Pumpkin/Butternut Squash Soup -- A Cold Drizzly Day

It is a cold and drizzly day in Dallas.  We returned home from Montana yesterday and this house is oh so quiet.  Cass and Scott have cleaned up most of the evidence of little ones and we appreciate all their work on that.  The house is clean so all we have is laundry to do and relax.   I decide that some fresh baked bread would be wonderful and set about making it.  Oh the house smells soooo good.

Seriously, is there any better smell than that of fresh bread?  It is a white/wheat mix as I tried to use up the flour that we had on hand before purchasing more.  It is a bit heavier than I like, but overall looks good.  Now, what shall we have with it for dinner tonight?


 We spot Elena's pumpkin that was painted for Halloween and also a butternut squash sitting on the counter that needs to be used.  It feels like a perfect soup day so let's get started.  Mister puts the pumpkin under running water to wash off all the paint so that we don't get fumes while it bakes in the oven.  We then halve and quarter them and clean out the seeds.

They are now brushed with olive oil and seasoned with some salt and pepper before going into the oven to bake at 425 degrees for about 45-60 minutes or until the edges start to darken and the meat is tender.  (The butternut will cook quicker which is why we quartered the pumpkin.)

The next step is to scoop out all the flesh and set it aside until we are ready to use it.

While the squash baked, I cut vegies for the next step.  It is a combination of onion, celery, and carrot.  (I have to laugh at this because my knife skills drive Mister absolutely bonkers.  He posted these same pictures on a forum that he is a member of and one of the comments was "beautiful knife work" -- ha ha ha ha -- I love it.)

The next step is to saute the vegies in olive oil until tender, about 10 minutes.  (We did this in the stock pot itself instead of creating another pan to wash.)  Add the pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken stock to the vegies in the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.  (We started watching a show on television so ours probably simmered closer to 45  minutes.)

Remove from heat and puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Return to the pot and add 1/4 cup of cream and more chicken stock until it is of the consistency you desire.  At this point I put mister in charge of seasoning.  He put in some bay leaf and thyme along with additional salt and pepper.  Time for a taste.  Oh yum!

We are ready for our dinner.  I even go the extra mile and set the table with the china and silver, open a nice bottle of wine, light the candles, and enjoy some quality one on one time with Mister while enjoying our "made from scratch" dinner.  Delightful!

What a nice day!  I think I am ready for fall -- perhaps that is good since it is the beginning of November.