Panera Bread’s Autumn Squash Soup

I used to go to Panera pretty frequently in high school and college.  For awhile, it seems like their menu stayed the same and I got a bit bored of my normal Frontega Chicken Panini. 

We wanted something quick and inexpensive for dinner tonight, and we had recently seen an ad for Panera’s Autumn Squash Soup.  So we headed there to give it a try.  We both got the “You-Pick-Two” and paired the soups with flatbreads.  Lance had the Mediterranean Chicken (with hummus, feta, cucumber, napa cabbage, and tzatziki sauce).  I went with the fall theme and tried the Turkey Cranberry (with garlic herb cheese spread, cranberry mostarda, and spinach). 

The flatbreads weren’t anything too special.  I was actually surprised that for a restaurant that prides themselves on their freshly baked bread, the flatbread tasted store-bought a bit soggy.  But it’s nice to see that they’ve changed up the menu and added some variety. 

We were pleasantly surprised by the soup – it is a vegetarian blend of butternut squash and pumpkin with vegetable broth, honey, apple juice, cinnamon, curry, and sweet cream topped with roasted salted pumpkin seeds.  We topped ours with a bit of pepper.  While it wasn’t on the same level as my favorite fall soup (Grillsmith’s Caribbean Pumpkin Crab Bisque), I would order it again.

Panera Bread has 1800+ locations.  The one we visited is located at 112 West Shore Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33609 and is open 6am – 9:30pm Monday – Saturday and 7am – 9:30pm Sunday.    

Fall is almost here…and that means Pumpkin Everything!

We stopped by ABC last night to pick up some beers.  By the way, if you haven’t been to the ABC on Kennedy just east of MacDill you need to check it out!  Its exterior has been updated with a beautiful stone facade, and the interior feels more like a Whole Foods than a liquor store.  They also have a “Brew Stop” station where you can fill up growlers with a constantly changing selection of craft beers.  

I got overly excited yesterday because while browsing the beers, I noticed that they had already set up a whole section for fall themed beers!  Autumn is my favorite time of year – the start of the holiday season and pumpkin flavored everything! 

We picked up a variety pack of the Sam Adam’s Harvest Collection – which includes their October Fest, Harvest Pumpkin, Harvest Saison, and traditional Boston Lager.  So last night we escaped the summer heat and enjoyed some fall flavors (and we lit fall candles too!)

I really do enjoy Sam Adam’s Beers of Summer variety pack (especially Porch Rocker), but if I do have to trade in my fruity summer beers, I’m glad it’s for beers spiced with cinnamon & caramel.  

It seems that I’m not the only one anxious for fall to start – Starbucks recently announced they will be releasing their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte August 25^th this year – a month earlier than normal. 

This probably just means that retailers will start abusing the holiday season even more and start selling Christmas decorations before Halloween is even over. Crazy…

Anyways, to prepare for the months ahead, here are some pumpkin recipes to try out.  I’ve made all of these in the past so I know they’re quality recipes!  

Pumpkin 7 Layer Magic Bars (from Bakers Royale).  OMG these are one of the best desserts you will ever eat!  So many yummy ingredients in each bite – I’ve made these a few times and they always turn out super moist and delicious: 

Sweet Pumpkin Butter (from Oh She Glows).  I made this a few years ago and it was great to dip apples or pretzels, or to spread on toast: 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake (from Sprinkle Bakes).  I made this for Easter in 2013 (more on my tradition of making cheesecakes for Easter another time…) If you plan to top it with powdered sugar stripes, make sure to do it right before you serve it, otherwise it will just soak into the cheesecake and disappear: 

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Ribbon (from Crafter Baker Says…)  I made this for Thanksgiving in 2012:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (from Undressed Skeleton).  This is a healthy way to get your pumpkin fix:

Happy fall everyone! (a month early…)