Butternut Squash Soup

One of my favorite soups is Butternut Squash soup. 

My first bowl of homemade soup.

My first experience was Campbell's V8 version. Delicious. 

My next savory bowl was in Texas at the Omni restaurant. Velvety smooth. Out of this world.

My third kind of butternut squash soup was at Crispers. It had a deep nutty flavor that I can't quite sort out to replicate.

I didn't plan on making butternut squash soup from scratch, but I accidentally bought one instead of a spaghetti squash.



Blending squash and cream cheese

My recipe is tweaked slightly from AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (3 cups?), de-seeded, pealed, and cubed

3 cups chicken stock

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp oregano or marjoram

4-6 oz cream cheese

spinkle of nutmeg

**can also add sauteed onions, garlic, celery, and carrots if you like.

Roast de-seeded squash in 375 degree oven, cut in slices, for 10 min to make peeling easier and give squash a nice flavor.  Then peel and cube squash.

Bring to boil chicken stock, squash, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Boil until squash is tender.

In blender or food processor (or use a hand mixer), blend squash, nutmeg, and cream cheese until smooth.

Add back to pot to warm through, but do not boil.

Serve with sour cream and red pepper slices to garnish, if desired.