Savory Butternut Squash Soup

1. Peel butternut squash. Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds and membranes. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

2. Peel potatoes, carrots and onion. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes, carrots into thin slices and dice the onion.

3. Melt butter in a stock pot. Add a splash of olive oil to prevent the butter from burning. Add onion and saute just until translucent, about 5 minutes.

4. Add squash, potatoes and carrots and simmer approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Incorporate broth into pot. (The vegetables do not have to be tender at this point.) Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Remove soup from heat (vegetables should be fork-tender at this point!) and allow to cool at least 20 minutes. *The cooling process is to prevent the blender from cracking in the next step.*

7. Place 1/2 of a roasted red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces, into blender and add soup. Puree.

8. Return pureed soup to stock pot and add milk, dried dill weed, nutmeg, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Soup may be garnished with a fresh sprig of dill and accompanied by crusty bread. YUM!