Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Welp, fall has officially fallen upon us, ya'll. I was wandering through the farmers market this weekend, and the butternut squash just looked oh-so-delightful when I thought about them being chopped and pureed into a yummy soup... so that's what I did! And honestly, this recipe was so effortless (you can do it!)

1 med. yellow onion (chopped)
1 carrot (chopped)
2 Tb. butter
1 butternut squash (peeled & chopped into smallish pieces)
1 1/2 tart green apple (peeled & chopped)
(squash to apple ratio should be about 3:1)
3 c. of chicken broth, veg broth (I didn't have either so I just used water)
1 c. water
spiced with cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, nutmeg, S&P
if you feel that it needs a bit more sweetness (I did):
-add a few drops of vanilla extract & about a tsp. of pure maple syrup

step 1: heat butter (don't let it brown though, because the soup would get a burny-taste)
step 2: add onion & carrots (plus whatever else you find intriguing to add)
step 3: add squash, apple, broth/water and it all to a boil. lower the temp and let it simmer for 30ish mins
step 4: puree this fabulous mixture in a food processor or blender or whateva you got around (or just leave it chunky if you feel so inclined!)
step 5: add those delicious spices (a lot)

serve with hot apple cider, rich red wine, or your favorite book.
oh, and I also added a dabble of plain yogurt on top of mine. it's real good like that.

enjoi!

Maple-Lavender Choco-Chip Tea Cookies

I know it's a mouthful, but bare with me. They're light, fresh and pop-in-your-mouth tasty. Perfectly paired with a cup of Twinnings Earl Grey.

1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
2 c. Whole Wheat Pasty Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 full stick of butter
3/4 c. Pure (dark) Maple Syrup (local, preferred, hehe)
1/4 c. White Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 c. chopped orange-dark chocolate bar
1/4 c. sunflower seeds (good for you!)
a few sprigs of fresh lavender
and then I added some pretzel crumbs, just for fun

bake at 375 for about 22 minutes

now: if I were to do this recipe over again, I would have probably added a stick and half of butter, to make them a bit more moist. Probably more chocolate too. Always more chocolate. And, lastly, if you can find dried lavender flowers, that would probably bring about a more pronounced lavender-taste... as it is, it just tastes very fresh, though it's hard to tell that there's much lavender in it.

All that to say,
I loved the cookies, and they disappeared in two days, so I'm guessing that my roommates liked them as well.

Enjoi!