Souper Party

A lot has happened since my last post. Marshall and I got married, we had an amazing and fun wedding, we went on a mini-moon, we survived the holidays, and life just kept presenting us one surprise after another. (Don't get too excited, I'm not preggers and don't plan to be for a little while longer.) (That note was for you, Dad. Mr. Iamtooexcitedtobeagrandpaagain)

For awhile, I was considering changing my blog to another name. I even started a new Blogger account and started working on the new layout. Then it came time to change my Twitter handle and I couldn't do it. It didn't feel right. For the last few years, I've become attached to Thrifty DC Cook and I've met people who refer to me by that name and not my real name.

So, I've decided to stick with Thrifty DC Cook and keep posting my food adventures here but will also include other things that may not be food related that are equally as interesting.

Yesterday, my friend Joy threw our third annual soup party. Every year for the last few years, one of our friends would host a soup party where each guest would bring a pot (or crockpot) of soup. It is the perfect party for cold days. We had vegetarian chili, beer and cheddar soup, chicken tortilla soup, lasagna soup, lentil soups, and so much more. The best part is, Joy ordered to-go containers so that all of us took home a variety of soups for lunches next week.

This year, she also included a cookie exchange. I've been trying to be good about my sugar intake so I only sampled one cookie. It was a Sage cookie by my friend Brian and it was fantastic.

My contribution was a Roasted Butternut Squash and Peanut Butter Soup with Sunflower Seeds. The peanut butter might sound strange but it gives the soup a depth of flavor but doesn't overpower the butternut squash. Here is the recipe:

For the soup
2 tablespoons of canola oil
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch chuncks
3 bulbs of shallots with skin taken off
4 cups chicken stock
1 ¼ cup of half'n'half
1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter
Salt and pepper

Garnish with sunflower seeds.

Preheat ovento 375F

Place butternut squash and shallots on a baking sheet and drizzle the canola oil on the squash and run your hands through it to be sure that the canola oil is evenly distributed. Roast for 45 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow to cool.

Place two cups of the roasted sqaush,  the three bulbs of roasted shallots, and two cups chicken broth into a blender and blend until smooth.  Then place in large pot and place the rest of the squash and broth into the pot and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. (It may seem like a waste of time to blend in two steps but I really wanted a smooth-textured soup and was not sure if the shallots would be thoroughly blended by the immersion blender. So I did it in two steps just to be sure.)

Bring the pot to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.  Then swirl in a tablespoon of peanut butter. Add the half 'n' half.  Salt and Pepper to taste. If you like a spicy kick, add a bit of ground cayanne pepper.

Ladle into a bowl and top with roasted sunflower seeds.  Enjoy.

I followed this Jean Georges recipe but roasted the butternut squash before I cooked it in the chicken broth. Next time, I think I might fry up some sage leaves to add as a garnish.