Favorite fall dinner

Although the recipes aren't particularly frugal, this meal is one of our favorites. I buy the goat cheese, bread, & squash at Costco, where I can generally find the best prices on those items. If you grow butternut squash & make your own bread, the cost of the meal would be more reasonable.

One our favorite fall meals is butternut curry soup with goat cheese crostinis and cosmopolitans. We sip the cosmopolitans while we eat the crostini, & then eat the soup with some of the extra crostini, dipping it. YUM. Fabulous meal with a salad. The crostini is one of my favorite simple & easy appetizer recipes. Love it. I tried to get M to give up his famous cosmopolitan recipe, but he guards it pretty closely. :-)

Here's the butternut squash recipe. Also, if you buy your squash at Costco, it comes in 2 lb containers & you will likely have some leftover. Use the remaining squash for butternut risotto. Another fabulous fall meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• 2 celery stalks, chopped (I sometimes boost this to 3 or 4)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 - 2lb butternut squash, cubed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• 4 tsp chives

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion & celery and cook 4 minutes, or until soft. Add curry powder & cook 1 minute. Add broth, squash, bay leaves, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover & simmer 15 minutes - until squash is tender.

Remove bay leaves & puree soup in a food processor. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with 1 tbsp sour cream and 1 tsp chives.

Makes 4 servings - 195 calories & 3 grams of fat each.

Enjoy!