An old friend of mine from high school came by yesterday on her way from Northeast Harbor to Philadelphia (they don't call NEHarbor Philadelphia on the rocks for nothing!) She arrived with her three year old son and ex-husband in tow. Her ex doesn't speak English very well, so he was pretty silent, interjecting a bit of Spanish here and there.

I made a great soup for lunch: Leek, buttercup squash and apple soup with fresh parmesan. It has some pretty complex flavors, but they all work together very well.

Two large leeks, cut up (just the whites)
one buttercup squash, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red delicous apple cut up, skin on (its all I had, a gala, macintosh or granny smith might be better)
fresh chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of curry powder
couple of cloves of garlic

in a soup pot, sautee the leeks in oil and then add the buttercup squash and apples, add diced garlic and sautee a bit more. Add chicken broth until vegetables are covered and simmer until squash is soft. add salt and pepper and curry. Stir and set aside to cool.
Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and liquify. Soup should be pretty thick...add more broth if you want it less thick. Add parmesan and stir to melt. Serve with crusty bread.

I made a loaf of Irish Soda Bread from a Bob's Red Mill mix that I got at Ocean State Job Lots. It was really good.
Served both with a spinach salad and some curried chicken salad with grapes.

We had a wonderful time, it was great to see my friend and her son, whom I had not met.

Enjoy,
Seth