Fall Favorites: Comfort Food

When the air turns cool I start craving certain foods; soup being one of those.  Butternut squash soup has grown to be one of my favorites.  It is warm, creamy, and comforting.  You can make up a batch in the afternoon, stick in the crock pot to keep warm, and then go for a walk with your family in the brisk air.  Look at the foliage changing color, crunch through some leaves, and then come home to a hot bowl of soup. So what are your family's favorite "fall foods"?  Feel free to share your recipes here in the comments or over at our facebook page!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 large butternut squash
• 3.5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Cut butternut squash in half, place cut side down on baking sheet and roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Allow to cool enough to be handled.  Scoop out squash with a spoon and set aside. (Note: you can also microwave the squash halves by placing them cut side down on a plate and cooking on high for approx. 10 minutes.)

In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Add squash, apple, broth, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; turn heat down and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool down approximately 20 minutes.

Puree squash mixture and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. (If you have an immersion hand-held blender you can add the cream cheese to the pot and puree it in there.) Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil. Serves six.