Mmm... mmm good!

For weeks I have been wanting to make this. It looks soo yummy! So today I set off to check the butternut off my list of squashes and pumpkins my dad bought me. I admit butternut was not something I grew up eating.. ever. My beloved is the one that introduced it to me and after making it just a few times I love making soup out of it. I don't know why we didn't buy it before. It's cheap, makes alot of soup if you use it for that sort of thing, and its very nutritious and healthy. Win! Plus it's perfect for those fall and winter weather days. Or just because. :)

Taste wise I guess it could be considered similar to a sweet potato and a vegetable. Really nice flavor and if you add the right spices it gives it a a nice balance of sweet and savory. Plus I love the rich, creamy texture it leaves once you blend it up. Beautiful!

I have to say I didn't have all the ingredients, so what turned out to be a raiding of the spice rack and a few less vegetables turned out some pretty awesome homemade butternut soup. This was my version still following the directions, but with some variation in ingredients.

•  1 Butternut squash
•  1 Medium Onion
•  1 Tbs olive oil
•  3 or so garlic cloves (some were tiny and one was huge--go by taste)
•  LOTS of spices--salt&pepper, rubbed sage, thyme, allspice, and dried basil
•  1 can of chicken broth
•  2 cups or so of water with chicken bouillon added. 

(You might have to add more water once you  blend as it does thicken up nicely)

Even though I didn't have the celery or the carrot the canned broth ended up having some of that in it anyway, and I thought the allspice would give it a nice sweet flavor to go with the savory thyme and sage. Seriously this was some good soup! I definitely think roasting the garlic and the squash bring out more flavor and it very easy compared to say boiling. I have heard you can microwave it, which is faster, but I like the taste the roasting gives it. Also, I just want to say, get an immersion blender! It will save your life and makes soup making so easy. I ended up finding one randomly in my mom's pantry drawer never used. Love it! I might have to steal..erm borrow hers. Shhh! ;) After being in England I found it was a common household item there compared to here. They seem to be big soup makers, something I really admire and hope to me more like myself. I see now how enjoyable and beneficial it is in terms of time, quality food, and in saving money. You can make soup on a very low budget and it lasts you awhile depending on the size of your crowd.

Seriously try this. You will love it!
PS. Check out the recipe and Cook Your Dream's blog. I stumbled upon her site when spending a whole afternoon drooling over recipes all over the internet. Love her creations :)