Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I love butternut squash soup, but I have made this version for friends before.  I needed something new and different.  This butternut squash and apple soup from Martha Stewart fit the bill.  I was really wary of the apples in the soup, I was positive it was going to be too sweet.  I was completely wrong.  The cumin brings out all the savory notes of the squash and apple, it is an amazingly smooth and rich soup, with no cream necessary!  This is going to be my new go to butternut squash soup.  It has the texture that I look for, unlike my usual recipe that can get too thick.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 red or golden apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ½ cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add squash, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add apples, salt, cumin, coriander, ginger, cayenne, black pepper, and stock. Add more stock if the vegetables aren’t covered. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes. Puree in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth, and return to saucepan. Heat over low, thinning with more water if necessary. To serve, ladle into shallow bowls

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Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

I adore stuffed mushrooms, so much so that we have them for dinner every once and awhile. When I make them for dinner, they have to be stuffed with sausage or else C and Miss F might revolt. When there are 12 girls together for a dinner party, there is no threat of revolution and my favorite stuffing crab gets to make an appearance. I had to make my own mayonnaise because it just isn't something I keep in the house, I am not a fan. Luckily a mini chop, egg and oil make a magnificent mayo, so the day was saved. Thanks to For the Love of Cooking for the most amazing recipe.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

12 button mushrooms, stems removed
2 teaspoon olive oil (divided)
2 tablespoon sweet yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ cup of lump crab meat
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (divided)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, optional
¼ cup of panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a round baking dish with cooking spray.

Remove the mushroom stems and dice them finely. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat then add the onion and diced mushroom stems. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender and soft; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, most of the fresh parsley, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, and a dash of lemon juice in a bowl. Add the cooked mushrooms and onion mixture then gently stir until well combined. Fill each mushroom with the crab filling until overflowing; repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Place the mushrooms into the prepared baking pan.

Combine the panko crumbs with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and the last bit of parsley then mix until well combined. Sprinkle the panko crumbs evenly on top of each mushroom.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the panko is golden brown. Serve immediately.

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Autumn Dinner Party

C was headed to Six Flags Fiesta Texas for the weekend with his brother-in-law and two pre-teen nephews, needless to say they rode a lot of rides. So I was home alone for the weekend, which provided the perfect opportunity to host a dinner party for my girlfriends. I had read an article in Bon Appetit about a fall dinner party, the main course was a glazed pork, which looked amazing. I knew it had to go on the menu. We started with crab stuffed mushrooms and brie with grapes & baguette slices. The soup was butternut squash and apple, which was suprisingly savory. The soup was followed by a salad of mixed greens with balsamic dijon vinaigrette and candied Creole bacon. The entree was the glazed pork from the magazine alongside roasted root vegetables. For dessert, we shared rich chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting. I will post all the recipes over the next couple of weeks. I decided to challenge myself and try all new recipes for the party, which worked out amazingly well, I was very pleased with the outcome.

There was lots of wine, food and friendship. It was such a lovely evening with the girls, I am very lucky to have so many amazing women in my life. One of my dearest friends was not able to join us for the evening, her mother had passed away the day prior. All of our thoughts were with her and her family, we know she will join us at the next one.

I kept the decor very simple for the party. I ordered burnt orange napkins from Amazon. I got small grapevine wreaths from Hobby Lobby to act as napkin rings. I added some silk fall foilage to each wreath and the napkins were ready. The centerpiece was an arrangement of gourds on a gold runner with more leaves scattered about. I didn't even bother with fresh flowers, they didn't seem to fit the autumn them at all and the gourds were a lot cheaper. I am planning on re-using most everything for our family Thanksgiving celebration.

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