My big sister came up from Arkansas to spend the weekend, and we did a lot of 3 things: eating, drinking and sleeping. The combo made a delightful recipe for laughter, relaxation, stories and movie marathons. Of course, imbibing all those happy Pumpkin beers, Oktoberfest ales and Belgium brews meant we had late night munchies a few times.

Here’s a quick, easy recipe that my sister made for us all following a wet festival romp. It makes a big-ass pot of warm soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 package chopped butternut squash (or pumpkin)
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 jar of red curry paste, like Thai Kitchen’s
• 2-3 TBS oil, olive or vegetable
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• salt ‘n pepper to taste
• smoked paprika

Directions are pretty simple: Heat the oil in a pot, add the onions and stir until they get soft. Thrown in the curry paste, stir. Toss in the butternut squash, then add enough chicken broth or other liquid (vegetable broth, water, etc.) to cover it all. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the quinoa, cover and simmer another 15-20 minutes, or until everything is soft. Taste, add salt, pepper, paprika and other spices of choice. Top with yogurt, sour cream, Sriracha – hummus – whatever your little heart desires!

Despite the fair amount of curry, the soup has a mild flavor with little heat. TIP: You can puree it if you prefer a smoother texture.  Personally, the mess of blending is one too many steps. Also, this recipe allows room for lots of substitutions and additions — add chicken or carrots, rice instead of quinoa, cinnamon instead of curry, kale or spinach, diced tomatoes for more vegetables.