~Butternut Squash Soup & Other Lovely Tidbits~

Good day to you. Tis cold this morning! I do believe we have some foul weather coming our way as our sky was quite pink at daybreak. It was oddly quiet as well as I stood on the porch, bundled up against the cold in my flannel pajamas and wool sweater, enjoying my coffee. There was not a sound to be heard except for the river. I love being outside as daybreak arrives..., I'm not out there for long, just long enough for a few sips of coffee and to take in the sights and sounds of the changing landscape as we go from dark to light....night to day. I especially love it when snow is falling and the world is so quiet you can actually hear those soft flakes hitting the ground. I was just looking at our weather forecast for this week and they said "snow likely" overnight on Thursday...yippee!!! I very much love this time of year..Fall is one of my favorite seasons but Winter...that is who I am...I can not wait for SNOW! I love the anticipation that the changing of seasons brings. I do believe, going from one thing to the next, is a big part of who I am. I love to watch the sun rise...I love to be outside when dusk arrives..I love the changing of season..I love the start of new things..taking classes, learning new things, trying something new..ordering new supplies sends me directly to heaven!!! I guess I am not one of those people who does not like change...apparently I embrace it and I never realized it until right now as I was writing this... See how great writing is..you learn new things about yourself all the time.

Anyway, goodness I seem to be rambling today, speaking of all these changes and such..have you begun your Yuletide creations yet? I have officially moved from pumpkins, witches and the like to Christmas and I could not be happier!

I have been watching Holiday movies as I create and even listening to a bit of Christmas music :). All of it has really helped to inspire my work as I busily create for my next web show~"As Winter Begins".

I am actually doing quite well, save for the pesky owl I spoke of in an earlier post and who's behind you see below....

(doesn't he just have the cutest behind!!!) He is still not cooperating with his facial details..I really think I am going to have to make a separate head and attach it to him....I think that may be the problem..it's either that..or I'll skip his face and just have him shown from behind...;)

I also have three bears in the works..one is a large honey brown fello that is pictured above and the other two are smaller and were not quite ready for photo's yet.... I ordered supplies (♥♥♥) the other day to create handmade accompaniments for my bears..I can not wait until they arrive and I can start working on them!!!

I also picked up this wonderful creamy white, wool flannel blanket at a thrift shop the other day that I plan on finding a use for.


I have also been working on a few more greeting cards and will be offering them at my next Web Show..I've been hoping to do this for a while now and am finally getting around to it.
And...lastly on the studio front..I have a big project in the works..it's something that I have been hoping to do, literally, for years now and I am finally doing it. I am not going to say anything more about it other than, it is Yuletide themed, combines several of my passions and I think (and hope) will be very well received. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And finally...(geesh, I did not expect this post be so long winded)....I wanted to share this wonderful soup recipe that I made the other day..OH MY GOODNESS..it was wonderful. I've actually never cared for root vegetables however, this year I am loving them. It's funny how our taste change over the years isn't it.

Butternut Squash Soup
(Adapted from The Italian Dish Blog)

3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (about 3 leaves)
2 to 2-1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1/8 cup vermouth
4 cups chicken broth
4 ounces bacon, chopped
1/3 cup cream
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion & sauté until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic & sage and sauté another minute. Add squash cubes and sauté 5 minutes. Add the vermouth & broth, cover and simmer on low for about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon until nicely crisped. Drain on paper towel.
Puree soup ( using an immersion blender, food processor regular blender) Return to the cook pot & stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Dish into nice big bowls and sprinkle the bacon on top. Enjoy! :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let me know how you like it :)

wishing you a most wonderful week, doreen