Butternut Squash and Chilli Soup

It's no secret that I absolutely love baking, and I would go as far to say I'm not too bad at it either! Unfortunately, the same can't be said for cooking. Whilst I love to experiment with my baking and add different ingredients here and there to see what works and what doesn't (hopefully the former!), if I even think about getting ambitious with my cooking and straying beyond my trusty jars of pre-made sauces, you know there will be a bordering-on-inedible mess on your hands. However, I can't live off tuna pasta or any other pasta-based dish forever, so I think it's high time I got a hang of this homemade cooking thing!

After reading this post on Effortlessly Excessive (one of my favourite blogs, go have a read if you're a fan of random, funny ramblings!) and being in awe of all the delicious looking photos of homemade dinners, I was inspired to give some recipes a go myself! Butternut squash soup is probably my favourite type of soup, and every time I walk past the butternut squashes in Tesco I'm tempted to pick one up, only to stop myself at the knowledge it would probably be left abandoned in the back of my cupboards. However, this time I decided to take the plunge and make my first ever soup!

I followed this recipe for a butternut squash and chilli soup on BBC Good Food. However, with my tiny local Tesco Express notably lacking in a large stock, I substituted the chillis for a mix of chilli flakes and powder, guessing the measurements (risky I know, especially with my lack of cooking flare), and picked up fromage frais instead of creme fraiche. I did find that the end result was a bit too watery, so next time I will make sure I choose a larger squash and use less water. I did also have a bit of a struggle peeling the squash without a peeler, but I finally got there in the end, and only cut one finger in the process! However, for my first try I have to say I am very impressed with myself! The onions, garlic and butter smelt absolutely delicious while they were simmering together, and it turns out I somehow managed to used just the right amount of chilli! Maybe there's hope for my cooking skills yet...

Have you made butternut squash soup before?

Love, Beth xxx