Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I've been making some version of this soup for nearly 20 years! I was inspired by a recipe from one of my all time favorite cookbooks, The The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest
It's one of my favorite autumn soups. 

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1-2 apples, coarsely chopped
olive oil
2 butternut squashes, peeled and cubed
water for the pot
salt, pepper, cinnamon to taste

Directions

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onion, garlic, and apples, and cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes, until it all begins to brown.
Add butternut squash, and continue stirring, until the squash is slightly softened. Add water to the pot to cover the squash and apple mixture. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30-40 min. Remove from flame, and puree using an immersion blender, Add salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste.
Serve hot. I've occasionally served this soup cold too.

Don't forget to save those squash seeds - you can roast them! I put them in granola, but you can also just eat them.

Peanut Butter Brownies and Butternut Squash and Apple Bake

Right now, it's late Thursday night and I'm calling it a night. The house smells so heavenly though. I started cooking for Shabbat, and only got as far as rice pilaf, butternut squash and apple bake, and peanut butter brownies...

I've never made those last 2 things quite this way before, but if they taste as good as they smell, then these recipes are KEEPERS! I will have to report back...

Are you making anything new or different for Shabbat?

Shabbat Menu again! (and vegetarian cholent recipe)

MY SHABBAT GUESTS JUST CANCELLED!

So, I guess it's a good thing I forgot to defrost the chicken, now I'll defrost less than I had originally planned...

Here's my plan:


Split pea soup (Fri. nite) with lots of carrots (carrots are cheap right now, have I mentioned that?)

Cholent (for lunch - and now I am being pressured to replicate last week's cholent. Wish me luck! It had lots of onions, potato chunks, black beans, diced garlic, sweet potatoes - although those may get replaced with butternut squash, barley, and water and spices - the most crucial one is the smoked paprika. Cayenne Pepper is pretty important too...)


Chicken in BBQ marinade (easy, and delish!)

Potato Kugel (already done! actually I made 2, so now we'll have extra. They don't freeze so well. maybe I should stick one in the cholent, the way that Helen (my father's cousin, who took on the role of my grandmother in Israel) used to do?)

Rice (already done!)

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash (already done!)


Vegetarian Mock Deli Roll (I'll let you know how to make it after I try it out - if it's good!) - I already defrosted the puff pastry, so I'll make it even though this was an extra because of guests!)

Make your own salad (we have avocado, tomato, carrots, pickles, and purple cabbage, will that work?)

Dessert - Blondies, I think!

Shabbat Shalom!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Quick menu recap!

Vegetable/Cauliflower soup (pureed so my cauliflower "haters" won't know it's in there. If they can't see it, they eat it!)


Rice and Butternut Squash Casserole - sauteed onions, garlic, fennel, butternut squash cubes, craisins, pistachios and rice in a casserole dish. Add salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, etc and pour liquid in (I used my freshly made vegetable soup stock). Cover and bake for an hour. Right now my house smells so delish!

Wednesday night - November 9, 2011

How about a one pot meal?

Lentil, Rice, and Butternut Squash Stew, served with Pitot on the side.

Here's my stew, but you can change it up and be as creative as you'd like:


Onions, Garlic, Red peppers, Carrots, Potatoes, and Butternut Squash - diced and sauteed in olive oil. Add lentils and rice (sorted and rinsed), vegetable stock and spices to taste (I used salt, pepper, and oregano. I happen to think that oregano complements lentils and rice really well.) The quantities are so arbitrary, depending on the size of your pot. I used a rather large pot for this stew and used 1-2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, whatever sliced carrots and peppers were in my fridge from earlier in the day, 2 potatoes, 1 butternut squash, 1/3 of bag of rice, and 1/2 a bag of lentils.

Shabbat Parashat Shoftim, Sept 2-3, 2011

Last week, in my excitement about having family visit, I made too much food. So I wrapped it up and froze it and this week I'm on easy street.

Here's what I'm making:

Homemade Challot (trying to get back to that!)

Butternut Squash and Apple soup (it may not feel like fall outside, but I found some cheap butternut squash this week so we HAVE to have this soup!) - saute onion, garlic, and a tart apple in olive oil. when lightly browned and soft, add a tablespoon of flour and continue to stir. Then add soup stock or water and bring to a boil. Then add cooked butternut squash, bring back to a boil. Puree. Add cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken with honey and ginger (from the freezer)

Carrot Kugel (from the freezer)

Something for my vegetarian child (haven't decided what, though. maybe he should decide)

Steamed snow peas

Make your own salad

If my kids are good and let me have a bit more time, I'll even make a chocolate cake, or I'll have them make one! I use the "Grand Fudge Cake" recipe from Ghirardelli Cocoa, but I modify it somewhat... (like oil instead of butter - and I only use 1/2 the amount, whole wheat flour instead of white, and rice milk instead of dairy milk...)

What are you making?
Shabbat Shalom!

While searching through my recipes for my Challah recipe, I came across an old version of my challah recipe. Of course, I've played with it and changed it, but I think this was the basis for our  current Challah! This one certainly looks well used, and I believe it dates back to my Texas days...


This post was linked up to the Hearth and Soul blog hop on Nov 22, 2011

Shabbat Parshat Sh'lach

We've been sick, as well as busy, as well as sweltering hot.
I'm trying to work out a menu that will not require any time over a hot stove (although I'm willing to run the oven. The architect who designed this house put a little alcove off the kitchen where the oven is, so I can shut that part off from the rest of the house, open up the window in there and the heat doesn't come into where we are!)

Here's the plan:

Salatim (vegetarian liver, chumous, various other salads)

Chicken in ? sauce

Southwestern style Pasta salad (to be served at lunch) - I'll cook ONE pot of pasta on the stove, at night, Thurs night.

Make-your-own-salad (we have lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers)


Rice with mushrooms (oven baked) (for Friday night)


Oven-Roasted Butternut Squash (found a sale - 2.99 NIS/kilo - much lower than what I usually see)

Oven-roasted Kishuim with olive oil, salt and pepper (also, 2.99 NIS/kilo sale)

Potato Kugel


Carrot Kugel from freezer

Popsicles, watermelon, and other fruit for dessert


Gazpacho and whatever I pull together for seudah shlishit

Wish me luck getting it all done!

Shabbat Shalom! Feel free to share your menus and deals...