<b>Squash & Turkey Soup</b>

4 lbs acorn squash, cooked and removed from shell
1 onion, chopped
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon Chicken Base
1 qt water
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 - 3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cup shredded turkey

You will need a stick- blender or other blender/processor for his soup - hitting it with a potato mashed just won't cut it ...

1)melt the butter in the soup pot, before it foams add the onions and squash
2)when the onions are translucent, I pushed the veggies to the side and then melted the chicken base in the resulting "well"
3)SLOWLY add the water to the base so it doesn't steam up and scald you, being careful. That you incorporate the base well otherwise you will have salty lumps in your soup
4)let simmer for 20 minutes
5)turn off heat and hit it with a stick blender or carefully work in small batches in a blender or food processor (remember the steam from the soup could pop the top off your blender)
6)return soup to low heat and add the milk before the soup gets too hot or the milk may curdle
7) add brown sugar, spice, and turkey and simmer on low until turkey is heated through
8)salt & pepper to taste

NOTES: 1st chicken broth could be substituted for the water/base

Could easily be done in a crock pot:
• cook on low stages 1-4 until one hour before serving -- then add the milk and other ingredients and continue to cook through

I fed my family of five on this with plenty left over for another day ... I'm going to freeze the rest for a cold winters day ...

Serving size: 6 oz (three 2 oz scoops)
Number of servings: about 10 (guess-timate because I had leftovers)

Healthy choices:
• use less butter (only a few tablespoons is really all that's needed - I just wanted it rich)
• use fresh milk instead evaporated/canned ... The result will be a thinner soup but it should still taste good
• omit the brown sugar - I added it because the acorn squash wasn't very sweet on it's own
• use reduced-sodium or sodium free broth ... Or even better make your own from scratch!

The kids pronounced this a very yummy soup ... But it was very filling

He hubby wasn't too pleased with the texture of the processed squash on his tongue/palate - but he ate two bowls full!

I thought he cinnamon from the pumpkin spice was a bit different, especially with the turkey - I might try omitting it next time and switch to something more fowl-compatable

Will I make this again? Yup, but not for a while - I will have stuff int he freezer