My SD Moms You probably have a collection of great recipes that fit the holidays, but you can always handle one more, yes? We thought so. Here are a couple we like a lot. One, a soup/starter and the other — Pumpkin, cheesecake style. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
Butternut Squash Soup
Serve cups of butternut squash soup with orange spiced cashews.(serves 6)
Ingredients:
1 orange
3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
10 whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 spanish onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
Pinch of cayenne pepper
6 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small (about 1¾ pounds each) butternut squash, peeled, halved and seeded, and flesh cut into 1-inch pieces
Orange Spiced Cashews, for garnish
Directions:
Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from orange in long strips; reserve flesh for another use. Make a bouquet garni by wrapping zest, ginger, coriander and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth; tie kitchen twine around top of bundle.
In a medium stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add bouquet garni; cook 2 minutes more. Add stock; bring to a boil.
Add sweet potato and squash to pot; return to a gentle simmer, and partially cover. Cook until vegetables are just beginning to fall apart, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.
In a blender, puree soup in batches, being careful not to fill more than halfway. Pour soup into a clean pot; cook over medium heat until just heated through. Serve garnished with nuts, if desired.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust:
1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoon light brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick softened butter
Mix together and press in a 9-inch springform pan
Filling:
24 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ cup sugar
15-ounce can of pumpkin
4 eggs
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons flour (all-purpose)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat till well mixed. Add pumpkin, eggs, sour cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well. Add flour and vanilla; mix till smooth. Pour in crust. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let set to cool and remove from pan and refrigerate until chilled.
