A Note to Fall and Easy Roasted Golden Beet and Butternut Soup Recipe

Dear Tulsa,

I’ll be completely honest. This summer was rough, really rough. Day after day, week after week, temperatures hovered near or above 100. Do you have any idea how hard that is to deal with when all you want to do is bake? I hated it. Maybe I’m looking back through rose-colored glasses, but I never remember you being as bad as you’ve been these past few years. And while we’re on the subject of heat, not once did I get to go swimming. It’s sad, pathetic really. Luckily, I don’t feel that I missed out on too much since by mid-July most pools felt more like hot tubs. And one more thing, since you decided to take a break from a real winter last year (yeah, I noticed), my allergies were awful and the bugs (especially mosquitoes) were nearly biblical. Never before have I been forced to take a pill every day for nearly four months straight just to function normally. I am begging you, please get cold this year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking for a repeat of the 2007 ice storm. Remember that? I sure do, two weeks without power. No thanks. Pretty darn miserable. But an occasional dusting and some fireplace-worthy evenings would be perfect. I know I’m venting a little. We all need to sometimes, right? Any healthy relationship needs honesty, be it husband and wife or resident and city.

But I must say, you have a way of redeeming yourself in autumn — that’s your special time. You put on a good show. The leaves turn, the air smells great and, overall, people seem to enjoy you more. It’s these moments, between Labor Day and Christmas, when I annually fall in love with you again and believe that I could live here forever. So, Dearest Tulsa, to celebrate my favorite season I made an autumn-inspired soup in your honor.

Easy Roasted Golden Beet and Butternut Soup

Toss cubed squash in olive oil and spread on baking sheet, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Trim beets, you can put your beet leaves to use if you so desire, otherwise toss them and trim the beet tops. Wrap each beet with foil and place in a baking pan and roast with the squash in an oven pre-heated to 400 degrees. Every 30 minutes give your squash a shake and move them around. The squash and beets are ready when your fork or knife tip goes through easily. Let your vegetables cool down and then peel your beets.

To start your soup, using a potato masher, mash the beets and squash. It does not have to be perfect because you will be using a blender to puree it. Place the mashed veggie and half the stock in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour blended mixture into a three-quart saucepan. On medium high heat warm mixture up, pour in the remaining stock and cream. Stir to combine, add salt and spices. To serve, I like a to add a large crumble of goat cheese and crispy bacon. House-made rye croutons would be delicious as well.