Souper way to keep warm!

I am SO sick of this cold weather and snow! It snowed a TON over Christmas weekend and 4-5 inches more this weekend. I was holed up with my family at my parents' house over Christmas weekend and here are a couple pictures from Blizzard 2009!

Outside my parents garage on Christmas morning-

The beginning of the snow-

My parents' backyard when it started to snow-

What better way to get warmed up after being outside than some yummy soup?! Last week while my sis was in town, we made my friend Sarah's recipe of Butternut Squash Soup with Tortellini. Mmm! Here are a few pictures from that adventure of using the hand blender for the first time (thanks Santa!) as well as the recipe so you can give it a try.

Butternut Squash Stew:

Ingredients-

2 tablespoons butter

2 onions

3 pounds butternut squash (poke holes, microwave to soften, peel, de-seed and cube)
1/2 cup white wine (optional)

1 box vegetable broth

1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon

1 pinch ginger

1 pound frozen tortellini or ravioli, cheese-filled

1 block lite cream cheese

3/4 cup half-and-half

salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent.

Add squash, wine and broth. Add the spices. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a blender, blend half the stew and all the cream cheese to a smooth consistency. Add back to stew. You can also blend all of it for a smoother texture. Add half-and-half, heat until almost a simmer, salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!!