It is often said that the kitchen is the heart of a home. Undoubtedly, it’s one of the most important rooms in any house— the place where you pour your morning coffee or gather with your family to eat an evening meal. And in turn, when searching for a home or choosing design features, a beautiful kitchen is always a top priority!
Both of our incredible builders at Lakes at Creekside offer homes with modern kitchens, open floor plans and a wide variety of beautiful features to choose from!
Tri Pointe Homes and Toll Brothers are both amongst the top builders in the nation, focusing on open floor plans that allow your day to day life to flow a little more smoothly. At the heart of their homes, you’ll find spacious kitchens, often with an oversized island that looks into the living room. The island doubles as extra counter space for cooking and cleaning, and as a bar for your guests to sit! Not only does this layout make the home feel bigger overall, but it also allows those in the kitchen to stay connected to what’s happening in the living room. This equals more quality time together, no matter what “room” you’re in!
With a lux kitchen like this, you’ll want to spend more time cooking! Here is one of our favorite classic recipes for a fall weeknight dinner!
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup – Recipe by Cookie and Kate
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), halved vertically* and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ½ cup chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot bulb)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 to 4 cups (24 to 32 ounces) vegetable broth, as needed
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the butternut squash on the pan and drizzle each half with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the squash on the inside (about ½ teaspoon each). Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
- Turn the squash face down and roast until it is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering (if your blender has a soup preset, use a medium skillet to minimize dishes.) Add the chopped shallot and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Transfer the contents to your stand blender.
- Use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into your blender. Discard the tough skin. Add the maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper to the blender. Pour in 3 cups vegetable broth, being careful not to fill the container past the maximum fill line (you can work in batches if necessary and stir in any remaining broth later).
- Securely fasten the lid. Blend on high (or select the soup preset, if available), being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid. Stop once your soup is ultra-creamy and warmed through.
- If you would like to thin out your soup a bit more, stir in the remaining cup of broth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste, and blend well. Taste and stir in more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- If your soup is piping hot from the blending process, you can pour it into serving bowls. If not, pour it back into your soup pot and warm the soup over medium heat, stirring often, until it’s nice and steamy. Then, enjoy!
