Speaking of Soup

I find a lot of great recipes online and I feel so very blessed that people are generous and share their great concoctions with others for free. I use allrecipes most often, because I like to search and then sort by rating. I've found some real winners that way. But I also use other sites and friends and family members' tried and true favorites a lot. I almost always adjust and adapt recipes to match my cooking style, my family's tastes and what ingredients I have on hand. I've been cooking for this family for about 20 years, and I've gotten pretty good at it. Mostly. 

One of the best recipes I've ever found is my oldest son's favorite meal- Creamy Tomato Soup, from a site called Our Best Bites. I don't adjust or change this recipe, it is perfect just as it is and we love it! The best way to serve it is with hot grilled cheese sandwiches (once I even made them on homemade bread-- comfort food Heaven!! ) It is so good we have it at least once a month when the weather is cool. 

Recently, having acquired some locally grown (organic, even) butternut squash a few months ago, I went searching for a good soup recipe to make with one. I searched all the sites I usually frequent; my last stop was Our Best Bites and ta-daaa! They have a Butternut Squash Soup recipe there that is simple and I have all the ingredients for! So I made it tonight:

The verdict? Meh... it's not awful. But I'm not in love with it. My second son is the only other family member home at dinner time and he said it was weird, but good and warm. It came out really thick and I think it's just a bit too bland for my tastes. I do like butternut squash-- steamed and then slathered in real butter and salt and pepper. But this tastes (and looks) more like baby food than anything else. Too bad. If you LOVE butternut squash- you will probably like this more than I did. 

Of course, it's really all a matter of taste.

Share your favorite cold weather recipes in the comments and maybe they will be my new favorite too!