Kiss and Love

Make This - Roasted Butternut Squash Soup w/ Spicy Seeds

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One of the many things I love about fall is the abundance of delicious soups available for the tasting.  When I was in Amsterdam, we at this incredible Peruvian restaurant where I drooled over the best Butternut Squash Pumpkin soup I have ever had in my life.  No joke.  The second time I was in Amsterdam I made sure it was the first stop on my list. 

The other day while cruising through Williams-Sonoma (my fave store during the holidays) they were sampling the most incredible version of Butternut Squash Soup from Derek Clayton of Lola in Cleveland, OH.  They were serving it in little dixie cups that you drank directly from and the sample included roasted pepitas, julienne cut Granny Smith apples and a pinch of fresh cut cilantro.  It was to die for. 

I instantly knew what I was bringing to the Thanksgiving dinner table and highly recommend if you are still stumped for what to bring to your next potluck, or your own Thanksgiving dinner table look no further!  This recipe gets it done with a smile on every one's face!

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH SPICY SEEDS

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds) (or buy the puree from Williams-Sonoma to save time.  Also Trader Joe's offers already cubed butternut squash for your convenience)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon butter, melted
• 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• Vegetable oil
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium celery ribs, chopped (about ½ cup)
• ½ jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 4 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
• Cider vinegar
• 1 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced into matchsticks
• ½ cup cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Slice the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and fibrous pulp and separate the seeds from the stringy pulp. Reserve the seeds. Use a sharp knife to score the neck portion of the squash several times, then rub the flesh with olive oil and season with salt. Roast the squash cut side down on a baking sheet until tender and lightly caramelized, about 1 hour.

2. In a colander, rinse the reserved seeds and dry with paper towels. Place on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes, until golden and fragrant. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and a large pinch of salt. Toss the seeds in the mixture and set aside.

3. In a medium stockpot set over medium heat, heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the onions, carrots, celery and jalapeño, if using, and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and cook, stirring frequently, until the syrup is reduced by two-thirds, about 5 minutes. Remove the stockpot from the heat and set aside.

4. When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool briefly. Remove the squash flesh from the skin and mix it into stockpot with the onion and carrot mixture. Return the stockpot to the stove. Turn the heat to medium, add the chicken stock and cream, if using, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with the cider vinegar and salt. Serve soup hot with apple, cilantro and toasted seeds.

Bon Appétit!

Love Qoutes

Thomas Carlyle

A man reserves his true and deepest love not for the species of woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for that one in whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy.
George Jean Nathan

A pair of powerful spectacles has sometimes sufficed to cure a person in love.
Friedrich Nietzsche

A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love.
Stendhal

A woman knows the face of the man she loves as a sailor knows the open sea.
Honore de Balzac

Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.
C. S. Lewis



All love shifts and changes. I don't know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.
Julie Andrews

All mankind love a lover.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

All my life, my heart has yearned for a thing I cannot name.
Andre Breton

As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.
William Shakespeare

At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.
Plato

Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times.
Rita Rudner

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Lao Tzu

Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?
Richard Bach

Come live in my heart, and pay no rent.
Samuel Lover

Do all things with love.
Og Mandino

I love You Girls

I love You Too

I Love You

Real Love never Fails

Lovely picture

I love my Boyfriend

I love my boyfriend...

My boyfriend tee that is!  If you don't have a boyfriend tee then you are missing out on probably one of the best t-shirts to hit the scene since the Michael Stars tees.  Of course we have a boyfriend tee in BP... its by Frenchi and its only $20!!  I am obsessed with them and have my 3 white staples that I wear 24/7, of course black, and then about 10-12 colors.  My favorite thing about the boyfriend tee is the fit.  It is scooped in the front and a little fitted in the bust but roomier around the waist.  I think I have just gotten use to the whole loser/babydoll fit of shirts over the years and the thought of a skin tight t-shirt across my stomach makes me queasy:)  Anyway, like I said it also comes in a ton of colors!  One of my favorites is that highlighter yellow color... its so fresh!!!  And I have to tell you guys about the boyfriend short too.  Its sooooo cute!!!  Rolled up, frayed, and a little lose.  I love it with the boyfriend tee, some Ray Ban shades, tons of bracelets, and gladiators.  Can't you just see yourself rockin' out in this outfit at your favorite summer concert???? 

Well BP Bloggers I am off to NY for market!  I will check in with you when I get back and let you know what's happening for fall.  I can't believe summer is just starting and we are buying fall! 

Happiness...

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I am a blubbering mess.  At lunch today I burst into tears upon meeting this handsome boy. 

I want to send out a HUGE congratulations to the Freni Family and their perfect little bundle of joy Oliver!  I couldn't be happier for mom and dad and am so excited to get to watch this sweet boy grow up.  Love you so much Jim Jam - you are already such a wonderful mother (and can we just all agree she looks incredible after giving birth less than 24 hours ago?) and I am overjoyed for the 3 of you!

Feeling nothing but

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