September 21, 2013 | Posted in:Cooking, Home life
I enjoy my time cooking in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s been a long day and the thought of cooking dinner has me wanting to reach for cereal or rustle through the take out menus.
Knowing that I was going to have a long day at the office, had me thinking towards my lack of dinner plans on a recent Panera visit. See, I have a teacher hubby who would be one hour past ravenous by the time I arrived home. (That’s what happens when you are up before 6:00 AM.) Prominent signage for the new Autumn Squash Soup called to me as a veggie friendly soup is always welcomed at our house. Seed planted, I now wanted squash soup and I knew I wouldn’t have the time hit the grocery store, then roast veggies and finally prepare a soup…so I let Panera do the work for me.
So many pumpkin goodies! I had come in for a Pumpkin Latte but I left loaded down with Pumpkin Pie Bagels and Pumpkin & Butternut squash soup. Yay for fall!
Panera’s Autumn Squash soup and a quick open-face Rosy Goat grilled cheese was the perfect 5 minute meal. I used the multi grain baguettes included with the take out “group soup”; a nice way to use the fresh bread. Since I had baguette sections, I sliced them in half length-wise to use open-face, getting just the right cheese to bread ratio. I used a light spread of butter, quickly browned one side, then topped with cheese slices and covered the pan until the cheese was melted. While you could use brie, blue cheese or any cheese you had in your fridge, the rosemary coated Rosey Goat was a perfect pairing. The slightly sweet, pumpkin and squash soup was balanced with the creamy, salty and herb-forward cheese.
Rosemary coated Rosy Goat Cheese make wonderful open-face grilled cheese sandwiches. Perfect with the apple-touched Autumn Squash soup and beverage of choice.
Pair this meal with your favorite Autumn inspired drink- I’d suggest Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale, a Pinot Noir or the 2011 Blue Tooth Cabernet from Cenay. Suddenly, a super quick and semi take out meal is elevated and seems very well planned.
P.S.- No incentives, just thought I’d share a nice seasonal treat. Cheers!
Lisa Wilk
Hello, I'm Lisa Wilk! I'm a freelance food, wine and travel writer, photographer and presenter based out of Orlando, FL. While covering local restaurants and food events in the #1 tourist destination in the US, I find endless cooking inspiration when dining out. You'll often find me in the kitchen putting my own spin on those elevated chef creations to enjoy at home and when entertaining. I have a love and enthusiasm for wine, wine education and wine pairing. Find me about town teaching and demystifying wine as part of the popular @TheTastyTrio in the popular Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Perfectly Paired program series I've co-developed. Taste, Cook and Sip along with me on Twitter and Instagram at @TasteCookSip and @WineChix! Cheers!
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