Kitchen Experimentation

Day #4 of snow... to cope with the cabin fever, I've begun to experiment in the kitchen (in between playing legos and reading books with my toddler).  Made some pretty good soup. I think I'll make some fresh bread to go with it for dinner.

Creamy Potato & Squash Soup

• 8 size "B" red potatoes, diced
• 2 acorn squash, halved & steamed
• 32 oz container chicken broth (low sodium)
• 1 large onion
• 1 Tb minced garlic
• 1 C carrots, chopped
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 1 C sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

In a large pot, steam potatoes and carrots until tender, set aside.  Halve acorn squash and place face-down on a large plate.  Microwave on high for 15 minutes then set aside for a few minutes to cool.  Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and puree in blender with garlic. Pour into large pitcher or bowl and set aside.  Then proceed to puree potatoes and carrots (combine with some of the chicken broth to make blending easier) and pour into pitcher with onion/garlic mix. Once the squash is slightly cooled, scrape seeds into trash and the meat of the squash into the blender with the remaining chicken broth. Puree and combine with other pureed vegetables.  Pour pureed vegetable mixture back into large pot and add remaining ingredients (sour cream, cheddar, parmesan, salt, pepper). Stir on medium heat for 5-10 minutes and then keep on a low heat until served.