Thai Peanut Butternut Squash Soup

The Story

I guess it is the cold weather that has been moving in, but I have been on a total soup kick. I can’t get enough of fresh bread dipped in hot soup in the early evening darkness with our candles burning and relaxing jazz music playing low. This is how we eat dinner in our house. It is a tradition now. My husband was just noting today how it is so nice to finally have our own traditions. When you first get married, everything is new, and nothing is normal. But now, we have our own normals.

But back to the soup. There are certain words that have always stayed with me, or I think of often when I am thinking of words. Some of these are yellow, rain, raindrop, lemonade, and soup. You can always find these words all over my doodles, especially when I am practicing different fonts. I’m sure a phycologist would have all kinds of theories about this, but I’d rather keep the words to myself. In fact, this is the first time that I have shared them.

Anyway. The first time I really began to think about the word soup was years ago when I first read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Dicamillo. I always thought that the way Kate DiCamillo wrote was similar to my own thoughts. The way she wrote about the soup was no exception. In her book, the Tale of Despereaux, soup, (and rain) meant something. Of course, my meaning for soup is different than Kate Dicamillo’s, but I have my own ideas I associate soup with. I could never describe them all, but soup makes me think of rain and cold and staying inside in pajamas alongside the company and warmth of family and laughter. The way a lamp makes a dark room okay, hot soup makes cold weather okay, or even nice.

These are some of the ideas I think of when I think of soup. Not to mention, fall itself and autumn leaves, pumpkins, and finally squash. Butternut squash. I have never been a particular fan, but like any food, prepared the right way, it can be delicious. I found this recipe on Pinterest and tweaked it, like I always do, to make it my own and better utilize the ingredients I already have in my kitchen. My husband liked this butternut squash soup too, even though he does not usually care for squash either, so it really must be a winner.

Why you should make this soup

What made this soup novel to me, was that I truly could not tell there was butternut squash in it, at least, as far as taste, which is fascinating to me, since butternut squash is a key ingredient to this soup. Instead, the soup tasted far richer and more flavorful than one would expect a squash. Yet the squash was subtly there, giving the soup it’s earthy base. The peanut butter and heat of the sriracha and red pepper flakes fully won me over. The creamy puree did not allow me to stop spooning soup to my mouth until my bowl was empty. So here it is, Thai Peanut Butternut Squash Soup.

Thai Peanut Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 butternut squashes
• 2 large carrots
• 5 medium potatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 5 large garlic cloves
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 cups water
• 4 chicken stock cubes
• 3 tbsp white cooking wine
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• green onions
• sriracha

Instructions: 

• Cut squashes in half and clean out seeds. Then slice into cubes. Slice carrots, onion, and garlic. Place in pot and drizzle with olive oil. Cook until onion and garlic are browned.
• Then add water, chicken stock cubes (or chicken stock), cooking wine, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cover pot and cook until the squash becomes soft. Remove pot from heat and use an immersion blender to puree.
• Mix in peanut butter and soy sauce, making sure the peanut butter is completely melted. Serve warm and sprinkle with green onions and a dash of sriracha.  Enjoy!

Here are the Cheese puffs I made to go along with the soup because everyone knows that soup is no good without bread. Or perhaps I should say, is not as good, because this soup would still be good on its own. My husband and I were quite excited about these cheese puffs though. I did not know what to call them, but somehow I started calling them cheese puffs, which may not be the best name, but my husband loved it. So now they are forever Cheese Puffs, at least, in our home.

Cheese Puffs

Ingredients:

• 1 can biscuits
• 1 mozzarella ball
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning or basil

Instructions:

• Slice mozzarella ball into 16 pieces.
• Divide biscuits in half.
• Flatten biscuit and place mozzarella piece in the center. Pull the edges of the biscuit over the mozzarella to cover it. Then roll into a ball. Do this to all 16 biscuit halves.
• Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

                               ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Great blogs to read and follow:

Lux Life Finn Jonna is a food blogger. She posts recipes and restaurant critiques. I just found her blog and I am slightly obsessed. Her blog is beautifully categorized into food genres so that you can find recipes easily. Her recipes are very unique, like her Salmon Soup, which makes me want to try them.

The Unhurried Wife Morgan is a lifestyle blogger, blogging about travel, simplicity, planning, recipes, and more. I like her blog because it feels like a journey. Each one of her posts feels like it is the next step in her life and she is inviting you to join in. One of my favorites is her post entitled “7 Ways to Invite Hygge into your Life This Winter”.

I will continue promoting blogs I like to help out my fellow bloggers. To be eligible for consideration you must:

• be a fellow lifestyle blogger
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