Nerina Pallot ~ Everybody's Gone To War
Madonna ~ Don't Tell Me
Alanis Morrisette ~ Perfect
Shakira ~ Hey You
Chris Cornell ~ Follow My Way
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Voodoo Child
AC/DC ~ Dirty Deeds Done Dirt (Live)
Beth Hart ~ Love Is The Hardest
Gin Wigmore ~ Happy Ever After
Justin Timberlake ~ Sexyback
The Eagles ~ All Night Long
Kid Rock ~ Rock Bottom Blues
Bowie ~ Valentine's Day
Colbie Caillat ~ Tied Down
The HQ is very quiet right now as I sit and write this post. I have enjoyed the company of my little nephew last night and today as he had his first sleepover away from home. We had a blast...we cooked dinner together...watched movies together (Rise of the Guardians - Bunny rocks!) and ate some popcorn and snuggled heaps before he crashed on me..leaving me to watch Yogi Bear alone...not a great movie! Awful. And today started at 4.30am and we sat and chatted..again snuggled under the covers and I learnt more about snakes then I ever cared to know..lol. M is a keen fan of Deadly 60...and he wants to work with animals when he grows up. We made breakfast together and I got quizzed about my knowledge of animals...Yikes. lol. The boy is obsessed but there could be worse obsessions, eh? Then breakfast was enjoyed snuggled back under the covers with more chatting and then we started our day 'for real', to quote the little fella. lol. It was then the quiet moments of saying hello to the world and after showers were had...I let the little fella play on Star Wars (he is a mini geek lol) whilst I made lunch for the usual Saturday family time. And before we knew it we were joined by my sister and the little ladies. Glorious chaos and mayhem. And now they are all gone...and the house is deafeningly quiet but I wouldn't have swapped a single moment of my time with them. They are the light...on days when the illness and pain threatens to take over me.
The soup...well I have been making this one for a while. It's cheap, simple to make and tasty without relying on a ton of spices. I love butternut squash but have always had trouble with the soups it stars in. More often than not I find them too sweet and being a savoury orientated foodie I struggle with that whole sweet/savoury dish. So when I first tried this one I was delighted that it wasn't at all sweet and just a really good flavoured soup. And I hope you try it and find it the same...it makes a good sized amount so I usually use half and freeze half for those...Oh I cannot be bothered to cook days...lol Below is the recipe and a couple of adaptions that I sometimes make.
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| Simple Butternut Squash Soup |
Simple Butternut Squash Soup Serves 8
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped
1 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
2.5 litres of veggie stock or water
freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste ~ optional
sunflower or pumpkin seeds ~ a handful
In a large stock pot heat the oil and then toss in the onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant. Then add in the butternut squash and potatoes along with the stock. Cover, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the veggies are tender. Season to taste and then blend until smooth. Serve...
Adaptions:
I also make this soup using sweet potatoes in sub for white potatoes.
I also add sriracha sauce at the table if I feel the need for a little kick..or add a minced fresh chili in at the garlic/ginger stage.
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Saturday has been as special as mine...
~Red~
