FRIENDSGIVING DIY WITH AMEX

It's always fun to get together with friends during the holidays and Thanksgiving is one of my favorites because of all the good food, of course. There was a time when my family was all spread out across California, New York, and Arizona, so spending Thanksgiving with my parents and siblings wasn't always an option. Fortunately, my friends are basically family and we would get together and make food and spend time together playing music or boardgames.

This Friendsgiving, I got a little help from American Express’ epic holiday entertaining page and tried out this recipe from BuzzFeed for Spiced Sweet Potato Soup in Pumpkin Bowls. It's warm, spicy, and hearty-- just how I like my soups, and the fact that it's served in little pumpkins makes it even better! The recipe calls for pumpkin seeds for a garnish, but I opted for croutons instead.

The best part was being able to create such a delicious and beautiful spread using my Blue Cash Everyday card from American Express. The Blue Cash Everyday card is the only card that adds epic to your everyday by earning you cash back on everything you care about, including 3% at US Supermarkets, 2% on Gas and Department Stores and 1% on everything else-- from ingredients for your next recipe to tableware and more for your next holiday get-together!

SPICED SWEET POTATO SOUP (IN PUMPKIN BOWLS) 
Servings: 4 

INGREDIENTS
Soup 

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 
1 can lite coconut milk
2 ½ cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
2 small pie pumpkins 

Pumpkin Seeds
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne 

Garnishes
Greek yogurt
Fresh cilantro 

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 325℉/150℃ 

2. Cut off the top of the pumpkin and remove the seeds and stringy insides. Rinse the seeds. Toss the seeds with olive oil, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Transfer to a baking sheet and toast for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally until brown and crispy. Set aside. 

3. Heat a soup pot over medium heat and add olive oil and onion. Saute 2-3 minutes until soft. Add diced sweet potato, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. 

4. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cook until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat. 

5. Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Ladle the soup into the pumpkins. Garnish with yogurt, toasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

7. Enjoy!

Big thanks to American Express for sponsoring this post!