Butternut Burn

I'm trying to be domestic during my days off this holiday. I've been trying out new recipes. Last night I attempted to make butternut squash soup. I had already spent a significant amount of time baking the squash, sweating the onions, and simmering the broth. The final step called for blending the squash and broth in the blender. That's when things went horribly wrong.

I don't pretend to know what happened. Maybe the lid wasn't on tight enough. Maybe the heat from the soup was too much for the blender, maybe the "low" setting was too high . . . whatever the case, one push of the blender button and I ended up with about a quart of scalding soup all over my arms, shirt, floor, wall, toaster, and cooktop. Really the arms were the biggest problem. They were bright red and throbbing. I ran cold water over them, replaced my soup-covered shirt and began an alternating routine of cleaning up the mess and holding my poor forearms under cool running water. I was not a happy camper.

Now I have a half gallon of soup that I want nothing to do with, red-blotching arms, and a kitchen that will probably forever smell faintly of squash puree.

Tonight we're having take-out.