CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP, AND A SHORT BREAK.......

Lordy LORDY I have been busy as a bee lately, with no end in sight. Now I know you're probably wondering (because I sure would!) how a woman who doesn't "work" and has no kids at home anymore could possibly be all that busy, really. Well, I have recently amped up my volunteer efforts here in our little town, re-joining the Northwoods Women's Club AND doing lots of hours at our gorgeous new arts center, called View.

At View, I have volunteered to "re-do" their darling little gift shop, which is my very favorite thing to do in the whole wide world. Here's a peek at the outside of the shop.....

So I'm spending this next week tearing down displays and fixtures, and moving in new furniture and "props" that I've scavenged around town. Very exciting......EXCEPT--I need to be extremely careful with my precious energy, as I've learned with this f#%*ing autoimmune disease that overdoing it can lead to a big flare up of my symptoms. So, a task that would take a "normal", healthy person say, oh I dunno, 2 days to complete will probably take me a week. Thus, this is the reason I don't have a real "job" outside the home right now--I just can't predict what will make me sick, and when. Which totally sucks, especially for a former work-aholic like me!

Something's gotta give this week, so I probably won't be back here at Sugar and Spice until next week...but that's okay, because I think I'll lure you back with a wonderful Sweet Potato Pie recipe for your Thanksgiving feast! In the meantime, I have another of my mom's fabulous soup recipies, her Curried Butternut Squash Soup. I seriously make this ALL THE TIME.

To begin, cut a medium sized butternut squash in half (be super careful doing this--as good as this soup may be, it is SO not worth a trip to the E.R.!)...........

Roast halves in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, cut side down, until squash is very tender.......

Scoop the flesh out of the squash (once it's cooled down a bit) into a medium pot.......

Combine chicken broth, squash, and seasonings. Bring to a boil ; reduce to simmer over medium heat, about 10 minutes. Puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls--serve with Lime Crema (recipe follows), and dig in! Super nutritious and so yummy...enjoy!...........

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Serves 2-3

1 medium butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. curry powder

salt and pepper

Roast butternut squash halves in a 350 degree oven, about half an hour, cut side down, until fork tender. Scoop flesh out of squash into medium soup pot. Combine broth, squash and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer over medium heat, about 10 minutes.  Puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Ladle into bowls. Serve with a dollop of Lime Crema.

LIME CREMA

1 / 2 cup sour cream

1 / 4 tsp. fresh lime zest

1 tblsp. fresh lime juice

Combine above ingredients and chill until serving time.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.......

***The fun day shopping yesterday in "the city" with my husband, Mr. Badass. New boots for me, new jeans for him, and a fun lunch for us both!

***The fact that our daughter wasn't involved and / or hurt in the UC Berkeley Occupy Wall Street demonstrations the other day!

***That some nice man bought our daughter's car, thus freeing up a space in the garage so that her daddy can park in there this winter. No more scraping windshields for him!