Perfect winter meal

I made a delicious winter meal the other night - butternut squash soup, pork chops and a side of onions and apples.

 For the soup, I used my regular formula.  1 cup chopped onion, celery and carrot (I buy it pre-chopped from Trader Joe's Mirpouix - you can also buy it pre-chopped at most salad bars), chicken stock and I roasted 1 pound of chopped butternut squash.  This I also bought pre-chopped.  Have you ever tried to cut a butternut squash?  Your hands get this coating on it that make it stiff.  Really weird, but true.  While the butternut squash is roasting, I brown the vegis right in the soup pot. Then just add in the roasted (soft and slightly browned) squash and chicken stock.  I also added a dash of nutmeg and white balsamic vinegar.  The nutmeg makes you go "Hmmmm, what's that extra flavor?" and the vinegar counters the natural richness of the squash. That's it. I shoosh it with my stick blender and add in salt and pepper as needed.  My husband calls this soup liquid candy.  It is SO delicious!!  And not to mention healthy with no added fats and minimal salt.

 I thinly sliced sweet onions and granny smith apples (which I peeled). I add in a dash of salt, nutmeg and cinnamon and about 1/4t of brown sugar. I cooked all this low and slow on the stove top until they all got soft and brown.

 This takes about half an hour to get it to this point.

For the pork chops, I bought butterflied boneless porkchops.  About 1 hour before I grilled them (I grill all winter long), I rubbed them with bacon salt (yes, bacon salt.  You can find this in the spice area of a lot of grocery stores these days.  Believe it or not....it's kosher!!) and chipolte seasoning salt (another item I found in the spice area of the grocery store).  I put them back in the fridge for 1 hour, then took it out while I was cutting the vegis to let the meat come to room temperature.  This is always a good idea to do with your meats.  It allows for a more even and true cooking.  The most important thing with pork (and all meats) is not to over cook it.  Remember that there is carry over time in your grilled foods.  My pork was very moist and slightly spicy with the rub.  And with the crunch and sweetness of the onion/apple topping it was winter on a plate!!