Needing Fall Soup Recipes and Decorating Ideas

Cut a butternut squash in half and roast it. Then saute 1 large onion and a clove of garlic. When the squash is soft scoop the flesh into the pot with the onion add swansons chicken broth and blend. If it is too thick add more broth or some milk or cream. Season with salt and pepper. You can add a pinch of nutmeg to this... yum. If you want it to look fancy swirl some cream in at the end and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top.
Put a big bowl of different colored apples on the table.

i found a recipe in good housekeeping i am trying it today, but its dr oz's recipe so im confident in it.

2 cups chopped pumpkin, 4 shallots, 2 chopped carotts, 1 granny smith apple peeled and sliced, 1 med chopped onion,4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1/2 cp coconut milk.

in an oven preheated to 425 degrees roast all ingredients besides the broth and coconut milk for 30 min. transfer cooked ingredients to blender and then add milk and broth, blend to desired consistency.

I like to make a "thank you tree" centerpiece every year, i sort of came up with it but im sure there are similar things. i get a pretty fall festive vase, then stuff it with styrophome, i find 3 long fallen twigs in the yard that are crooked looking and stick them in the styrophome, then my daughter and i cut out red, orange , yellow and green leaves on construction paper, and on it it we write things we are thankful for. then i hot glue the leaves to the tree.

i find leave shapes from around the neighborhood to use as templets, the kids like to find "special" leaves

I try to avoid silk flowers/arrangements.....& use fresh whenever I can. The produce section at your local store & your yard should provide all you need: apples, mini pumpkins, gourds....& some fresh leaves as the base.
Have fun!

You've gotten a lot of great squash recipes, but here's one I just made today that my family went GAGA over! It was truly simple and SO SO flavorful and hearty and..... YUM!!!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action...

This is by far the best squash soup recipe I have ever tried. It's amazing. You don't have to make the croutons with it, but if you have the time, they are SOOOO good with the soup. Good luck! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Winter-Squas...

Something easy to do is to make up a slow cooker stew with beef, onion, potato and carrot. While that is cooking (low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours) you clean out a pumpkin's strings and seeds and rinse it out. When the stew is done, take it out, and put it in the pumpkin, and put the pumpkin top back on. Bake it in a glass lasagna/cake pan at 350(?) degrees for an hour. Serve it in the pumpkin, and pieces of the pumpkin should come off into the stew.

I know you specifically asked for squash soup but this one was in my email this morning and it looks sooo good, that is, if you like corn.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

better homes & gardens has a lot of really pretty ideas on their website. here's one that i recently got in my e-mail from them:

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/?sssdmh=dm17.470504&day=1...

they also have some other more "tradition" halloween ideas too if you go to www.bhg.com. sounds like fun!

sorry i can't help with the soup recipe, but you could try www.allrecipes.com. i like that website because they give user reviews that are really helpful. everything i've tried from there that has good reviews has been very good.

We did a Butternut squash soup recipe the other day that was great! My friend shared one that was made with cream cheese (google butternut squash soup cream cheese and you should find that easily), but I can't have dairy so I had to come up with something that didn't involve the cream cheese. We ended up with this:

1/2 medium size onion
2 tbsp butter
1 granny smith apple
2 carrots
4-6c chicken broth
2-3lb butternut squash

Saute onion in butter in large pot until it softens and browns. Add chicken broth, diced apple and diced carrots. Peel and cube squash, add to pot. Cook until all ingredients are tender. Once everything is tender, puree in blender or food processor.

It was super easy, and yummy-even all the kids love it!

Based on some previous posts for soup, I thought you might like some recipes to go with a great pumpkin/squash soup. What's better than homemade bread and a great salad? Yum!!
One tip I have for decorating is to pull out some white christmas lights weave them into a fallish garland from the craft store. You could hang it in an entry way or wherever you want some beautiful twinkling lights. You can also use some pretty multi-colored apples as votive holders. Just core them out to fit. The kids can go gather leaves to sprinkle on the table. It's a fun way to get them out of the house and involved.
Have a wonderful party,
K. at www.thepracticalcook.com

Foccacia Bread
2 1/4 t quick rise yeast (1 package);
1 1/4 C lukewarm water (110F);
2 T olive oil; 2 T honey; 2 t salt;
3-3 1/2 C bread flour
course sea salt and dried rosemary

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 2 T of warm water. In a large bowl, pour in the rest of the warm water, olive oil, honey and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir. Gradually add in 3 C of flour to make a soft dough that holds it’s shape. Add more flour if needed. Knead by hand (10 min.) or dough hook (6-7 min.) until dough is not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Turn out into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, 45-60 min. Turn out dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Stretch dough out with your fingers to evenly cover the entire pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise 30 min. Preheat oven to 400F. Remove towel and dimple the surface of the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle with course sea salt, rosemary and olive oil. Bake until golden brown, 15-20min.

Spinach Salad
Toss:
Fresh Baby Spinach (boxed variety is the freshed and lasts the longest)
Sugared Pecans or Walnuts
Thinly sliced apples
Thinly sliced red onion
Raisins or dried cranberries or both
Shredded Asiago cheese (feta or blue cheese it nice too)
Creamy Balsamic Dressing:
1 part balsamic vinegar
4 parts mayo
4 parts olive oil
Mix vinegar and mayo. Slowly wisk in the olive oil. Add salt, pepper & a little honey, to taste.
Mix very well. Lasts 1 week in fridge.

THis month's Food Network Magazine has a super delicious looking squash soup recipe (served in half squashes) that I'm planning on making for my book club this month. It looks pretty basic, most of their recipes aren't too hard. Check it out! It might be on line too, but not sure.

As far as the table, go for some gourds or mini pumpkins and arrange them however you like. I also like to get some short vases (or use glasses or even candle votives) and cut off fall flowers (think mums or any flower that is gold, red, etc.) really short so they just make a little puff of color that doesn't inhibit conversation from across the table. I usually alternate a vase of flowers with a small pumpkin or a candle or something like that running the length of the table. Depending upon the size of your table I would use 2-4 vases of flowers. You could also scatter some silk leaves around the table too, that would be cute.

The stew in a pumpkin (previous poster) is what we do every year- two things to note- Try for a short fat pumpkin, your oven isn't as tall as you think. And make sure you oil the outside of the pumpkin... All of it! this will keep the outside solid and help prevent tears. Both of these come from personal experience.
Also you can use this method with any thick skinned squash, and make sure you scrape some of the pumpkin into every serving.

there are pleanty of small indian corn ears, squashes, and pumpkins available at the grocery stores. Buy a few, put them in a pretty bowl, and viola- center peice. This also works in a row down the center of the table on top of a apropriately colored runner.

This Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish recipe is super good and pretty simple: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=804. I'm not big on spicy food, so I leave out the hot sauce. It uses canned pumpkin so there isn't as much chopping. With the 2 cups of heavy cream, it's not really healthy but it sure is tasty!

If you want something a little lighter, this is a great one. It's yummy, healthy and tastes very fresh:
Cream of Squash-Cilantro Soup
SAFETY TIP: Be careful when blending hot ingredients in a closed blender, because they will explode with the pressure from the heat. Start the blender on slow with the lid slightly open, then turn to high speed and seal the lid, or use a hand blender and blend the soup in the cooking pot.
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
4 cups (960 ml) buttercup or other winter squash or carrots, peeled and cubed
2 cups (480 ml) onion, chopped
1 cup (240 ml) celery, thinly sliced
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh garlic, minced
4 cups (960 ml) water
1 tsp (5 ml) sea salt
¼ tsp (1 ml) coriander powder
¼ cup (120 ml) soy milk powder (or powdered milk)

Warm a large skillet on medium heat for 30 seconds, then add the oil, squash, celery, cilantro and garlic. Sauté for about 10 minutes, then add the water, sea salt, and coriander. Cook covered, until the squash is done, then transfer to a blender. Add the milk powder, then blend for about 30 seconds or until the soup is mostly smooth with some small chunks. Serve while hot.

I don't have any good decorating ideas, but I'm sure someone else will. Good luck!