#4 Get Good at Making Soup (Part 2)

Mmmmmm, so I promised directions on Soup 2 last night, and I think while I am devouring a large tasty breakfast of it (because I awoke from the dead at 11:00am... my life rules), I will deliver! So here is Part 2 of my mission to try my hand at making soup (for Part 1 of this adventure, click here).

Okay

Soup #2
Peanut and Squash Soup (also from myrecipes)

Step 1: Heat enough peanut oil to coat the bottom of your soup pot. Add one butternut squash, peeled and cubed, (MAN IS IT EFFING HARD TO PEEL AND CUBE A BUTTERNUT SQUASH, try and pawn this task off on some unknowing passerby, TRUST ME), half an onion, chopped, 6 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp coriander and saute until onion is tenderish (appx 5 minutes).



Also here's some proof of what a pain in the bum butternut squash is:



I needed not one, but THREE utensils to tackle this guy. When I read "peel the squash" I went and grabbed my apple peeler and started to peel away. Don't do that, because I pretty severely damaged my peeler (sheesh, aren't you lucky you have me around to make these mistakes for you). So I grabbed a serrated knife, sawed the squash into quarters, and then used it to peel away the outside layer (total pain in bum, again, and be super careful not to hack off any fingers). Then I cubed it, using the dullest butcher's knife ever known to mankind, because I bought it from Walmart like 4 years ago when I had no foreseeable interest in chopping things ever.

Then you have to scoop out all the inside guts and seeds, with a melon baller, preferably. Or a simple kitchen spoon if you're a simple Rookie like myself (seriously, dead chefs across the globe probably turn over in their graves when I attack a recipe).



So, yes, that part sucked. It probably will suck less for you, because you're not me, and I did it, so you can do it too. And, it definitely satiated any desire I had to carve a pumpkin and make pumpkin seeds this year, because that is like FOUR times as much work. Ay-yi. Okay

Step 2: Add 4 cups of chicken broth, 3/4 cup smooth peanutbutter (I accidentally bought chunky (seriously, I told you, not Supermarket Sweep contestant material even remotely), which worked fine, but I imagine smooth would be... better), 2 tbsp tomato paste, and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper. Boil. Then simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, or until squash is squishy enough to eat.

Step 3: Toss in some cilantro and voila!



And now I have enough soup to eat every meal for a week!