Cosina de Maria Squash Soup from Jeanette

3 cups Butternut squash (or similar) cut into 1 inch cubes
½ cup orange juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup sliced leaks (white part only)
1 medium tart apple peeled and chopped
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter cubed
4 cups chicken broth (you can get the organic kind at Costco in a box – or use vegetable broth – both work great!)
½ cup heavy cream (I used fat free and it was still yummy)
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss 3 cups squash with brown sugar, oj and cinnamon stick. Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes until squash is tender(450 is too hot for my oven, so I do it a little lower.) Toss out cinnamon stick. Cook leeks, onions and apples in butter until tender (I like to brown them a bit.) Put cooked squash, onions, leeks and apples in a pot with the broth. Cook until all is warmed thoroughly. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste. Put batches in the blender.
I don’t try to make it perfectly smooth. Oohhhh….I’m hungry just thinking about this soup! Get a loaf of crusty bread and this is heaven.