Apple Cider Donuts - Tasty Tuesday!

I had one cooking goal this fall.  Well, one that's specific to this fall anyway: to make apple cider donuts.  I absolutely adore them, and it's one of those treats that I buy every year.  Why I haven't made them, I don't know.  I've made pumpkin donuts before, and they aren't hard... they just make a ton of donuts.

So this past weekend, I set out to make my donuts.  I was originally going to make the traditional round donuts with the holes in them until I realized that I prefer eating the little "holes" and that the round donuts are not my friend.  Yes, this is an easy recipe - and I made it dairy free so Little Miss could enjoy it, but it wasn't originally so (see notes for the changes).

I've shared them with several of my friends, and I have half the recipe sitting in my fridge to make later today.  They're awesome.  And fun.  And oh what a special treat, right?

Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients:
2 c apple cider
1 c sugar
1/4 c butter, room temperature (or butter substitute for dairy free)
1/2 c buttermilk (or rice/soy/coconut milk with about 2 T mayonnaise - trust me)
2 eggs
3 1/2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
Additional sugar and cinnamon for rolling post frying

Directions:
Reduce the apple cider.  This will take about a half hour or more, and you can do it in advance then stick it in the fridge for when you're ready to make donuts.  My husband also decided this was a really good topping for ice cream.  Just sayin'.  Boil the apple cider until it's reduced to about 1/4 cup.  It will be slightly thicker and much darker than when it started, but don't burn it.

When you're ready to make the donuts themselves, measure out the butter and place it into a mixing bowl.  Personally, I love using my special liquid/dry measuring cup for items like butter that tend to stick in a regular measuring cup - honey, mayonnaise, etc are much easier in this, too.

Beat the butter with the sugar, just like your normal baking recipe.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until combined.  Add the reduced cider and buttermilk, and beat again.   Add the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, then mix until fully incorporated.

At about this point, you'll want to start heating your oil.  You want a wide pan, deep enough to hold a couple inches of oil.  Heat on medium high to 350 degrees.

While the oil is heating, add the flour and stir until just combined.  Flour your working surface with extra flour, and pull out a clump of dough.  Carefully roll it in the flour until you can work with it and create a snake like you did in kindergarten with clay.  Using a knife or a board scraper, cut off half inch sections of dough.

When you think the oil is hot enough, drop in a test dough ball.  You want it to immediately start bubbling around your dough.  If it doesn't, your oil isn't hot enough.  Pull it out, and try again in a few minutes.

Place several donuts at a time, but be sure there is plenty of room for them to move and expand.  They will take only a minute or so to fry on each side before you need to flip them over.  A fork or slotted spoon or chopstick works perfectly for this.

While they are frying on the first side, prepare your finishing station.  On a cookie sheet, place a wire rack.  Atop the wire rack, lay paper towels so that the grease can fully drain from the donuts.  Prepare a bowl with 1 c sugar and 2 t cinnamon to roll your donuts in after they've drained for a few minutes.

Now you're ready to start the assembly line.  Fry a few, flip.  Add some more while the first ones are frying on their second side.  You'll know they're ready to flip when the bubbles start reaching the top of the donut and the sides are a beautiful golden brown.

Pull them out with a slotted spoon when they're done, and add some more.  Let the donuts cool and drain for a few minutes before rolling them in the cinnamon sugar and placing them on a separate plate. Keep frying, rolling more donuts, flipping, and draining until the donut dough is all gone.

The donuts are awesome still warm, but they will keep in a tightly sealed container with a paper towel under them once they've cooled for up to three days.  If they last that long.  If you don't want to make all your donuts at once, you can refrigerate your dough for a couple days.  Make sure you bring it to room temperature - or close - before you fry them, though.  If batter is too cold, it will absorb the grease before frying and will be a much heavier and not as yummy donut.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

Cream Of Celery Soup - Tasty Tuesday!

It's cold in Chicago now.  Our beautiful days of sunshine and 70s are gone.  It's no longer easy, comfortable, or even possible to go outside without a coat.  In my mind, we've officially entered Soup Season.  Earlier this week, I made my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, and it was good.  Last night, I did a new one, and it was awesomely yummy and again perfectly healthy.

Interestingly, my Cream of Celery Soup doesn't require any cream or milk.  And since I was in the process of doing a 14 day gluten free challenge, I was happy to make this gluten free, too.  Potato does an amazing job of making a beautiful thick texture and a creamy taste.  I've used this technique before with my potato and corn chowder that has barely any milk in it.  It feels wrong calling it "cream of" when there's no cream or milk, but this is exactly what it tastes like.

And this soup was good.  Even my husband who doesn't like celery ate it, and Little Miss kept taking spoonfuls from my bowl after she finished hers.  That's a good sign, right?

Cream of Celery Soup

Ingredients:
6 good size celery stalks (about a pound, but my digital scale broke, so I'm guesstimating)
1 medium baking potato
2 T oil or butter
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3/4 c dry wine
4 c chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make vegan)
1/2 t nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop your celery into small pieces.  I cut my stalks in half lengthwise (after washing them well) and then chopped them into 1/2 inch pieces or so.  In a heavy soup pan, heat the oil (or butter).  Add the celery and cook over medium low heat.  Stir, then chop the onion after peeling it. The onion should be about the same size as the celery.  Add the onion to the pot and continue to cook.

Cut the potato into similar small chunks.  Personally, I like keeping the potato skin on, so I don't peel it.  If you feel differently, go ahead and peel it.  You want these smaller than you normally would so that they cook more quickly in the soup.

Smash the garlic and remove the skins.  Add the smashed garlic to the onions and celery and cook for a few more minutes, stirring periodically.  You want to cook it until the onion is fairly translucent but before it truly caramelizes.  At this point, add the wine, and cook it down until the wine has reduced by about half.

Add the potato after the wine has reduced, which will only take a few minutes.  Then add the chicken stock - adding the potato first means you don't get splashes of stock.  I'm always thinking, and no, I didn't learn that one the hard way, why?  Add the nutmeg, and stir once.

Bring this to a boil (cover it to bring it to a boil more quickly, then remove the cover once it boils), then turn it down to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes when the potatoes are soft but not mushy.

Use your immersion blender - still my favorite kitchen gadget - to puree the soup.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use your regular blender.  You'll puree it in batches.  Don't fill your blender more than one-third full of a hot liquid, and be sure to use a kitchen towel to hold the lid on.  You don't want the pressure from blending hot liquid to case the top to fly off and spray scalding liquid, so be careful (see, this is why I love my immersion blender - it reduces danger, and it's useful).

Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.  This is fantastic, even for me who doesn't like celery.  It's a light, fresh and slightly sweet flavor that is a perfect fall dinner.  Because this is such a light soup, it may work better as part of a meal rather than the entire entree.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

S'mores Bars - Tasty Tuesday!

This past week was teacher conferences.  Our PTO provides dinner for the staff both nights of conferences, knowing that they're constantly running.  They absolutely appreciate it, and they adore that we make everything homemade for them rather than catering it.  I signed up to bring a dessert and wanted to bring something creative.  There are always a ton of brownies and cakes.  So I decided to make s'mores bars.

I had no idea how I was going to do it, but I had marshmallows, chocolate, and tons of graham crackers in my house, so there had to be a way, right?  I finally decided to do a takeoff of a shortbread bar recipe, and my luck held - it worked.

I brought a sample to a friend before conferences, and she ate the whole thing in one sitting.  After conferences, there were no leftovers even though desserts are usually overboard.  I made them again to bring to the Chicago Food Swap this past weekend.  My husband requested that I just trade with myself.  And they went over nicely at the food swap, too.  Even Mister Man liked them.  This was his reaction to them after he'd finished his sample.

S'mores Bars

Ingredients:
3/4 c butter at room temperature
2/3 c sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
20 graham crackers
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c chocolate chips
20-25 large marshmallows

Directions:
Crush your graham crackers.  I love pulsing them in my blender, because it's easy and not messy.  I've found that the best way is to break the graham crackers in their quarters and do half, pulsing until they're just about crushed, then adding the other half and proceeding the same way.  Otherwise, that large bag and a rolling pin or can works well, too - and helps get rid of frustration.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  It doesn't get light and fluffy if the butter is cold, so make sure it's at room temperature.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat again. until well combined.  Add the baking powder and mix once again.

Add the graham crackers and flour and stir until just combined.  Grease a 9x13 pan and put the graham cracker mixture into the pan, reserving around a cup or a little more for a topping.  This is a press with your fingers exercise.  I tried to be dainty and use my spatula, but it didn't work.

Pour the chocolate chips over the crust into a nice, even layer.  You can use chocolate bars (it takes about 7), but the chips taste better and are cheaper.  The marshmallows are the next layer.  Take the marshmallow in your fingertips and use your other fingertips to twist and pull it apart so you have two non-smushed marshmallow halves.  Place the halves sticky side down in rows over the chocolate.  I did five halves per row, but do what works for you.  Crumble the last of the graham cracker mixture over top that, and voila!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Let them cool fully before cutting.  By using the large marshmallows instead of mini-marshmallows, you've given yourself room to cut without your knife getting stuck in marshmallow and the topping pulling off.  See?  I'm thinking!

Once they're ready, you can serve them at room temperature and store them in a sealed container for three or so days.  If they last that long....

Mister Man decided he needed a fork to eat these.  Smart kid.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

Peach Blueberry Crisp - Tasty Tuesday!

Mister Man and my husband had their first Cub Scout den meeting of the year last night.  They headed out for Mister Man's occupational therapy then straight to the meeting... at a pizza restaurant.  Little Miss and I were left at home to fend for ourselves.

You know that means we have to do something special, right?  Our local sushi restaurant is closed on Mondays, so that was out.  We decided to make something special for dessert.  She first tried to explain a muffin that had chocolate on top and jam in the center.  I couldn't figure it out until it finally dawned on me that she was talking about my cherry bliss bites.  The only problem?  I can't really make them dairy free for her.

Her next idea was a crisp, which I readily agreed sounded delicious.  I had peaches that needed to be used, so we decided to make a peach crisp - and while I can and did make this dairy free, the recipe I'm sharing is with butter instead.  To make it dairy free with a yummy and surprising twist, sub out mayonnaise for the butter.  Trust me on that one.

While I had peaches, I didn't have quite enough to fill the dish.  I augmented with frozen blueberries, and oh was that a good choice.  Each time I make something with this combination, blueberry and peach goes together far better than I think it will.

Yes, this is my dish.  Obviously.  It's topped with whipped cream.  Yum.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients:
5 peaches, cut into ten to twelve slices, then cut in half vertically to make bit size pieces (enough for 3-4 cups)
2 cups blueberries
1/4 plus 2 T cornstarch
1 t nutmeg, freshly grated
3/4 c flour
1 c oats
2/3 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1/3 c butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cut peaches and blueberries into a baking dish.  I used a smaller casserole that once belonged to my grandmother - talk about the ultimate comfort food!  You can leave the skins on or remove them.  I like to keep them on when I'm using fresh peaches, but frozen or jarred peaches usually have them removed, and that's fine.  And yes, you can use frozen or jarred (good jarred, please) when peaches aren't in season.

Place the cornstarch and 1/2 t nutmeg atop the fruit, and gently stir until it is all mixed together.

In another bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, and the rest of the nutmeg.  Stir to fully combine.  Add the melted butter and mix with a spatula until it comes together and creates pea or so size chunks.  You don't want to overstir, but ensure you get all the flour and sugar incorporated.

Carefully pour the topping over the fruit.  Use the spatula to ensure all the fruit is hidden by the topping without pushing it down into the fruit.

Place the crisp into the oven, and bake for 35 minutes, until the top is a beautiful golden brown.  Little Miss and I debated making individual servings in ramekins or a larger crisp.  We decided on the larger crisp, but if you make ramekins, bake them for 25 minutes instead.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream while still warm.  Or let it cool off and enjoy it at room temperature for breakfast the next day.  Not that I or my husband would ever do that.  Ahem.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.  Rachel from A Southern Fairytale has an awesome Mouthwatering Monday linkup that I participate in, too.

Bacon Egg Salad - Tasty Tuesday!

So here's the deal.  I don't like mayonnaise.  It's my dirty little secret... well, that and the fact that I also don't like peanut butter.  Have you ever noticed that there is not a single recipe I've ever posted that includes peanut butter?  Sometimes, though, there's a recipe out there that has mayonnaise in it that I sorta like.  Or that I want to like.  It's just that mayonnaise is given the starring role when it should really just have a bit part.  And so I'll remake that recipe to my liking, which generally doesn't even have a mild family resemblance to its gloppy ancestor.

This week, I took on egg salad.  Because I sort of really like egg salad, just not the kind that's falling all over the place with may and is more dressing than sandwich filler, not that I normally even put egg salad on sandwiches.  I actually like this by itself of wrapped in a couple Bibb lettuce leaves or on crackers or even wrapped in a tortilla.  If it's  going on bread, the bread has to be toasted; I really don't want anything even pretending like it might be or get soggy.

Bacon Egg Salad


Ingredients:
5 eggs
2 slices bacon, cooked
2 T mayonnaise
1 t lemon juice
1/4 c parsley chopped
1 T whole grain mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: red pepper or celery - I just happened to not have any on hand, but chop to match the size of the bacon and add about a quarter cup or either or both

Directions:
This is all about the egg.  Go ahead and cut your bacon into matchsticks and then half the match sticks and start cooking them, but your focus is really on getting a well boiled egg if you want good egg salad.  I know that many recipes call for you to place your eggs into already simmering water and blah blah blah, but I have a few too many burns doing it that way, so I go the lazy man's route.

I put my eggs in a pot with cold water, covering the eggs by about an inch.  I cover the pot and turn on the heat to medium high.  And then I listen.  The second I hear water boiling (which usually means the splash of water on the burner as it bubbles out of my pot), I run into the kitchen and turn off the heat.  I set the timer for fourteen minutes for my large eggs and then prepare an ice bath.  When the timer goes off, I put the eggs straight into the ice bath (a bowl I fill with ice cubes and then water so it stays cold) and let them sit there for about five minutes.  Only then do I attempt to peel my eggs.  Lesson on boiling eggs?  Don't use your fresh eggs.  This works so much better when your eggs are a little older.  They're less likely to stick to the shells, but hey, we aren't going to be pretty with these eggs anyway, are we?

Once you have your eggs peeled, you want to slice them.  Since I don't want a gloppy, mushy mess, I literally only slice them one way and that's it.  I want to retain as much of the original texture of the egg as possible because we are celebrating the egg in the egg sandwich, right?

By now your bacon should be long done and well cooled, right?  If not, the eggs aren't in a rush, so go ahead and cook your bacon until it's crispy.  The halved matchsticks should turn into a great size for the salad by now.  Drain them on a paper towel, as we don't want all that grease going into our salad.

Add all ingredients to a bowl.  Yes, I cheated with this one and used dried parsley because I thought I'd bought parsley but didn't check the fridge, and my memory failed me.  It was cilantro.  The dried works well, just remember to use 1/3 the quantity of the fresh herb you'd use when you're substituting a dried herb.

Use a large fork to mix gently until it's all combined.  Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.  Serve on toasted bread, crackers, in a roll up, by itself, wrapped in lettuce leaves, however you want.  Just be grateful that this isn't the goopy, gloppy mess you used to get in the cafeteria.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

Homemade Bread Pudding–Tasty Tuesday!

Last week while Little Miss was at Girl Scout camp, my husband and I took Mister Man out for dinner.  We allowed Mister Man to choose the dessert and for whatever reason, he chose bread pudding.  He’d never had it before and wasn’t really sure what it was, but when it appeared at the table, his eyes lit up.  We had to fight him to get our “fair” share of the yummy dessert.

So of course what did my son ask?  Mommy, can you make me bread pudding at home?  How can I say no to such a cutie.  So of course I had to make it.  Fortunately Mister Man also invited some friends over for dinner last night, so it was the perfect opportunity to make it – because I’ve never made bread pudding myself, so why not experiment and play when I have company coming over?  I ended up making an apple and raisin bread pudding (because ummm yum, right?) with a custard sauce (because everything tastes better with custard.

It was awesome.  Sweet but not overly so.  Not too rich, and not overpowering an any one flavor with lots of good textures.  This is definitely a keeper.  And hush, yes, I did have some of the leftovers for my breakfast this morning.

Homemade Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
7 cups French bread, in one inch cubes
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 cups milk, separated
3/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t salt
1/2 c raisins
1 Granny Smith apple
2 T corn starch
1/4 c sugar
2 t vanilla, separated

Directions:
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, and let them sit out for several hours or overnight until they are dried out and stale.  If you forget, you can bake them in your oven at the lowest temperature you can (my oven goes down to 200 degrees) for a half hour or so.  Soak your raisins in 2 cups of the milk for several hours in the fridge, which will help them get nice and plump later.  Grease an 8x8 glass pan.

Strain the raisins from the milk, and cut your apple into small bites.  Mix the apple with the raisins and bread cubes gently and place into your greased pan.  In a separate bowl, whisk the 3 eggs until well-beaten.  Slowly add the 2 cups of milk and then the brown sugar.  Be sure there are no clumps of brown sugar remaining, but know that the brown sugar won’t completely dissolve at this point and that’s ok.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1 t vanilla to the milk and mix well.  Pour the milk mixture evenly over the bread.  Use a spatula to push the bread down gently.  Let this sit for ten to fifteen minutes, then stir it gently to get the well-soaked pieces to the top and the drier pieces to the bottom.  Let it sit another ten or so minutes, then stir again and all should be well-soaked.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake this for 40-45 minutes until the top is starting to turn very lightly golden brown.  The top of the bread pudding will spring back gently when pushed, rather than simply mushing down, too.  Let the bread pudding cool some before serving so that it firms up well and cuts nicely.

Yes, this is done a little too much.  I sort of didn't hear the timer going off, but it was still yummy!

While the bread pudding is baking, make the custard sauce.  Mix together the egg yolk, 1/4 c sugar and corn starch on the top of a double boiler (or very heavy saucepan).  Slowly add the reserved 1 cup milk while whisking, which will help keep it from getting lumpy.  Keep whisking until it thickens, which will take a little over five minutes once the water has boiled so that nothing scorches.  Once it is thick, remove it from the heat and add the last 1 t vanilla and stir until it is incorporated.

Serve the bread pudding either warmed or at room temperature, ditto with the sauce.  Don’t put the sauce atop the bread pudding until it is being served so that the bread pudding doesn’t get all mushy.  Super easy, but it looks so special and fancy!

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

Tasty Tuesday - Perfect Pot Roast

It's cold. Have I mentioned this lately? And it's cloudy and damp and ... I so live in the wrong climate. Unfortunately, I live here, which means that I need to cook with the seasons, and right now... it's comfort food season. I'm doing a lot of soups and stews and other hearty dishes. The best ones come in the crock pot where I can put everything in first thing in the morning and come home to a comforting and warm meal.

This week? We did pot roast. It's one of my favorites because I can quite easily grab what I have on hand and toss it in without measuring too much. If I'm a little short on something, that's fine. If I want some more of another flavor, that works, too. So the measurements here? Totally an estimate. Do what works for you.

Pot Roast

Ingredients:
2-3 lb roast
4 carrots
2 ribs of celery
5-6 medium red potatoes
1 parsnip
1 onion
1/2 c chicken or beef stock
2 T parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
2 T oil

Directions:
Heat up a heavy pan. I use my cast iron skillet because I know it will heat evenly and retain its heat. Once the pan is hot - medium high heat - add the oil. You want to wait until this point to add the oil. When the metal gets hot, it opens its pores, so the oil goes into them and helps to make essentially a nonstick surface. Trust me.

Salt and pepper all sides of the roast, then add it to the pan. You want to sear it on each side. Don't move it until it has a nice crust on it or it will stick to the pan. And yes, I do actually sear all six sides.

While the roast is searing, cut up your veggies (except your potatoes, which are a starch and not a veggie - those come later!). You want everything to be bite size - nothing so big that you have to cut it once it's cooked and nothing so small that it won't stay on your fork with the rest of your meal. I'll also wash my organic carrots really well and not peel those - but that's me. I slice my onions and leave them that big. They are then easy to fish out for the wee one who won't eat them but manageable for me to put on my fork. I don't want it diced. Layer all your veggies into the bottom of your crock post.

Once your pot roast is seared, add it to the crock pot atop the veggies. Sprinkle the parsley atop this mixture, and add the stock for a cooking liquid. You truly need just a little bit because the meat and veggies will release a lot of juices.

Cook on low for 2-3 hours. At that point, cut up your red potatoes. I leave the skin on my red potatoes because I like it - and there's lots of good vitamins and minerals there. Add those around the meat at this point. If you add them earlier, I find they get too cooked and mushy for my taste, so I hold off on adding them until this point. If you'll be gone all day, go ahead and add them at the beginning.

Cook on low for another 2-3 hours or longer. When it's ready, the meat will literally fall apart as you pick it up with a fork. That's perfection in my eyes. You can also pull out the juice after you remove your veggies and meat and potatoes and make a thicker gravy, but my family doesn't like that. To do this, put the juices into a small pan and heat it until it's boiling. Slowly add gravy flour, a tablespoon at a time (it will vary depending on how much juice you have, but usually it's about a quarter cup for me) and reduce it for about five minutes. Check to see if it needs and more salt and pepper, then serve it atop your pot roast. Or be like us and skip this step and just serve it as is with the juice as more of a soup/stew kind of thing.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

Tasty Tuesday - Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Yep, it's fall. And fall in Chicago means that there's frost on the ground when we wake up and the furnace kicks on all night long trying its best to keep the house comfortable as the temperatures plunge. During the day, we might get a respite into the 50s, but it's still chilly, and by the time sets at 5pm (ok, so it just feels like it's 5pm, it's cold again and I'm ready for a bowl of soup and some fresh bread.

This week, I did a roasted butternut squash soup that made a lot of soup - yay! - that the wee ones even liked - yay, yay! - and was super healthy - yay yay yay? - and took a minimal amount of effort. By minimal I mean I started it just before I left to pick Little Miss up from her Daisy meeting then finished it a couple hours later while helping her with homework.

Yum. And yes, I did have some of the soup for breakfast (again) this morning.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
1 decent size butternut squash
1 onion
1 bulb garlic
3 c chicken stock (use vegetable stock to make this vegan)
1 c milk (I used rice milk to make this dairy free)
1/2 t nutmeg (ha, like I measured this)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Split your butternut squash in half with a sharp knife. Use a large knife, and give it a good whack to get it started. I then find it easiest (and safest) to leave the knife embedded and simply pound the squash on the cutting board, much like you might do when splitting wood. Once the squash is open, scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Yes, you can save them for later to roast like pumpkin seeds. (Yes, it's a theme with me right now.)

Lightly oil a 13x9 glass baking dish, and place the halves of the butternut squash cut side down. Peel your onion, cut it in half and place it cut side down, as well. Lastly, cut off the top of your bulb of garlic. Set it on a piece of tin foil, and lightly drizzle it with olive oil. Place this atop your squash.

Roast all of these at 375 degrees for forty-five minutes. You'll see the skin start to soften and shrivel just a bit. When it's soft to the touch, it's done.

Note that I didn't go through the effort of peeling my squash ahead of time or cutting it into pretty little cubes. Nope, I'm of the opinion that minimal effort can still create great dishes. Once it's roasted, you simply scoop the flesh into your soup pot, leaving the skin behind. The skin will practically peel off by itself.

Squeeze the garlic from the bulb into the pot, as well. Try not to be like me. I have a horrible time resisting saving some of the freshly roasted garlic to put on the bread I know I'm going to bake with this, too. Roasted garlic is awesome. And so easy. Little Miss has requested that I make some just for her even. Add the onion, making sure to trim the root end of the onion before you add it. There's no need to cut it any further, as you'll puree everything later. Add the 3 cups chicken stock, and bring it to a simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes of simmering, add the milk. Either use your immersion blender to puree it - if you don't have one, buy one; this is one of the most used tools in my kitchen - or you can use your standard blender. If you use your standard blender, be sure to fill it no more than one-third full and hold the top closed with a kitchen towel. The heat with cause the air in the canister to expand, and you don't want it to blow out hot soup to burn you (see, another reason why an immersion blender is so awesome).

Serve immediately with hot bread. This will last in the fridge for a few days, and personally I like it both hot and cold. The roasted garlic and onion add such a great flavor to this, and so healthy and hearty for a fall day.

Enjoy this and more with Blessed With Grace and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Also posting now with A Southern Fairytale and her Mouthwatering Monday.

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