These are a few of my favourite things - Fall Edition

I have been searching for the perfect butternut squash soup recipe for ages, staying true to recipes, tweaking recipes, forgetting recipes altogether and just winging it.  Well, I think I’ve finally found it. I made it on the weekend, and it was awesome. Fall perfection in a bowl. It even looks like fall. Dig in.

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3 cups chicken or veggie broth (I used homemade chicken broth and I really think it’s what put this recipe over the edge)

1 small onion, diced

2 apples, chopped

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp curry powder

1 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Place butternut squash chunks in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet

Drizzle generously with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes

Meanwhile, add apple, onion, broth and spices to the slow cooker

Add squash and cook on low 7 hours or high 4 hours

Before serving, puree with an immersion blender (or 1 cup at a time in a stand blender)

Dollop with sour cream or yogurt and sprinkle with roasted pepitas (optional)

Enjoy!

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There is nothing quite like the thrill of responding to a knock on the door and seeing a deliveryman standing there with a box for you. Especially when that box contains your new NAOT booties! Especially when that box containing your new NAOT booties arrives on the exact day you are going for your first GNO in a new town and you want to feel particularly good!

Just look at these!:

(mine are in brown, or more aptly, ‘Oak/Mother Earth/Hash’ – ha!)

These ankle-high wedge booties are made of the softest leather and suede I may ever have wrapped around my foot, and of course come with the removable cork and latex footbed – something I absolutely love about Naots. After less than a week of wear, they are already molding deliciously to my foot. I wore them trick or treating, and while hoofing it around the neighbourhood in brand new boots rarely ends well, I did not regret wearing them for a minute. Totally comfortable from the get-go. And I guarantee I will wear out before these boots will. After less than a week I have already scuffed both toes, but that is because I rush and am a klutz. I actually think they look even more rugged and handsome with the little scuffs, but I can easily fix them with a little protective polish.

I always like to order Naots in a style that is just a tiny bit outside of my comfort zone – a bit away from my usual. In the summer, it meant that I had to forgo my usual cutesy flats and opt for my Bonds, which I am so glad I did.

This season, it meant that I went away from last year’s pick, even though I was tempted to order something similar. But what I love is that there are so many styles to choose from. And although I’ll be enjoying my new Let’s Go boots for many months to come, I can’t wait until the next time that delivery man knocks on my door.

Full disclosure: I receive my NAOTs gratis, in exchange for raving about them here and wearing them, of course, but this is something I would do, and have been doing with NAOTs that I have paid for, for years. I love the product, I love the company, I love their PR firm, and I love the way they conduct themselves with bloggers and social media types. I’m picky about this type of thing, and Naot and Iambic are a great example of doing it right. 

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Maybe it’s just that the weather is getting colder and I feel like hunkering down, but after a summer of pretty light reading, my bookshelf – virtual and real – runneth over. I don’t even know where to start. I’ve already finshed something old and something new, and have all of these in the queue:

What about you? What are some of your favourite things this autumn?

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