Winter Soup with Sweet Potato, Squash and Apple a.k.a., how to use up everything in your pantry.

Sooo I get this box of vegetable and fruit delivered every week to my apartment (check it out - http://www.doortodoororganics.com/ - I get the "bitty box"). I try my best to use everything up, but my good intentions are often (hmmm, nearly always these days) stymied by my schedule. In an effort to use up last week's bitty box, and start to use this week's stash, I went googling for soups. My effort yielded a winner, which I now present to you.

Ingredients:
1 medium kabocha squash, cubed (I didn't know what this was either. Thank goodness for the internets. Turned out I didn't have one (it's a Japanese squash in case you are wondering), so I used a butternut, peeled first with a vegetable peeler)
3 large sweet potatoes, cubed (I had 2 and used a regular to supplement; peel these guys too)
3 carrots, chopped (try 4) (peel if you'd like)
3 apples, cubed (peel 'em first)
1 red onion (I used white, it works the same)
2-3 stalks celery (I had really sad looking celery in my fridge from last week's Shephard's Pie - still turned out well)
4 cups broth (really, six to eight)
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves garlic (um, I went with six)
2 tablespoons ginger (I'm not big on measuring, I just grated a bunch - go to taste)
3 tablespoons honey
kosher salt
oliver oil

My additions: spinach and yellow squash.

Parsley and sour cream to top.

Goat cheese and bread for pre-soup snack (for ravenous chefs who cook at 9 pm....)

In a large bowl, toss squash, sweet potatoes, apples, half of the onion and half of the chopped carrots with the ginger and garlic. Add a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast in single layers (so use multiple pans if necessary) in a preheated oven at 425 for 35-45 minutes until soft and brown.

As vegetables roast, mix celery, remaining carrots, onions [plus any other veggies you'd like - I did some yellow squash] in a deep pot with a bit of olive oil. Heat over medium high heat to make sure veggies are brown (but don't burn them!) After 5-10 minutes, pour in broth and add cinnamon stick. Get 'er boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes (or until the roasted veggies are brown). Pull out the cinnamon sticks.

If you have handy, dandy hand blender, go to work on the soup - blending to your desired consistency (some like it smooth, I like some chunks to remind me of the vegetables contained within). If no hand blender, start transferring in batches to blender (or resign yourself to a broth soup, which is still quite tasty).

Salt to taste, which for me is quite a bit (I rationalize my added salt intake with my lack of processed food intake). Then stir in chopped spinach (if you'd like). Kale would work equally well. Once it's had a few minutes in the soup, start ladeling it up. Top with sour cream and some parsley.

Good stuff.