Succulent Soups: Butternut Squash Soup
I love a hearty soup on cold winter nights. This recipe originated from my cousin Dave Berry, one of those natural cooks known for creating delicious recipes from scratch. Planning on serving his Butternut Squash Soup recipe as the first course at a dinner party I was hosting, I accidentally used too much chicken stock. Watery and flavorless, I needed "amp it up" a bit, and decided to layer in more flavor, thickening the soup by adding roasted squash seasoned with curry and onion powder, and a bit of apple for sweetness. Our guests raved - my "fixes" were a success!

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Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds (12 cups) peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash, divided
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 11/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or more to taste
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup chopped roasted pecans
Fresh Tastes in 2016
I can't believe 2016 is here - off and running! We're enjoying the great feedback from all of you about how you and those you've gifted my cookbook are using Fresh Tastes to create delicious meals and memories with your family and friends. Haven't gotten your copy yet? Signed copies are still available for at Seasonedkitchen.com, and you can also find us on Amazon.com and various retailers nationwide.

About Fresh Tastes: Fans of A Well-Seasoned Kitchen will recall that my first cookbook was inspired by my mom Sally Clayton's love of cooking and entertaining. My second book, Fresh Tastes, was born from creating dishes with a new, "fresh" perspective. The follow-up to my critically acclaimed A Well-Seasoned Kitchen, Fresh Tastes is a unique collection of recipes showcasing how fresh ingredients and new ideas can be combined to deliver extraordinarily flavorful dishes guaranteed to please all palates.

For more information about Fresh Tastes, click here.

Enjoy!
Reviews for Fresh Tastes:
"Roper wrote the first Well Seasoned Kitchen in 2010 to save memories with her aging mother, a powerhouse entertainer, and this is another wonderful peek into her family's foods. Recipes arrive from all corners-her mom's bouillabaisse, her Kentuckian maternal grandmother's buttermilk biscuits, chilled minted pea soup from the Gordon Ranch in Wyoming, or huevos rancheros she first tasted on a girl's weekend in Cabo San Lucas. Each has easy to follow instructions, and lots of tips that help with ingredients from split peas and country ham to shellfish. These are foods served to friends from the country club and book club, with lots of everyday and Whole Foods store-type ingredients-bacon and brussels sprouts, portobellos and sundried tomatoes and capers-and lots of cream cheese. Each recipe, lunch to brunch to snack, seems to say, "since we're eating together, let's celebrate, shall we?"  

"For the entertainer who might have fallen into a rut, Lee Clayton Roper has the solution. Fresh Tastes, her latest title, is a collection of more than 170 recipes combined with personal stories to reignite that kitchen inspiration. Gorgeous photos are paired with practical advice for prepping dishes in advance for a truly well-rounded book. Recipes like Hot Onion Soufflé; Prosciutto, Fig and Goat Cheese Tarts; and Cheese Blintz Soufflés with Blueberry Balsamic Sauce provide something to please everyone. Give this book to your friend or family member who is ready to take their parties to the next level." 


"Save your culinarily inclined friends and family members from dud Internet recipes and give them local author Lee Clayton Roper's second cookbook, Fresh Tastes from a Well Seasoned Kitchen. Not only will they get over 170 perfect-for-entertaining recipes like tomato shortbread with olive tapenade, rolled turkey breast with roasted red pepper stuffing, and individual plum tarts, but they'll also enjoy Roper's touching stories and priceless cooking tips. As additional quality assurance, 5280 food editor Amanda Faison even helped recipe test, so you know that these recipes are winners. You can buy the book online, or at the Bookies, the Lark, Compleat Lifestyles, Eccentricity, and Mariel Boutique."


"RECIPE, PLEASE: The time has come for all those delicious smells of holiday cooking. And though we wait all year for Grandma's famous cookies (you know the ones) and Uncle Phil's standing rib roast, it's also fun to add a few fresh dishes to our repertoire. We dug into a slew of new cookbooks - [including] "Fresh Tastes from A Well-Seasoned Kitchen" by Lee Clayton Roper - to bring you the latest reads for gifting to friends (or yourself) in the weeks to come. And should you find yourself with leftovers? Feel free to send them our way."
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