Fall Cooking

This week I have made some delicious fall treats and will highlight two, pumpkin bread and butternut squash soup.  Pumpkin bread is probably one of my all-time favorite fall foods AND when you bake it, the wonderful smell fills your whole house! I have tried a few different recipes for pumpkin bread but I think this one if the best. It is my mom's recipe that she got from a neighbor when we lived in Roswell. It's pretty easy and makes 2 loves.
Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups sugar
• 1tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1 - 16 oz. canned pumpkin
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil 

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, salt, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, water, oil, and pumpkin. Stir until blended. Mix well. Pour in 2 9x5'' loaf pans. Bake 1 hour. Cool slightly and take out of pans to let cool on a rack. If I'm not giving a loaf to someone I typically freeze a loaf and it does great! It might even be a little better that way.

       The next recipe is for butternut squash soup. I first had a similar soup in Athens at a potluck. This summer in South Africa we ate butternut squash in all forms possible but mainly mashed. After eating it on a weekly basis I really started to like it! This past Saturday I noticed they had it at the farmer's market so I bought it and looked up a recipe of how to use it. Granted I am not very strong, but cutting the thing took forever! It was like cutting up a pumpin, seriously, my arm is going to be sore tomorrow! The soup was great though! Hace raved over it as well so two thumbs up!
Ingredients:

• t tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
•  1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (32 oz) container chicken stock and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.  Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth.  Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. (I also put in some cinnamon because that is what we had it with in South Africa.)

Butternut squash!

In the blender

Mmm.. finished product:)