Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Creamy with a touch of tang, this lovely winter soup will make any cold day brighter! Perfect for the rainy weather we are having right now! I like to make a crispy grilled cheese with white truffle cheese and sourdough bread to serve along with this soup.


Ingredients-
2 Granny Smith apples-peeled,cored, and cubed
1 Butternut squash-peeled and cubed (you can also get it at the store already cut and cubed for you, I would recommend the larger bag or buy 2-3 of the small bags)
1 white onion-grated
1/2 cup of half & half
3 cups of chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth if you want to make it veggie)
1/4 tablespoon flour
Fresh Rosemary and Thyme
Salt and Pepper


There is a lot of chopping and grating to be done, so get to it! I usually get the apples done quickly, you can use fancy machines to peel and core but I just use a regular old peeler and then my handy knife. The squash can be a beast but if you cut it in quarters it is a bit easier to handle! Once the apples and squash are all chopped up, grate the onion and start heating up the soup pot on medium heat. 
Melt the butter in the pot and saute the onions for about 3 minutes, then add the apples and squash. Stir up a bit and then add the fresh Rosemary and Thyme. I like to just pick the herbs off the stems (don't put in the stems or people are going to think they are eating pieces of bark). Rosemary is a pretty overpowering herb so don't go crazy, 2-3 stems should suffice. I recommend the fresh herbs since it will blend up nicely and make the flavor even more fresh and delicious than dried herbs. Saute for 5 minutes.
Before adding the broth, put in the flour and mix well! This will help with the thickness of the soup. Then add in the chicken broth, stirring as you pour it in. Turn the burner down to low. Do not boil the soup first and then turn it down. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.
Once the thirty minutes are up get out your blender or food processor and start blending up! I like to do the soup in batches so as not to overload the blender and to get a consistent creamy texture. Return the soup back into the pot and add the half&half, simmering for another 5 minutes and then "Soup's On"!