Warming

Nothing beats a nice cup of soup on a cold and rainy day.

Today it is an acorn and butternut squash with potato soup, served with a side of San Francisco Style French bread – with a “smidge” of butter, of course. :)

Just dip in the bread – my favorite part…..

…take a bite..sit back..and enjoy.

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Awhile back I had a wonderful butternut squash and potato soup at a Greek restaurant in a town far from home. I loved the soup so much and wanted more, so the next day I came home and made up my own recipe. It was pretty close to the restaurant's, too!

Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash and Potato Soup

You will need:

1 acorn squash

1 butternut squash

4 russet potatoes

12 - 16 oz chicken broth

1 cup half and half

1/4 - 1 cup water

1 onion ~ finely chopped

4 cloves garlic ~ finely chopped

2 Tblsp canola oil

hot sauce

salt – to taste

pepper – to taste

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Cut the squash in half. Lay them face down in a glass baking dish. Add about an inch of water, cover with tin foil. Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until the squash are tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, scoop out the inside of the squash and put into a large mixing bowl.

Peel and cube the potatoes. Boil them in water until tender. Add to the squash.

Sauté the onion and garlic in 2 Tblsp of oil until the onions are soft and translucent. Add to the squash and potato mixture. Mix all of the ingredients together. If you prefer a smooth texture to the soup, then smash all ingredients together with a large mixing spoon. I like my soup a little chunky so I only smashed a wee bit.

Place the mixture in a large pot on the stove. Add the chicken broth, half and half, 1/4 tsp hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer and cover with a lid. As the soup cooks down, you may need to add some water. At first the soup may appear thin, but as it cooks it will thicken. I cooked mine for about 2-3 hours, stirring every so often. It is best when thick, as shown in my photos.

Depending on what you like, you can add more hot sauce or omit the hot sauce and add white pepper to taste.

Serve the soup in a bowl or cup and top with paprika and fresh ground pepper. A little bit of shaved Parmesan is fantastic, too!