Sherried Green Beans and Mushrooms

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Foodie friend Michael made these for us along with Hilary's cranberry chicken and they were amazing! Mmmm, mushrooms...

1 1/2 pounds haricots verts (green beans), trimmed

4 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
3/4 pound exotic mushroom blend, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Steam haricots verts 5 minutes or until crisp-tender; remove from heat.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Stir in sherry; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid almost evaporates (about 2 minutes). Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and haricots verts; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated, tossing to coat. Remove from heat. Add parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper; toss to combine.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Roasted Butternut Squash and Garlic Soup

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This is a delicious fall soup. 
1 large or 2 small butternut squash, about 4 lbs. total (or buy 2 of the 2 lb containers at Costco)
20 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 leeks, including tender green parts, rinsed well and finely chopped
5 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 350
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and any fibers. Remove the peel and cut the squash into 1 inch cubes.

In a roasting pan, combine the squash and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and toss until well coated. Pour in the water. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the squash and garlic are soft and golden, about 50-60 minutes. Add more water if the squash begins to scorch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash and garlic are roasting, in a heavy frying pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the leeks and saute until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
Combine the squash mixture, the leeks and 1 cup vegetable stock in a large soup pot and blend with a stick blender until very smooth (or put in a blender in small batches and add to soup pot.)

Stir in the remaining 4 cups stock and crushed red pepper and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with chives or parsley
Makes 4 - 6 very generous servings

Garlicy Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Garlic Chips

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Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium leek, washed and chopped small (about 1 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced, appx. 1 tablespoon
2 heads garlic , rinsed, papery skins removed and top third of heads cut off and discarded
6 or 7 cups low sodium chicken broth (start with 6 cups and use extra cup to thin soup, if needed)
2 bay leaves
salt
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 pound red potatoes, peels on, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh chives

For the Garlic Chips:
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic , sliced thin lengthwise
Table salt

Instructions
1. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks and cook until soft (do not brown), 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic heads, broth, bay leaves, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; partially cover pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until garlic is very tender when pierced with tip of knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Discard bay leaves. Remove garlic heads; using tongs or paper towels, squeeze garlic heads at root end until cloves slip out of their skins. Using fork, mash garlic to smooth paste in bowl.

3. Stir cream, thyme, and half of mashed garlic into soup; heat soup until hot, about 2 minutes. Taste soup; add remaining garlic paste if desired. Using immersion blender, process soup until creamy, with some potato chunks remaining. Alternatively, transfer 1 1/2 cups potatoes and 1 cup broth to blender or food processor and process until smooth. (Process more potatoes for thicker consistency.) Return puree to pot and stir to combine, adjusting consistency with more broth if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and serve, sprinkling each portion with chives and garlic chips.

4. For Garlic Chips
Heat oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, turning frequently, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to plate lined with paper towels; discard oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Blatantly copied and pasted off of the Cooks Illustrated web site. A HIGHLY recommended reference for all things cooking. I bet even Oprah uses it, so you should too.