So after 6 weeks of "healthy living" my pancake thighs have been reduced to a short stack.

That being said, tis (twas) the season for food and fun, so here's a soup recipe that I made on Christmas day:

Bemily's Butternut Squash Soup.
Ingredients:
-2 large Butternut Squash, peeled and halved.
-2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces.
-3 inches of ginger root
-zest and juice of one lemon
-5 shallots, chopped
-1 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
-1tsp cinnamon (optional)
-5 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste.

Peel and halve the squash and scoop out the fleshy middle. Rinse and reserve the squash seeds.
Chop and dice squash into 2-inch pieces. Toss and lightly coat in olive oil-- Roast in pan at 400 degrees until squash is soft.
Peel and chop shallots, saute in 2 tblsp of good olive oil until translucent.
Add ginger, lemon zest, and apples, saute for 2 minutes.
Add roasted squash to pot with 4 cups of chicken broth. Add vinegar. Set heat at medium, let simmer until apples have softened.
In the meantime lightly coat squash seeds in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, roast on baking sheet at 400 degrees. About 5 minutes. Sprinkle with curry powder after removing.

Finish soup with the juice of one lemon. Puree in batches, adding more warmed broth to achieve desired consistency.
Before serving, stir in a bit of half and half, if you like your soup richer, and cinnamon, if you like that sort of thing. Sprinkle with seeds and serve.

Even my mother was impressed with my efforts, and that's saying something.