How to Make an ENORMOUS Batch of Soup

So, as planned, but later than hoped, I made a batch of the Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup from the recipe that my in-laws emailed me, coincidentally on the same day that I came back from the last Farmer's Market, totally drowning in sweet potatoes and butternut squash. The verdict on the soup? ...Awesome.

So, if you want to try this soup and would like to feed a neighborhood or just your small family for a while by freezing it (what I plan to do), here are the steps.

First, you must pretend not to know how much 1 pound of diced sweet potatoes looks like. If you have a good idea, throw it out the window. If you're like me, proceed by chopping up two large sweet potatoes. You will soon realize, when you're chopping and adding the other ingredients, that you've doubled the recipe, at least. Then go back and chop more onion, since there won't be enough. And chop more butternut squash to even out the ratio of potato to squash. And forget to season while it's simmering. This all sounds really complicated, but if these basic steps are followed, you'll have a yummy, savory soup without the chaos of my cooking technique.

2 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil although the recipe calls for canola)
2 medium onions, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I accidentally didn't get around to doubling this part of the recipe, but would have, had I been more on the ball about what was going on. My point is, it still tastes great without doubling.)
1 large butternut squash (and if you're like me and you didn't know that there was an easy way to peel a butternut squash, check this out.)
2 large sweet potatoes
3 medium potatoes
12 cups of chicken stock

I heated the oil in a pan and sauteed the onions with a little added salt to help soften them. I then added the ginger and let that saute for a minute or so. I added the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes and stock. I simmered it for over an hour, until the squash and potatoes were mushy.

Then I transferred the vegetables and onions into the food processor, being careful to keep most of the stock in the pot. I learned quickly that the soup would be way too runny if I used all the stock I'd cooked the vegetables in. I figured I could always add more liquid if the soup was to thick. So I was careful to strain it before blending. Basically, I have a ton of chicken stock left, but the end product is a golden yellow, shiny, smooth, creamy, savory soup. (The salt in the stock and the pinches of salt I used when sauteeing the onions was enough seasoning for this soup. I never seasoned it again, and don't think it needs it.)