Punxsutawney Phil gets a bad rap. He’s just a cute little groundhog who gets blamed for a prolonged winter if the sun happens to be out.

Whether you want to blame Phil or Mother Nature, the cold weather is sticking around a bit longer. For me that means creating warm and comforting soups like this one, which combines hearty squash with a hint of sweet apple.

No fancy ingredients or complicated cooking, just a simple saute with nutritious food.

Warm your cold winter chills with this Fat and Happy Squash and Apple Soup, and let Phil live out a peaceful spring at Gobbler’s Knob.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

1/2 butternut squash
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 apple (I used a Honey Crisp)
12-24 ounces of broth
salt and pepper

Set a medium size pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and onion. While they’re cooking, chop the squash into small cubes, about 1 inch in size and add to the pan along with the dried thyme. Saute the squash and onions until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir as needed.

Peel, core and chop the apple. Add the apple and the garlic to the pan and continue to cook until the apples are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir often.

Deglaze the pan with a bit of the broth, pour in about 1/2 cup of broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the goodness that might be sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add about 12 oz of broth. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper to the soup.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pan, or pour the ingredients into your blender and carefully blend until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pan from the blender. Test the soup – is it too thick? Stir in more broth. Does it need a bit more salt? Add a pinch. Does it taste just right? Serve it up.

Fat and Happy Food Blog Tips and Techniques: For the apple, I used a honey crisp. Try using tart green apple for a little zing.

For more recipes, go to Monique’s blog: FatandHappyBlog.com and Monique’s new site, HappyEatsHealthy.com