Savory Squash

I love squash. That said, I try as many variations as I can to convince the rest of my family to join me in my praise for it...This one, I hope, just might do the trick. It's baking away as I type. The smell of the garlic is making me VERY hungry! But my love for garlic will be discusses another day, another recipe.

I got the basic idea for this from allrecipes.com and made a few adjustments.

Of course, all seasonings in this to your taste, but here's what I threw together:

1 1/2 TBsp Basil
1 TBsp Oregano
2 -3 T Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 - 2 tsp Pepper (to your taste)
2 garlic cloves

2 good sized Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

In large bowl, combine the spices and oil. Toss with squash to coat.

Transfer to shallow, ungreased baking dish. Bake uncovered at 375º for 50 - 55 minutes or until squash is just tender. Stir occasionally for even baking.

Remove from oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top - mix if desired.

To peel and cut squash, I poked a few holes in them and put each in microwave for a few minutes. The first one I had in for 5 minutes...too long I think. The second, I put in for 3 and it was just as easy to peel.

I also had 2 small garlic cloves and added a shy TBsp of minced...hence the strong smell wafting through the house...yummm!

The verdict: garlic yes! but basil/oregano = too much . Will try again tho with milder spices - parsley maybe as the original recipe called for. Also, squash was a little too done and after 30 minute transport, we put in to broil for about 5 minutes which added nice firmness to it.

Croque Monsieur with Greens (Fancy ham and cheese sandwiches)

I'm always looking for easy, somewhat healthy things the whole family will like. Here is one of them!

4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices sandwich bread
¾ pound baked ham, thinly sliced
2 cups (1/2 #) shredded Gruyere cheese or Swiss
2tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon apricot jam or orange marmalade
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped (from 2 stems)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups mixed baby greens, any variety

Heat a heavy nonstick pan or a griddle over medium low to medium heat. Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add 2 spoons of the butter and melt. Whisk the flour into the butter and cook for 1 minute then whisk in the half and-half. Season with 1 teaspoon of the Dijon mustard the nutmeg. salt. and pepper and cook for 2 minutes to thicken. Remove from the heat. Spread the bread with the sauce and make sandwiches using a couple of folded slices of ham per sandwich.


Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons of softened butter lightly across the outside faces of each sandwich. Spread the shredded cheese across a plate and press each side of the sandwiches into the cheese then place on the hot pan or griddle. The cheese will brown and form a crisp coating as the sandwich and heats through. Cook for 3 minutes on each side until evenly golden.


In a salad bowl. whisk together the remaining spoon of mustard. the vinegar. apricot jam. and tarrragon. Whisk in the EVOO in a slow stream. Ad greens to the bowl and toss to dress. Season the with salt and pepper and serve on large plates the hot sandwiches alongside.

4 SERVINGS

From Racheal Ray’s 365 Days: No Repeats

Black Bean Salsa

Another from Todd - it is very tasty!

"We’ve been loving this quick and easy dip!"

• 1-2 tomatoes
• 1 can black beans - drained
• 1 avocado - chopped
• 1/2 bunch green onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 bunch cilantro

• Dressing:
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cumin

• Add all ingredients and mix.

One new trick I learned - leave the avocado pit in the salsa and it won't turn the avocado brown...nice!

Peanut Butter Snowballs

One of Josie's favorites. And, I kind of think that it isn't all that unhealthy, at least until you get to the powdered sugar...We usually triple the batch as it makes so few! Last night I made a triple batch and it made around 80. (I know, that's a lot...but we travel with our candies to many houses during the holidays). I try to make them uniform in size...but well, that never quite works.

3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (when tripling - I use 1 1/2 cup of crunchy and 3/4 of creamy)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup quick cook oats
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (yeah for the genius who finally put this on the shelves!)

powdered sugar

Mix together and form balls. Roll in powdered sugar and keep chilled.

One thing to look out for with this one is that sometimes the peanuts inhibit stickiness - just keep rolling and sort of pick out a few of the nuts.

Sponge Candy

Woot! I have finally tried to make what is one of my favorite candies! (Next year I'll tackle toffee!) JJ was convinced I was going to blow up the kitchen. Had I actually succeeded at that, my wish for a new kitchen would have had to come true! But, sadly, the kitchen is in tact and the candy turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 T vinegar (I used apple cider, but I think white would work too)
1 T baking soda
1 lb chocolate bark / candy coating

Butter a 9 x 13 pan (I overdid this part and it released well, but there was a grease to the bottom of the candy that I wiped off with paper towel)

* Bust out your candy thermometer...

Cook sugar, corn syrup & vinegar. Stir only until sugar dissolves. Heat without stirring to 300º - 310º or a small amount forms brittle threads in cold water.
Remove from heat and stir in soda - sprinkle to avoid clumps and stir like crazy. Pour into pan, don't try to spread. Cool completely.

Melt chocolate. Break candy and dip into chocolate and cool

A few thoughts - I was able to use a pretty small, but heavy pan. It didn't expand as I thought it would.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

These are yummy! At first, we thought there wasn't enough mix to support all the extras - raisins, cranberries, and white chocolate chips. In the end I actually added a little more flour and oatmeal. I may tweak it a little more in the next attempt.

1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups quick-cook oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1 TBsp grated orange peel
1 12oz pkg vanilla chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs - 1 at a time, beating well after each (this part we forgot!)
Beat in vanilla.
Combine flower, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and gradually add to creamed mix. Stir in oats, raisins, cranberries, and orange peel. Stir in vanilla chips.

Drop by tsp 2" apart.
375º 10 - 12 minutes

A few thoughts: I used 1/2 cup fresh cranberries because the dough didn't seem like it could support full cup. In future, I will add all. Also, it was first time cutting fresh berries and wasn't quite sure what to do with the tiny seeds - didn't seem to bother recipe tho!
I also turned the oven to 365º and went 11 minutes, we must have a hot oven!

Hope you enjoy these!

Saffron Orzo

Here’s a good basic orzo recipe I like:

Saffron Orzo:

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon saffron threads

• 1 pound dried orzo

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 lemon, juiced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, bringing the stock to a simmer. Add the saffron, stir, and allow the saffron to bloom - about 5 minutes. Return the heat to medium and the stock to a boil, then add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain orzo and transfer to a large bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Toss to combine.

Yield: 6 servings