I love the big trees that line the parkways and the village service department responsible for picking up all their leaves in the fall.
I love the good Midwestern soil and the tomatoes, peppers and butternut squash that it gave to us all summer long.
I love the butcher, the baker, and the Fruit Store purveyor and that cash is the preferred method of transaction.
I love that no matter which way I run in the morning, there is always a port-a-john in a park within a two mile radius from our house (huge for a pregnant person.)
And I love how families subtly celebrate the changing of seasons in festive ways. It's kind of a nice departure from the way Naperville used to ring in spring, summer, fall, and winter with grandiose parades, fests, and fairs.
But then Halloween arrived. Within the first couple weeks of October, just as the leaves were donning their most spectacular hues, the most scary creatures started crawling out of attics all over the Western Suburbs, positioning themselves in the most freakish ways primed to draw fear from the innocent passerby.
There is a more subtle, psychological, and expensive scare in the Western Suburbs - different from what we saw with Naperville's large scale Halloween installations. From the houses in La Grange to the mansions in Hinsdale the type A, Gen X moms typically responsible for transporting their children around all day in over sized SUVs, staying in shape, and keeping score with the Joneses, have decorated their lawns with acute statements of fear that honestly make me run a little faster every day.
There are scenes depicting severe cases of arachnophobia, demonic clowns and even 'circuses of death' throughout our community. There is a grim reaper, reaping in epic proportions from at least one house on just about every block. There is a silhouette of a murdered man in the window of one house, graveyards polished with every last detail from raven, to rat, to grim tombstone inscription set up on lawns, and lifelike goblins, ghosts and ghouls hanging from trees, porches and doorways. (I'll post more pictures later) Everything is downright frightening.
Lo.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Cream
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
1/2 shallot, minced
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
White pepper
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese
Sage leaf, for garnish
Directions
In a small roasting pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Toss butternut squash in butter and salt generously. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove.
In a medium pot, melt the other tablespoon of butter. Add shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add butternut squash cubes, stir. Add vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until squash is very tender.
In a very small sauce pan, heat sour cream. Add dried sage and Gruyere cheese. Let simmer, keeping warm and melted until you will add it into the soup.
Put the contents of the pot into a food processor and blend till smooth. Return to the pot on low heat. Add the sage cream, stir until well incorporated. Season to taste with white pepper and salt. (I found that I didn't need to add anymore salt.) Garnish with a sage leaf.
Grilled Smoked Gouda and Apple Sandwiches
Ingredients
Four slices good French bread
Smoked Gouda slices
Braeburn apple, thinly sliced
Butter
Directions
Thinly slice the bread. Stack with one layer of Gouda and one layer of apples.
Melt a tab of butter onto a griddle. Lay down each sandwich and cook over medium low heat, about 10 minutes per side. This way the inside get nice and melty without burning the outside.
