soup's on! ~

Yippee! I looooooove cooking and baking! And I love blogging! Perfect mix, right?

Well - not on Christmas Day, at 1:00 a.m. HAHA ~

But here is the makeup post for yesterday, because I was baking and missed the deadline of midnight or before, lol.

Tonight, I'm posting just the recipe for butternut squash soup, with a Sistwist...I'm not done baking completely and the cookies almost done in the oven are going to have to survive the taste test in the morning. But just a taste of what's to come: Lee's Fudge, Nikki's Coconut Macaroons, Wandering Chopstick's Mango Bread, and maybe these cookies - we'll have to see about those...

About the soup - butternut squash is something I've not eaten before - at least, not that I remember. It was a totally new experience for me, both the squash, which sort of reminded me of pumpkin or even sweet potato, and the soup made from the squash. BTW - I just took a simple basic recipe and put a whole different twist on it...

Sis's Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large carrot, or about 5 or 6 baby carrots, chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning (or cayenne pepper)

1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

1 8-ounce cream cheese, cut into large cubes

Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds. Place cut side down on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in 350 degree oven for about an hour. Let cool; peel and cut meat into chunks. In a Dutch oven, melt butter; saute onion, carrot, and celery until soft. Add squash and broth and bring to simmer; let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add seasonings and stir. Next take an immersion blender and blend until smooth, or use a blender to puree in small batches. Add cream cheese and blend in last. Stir and serve, or let it cool and refrigerate. This soup is even better the 2nd day, reheated.