Our family is celebrating the holidays with Nate's family this year, at a rental house on the beach. We thought some neutral territory (and more bedrooms) would help all of us relax a little and actually enjoy each other this year. So we're headed to Delaware!
So of course, trying to plan a relaxing weekend means I need to do a little more prep work in advance, which is less relaxing... Ironic. But it also means that I got to start cooking some of my favorite foods last night. Oh! So yummy! The house was filled with the smell of Thanksgiving and Fall last night as I baked and scooped and blended and whipped. And of course nothing is actually made per se, but everything is started.
Sherry Sweet Potatoes: These sherry sweet potatoes are a family tradition on my side. It mostly involved my grandmother adding too much sherry to the potatoes, and probably drinking more than her fair share in the process. They were... a little too drunk for me as a child. Turns out they are delicious when made with the correct amount of sherry!
Corn Casserole: Ok, so I did nothing to prep this yummy side dish last night, besides actually buying the corn, cheese and pimentos. But I have the ingredients! I can whip this up very quickly Thanksgiving day.
Squash Soup: Can you believe it? I don't have the recipe for this typed up yet! So easy, so I'm sharing it here!
Ingredients:
2-lb butternut squash (medium)
1 T olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 cup cream or milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Peel squash and remove seeds.
Cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks and set aside.
Add oil to 4-quart saucepan and place over medium heat.
Add onion, celery, carrot, and rosemary
Cook until onion begins to brown, stirring occasionaly, about 15 minutes.
Add squash, stock and 1 cup water.
Bring to a boil
Reduce to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.
Turn off heat and let soup cool slightly, about 8 minutes.
Using a blender or processor, puree soup in batches until smooth.
Transfer to a clean pot or storage container.
**Can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
When ready to serve, reheat.
Add milk, salt and pepper; stir well.
Add additional milk or stock if soup is too thick.
Simmer 5 minutes.
Serve warm.
Doesn't get much easier than that! Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
