Butternut Squash Soup with Candied Pecans

After searching and trying recipes for years, I finally found THE ONE! I have been desperately seeking a way to replicate the Butternut Squash soup I had at Blue Lemon in Utah for years! Luckily, Favorite Family Recipes has a recipe that has it spot on. And we also have a recipe for candied pecans that's a must have on top of your soup.

Butternut Squash Soup (from Favorite Family Recipes)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger (freshly grated is best!)
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 2 pounds of butternut squash (1 pkg. from Costco)
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1-2 cups heavy cream
• Croutons and chopped pecans, optional

Instructions

• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and spices to melted better and stir for 1 minute.
• Add chicken stock and apple cider. Bring to a boil.
• Add squash and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until squash and carrots can easily be poked with a fork. Check liquid in the pot while simmering. Add more chicken stock if necessary.
• Pour all the contents of the pot into a blender. Puree until mixture is smooth.
• Blend in 1 cup of heavy cream. Gradually add more until the mixture reaches the consistency of a creamy soup.
• Pour the contents of blender back into the pot and keep warm until ready to serve.
• After serving soup into individual bowls, garnish with croutons and chopped pecans.

Candied Pecans

1/2 c. pecan halves

1 T butter

1 T brown sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan over heat. Add pecans, then sugar to coat. Once sugar is melted, remove from heat. You don't want to overcook these.