Snuggle Up Soup and Smitten Mitten Sandwiches

With 25 degree weather, we had the perfect week (weather-wise) for making Snuggle Up Soup and Smitten Mitten Sandwiches! First, let me add that this adorable title of our soup/sandwich combination is borrowed from a book entitled: "Bean Appétit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food" by Shannon Payette Seip and Kelly Parthen. 

When I read the ingredients of the original recipe for the soup (mainly sweet potatoes and apples), it reminded me of a Barefoot Contessa recipe that I made for my Halloween party last year. So, for teaching the kids, I used that one instead of the original Snuggle Up Soup recipe. (More on my thoughts about the Barefoot Contessa at the end of the blog posting.) 

After we examined the butternut squash and compared it to its cousin -- the pumpkin-- we used a vegetable peeler to take off the outside and scraped the seeds out of the center. We added chopped onion and chopped apples to the mix, drizzled on olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, then baked the whole mixture for 40 minutes. 

We used a food processor to puree the vegetables, then added it to a simmering pot of stock. It was just that easy! 

In the meantime, everyone got to make their very own Smitten Mitten sandwich with a mitten cookie cutter. All the kids even buttered their own bread. 

Some of the kids really, really liked the soup....

Some said the soup was just okay...

And some really, really preferred their sandwiches! 

On Thursday, even with the delay, the whole Orange Room enjoyed their soup and sandwiches together. Although a few of the kids did not particularly like the soup, it was a great opportunity to teach the phrase "I don't care for that" as an alternative...a nice little lesson passed onto us from the Whitman Family! 

 Quotes of the day: "Miss Diana, my friend is allergic to nuts, so he can't have that butternut squash." "I ate the thumb!" and after asking the kids if they like to be prepared, one child responded "I like to be prepared, but my dad...he is never prepared."

Snuggle Up Soup and Smitten Mitten Sandwiches

Ingredients for Soup:

3 to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded

2 yellow onions

2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored

3 tablespoons good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Directions for Soup:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the butternut squash, onions, and apples into 1-inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss them with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the squash mixture between 2 sheet pans and spread in a single layer. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally, until very tender.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock to a simmer. When the vegetables are done, place the roasted vegetables in batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add some of the chicken stock and coarsely puree. When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough chicken stock to make a thick soup. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reheat and serve hot.

Ingredients for Sandwiches:

1 cookie cutter shaped like a mitten

Slices of whole wheat Bread

Deli sliced cheese (we used provolone)

Spreadable butter

Place the cheese between two slices of bread. Use the mitten cookie cutter to cut out a mitten shape....your child can help you with this part! Spread butter on both sides and just grill it in a pan!

Some musings on the Barefoot Contessa...
Maybe you have a favorite chef you follow or gather inspiration from...mine is the Barefoot Contessa. Maybe the reason I consult the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks over and over again is because I own nearly all of them and they are all autographed by Ina Garten herself. I tell you this not to boast, but to explain. My friend’s sister-in-law is Ina Garten’s assistant in her kitchen and, as a result, autographed copies of all the new cookbooks are sent to my friend (by the case) for her own distribution. I am only so grateful that I am still on this list! And, I have my friend to thank for introducing these wonderful masterpieces to my kitchen and to my life.  I can tell you that any time I am entertaining, I consult these cookbooks -- every single one -- for ideas. Her recipes have a simple elegance combined with a rich earthiness that gives her food a sophisticated yet everyday feel and that is why, in my very humble opinion, that her food appeals to so many people. These qualities, according to my friend who has met her numerous times and attended parties at her home, are also displayed in her character. My friend reports that Ina Garten has a genuiness that radiates to each of her guests and her warmth is reflected in her entertaining as well. This is probably no surprise to you, if you happen to watch her show on the Food Network. In her shows, which I confess I haven't watched in years because we cancelled our cable subscription, she seems to have simple ways of explaining the most complex of ideas and her open adoration for her husband (and her numerous friends) is both remarkable and mutual. 

When I flip through the pages of these cookbooks, I can see recipe after recipe that showcased themselves at so many events in my life. (In this text, I have created hyperlinks to these recipes in case you are interested in trying them out yourself!) Here are a few examples! So, my daughter’s 1^st birthday was a backyard BBQ, (Carolina style, by the way) when the maple baked beans made an appearance. True to form for your first child’s first birthday, there were family members visiting from 7 different states, so I needed a solid menu on which to rely.  For my son’s 1^st birthday, I made the lobster paella and, although it was the first time I ever made paella, there wasn’t a single bite leftover. One guest even confessed that she “inhaled the paella.” For Colette’s 2^nd birthday, I tried my hand at the chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing and –oh my—they were good. On her 3^rd birthday, I had a guest list a mile long and a menu of pickled shrimp and other cool summer foods planned for a hot August day. So much for that plan because that was the same weekend of the unforgettable Derecho that passed through our neighborhood so suddenly, leaving our street without power for what seemed like an eternity. However, determined to make something for my child’s party from scratch, I made Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes outside on my deck on a Coleman camping stove that was powered by propane gas. Still to this day, I ask myself: “What was I thinking?” Of course, I couldn’t bake a cake, so we had ice cream sundaes instead. Ironically, we bought the ice cream from the Baskin Robbins (because it had power) just two blocks from our home. Adrian’s 3^rd birthday was a brunch and, among other things, I made the goat cheese tart and French toast bread pudding. His favorite food continues to be breakfast food! Colette’s 5^th birthday party was an Alice and Wonderland Tea Party and I served herbal iced tea to 12 little 5 year-old girls who all preferred lemonade instead!  Maybe I shouldn’t have had 2 options! In contrast, I made this tea and turkey lasagna for a family gathering when my husband and I first moved into our home. His grandfather, who was visiting from New Orleans, was a patriarchal force of nature and was, sadly, sick with cancer. The Herbal Iced tea was the only thing he would or could take in and I think of him every time I see the recipe. I happily tested the Pink Grapefruit margaritas during dinner with neighbors one summer and I was so pleasantly surprised by the pumpkin banana mousse tart when I brought it to a neighborhood mom gathering that I made it twice more that holiday season for 2 different events. Years ago, I hosted an engagement party for a friend and found that the Moroccan Couscous was a huge hit. For Christmas Eve dinner one year, I made roasted artichoke hearts for an appetizer showcased in an antipasto platter; for dinner, I served the dinner spanakopitas and maple-roasted butternut squash; and, for dessert, I served frozen key lime pie. At my recent Christmas Cocktail party, I made caramelized bacon, which one guest lovingly renamed “sugar bacon” – there wasn’t a single bite left. And, when I see the recipe for zucchini pancakes, I think about my kids as babies and I remember making these when they were just developing their palates and I had all the hope in the world.

Again, with many topics about cooking, I could go on and on. But, let me instead stay focused on the original topic: the soup at the Halloween party. So, for our neighborhood Halloween Party this past year, I made the Barefoot Contessa’s Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and it was wildly popular. In Ina Garten’s original recipe, she includes ideas for serving curry condiments alongside your soup. Instead, at my party, I offered a choice of crumbled blue and feta cheeses and toasted walnuts. On other occasions when I have made this soup, I have sautéed sliced radicchio in a little olive oil, then tossed it in balsamic vinegar and added this to the soup. All of these ideas provide both saltiness and a nice crunch that transform a simple bowl of soup into a satisfying meal.