Butternut Squash Soup

Fall is such a yummy time of year. The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves permeate my house, mixing with pumpkin, squash, apples and more to make so many flavors that are distinctly autumn.  Today we enjoyed a soul warming Butternut Squash soup for our Sunday dinner. This recipe is thanks to my mother-in-law. Served with little bit of toasted wheat bread and some blackberry jam, we were in heaven!

Ingredients

1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 large brown onion, chopped coarsely
3 bacon strips, chopped coarsely
1 large butternut squash (you may substitute or combine in pumpkin), peeled and chopped coarsley
2 large potatoes, chopped coarsely (you may substitute one cup dry potatoe flakes)
6 cups chicken stock

Melt butter in large saucepan. Cook onion and bacon, stirring until onion softens. Stir in pumpkin and potato. Stir in stock; bring to boil. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Blend or process until pureed. Serve with nutmeg for seasoning.

I took a few liberty's with this recipe and added a parsnip, some salt and pepper and substituted cream for 1/2 of the butter. I imagine you could add a variety of extra vegetables and spices to it to enhance the flavor.

25 Most Common Cooking Mistakes

This is a handy article that Cooking Light magazine put on the web. Please check it out. It addresses many mistakes I've already made, and hopefully will prevent some future mistakes, now that I know.

Cooking Tips and Cooking Questions Answered - Photos - CookingLight.com