Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Last night we had a wonderful dinner. Relatively unhealthy, yes, but we didn't mind especially since my roasted chicken sausage went awry the night before and we were hungry.

We had grilled cheddar, apple and bacon sandwiches and roasted butternut squash and apple soup - the perfect fall meal. It filled us up and made us happy.

Even though I was nervous Adam wasn't going to love the soup he did! And so did I. It turned out very well and I highly recommend making it. It's really quite easy after you gather all the ingredients, chopping them up is the most time consuming part. I am a huge fan of cream soups and I have been waiting for weeks to try this.

The recipe is from Ciao Florentina but I altered it a bit.

1 butternut squash (3lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 granny smith apples, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces (Florentina did not peel them but I did)

2 carrots, sliced

4 Tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup white wine

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I used chicken)

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used a splash more because I love cream!)

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

In a 9x13 glass baking dish, toss the squash, apples, carrot slices, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt and pepper with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Roast uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Stir a few times during cooking.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat in a cast iron pot. Add and saute the diced onion with a pinch of salt until transslucent. Add the wine and let it reduce by half. Add the roasted vegetables to the pot together with the stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and using a hand held blender, puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Florentina also suggests serving the soup with a drizzle of cream, snipped chives and a pinch of ground nutmeg.

You can also add fresh thyme leaves to your vegetables as they roast.

To make the grilled cheese, spread Dijion mustard on 2 pices of bread. Top one slice with cheddar cheese, 3 pieces cooked bacon, a few granny smith apple slices and more cheese. Place other piece of bread on top with mustard side down. Spread butter on the top of the sandwich and place on a hot grill. Butter the other piece of bread before you flip it.