Leaf Peeping & Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Hello Everyone and happy Fall!  I hope you all are feeling festive and enjoying the season.  As you know, it passes too quickly.  This week has been a perfect week.  The weather is cool and the leaves are falling.  As I type this post I am in my dark blue, moon and stars jammies with a fleece blanket wrapped around my legs.  It's cold in here but we haven't turned the heat on yet.  It's nice to be chilly and bundle up.  The cold air feels good in my lungs and we are sleeping like babies.  It's dark when I get up in the morning and I can't wait to jump into a hot shower to warm my bones.  If you can believe it, I actually heard "snow flurries" in the weather forecast for this week.  I'm not sure if they were pulling our legs or not, but we might be turning the heat on sooner than later after all. We'll see....

We just returned from a lovely 3 day road trip up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.  My little family of three had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful condo right at the foot of Loon Mountain.  We went prepared.  I packed the car with thermoses of hot coffee, crackers & cheese, pumpkin bread, and of course - my camera.  I like to try to fashion ourselves as a version of Susan Branch and Joe Hall.  If you know Susan and have read her blog you would understand why : ) Unfortunately, we are more like Lucy and Desi in The Long, Long Trailer - with things being tossed around the car, food spilling, seat kicking, and the need for radio control.  But I digress...

The two and a half hour ride was absolutely beautiful.  The trees along the highway have all turned colors.  Why does this never get old?  It's so pretty to look at and be surrounded by.  The mountains are majestic and we couldn't stop talking about how clean and clear the air is. 

This is a little video I took on the way home.  As you can see it was overcast that day, but it didn't take away for the beautiful foliage along the highway.  Gorgeous! It rained off and on that day.  It was cold and damp and only made my coffee taste better.  Sitting in the front seat with a blanket on my lap I watched the world go by.  As my son napped, Hubbie and I talked for miles.  We love road trips. 

We didn't really have much of an agenda besides leaf peeping. I can safely say we achieved our goal, along with a little shopping, swimming in the indoor pool (my son's favorite part), and R&R.  Sometimes it's also nice to get away for a few days just so you can appreciate coming home.  And that's what happened. 

By the time we got home we were greeted with fallen leaves!  I love the sound of them crunching under my feet.  Although I know they won't be there for long they are still pretty to look at.  The crunchier the better~

After seeing all the glorious farm stands along the road in New Hampshire overflowing with vegetables I was anxious to get back to my kitchen and cook up some comfort food.  I knew I was in the mood for soup and when I went food shopping the squash was calling me. So last night I made the easiest roasted butternut squash soup in the world.  It takes no time at all and is SO healthy for you.  There is no heavy cream in this soup, it's just squash, chicken stock, and seasonings.  Trust me - you will Love it.  All you need is:

1 medium butternut squash
2-3 cups chicken stock
seasonings (salt & pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg)
olive oil

To roast the squash, cut in half lengh-wise and scoop out the seeds.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and place the squash halves face down.
Drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

Cover with foil.  Place in a preheated 450 degree oven for 1 hr.  {This is a perfect excuse to have your oven on on a cool day.  Warm kitchen = happy family} 

Once cool enough to handle turn squash halves over.  Scoop the flesh into a food processor and puree for 10-20 seconds.

Add 2 cups of chicken stock, and your seasonings.  I use S&P, a dash of garlic powder, and a heavy dash of nutmeg. 

Puree and taste. Add more chicken stock as needed to get your desired consistency.  I like my squash soup thick (like a chowder) so two cups works for me.  Also, add more seasonings if you so desire. 

Transfer to a sauce pot and heat thoroughly before serving.  Sever with a dollop of sour cream, croutons, or a spring of basil in the middle.  A few Ritz crackers on the side never hurt anyone either : - )
It's your soup, so whatever YOU like is best. 

I poured mine as is, in my favorite blue and white mug and took my pretty little self to bed. 

I propped myself up with pillows and caught up on three days worth of TV shows that I missed.  Trust me, if you miss a week of reality TV you will be completely lost.  Sad but true.  A topic for another day...wink, wink...

With Halloween only a week away  we have a very busy week ahead.  After three trips to the party store, my son has finally decided on a costume - Woody from Toy Story.  He was Woody last year as well, but you can't reason with a four year old when it comes to Halloween.  For him, it's all about the hat, and Woody has cool hat.  I'm making chocolate pops for his Halloween party at school on Thursday and he has his first Halloween "dance" on Friday night.  So cute! 

This weekend we are also having our first ever Yard Sale, so here's hoping for a sunny day on Saturday!  My mom is coming with carloads of stuff and we are going to put on a spread like you wouldn't believe.  I've always loved going to yard sales (trash to treasure factor).  Let's hope having one is just as fun.  I'll keep you posted.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.  Thank you so much for reading.  I'll be back soon xo


PS like my Mom's Halloween flag?   I love it!