Tasting Fall in a Bowl | Butternut Squash Soup

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I love Panera Bread's Autumn Squash Soup.  It is the perfect blend of sweet, spicy and salty. And what is one to do when a menu item you are craving is no longer available since it is technically after Thanksgiving? Despair not! DIY to the rescue (also known as, cooking it yourself).  

I had shared this fantastic version of the Panera Bread recipe last year as part of our Holiday menu. This year, I decided to skip on a spice and substitute it with another (who knew I was out of curry?? well, hello, ginger!). The taste is quite nice still! Here are the directions below. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 20 oz package precut)
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup apple cider
1 cup half and half
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Heat oven to 450. Toss chopped butternut squash with canola oil and salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
Using a potato ricer, press squash through ricer. (Or puree in blender if you don’t have a ricer)
In a large food processor, blend pureed squash and pumpkin, pouring vegetable broth, apple cider and half and half through the top while blending.
Pour into sauce pan and heat over medium to a gentle boil. Add honey and spices.
Simmer on low for 10 minutes and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds.

An Apple a Day...

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Well, Maybe Not These Apples...

And even though they are loaded with brown sugar and butter, the indulgence is oh-so-worth-it! They certainly made last night's Oscars a lot more tolerable for two of my closest friends. Over-the-top dresses, acceptance speeches and baked apples never tasted so good! Here is the recipe, if you would like to try them at home!

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Ingredients

4 large gala apples

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup raisins

1.2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375˚.  In small bowl, combine brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, butter, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

2. Slice ½ inch off top of each apple. With small end of melon baller or small spoon, scoop out inner core and seeds from inside of each apple up to bottom. Arrange apples, cavity side up, in 9 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Fill each cavity with 2 tablespoons brown sugar-walnut mixture. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar-walnut mixture on top of apples. Pour juice around apples.

3. Bake apples 30 to 40 minutes or until desired tenderness, rotating baking dish halfway through baking. Spoon juices remaining in dish over apples and serve warm.