It Beginning to Feel alot Like Winter.....FINALLY!!!!

This week the weather has finally woken to the fact that it is winter! We have been graced with some really "brisk" weather and a few snow flurries. Perfect soup weather.
Yesterday I tried a roasted acorn squash soup....it was really yummy! It was a little sparse on the flavors, so the next time I make it I am going to up the spices and such and most likely add some paprika. The soup made my house smell so yummy!!

I loved the idea that you roasted the shallots and garlic in the squash as you roasted it.

This is how they looked after about an hour in the oven! It was hard not to dig in right then!
(the recipe was from foodnetwork.com)
Ingredients

3 whole acorn squash, approximately 8 cups when cooked
6 shallots, 1 cup diced, 3 left whole and peeled
6 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper, freshly cracked, plus more for seasoning
1 stick unsalted butter, in all
4 cups chicken stock, low-sodium
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sage, dry
1 teaspoon savory
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut a flat spot on each end so the squash will sit flat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the squash, cut side up. To 3 of the squash halves, add a peeled shallot and to the other 3 add 2 garlic cloves on each. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon each of the salt and freshly cracked pepper. Roast in the hot oven until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse, approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin. Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash. Can be done ahead.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat and when the butter is starting to foam, add the raw diced shallots and saute until they are starting to caramelize, about 5 to 6 minutes. Deglaze with 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and stir to remove any fond. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and then the remaining chicken stock. Stir to combine, then puree with a stick blender. The mixture will be very thick. Add in the cayenne, white pepper and the herbs. Stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce and heat slowly over medium-low heat. When the mixture comes to a slow simmer, mix again with the stick blender and stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and turn heat to low. Serve with a fresh crack of black pepper, a nice drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a light sprinkle of remaining Parmesan. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

Very yummy in my tummy!!!

I also took yesterday to experiment with bread. My hubby got me a book entitled "52 Loaves". I really enjoyed reading it. It is one mans journey to bake the perfect loaf of bread. After reading it I decided to start experimenting with my own loaves.
Yesterday's loaf tasted really good, but wasn't quit the texture I would like, so it is back to the drawing board....but it still was gobbled up at dinner!

My first loaf!!