My Motorboat

Some women collect shoes, others jewelry, some like the newest, trendiest clothes and then there are the women like me who collect kitchen appliances. My husband, boyfriend at the time, gave me a Kitchen Aid Mixer for my birthday one year and ever since, he’s had me at the dough hook!

This shout out goes to my motorboat, also know as the immersion blender. Every cook, whether you are an amateur or expert, needs a motorboat in there life. 

Use it for sauces, soups, purees, smoothies, shakes, salad dressings, or anything where you would have to haul out the blender. (The motorboat will not work for blended, ice drinks. So, the blender will still have to come out for the margaritas!)

In honor of the motorboat, here is one of my favorite soup recipes. 

Butternut Squash Soup 

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash (peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes)

2 – 3 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Cardamom

½ Teaspoon Garam Masala

½ Teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

3 Packages Amaretti Cookies

¼ Cup Hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1 Tablespoon Butter

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, combine butternut squash and 2 cups of chicken broth. Add all the spices and 2 packages amoretti cookies. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until squash is tender. 

Get out your motorboat and blend it right in the pot. At this point, depending on the thickness of the soup, you can add more broth to thin it out if you prefer. Depending on how big your butternut squash is, your soup will not always have the same exact thickness, which there is not an exact amount of broth that I add every time. Taste soup and add salt and/or pepper if needed.