Butternut Squash Soup and Free Greeting Cards

Butternut squash soup. This comforting fall/winter soup is one of my favorites. I love its sweetness; it almost makes me feel like I'm eating dessert.

I love to serve soup as a starter on my holiday dinners. My favorite way to serve it? Little shooters. It's a fantastic way to get people started. It's like a preview of what's coming next and of course, leaves plenty of room for the rest of the meal. I usually make a large batch of it the day before and just warm it up when i'm ready to serve it. 

The mascarpone cheese is a perfect addition. Instead of adding spices to the soup, I add them to the mascarpone cheese and it works beautifully. I also like to garnish it with fresh rosemary. It not only makes it look pretty and festive, but also adds some flavor to the mascarpone cheese. 

I have also designed some greeting cards for you to download for free! Just click HERE, download, print, cut and start writing! I made them in two colors, red and blue. They go perfect with the occasion especially if you are giving out baked goods. Also, there is still time to enter the giveaway from SneakPeeq, click HERE to read more!

Merry Christmas! 

Ingredients:

For the Spiced Mascarpone Cheese

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk until well combined and smooth. 

For the soup

1 1/2 pound butternut squash, 

seeded, peeled and cut in 1-inch dice

2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch dice

2 shallot

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In large pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add shallots and carrots and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the squash and potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir the vegetables to coat them with the oil and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Add enough hot water to just cover the veggies, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and puree the vegetables with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with mascarpone cheese and garnish with rosemary.