Brrrrrr....

It's cold out, y'all.

Like, REALLY cold.

I'm trying to figure out if I can beg the grocery store clerk to bring my "order online and they'll get it for you" order to the car, too.   Because not having to unload the kids and walk through the zero-degree weather to get into the store might just be the motivation that I need to trust someone else to pick out my fruits and veggies.....

Cold weather makes me crave soup and stews.  Does it do the same for you?   And tea.  Lots and lots of hot tea.  Anything that I can do to make my FL roots not shrivel up and die during Maine winters, I'll pretty much do.  

I thought I'd post tonight's dinner here, since it's a recipe that I get asked for every time I mention that we're eating it.   It's a great winter soup - leaves you feeling all warm and cozy inside.   My beautiful friend Jody taught it to me, and we've worked with it to make it our own.   So, here goes:

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 apples, the sweeter the better (we like Fuji), peeled, cored, and chopped into cubes

1 onion, cut into small wedges

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled, but leave them whole

6-8 cups broth (veggie, chicken, doesn't matter)

nutmeg

cinnamon

salt

pepper

olive oil

Alright - first thing you do is prep all of your veggies and fruits.   Preheat your oven to 350º while you're doing this.   Throw squash, apples, onion, and garlic onto a rimmed cookie sheet and drizzle it with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.   (I didn't use salt, because my broth this time was the "Better than Bouillon" chicken base, and it's salty enough as it is).  

Once everything's nice and tossed, throw it into the preheated oven.   Roast them at 350º for about 45 minutes, stirring at least once halfway through.   I like to roast it until the squash is nice and soft and the edges of the onion have started to caramelize.

Now, normally, I use a big stock pot for this step, but I'm about to head out the door and do a gymnastics practice run with the kids, and I need this to be ready when I get home.    I'm using my crockpot to keep it warm for me, so I don't have to reheat it when I walk in the door with hungry, tired kids.

Once everything is good and roasted, throw it all into a large pot.  Make sure to scrape the cookie sheet and get all of the juices that are left behind.    Add your chicken broth and either use a pureeing stick (that's what I do), or put it through a blender in batches to get it to the right consistency.   We use about 8 cups of broth for our soup, because we like it to be not as thick (it's easier for Theo to eat if it's a bit runnier).  

Season it with the nutmeg and cinnamon and serve warm with crusty bread.  If it's not sweet enough for your tastes (this totally depends on your apples), add a bit of maple syrup.

We've experimented with various spices and have found that this soup also works great with a combination of curry spices instead of the cinnamon/nutmeg option.   Try it that way, too!

*******

Alright, time to get moving, but first, how about a little beauty that I spotted over the last two days?

From this morning - I'm so grateful for the ability to homeschool these rascals.  I used to say that the thing that scared me the most about the idea of parenting was teaching a child to read (after all, I don't remember ever NOT being able to read!).   Homeschooling has shown me that not only is this fun and exciting, but it's awfully rewarding.  For the child, AND me!

From yesterday.  Well, in the middle of the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, so it was technically yesterday.  Poor munchkin has a cold and is all stuffy and not sleeping or eating all too well.   Doesn't change her beautiful smile and sheer happiness of being with you.  Love this girl!