{on home and a recipe}

Apparently I'm feeling very wordy (and sentimental) this week, so I hope you'll bear with me. This blog has gone through more than a few transformations and phases since I started it two years ago. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what it is that I want to say. 

I don't consider Something Charming to be only a wedding blog. It's a blog about my life, which happens to include weddings, I suppose. But I think my mission, my passion, extends far beyond just planning a pretty wedding. That desire to create beautiful and comfortable things has crept into every aspect of my life. Not only that, but I try to be so very intentional about the decisions I make, to ensure that I'm making them for a reason. Really, for my reason.

I'm a naturally caring person. Not that I'm always the kindest person in the world, but that I like to take care of other people. I like caring for my brides and grooms on their wedding day. I like encouraging my readers, providing them with comfort and inspiration. But more than these two things, I love caring for my home and those who spend time in it. For now, that's really just me and my husband, but I truly mean it for anyone who walks through my door. 

My home is not always the tidiest (we currently have five furniture sized boxes in our living room), and sometimes I forget to clean the toilet. But it's welcoming and intimate and personal, and I hope a place of contentment for anyone who happens to make their way here (who knows, that may be you someday!). 

I love cooking and baking and entertaining, mainly for others, which brings me back to the point of this post. My recipes haven't always been the most popular on this little blog, but cooking is something that I truly do love, since I feel like it's an extension of that passion of mine. And to me, offering my recipes is a way for me to bring you into my home, to show you what my life is like. Maybe it's me, offering a little bit of me to you.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole butternut squash, cut into cubes
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Olive oil
• Sage (fresh or bottled)
• Garlic (diced or bottled)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 1/2 hour. 
2. Once the butternut squash is tender, place into pot with chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for five minutes.
3. Take the pot off the heat, and puree with hand blender. Add cream and heat through (don't over boil). 
4. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or crackers and enjoy!

Butternut squash and soup are too things that just feel like fall to me, so this recipe always makes my stomach and heart so full. Not only that, but it really is delicious. Just try it and see!