Bourbon Butternut Soup with a Cinnamon Sugar seed garnish

I know I have shared butternut soup recipes with you before on this blog, but this one is different. This one has a twist. This one has a kick. This one has..... bourbon in it. But don't let that scare you off, the flavors of the butternut squash are only enhanced with the peppery taste in the bourbon and make for a warm and hearty soup.  I topped the soup with some of the seeds from the inside of the butternut that I roasted in the oven and coated with sugar and cinnamon.  These seeds by themselves made for a great snack as well.

Ingredients:  2 T. butter, 1 T. onion flakes, dash of salt & pepper, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1 green apple, peeled and sliced, 2 butternut squash, peeled and diced (set aside seeds), 3 T. Bourbon, 2 cups Vegetable Stock, 2 cups water and 1/2 cup half & half cream. 

Directions:  In a large skillet melt butter then add apple, butternut squash, onion flakes and spices over medium heat.  Saute for a couple of minutes and then add vegetable stock and water and turn heat up to high.  Cook until squash is tender.  Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree' to a smooth consistency.  Place in large stock pot and add cream.  Stir over medium heat until well blended and soup is hot.  Serve topped with seeds as a garnish.

For the seeds; Place cleaned butternut squash seeds on a greased cookie sheet.  Spray with a spray butter so they are lightly coated then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Place in the over at 425 degrees on top shelf for 5-10 minutes until seeds are warm and toasty.