When the soup's in the cup...

Sip it like its hot, sip it like its hot. Oh Justin Timberlake, you crack me up. If you haven't seen his SNL skit as the Cup O' Soup, you must check it out:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2159391/cup_o_soup/

Now that September is upon us, what better way to mark the beginning of the fall season than by cooking up a batch of butternut squash soup! Katy and I took one evening this week to make ourselves a warm, comforting and quick meal. We used a Giada De Laurentis recipe and I have to say she really does know her stuff. We've tried a bunch of her dishes and they've never failed. I don't always love that she must pronounce every word with the proper Italian accent, I mean we get it, you're Italian, you don't need to force these words, "paahnchettaahh, mooozaaahrellaaa and parmaahgeeaahnoo reggiaahhnoo!" down our throats, okay?

Butternut Squash soup with Sage

That being said, I love that Giada uses fresh simple flavors with just a few ingredients. Don't you love when you don't have to buy 15 million ingredients for just one dish? I was skeptical about how just a few veggies, herbs and some olive oil could make such a rich and tasty soup, but it really was one of the best soups I've ever tasted. No cream required! It tastes so earthy from all the sage, and the onions and garlic really bring out the sweetness and nuttiness of the squash and carrots. The color of the soup was a beautiful orange with little flecks of green from the herbs. What really kicked this soup up a notch was the fontina and sage crostini Giada pairs with the soup. It just adds another level of flavor and a nice gourmet touch. All you have to do is cut up a nice Italian loaf or whatever bread you have on hand into rounds, sprinkle with olive oil, shredded fontina cheese, chopped sage and sea salt and pop it into the oven. The bread gets golden and crusty and the cheese is melty and delicious. I loved sopping up my soup with the crostini. Yum!

Please give this soup a try, I plan on making it again soon! It's the perfect starter course or light lunch or dinner meal. I might even put this on our family's Thanksgiving menu!

Recipe courtesy of the Food Network and Giada De Laurentis

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/butternut-squash-soup-with-fontina-cheese-crostini-recipe/index.html