Happy Thanksgiving!! (Butternut Squash Soup)

We had such an awesome Thanksgiving once again! The Stephens really out did themseleves this year. Casey was quite the chef as well! It was hard to choose just one recipe but decided to post Casey's butternut squash soup recipe. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of it but it's in this big picture in the glasses next to our drinks!

1 tsp. margarine or butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cans (about 14 ounces each) chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. white pepper
Plain, nonfat yogurt and chives for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes.

Add squash and 1 can chicken broth; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Process squash mixture, in 2 batches, in food processor (or blender) until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add remaining can of broth, coconut milk, nutmeg and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle soup into bowls. Place yogurt in pastry bag fitted with round decorating tip. Pipe onto soup in decorative design. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Beef Stew

Fall is the time for soups and stews...my favorite. This is my mom's recipe and is one of our favorites. Casey likes it because of the meat! The bonus is it's a crock pot recipe so it cooks itself and just waits for you to eat it.

2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed (pre-cubed stew meat is awesome!)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4-1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 cups beef broth

half garlic clove, minced

1 bay leaf

4 carrots, sliced

2 onions, chopped

1 rib celery, sliced

3 potatoes, diced

1-2 cans tomato soup

1-2 cans cream of chicken

Place meat in slow cooker. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir into meat until coated thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover. Cook on low 10-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. Stir before serving.

Award-winning Pumpkin Bars

I made these pumpkin bars for an Apple vs. Pumpkin contest they had at our ward Halloween party. The recipe was in my brother's family cookbook but I had never made them before and had never even tasted them before this night. We were late for the party and Michelle and Cathy rushed them in as a last minute entry, and they ended up winning the best pumpkin prize. Hence, the "award-winning" title. They are pretty good and are a fun fall treat.

BARS
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
2 cups pumpkin, canned or fresh
4 eggs

FROSTING
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grease 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, blend all bar ingredents (through and including eggs) at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

In small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled bars. Store in refrigerator.

Happy Halloween from our little M&Ms!!!