Cheddar Pumpkin Soup

What the heck do you do with all of the pieces leftover from carving scary or funny faces into your Halloween pumpkins? Why, make pumpkin soup, of course! This year I tried something a little different, using a basic recipe and using what I happened to have available around the house. That's what's fun about soups -- substitution is easy. Some of the best soups and stews have come from creative use of leftover ingredients!

Ingredients
1 large onion (sliced into approx. 1" pieces)
1/4 lb. unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 lbs. pumpkin pieces (remove seeds and skin and cut into 1/2-1" chunks)
2 containers Kitchen Basics Chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Key lime juice (regular lime or lemon juice is fine, too)
1 Tablespoon orange zest (fresh or dried)1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon Tupelo honey
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 lb. finely grated sharp white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste (we also added about 1 teaspoon cayenne chile powder)
Croutons, chives, sour cream or sherry sauce for garnish -- your preference

Instructions
Sautee the onion and butter, then add pumpkin, chicken stock and bay leaves and cook over medium heat. When the pumpkin is cooked through (I think I let it go for about 20 minutes), take the bay leaves out and puree the mixture with a wand blender, or let it cool a bit then run it through a standing blender, food processor or food mill if you want it extra smooth. Mix in the other ingredients, stirring in the milk and cheese slowly in small batches last. Cook for another 20 minutes, then serve. Garnish with croutons and chives, or make it extra special for guests with sour cream and a sweet sherry sauce. This soup reheats quite well.

Croutons
I happened to have some leftover inexpensive hamburger buns, so made some quick croutons by cutting the buns into small squares, placing on a cookie sheet with raised sides, drizzling with olive oil, kosher salt, ground pepper and a little Greek seasoning. Toss with fingers and then place in 400 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Keep an eye on them to be sure they don't burn.