Lying Low

      Pretty much anyone I have talked to or overheard this weekend has expressed a feeling of being deflated and sad after the terrible events that happened in the States on Friday- I admit to feeling pretty helpless. To top all that off I have come down with my annual bout of laryngitis- so I also don't have a voice and just generally feel terrible. This combination of one- two punches led to us really lying low this weekend- sticking very close to home- even missing soccer and ballet.

     The upside of an unexpected weekend in was that I finally finished writing our Christmas cards- this has been riding around like a monkey on my back for a couple of weeks now. It is something I really like to do but just haven't had enough time- until today.

      To go along with all that quiet time and card writing I made up a big batch of Coconut Curry Butternut Squash soup with bacon and green beans. Sounds complicated but really is very easy and satisfying. I started off with a batch of regular Butternut squash soup and then started looking through the fridge- I want no left overs when we go away! So if you have this gross cold that is going around or are just feeling a bit blue- I suggest making some soup, cuddling up and watching a movie- it will work wonders!

The Goods:

1 small onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic sliced
2 stalks of celery diced
3 small carrots diced
3 pieces bacon diced and cooked
1 medium butternut squash baked
2 cups stock ( I used veggie)
1 can coconut milk
curry paste to taste
a handful of green beans
2 cups cooked rice

The Deal:

-set the oven to 400 degrees, slice squash in half and lay out on baking sheet- bake until squash is nice and soft- just poke at it with a knife- about a half hour

- meanwhile in a soup pot saute bacon- once bacon is cooked remove it and add in all the  diced veggies to saute- saute until onions are transparent. Add in soft, cooked butternut squash (out of the skin) and add soup stock. Blend with either an immersion blender or let cool and transfer into a regular blender. Once soup is blended add in coconut milk, curry paste, rice and green beans - let simmer for a bit,  add bacon back in-serve, enjoy and feel better!