Butternut Soup

1. Cut the butternut in half and scoop out the seeds
2. Drizzled with olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Rubbed the oil all over the cavity, placed upside down in a roasting dish on top of some tinfoil, and started roasting at 400F, intending to roast for 40–50 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, I roughly cut up 2 stalks of celery and 2 carrots (peeled) drizzled a little olive oil, and added them to the roasting tin after about 20 minutes.
5. After the roasting tin was out of the oven and left to cool a little, I chopped an onion and squashed 2 toes of garlic, fried both in a good scoop of butter.
6. Add 3 cups of vegetable broth.
7. Then add the carrots, and celery and scoop out the butternut, leaving the skin behind (I later gave the skin to the chickens as a treat)
8. Add salt and black pepper to taste, a good dash of nutmeg, and a nice glug of maple syrup.
9. Heat everything through and then use the stick hand blender to good effect.
10. A good glug of heavy cream, making sure to heat again (but not to boil), and hey, Presto! Perfect Butternut Soup!

Dinner Rolls

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup water, oil, sugar, and yeast.
3. Let sit until yeast is bubbly (about 8 minutes).
4. Stir in the beaten egg, the softened butter and salt.
5. With a stand mixer, i.e. Kitchen Aid stand mixer (or by hand if you do not have a mixer), add the flour, one cup at a time until you have a soft dough that isn’t sticky.
6. Knead by hand 10 minutes or 5 minutes with a stand mixer.
7. Divide dough into 18 even pieces, and form into balls. Place in a greased pan and cover with parchment paper and a kitchen towel.
8. Let rise 10 minutes in a warm place. (You can allow them to rise for an extra 30 minutes if time allows).
9. Lightly brush with milk and bake on the middle rack for 10–12 minutes, or just until browned.