Butternut Squash + Bartlett Pear Soup Recipe.

I love comfort food. When the days cool down and the nights are crisp, there's just something about a mug of hot soup. Following is my original recipe for Butternut Squash and Bartlett Pear Soup.

INGREDIENTS. 

large butternut squash (mine was about 6 pounds)
1-2 bartlett pears
2 onions
clove of garlic
1/2 cup of milk or cream (plus extra for pureeing squash)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbs. parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Wash and cut the squash into quarters. Remove the seeds. Place on a baking sheet or bar pan skin side up and bake for 30 minutes. Flip squash, cover with foil, and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until it is cool enough to be handled.

Meanwhile, wash and peel the pear(s) and the onions, and then chop. Mince the garlic. In a large soup pot, saute the pear, onion, and garlic in 1 Tbs. of butter until soft. Turn off the heat. Remove from pot and place in a blender. Blend until pureed. (It may need more fluid to be able to blend smoothly; if so add a bit of milk.) Return to pot.

When the squash is cool enough to be handled, cut away the skin. Chop the squash and put it in the blender to be pureed. Due to the size of the squash it will likely need to be pureed in batches and not all at once. Add a little bit of milk as needed to the blender to help it process the squash.

Add the pureed squash to the pot with the pear and onion. Also add the stock, milk, seasoning, and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.  

Cook over medium heat until warmed through and the flavors meld. Serve hot! I'm not sure, but my best guess is that this recipe should serve 6-8.

This soup pairs well with crusty bread and apple cider. Happy Autumn!

In the Fridge :: Tropical Pepper Co. Hot Sauce

I love food. Since we started having children six years ago, Sean and I don't get out to nice restaurants. More so than the children, I think that has to do with the fact that I'd rather buy something for the house, than spend $100 on dinner. However, there are some creature comforts that I must have in the fridge or on the pantry shelf because they give me that warm and fuzzy feeling I can only get from good food. Largely that feeling is elicited by an extra sharp cheddar, or a buttery smooth variety of yummy, cheesy goodness, but there is one hot sauce in particular that I must have on hand at all times.

Tropical Pepper Co.'s xxxxtra hot habenero pepper sauce has that sharpness to it that marks a good hot sauce, but it also contains delicious fruit notes courtesy of juicy pineapples. I suppose it's a bit on the hot side, but it's not so hot that the flavor is lost. On the contrary, it's full of flavor!

What's your favorite hot sauce?
 

In the Fridge :: Butterkase Cheese

This cheese is in my fridge right now. SO delicious, buttery, and smooth. I'm a cheddar girl at heart, so this was my first time trying Butterkase cheese. Wow. If you'll excuse me I think I need to go spend some quality time with my refrigerator. What? Cheese doesn't do that to you?