Here's to 2010!

This wreath was simple to make. I bet it could be made with any dough that you can form into a ring. I followed these directions.

Winter Squash Soup w/Apple Cider Greens

The soup, made with leftover roasted acorn squash, is simple so I dressed it up with some chard sautéed in an apple cider vinegar reduction then topped all that off with a dollop of tangy yogurt. Served with a side of homemade sourdough bread (you can link to my current favorite recipe here) this made for a warming mid-week meal.

SOUP

1 Acorn (or other winter) Squash
1 ½ cups stock (I used homemade vegetable stock but chicken or turkey would be good too.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
A pinch of herbs de provence

GREENS

About 2 cups of chopped raw greens (kale, chard, even collards- but I’d up the cooking time for those)
4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
a scant tsp of sugar
1-2 tsp bacon grease (okay I suppose olive oil would work too)
Red pepper flakes to taste

Split and clean squash. Lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast center side down on a baking sheet @ about 375 degrees until the squash is tender to the touch.

When it is cool enough to handle scoop out the squash and combine with stock in food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and heat through adding herbs, salt and pepper to taste.

While the soup heats combine bacon grease, cider vinegar, sugar and pepper flakes over medium heat in a skillet until sugar is dissolved and mixture is just bubbling. Add greens, reduce heat and cook until greens are to your liking, stirring occasionally.