Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

A friend of mine had forwarded me this recipe by Food Network's Ina Garten several years ago, and I finally got around to trying it. At first I made the soup exactly like the recipe states, but I found that there was too much cider, and that it had become too sweet and too sour, so to mellow those flavors i added a little more curry powder and a little chili powder, for the most part the recipe is exactly the same.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
3 large yellow onions, chopped
4 tablespoons mild curry powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

2 large butternut squash
4 sweet apples, such as McIntosh
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice

Peel the squash, cut in half, remove the seeds and cut into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

In a large stockpot warm the olive oil, add onions, chili powder, and curry powder; cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Puree the soup coarsely in a food processor or use an immersion blender.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Apple Chips

Apple Chips

I don’t know why I've never thought to make these before! They are healthy, easy to make, and delicious. After coming home from apple-picking with a half bushel of apples, I started to think of everything I can make with them and chips was one of many ideas. So I Googled around and found this recipe. I’m simply coping and pasting it here with the link, because I followed her instructions to the tee. The only difference, I baked them for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Thank you Snack Girl.

Apple Chip Recipe

from Ontario Apple Growers
(makes 2 cups)

2 large apples
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 200 Fahrenheit.
2. Thinly slice apples crosswise about 1/8-inch (2 mm) thick with a mandolin or sharp knife.
3. Arrange apple slices in a single layer on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Put mixture into a sieve and sprinkle evenly over apple slices.
4. Bake in the top and bottom third of the oven until apples are dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and let ‘chips’ cool completely before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Apple Chip Bowl

Notes: 

*Buy a mandolin if you don't have one. They work beautifully.

*The photo I've posted is one that I took of the chips I made.