Cooking with Fall Flavor

By Cori Hooker

Fall in New England is a magical season. The cooler air is welcomed after a steamy summer and the leaves start to change from lush green into a beautiful landscape of red, orange and yellow. Autumn also brings with it a new crop of fresh fruits and vegetables to transform into delicious recipes. Apples, pumpkins, cranberries, and winter squash, such as butternut, are a few that come to mind.

Butternut squash is full of nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and calcium. A cozy soup recipe combining this seasonal favorite with apples comes from bettycrocker.com:

SQUASH AND APPLE BISQUE

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cubed

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

• 1 ¾ cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)

• 2 cups applesauce

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sour cream

Directions

• Mix all ingredients except sour cream in 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker.

• Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours (or high heat setting 3 to 5 hours) or until squash is tender.

• Place one-third to one-half of the mixture at a time in blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth. Return mixture to cooker.

• Stir in sour cream. Cover and cook on low heat setting 15 minutes or just until soup is hot; stir.

• Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream.