the right place so it will shatter to bits.

    ReplyDelete