Butternut Squash Soup

I know, I know, squash is one of those scary tasting vegetables, but this soup is really good.  It uses basic ingredients, and is a tasty was to use up some of Mom and Dad's plethora of butternut squash  : P

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (optional, but you can't even taste it)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 or 3 potatoes, cubed (use more if they're the small kind)
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed (stab it with a fork and bake it in the oven before you peel it)
• 4 cups chicken stock or broth
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (red pepper if you like the heat)
• sour cream

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock and sour cream to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, basil, garlic etc.