I’m a seasonal cook. I like to try and use seasonal ingredients and shop local, so my menu has to change with the seasons. This means spicier and hardier dishes, lots of winter squash and legumes, and more oven and slow cooker recipes.
In fact, just this past weekend I made my first batch of October chili. I made a huge pot – six quarts – so there’s enough for a couple of dinners for my partner and I, then I can freeze the rest for those nights I don’t feel like making something from scratch. I’ve been making chili since I was a teenager and the recipe has evolved over the years.
Truth be told, it’s never really quite the same thing twice. If you’ve seen my cooking videos on YouTube or read previous cooking posts here on my blog, you know that I like to mix things up when I cook. So while the base of my chili remains the same, the add-ins are always different. And don’t worry, it’ll be sharing it on YouTube soon.
But I also like butternut squash soup. Oh my, it’s one of those recipes that I’ve been trying to fine tune for years….and I think I’ve finally gotten it just right. I like this recipe because it’s only a handful of ingredients and easy to make (like most of the things I cook).
There’s an amazing variety of winter squash. I roast it, make soup, mash it, even cook it on the grill outside. It’s versatile, incredibly healthy, and stores well. Sort of like a perfect veggie, in my opinion. The only thing that I can complain about is cleaning it. That can take some time and patience. But if you do it right you can also end up with a bunch of squash seeds, which you can then season and roast. That’s good eatin’!
I have a bunch of recipes I’ll be sharing soon on my cooking channel. Hope you stop by and check them out. You never know, you may find something you’ll love! Click the image below to view my cooking vids.
RB
Mmm, love a good chilli.
I’m curious if chili is well-known in your part of the world. To me, it’s always seemed such a US-centric dish.
Thanks for the comment, Sheree, and apologies for the delayed response. For some reason, your comment went into my spam folder.
Cheers!
RB
No problem, I often have similar issues. Chilli is a student stable in UK but relatively unknown in France where they generally don’t like spicy food.
That’s interesting. My relatives in the UK aren’t fans of it when they’ve come to visit, so I’ve only made it for them once.
As for it not being popular in France, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ve realized that I’ve never eaten a spicy French dish. Savory, sweet, and salty, but never spicy.
Thanks for teaching me something new!
RB
My pleasure