How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

I had the weekend to look over some cookbooks to come up with this week's lineup and boy did I surprise myself with what I brought out of the running gates first: Curried Butternut Squash Soup.  Again with the soups!  Something inexplicably drew me to this creamy goodness, mainly, I've always wanted an excuse to buy a squash and actually prepare it instead of dressing it up for a Thanksgiving display.  And figure out how to prepare it.  Interestingly enough, although I knew it was a member of the cucurbita family, I was still surprised that it smelled like pumpkin when I was seeding it.

It's always a little strange when you smell "holiday" smells so far away from their time.  Kind of like when I go to Ohio for my annual Week of Solitude and Isolation mid year (I might have to cancel this year!  Or go in July instead of May) and I make a pit stop at this magical place "right in the heart of Amish country!"  Maybe I'll pick up the "Amish Bishop and his wife" collectibles!  Side bar: I'd love, love, LOVE to be Amish.  Having said that, this meal would have been a bazillion times harder without electricity--maybe Mennonite?

So back to the squash and my sweet arsenal with which to annihilate it.

Peeler-check. Small knife before I realize I need a bigger knife-check.  Bigger knife-check.  Spoon for seeding-check.  Bring it on, muchacho.  I may or may not have pranced around the kitchen holding the big knife Psycho style making the reee reee reeee sound effects.

I give you Exhibit A: The Butternut Squash

Exhibit B: Skinned--The Great Peel

Exhibit C: THE MASSACRE!  Careful, you might need to avert your eyes--it's going to get gruesome.

Tangent--My knife makes awesome cutting marks AND, bonus! the hollowed out part (thank you, it took some talent) looks like hearts.  The squash is telling me it loves me!  It's last plea before the end drew near.

And finally, Exhibit D: The Aftermath

I must say, after tackling this squash, I'm not so intimidated by off-putting gourds.  Oh the possibilities during Fall!  I'll have to remember this dish for then.  I'm sure it's equally as appropriate during a brisk Fall Saturday evening--OF HORROR MOVIES!

Onwards!  After this prep, I followed it by mincing 2 cubes of garlic, and chopping up one onion.  I put that in a medium size soup pot and let those two ingredients cook a little bit in some oil.

After that was nice and sizzling--might have had the heat on juuuust a smidge too high at first, I added the cubed squash, chicken stock, salt, and curry powder and let it come to a boil after about 15 minutes on high heat.

But wait, you thought I was done.  Think again!  I call this Exhibit E: Hiding the Body

Now for the really dirty, devastating, dastardly (thanks Geraldo) details.  I CUT AND CHOPPED ALL THE EVIDENCE UP IN A BLENDER!  Oh the horror!

Sorry Ellie Krieger, I'm not food snobby enough to have an immersion blender on hand.  This bit was slightly amusing.  I have no pictures to share since both my hands were occupied pouring the half done soup from the electrifyingly hot pot (needed to use oven mitts) into a bowl, which in turn, went into the blender.  This had to be done in two shifts and apparently I have both a) horrible aim and b) a leaky blender.  I think I lost about an eighth of the soup on the counter and/or floor...and a little that splashed onto my pants...and a little that splashed into the oven--while it was closed.

All in all, the Curried Butternut Squash Soup found on page 78 here was incredibly good!  I really liked the curry part, which made it interestingly spicy.  I forgot to mention that the recipe called for 2 tablespoons of honey.  I guess every little ingredient helps.  I'm still too much of a novice to taste the difference but one day, I'm sure I'll have it mastered.  And then I can compete on Top Chef!

Behold my Monday night dinner and you can bet your bottom dollar that the sun will come out tomorrow and I'll be having this for lunch.

Yeah, so I left off the plain nonfat yogurt for a garnish because I'm NOT buying a tub of that stuff for one meal.  Again, why it's so hard to package small portions of something is beyond me.