Butternut Squash Soup

Here's a soup I bet you haven't tried before! Perfect for fall, though it probably doesn't feel too fall-like there yet. Here the trees are all spindly looking because the leaves have all fallen. Swirling along the ground because it's been really windy here the past few days. As I was driving home from work last night I was thinking what perfect weather it was for Halloween tomorrow. Jay picked up a pumpkin yesterday so of course we'll have to carve it!

Anyway, I digress. Remember that big squash that I couldn't figure out exactly what kind of squash it was? I think it looked closest to a buttercup squash. But anyway, here is what I decided to do with it. I found this recipe on Food.com, though it originally came from Southern Living.

I had already roasted my squash beforehand, so it was already cooked when I threw it in the pot. I was a little surprised at how much I liked this soup. I was worried that it would taste too "squash-y", but it didn't. Even Jay ate a big bowl of it, and he's not a big fan of squash.

I should have blended it up a bit more, it's supposed to be really nice and smooth. But oh well, it still tasted good! The only thing I was missing was the heavy cream, and I think it would have tasted better if I'd had it.

Be brave and give this soup a try!

Butternut Squash Soup

6 slices bacon

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

4 (12-ounce) packages frozen butternut squash or 3 lbs fresh squash, peeled and chopped

32 ounces chicken broth

2 Tb lemon juice

1 1/2 Tb honey

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp allspice, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper

1/4 cup whipping cream

Cook bacon in a large pot until crip. Crumble and set aside. Reserve 2 Tb drippings in the pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, and apple. Saute until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except cream.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Process, in batches, in a blender or with a hand held blender. Return mixture to pot and stir in heavy cream and crumbled bacon.

If the soup is too thick you can add a little more chicken broth or cream.