From Squash To Soup

Finally ready to harvest .  Does the word - harvest - make me sound like a big time vegetable gardener ?  I think not .

 

From This to This - - - - - - - -   

Look at the size of this squash . It was too large to weigh on my kitchen scale so I weighed it on the bathroom scale !!  That's a lot 'a squash !  Acorn Squash usually weighs 2 to 3 pounds .

Because I was concerned about trying to safely cut it because of the size and hard surface I put it into the microwave for 5 minutes to soften it a little bit and taste it to see if I thought it tasted like it would make a good soup .  And , it was a GO .

It cut easily and after covering with olive oil and some course sea salt I baked it for one hour .

It came out nicely roasted .

And , ready to scoop and blend with the other ingredients.

I found it to be a lot of fun cooking with something from my own garden .  I think Acorn Squash has a rather mild taste and a slightly nutty flavor . So it can use a lot of added seasoning . Along with onion , carrots , garlic , chicken stock and of course the squash , I added half and half , salt , cinnamon , nutmeg and cayenne pepper . Tasting as you go helps to get the end result you like !  The use of an emersion blender is a great help in giving the soup a nice finished texture .

A small salad and some crusty rustic bread would round out a nice meal .

A few red pepper flakes make a nice garnish .

I am so glad my home grown squash was something I could cook with .  And , now I have some good servings in my freezer .  I don't usually freeze food that I prepare that has cheese or milk products but the small amount of half and half should work well .

Tomorrow is my appointment with the Orthopedic Specialist and I am looking forward to it .  I started thinking more about my leg symptoms and my nursing background and I came up with a  new thought about the diagnosis . Because the symptoms are primarily with my right knee and there is significant swelling behind the knee cap I am wondering if it may be a Baker's Cyst . Yes , my knees are bad but this intense localized pain may have a different cause than just "old knees" !

I am so tuckered out with the severity of pain and I am so hopeful for some type of relief .  And , I am certainly going to push for some pain pills .

Until next time .

Mary