Creamy Butternut Squash and Carmelized Onion Soup

Last weekend I made this soup for some friends as an appetizer and it overshadowed the rest of my dinner party. Everyone was asking for seconds and thirds so much so that I did not have any left to take pictures. Instead, I had to make some more today(Such an easy soup that this is not a hard task)
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
3 large or 5 medium onions
4 cups stock( chicken or vegetable )
salt
1 cup greek yogurt
Pam
Parmesan rind

1. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and them pam the aluminum foil
2. Cut the top and bottom off a butternut squash and then cut in half and remove the seeds with a spoon.

3. Cut onions into 1/8th pieces.
4. Put the squash cut side down on cookie sheet and onions in middle.

5. Bake in over at 350 degree for about 90 minutes until the squash is soft occasionally mixing around the onions with tongs ( about every 30 min)

6. Once squash is soft all over remove the sheet from the oven and allow to cool.
7. Once cool add onions to soup pot and then remove flesh of squash from skin and add squash to soup pot.
8. Add 4-5 cups of stock and add in 1 inch piece of Parmesan rind
9. Blend with immersion blender until smooth and add salt to taste
10. Heat back up over medium
11. Once hot blend again with immersion blender while adding 1 cup of plain greek yogurt.
12. Serve to friends, have friends ask for recipe

Lobster on a Race boat and why memorable meals are not always the fancy ones

Sorry for my blog absence, but I have been off racing the Annapolis to Newport Race and then hanging out in Newport. However , I did have what I am certain will go down in my personal great meals of all time while in Newport. It was not the hardest preparation but the environment that made it great.

While at the dock in Newport we decided to have a lobster boil on the boat. Corn on the cob, lobsters, butter, wine or beer. One pier over was where the lobstermen sold their lobsters.

So we got 1 1/4 lb lobsters for everyone who was staying on the boat at the dock and I boiled them along with corn and melted some butter. Served alongside cold beer and wine and sunset on a fast raceboat it was the perfect dinner.

Now I should stop showing you pictures of the live lobsters posed all over the boat and instead tell you how to make this happen for yourself. Ok first you sail from Annapolis to Newport in the tropical depression Andrea. Humm you say that is a little to hard. Ok then how easy are these instructions

Boiled lobster dinner

Ingredients

1 lobster per person 

1-2 ears of corn per person 

butter 

1. Obtain live lobsters you want them about 1 1/4 lbs per person. 

2. In largest pot bring water to a rolling boil

3. Put lobsters in head first one at a time prepared to put the lid on top of them so they do not snap out and boil for 18 minutes. 

4. During this 18 minutes at some point stick the husked corn on cob into the boiling water for 5-8 minutes

5. In separate pot melt the butter.

6. Using tongs remove the corn and then the lobsters from the water allowing as much as possible water to drain off. 

7. Serve with melted butter. 

8.Ideally with lobster tools but should you be on a boat not stocked with such items you may find your sailors eating it with the help on a good clean multitool 

Tres de mayo potluck sailing club party.

I try and keep notes on how parties I organize go. This was not my personal party but one I organized for social part of sailing club.
People :

47 at max about 60 total

Food:
Taco theme. 

20lbs taco meat,

150oz worth bean and onion vegetarian taco mix

6 heads lettuce shredded

case of 200 taco shells

40 oz sour cream

1 lb shredded cheese

16 oz salsa

Potluck for drinks desserts and sides. 

Tons of sombreros

Weather 

mid 60's high winds. High winds under pavillion were an issue but we found out that a truck jack thing will lower the sides of the pavillion after everything on the tables were blowing away the first time.

Next time/lessons:
More taco meat more beans more lettuce we had more people then expected. 
Thia was a huge success and we actually had a great time the music provided by Chris was fantastic! Overall I would've if I could do it again had much more taco meat even though the prior year we'd only gone through 15 pounds of taco meat. This year we had a much better showing the weather was better and this contributed to a much larger number of people coming.

Easter Dinner Recap

I find it really useful to recap dinner party menus for myself and now that I am doing this blog I am going to share it with you.
Guests 4 adults 3 kids
Menu
Centerpiece- 30 chocolate covered peeps on sticks and 18 decorated cookies on sticks
        Note do not let the kids at the centerpiece as an appetizer they barely ate anything else. However                     chocolate covered peep on a stick was a huge hit as were the cookie sticks
Appetizer- carrots and peppers with hummus
                note:hummus was not a hit with the kids but the carrots were
Dinner-
10 lb ham (brown sugar glazed)
2 lbs asparagus(steamed with lemon)
1 lb brussel sprouts ( roasted with sesame oil and seeds)
10 twice baked potato halves( cheddar, garlic, sour cream, butter and horseradish)
                     Notes about twice as much ham as I should have made. Also about twice as much asparagus. Only had 3 leftover twice baked potato halves so good amount. The brussel sprouts were the sleeper hit almost all went and everyone loved them ( well except nephew who thought why eat brussel sprouts when there are jelly beans)

Dessert
Easter baskets, Strawberry lemon curd Triffle, centerpeice
               Note triffle one triffle bowl worth of triffle was the perfect amount only one serving leftover for breakfast this morning