Oh goodie, I love extra credit! 
I bought parsnips today so I can make this tomorrow. It's a double bonus since we are expecting more snow tomorrow too. I am also a favorite of "smooth" soups without cream in them. Here is my favoritest soup in the world. I could eat buckets of it.
Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 1-1/2 - 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
• 5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth or water
• 2 cups good apple cider
• 1 tsp. cinnamon; sprinkle of nutmeg
Directions:
Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.
Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of broth or water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup with an immersion blender (or carefully blend in a blender).
Pour the soup back into the pot. Add enough apple cider to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.
I think you could adapt this to the crock pot. It makes a lot so you could probably either halve the recipe or freeze it. I freeze it - it freezes well.
Snowfall by Tribe
