Creamless Creamy Squash Soup (Page 99)

• Date: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 -- 9pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: My Apartment
• Fellow Chefs: Ana and Glen
• Dining Companions: Craig, Matty, and Jessie
• Recipe Rating: A-

I picked this soup to go with dinner last Wednesday because it is starting to be the time of year when I crave butternut squash soup! This soup was very good. The flavor was hearty and rich, and the texture was beautifully smooth. Several people commented that it didn't have the sweetness that they normally associate with butternut squash soup, but that it was a nice change. Ana and Craig had slight hesitations about it because it wasn't as good as Ana's recipe for butternut squash soup (which I haven't tried!) but they still enjoyed it. The crumbled cookies on top were a nice touch. We couldn't find amaretti, so we just used some almond biscotti, which worked really nicely. Overall, a very nice recipe. I love pureed vegetable soups and this one did not disappoint!

I had such a nice weekend. On Friday I had cocktails at Vero and Philippe's, which was really fun. Veronique made probably 10 different drinks, and while I didn't try them all, the ones I had were excellent. My favorite: her frozen strawberry daiquiri (yeah, it's a girly drink, but so what? I'm a girl!). I also learned that evening that a guy I know is currently employed writing boob recognition software -- I kid you not! That must be quite a job.

On Saturday I did my usual Saturday stuff: made brunch, ran errands, worked on my thesis. It was a very relaxing day. My favorite thing about weekends in the fall is that you can curl up in bed in the middle of the day with a math paper or a good novel, and something warm to eat -- I love the feeling of being cozy and warm when it is chilly outside.

Speaking of warm things to eat, time for lunch...