Stuffed Acorn Squash

Remember back in November, when I promised you a Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe - well, today is the day!

I got this recipe from a friend at church. It came through a "light and healthy" recipe exchange. I love it! And, I know that my friend's family does, too. In fact, the day that we received acorn squash in our Bountiful Baskets, she was trying to trade other things for extra acorn squash.

{Stuffed Acorn Squash}
recipe by Melissa
2 medium acorn squash
1, 12 oz. package of bulk sausage (ground pork – country style is good if you can find it)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
½ cup thinly sliced celery
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half, remove seeds and place squash cut side down in a pan or dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender.
In a large skillet, combine sausage, mushrooms, celery and onions. Cook until meat is done and veggies are tender. Drain well. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Blend well. Stir into sausage mixture. Spoon evenly into squash halves and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

You could prepare this recipe through stuffing the squash ahead of time, then, just bake it off when it is time for dinner!

Aunt Susan's Minestrone

The last time I made this, I was in college and trying to impress a boy. So, as I was planning this week's menu my husband says to me, "Do we have a recipe for a GOOD minestrone?" And, I think, "Well, yes I do." You see, my husband was not the afore mentioned boy. Let's hope that it will impress my husband, too.
{Aunt Susan's Minetrone Soup}
1 1/2 - 2 lbs Italian seasoned sausage (or, 1 lb sausage with 1 lb ground beef)
2 qts water
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can of beef broth
2 small cans of tomato sauce
1 large can of tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1 clove garlic, minced

Cook, crumble, and drain the sausage and ground beef. Combine with all other ingredients and simmer for 6 hours. That's right - 6 hours!

20 minutes prior to serving, add:
2 C. noodles
1 can green beans, cut
1 can yellow wax beans (you could also use garbanzo beans)
1 tsp sugar
salt & pepper, to taste

Serve warm with parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

*I just got the simmer started on mine, I can't wait to smell it cooking all . . . day . . . long.

Pizza on the Grill

Last night, we tried out a recipe from Pizza on the Grill. My husband chose "Grilled Pineapple and Pancetta" pizza. I thought it was really good. By the time I got around to taking a picture, this was all that remained of it. We will definitely be using this combination again.

{Grilled Pineapple and Pancetta Pizza}

modified by me

4 oz pancetta, sliced 1/4" thicked, or slab bacon, diced

1 can pineapple rings, drained

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

sprinkle of sugar

3 green onions, roots trimmed

sprinkle kosher salt

1 ball pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's ready-made pizza dough)

1/2 C Onion Marmalade

6 oz Camemebert cheese, sliced

Cook the pancetta in a small skillet over med-high heat until crispy, and drain on a paper towel.

Brush the pineapple rings and green onions with oil. Sprinkle the pineapple rings with sugar and the green onions with salt. Place directly over the heat on the grill. Grill 3-5 minutes per side, until the pineapple is well marked and the onion are limp and charred in spots. Chop the scallions.

Roll out the pizza dough, drizzle each side with oil and place on the grill. [The book recommends and indirect heat cooking method. I found that my grill worked best with both burners set to low.] Close the lid, wait 3 minutes without peeking. Check the crust, if necessary, continue cooking for a few minutes, until the crust is well-marked and nicely browned. Remove the crust to a rimless baking sheet, cooked side up.

Spred the entire crust with onion marmalade. Top with cheese. Arrange pineapple, and sprinkle with pancetta and green onions.

Finish grilling, with the lide closed, about 7-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

{Onion Marmalade} makes 1 Cup

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced and rings separated

1 tsp kosher salt

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan pan over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the onions and salt. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally. Remove cover and cook until the onions are golden in color, about 20 more minutes.

Father's Day Menu

We had a fun filled day of spoiling the Dad at our house. I let my three-year-old plan the menu. The night before we talked about what to make Dad for breakfast in bed - popcorn, of course. When I asked what we should make for dinner he said, "I don't know." I suggested that we make something that he really likes, because I bet Daddy would like it, too. "Pizza!" he exclaimed.

And, since I am sure that everyone is wondering about how to make their own wonderfully balanced menu with these foods, the recipes are below.

{Dad's Eggs Benedict}
This one is a little different from your traditional Eggs Benedict. But, you can find my instructions here. The last time I made this, my husband said, "Whoever thought to make eggs benedict on bran muffins is a genius."

{Chocolate Frosting}
Recipe from Sheila Campbell
3 sticks of unsalted butter (room temp)
3/4 c cocoa
1 t. vanilla
4 c powdered sugar
4-5 T whipping/heavy cream

Cream the butter. Add the vanilla. Beat in the cocoa. Then add the sugar a little at a time, alternating with the whipping cream so it doesn't get too hard to work with. You might need more cream, depending on how soft your butter was when you started, etc. Anyway, I get to about 2 1/2 c of sugar and do the rest by taste. The nice thing about using cream instead of milk is it never gets too runny if you're a little heavy handed with the liquid, it'll just get more fluffy.

{Love PB&J}
This one isn't too hard, and technically you don't have to put quite as much "love" into yours. You see, the secret is in the homemade jam. (Pick the berries, wash the berries, make the jam - you get the picture, right?) Then, cut out the center with a mini heart-shaped cutter.

{Award-Winning Pizza}
Adapted from Giorgio Giove
1 pizza crust, uncooked
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 ounces mozzarella knots, shredded
6 thin slices pancetta
1 (2-inch) piece zucchini, thinly sliced
2 ounces herbed cream cheese

Place a pizza stone on the floor or the lowest rack of your oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Roll out your pizza crust. Spread on the heavy cream. Place the pancetta slices on so there is pancetta on each slice of pizza. Place the zucchini slices all around. Drop chunks of cream cheese evenly over the pizza. Finally topp with mozzarella. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake for 8 minutes.

{Tri-Colore Orzo Salad}
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Finally, my "secret" will be out! Here is exactly how I make this a salad.
1/4 C orzo pasta
1 bag fresh spincah (about 1/3 - 1/2 lb)
3/4 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C craisins
12 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 C toasted pine nuts
1/8 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, plus a pinch more

Cook pasta according to package's al dente instructions. Toast pine nuts, well, until the flavor truly comes out. Place spinach in a bowl top with cooked pasta, pine nuts, feta, craisins, and basil. Mix remaining ingredients together, and shake to combine. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Mmmm!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Dinners

{Christmas Eve}

Northwest Harvest Salmon

Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

Broccoli

Christmas Salad

{Christmas Day}

Ham

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Green Beans with Carmelized Onions

Potatoes with Cheese and Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Aunt Terri's Salad

Apple Crisp ala mode

Apple Crisp

12 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Layer in a 9x13 pan. Mix together:

1 C butter

2 C brown sugar

1 C wheat flour

3 tsp cinnamon

3 C rolled oats

2 C chopped nuts

Sprinkle over apples in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. This recipe is not very sweet, but with lots of "granola" it is great for breakfast topped with milk.

More recipes will come as I get them or find links . . .

Asian Food Night Recipes & Reviews

Gyoza (Makes 4 servings)
1/3 cup chopped cabbage (boiled)
2 tbsps chopped green onion
1/2 pound ground pork
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsps soysauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
20 gyoza wrappers
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients other than oil in a bowl and mix well by hands.

Place a teaspoonful of filling in a gyoza wrapper and put water along the edge of the wrapper by fingers. Make a semicircle, gathering the front side of the wrapper and sealing the top. Heat oil in a frying pan. Put gyoza in the pan and fry on high heat until the bottoms become brown. Turn down the heat to low. Add 1/4 cup water in the pan. Cover the pan and steam the gyoza on low heat until the water is gone.

We also had "Panang Chicken Curry" based upon this recipe. Only, I couldn't find panang curry paste so I used Roasted Red Chili Paste in the amount of 2 tsp vs the 2-3 Tbsp the recipe called for. And, I added about 1 tsp of peanut butter to the sauce.

Family Reunion: Take 2

You would not believe the incredible week that we have had in SUNNY San Diego. And, to top it all off we had incredible food.

First of all, my sweet Aunt KaraLyn fed us OFTEN in her beautiful back yard. She made us breakfast the first morning we were there. We had Baked Praline French Toast with Praline Syrup, a Hashbrown and Sausage Tart, and watermelon. After our Cook Reunion, she fed us again twice. The first night we had a Mexican BBQ. We had a Shrimp Dip appetizer and Grilled Fajitas with all the fixings (grilled steak and chicken, frefried beans, fresh salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, chopped cilantro) and homemade lemonade. Our final meal with her was panini sandwiches. And my cousins made a Wild Rice Salad and Rhubbarb Upside-Down Cake.

The food from our family reunion was wonderful, too! I am working on pulling those recipes along with other family favorites together on another cooking blog!

Baked Praline French Toast
3 eggs
2/3 C milk
3 T sugar
¼ tsp vanilla
8 slices French or Italian bread (1" slices)
4 T butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the first 4 ingredients. Soak bread in mixture for 2 minutes. Melt butter in 9x13" dish. Put in bread, 1 layer thick. Bake 15 minutes turn and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Praline Syrup
¾ C brown sugar
¼ C light corn syrup
3 T water
Pinch salt
1 T butter
¼ tsp vanilla
¼ C pecans

Combine first four ingredients, bring to a boil, simmer 2-3 minutes, and remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla, and pecans.

Hashbrown and Sausage Tarts
hasbrown patties (prepared)
sauteed peppers & onions
brown & serve sausage (diced)
grated mexican cheese mix

Brown hashbrown patties to crisp the outside. Top with peppers and onions, sausage, and cheese. Broil to melt the cheese.

Yucatan Barbeque Shrimp Dip
The amounts of the ingredients are very flexible.
2 lbs Monterey Jack Cheese
1 lb. frozen or fresh small shrimp (tails off)
1 cup fresh salsa
1 tsp cinnamon
Tortilla chips

Slice the cheese in 1/4 inch thick slices. Overlap on the bottom of a heavy frying pan. Layer with shrimp, salsa, and sprinkle the cinnamon on the top. Heat on the barbeque until the cheese is totally melted. Serve with chips.

Cafe Rio Pork Recipe

Cafe Rio Pork
3 lbs prok, boneless
3 1/8 C water
1 2/3 C coke
5/8 C sugar
1/2 clove fresh garlic
1 heaping Tbsp chicken boullion granules
1/2 pkt taco seasoning
1 onion, carrot, serrano and guajillo chile

Place chopped onion, carrot, and chiles in a cheese cloth. Place all ingredients into a crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Take cheesecloth out and discard. Take the meat out, reserving the cooking liquid. Shred the meat.

Mix 3 lbs pork
3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 C Homemade Chili Sauce Brand
2 C reserved pork stock

Put all ingredients in a 1 gallon bag. Place in fridge until ready to use.

1 bag pork
1/4 C butter

Melt butter completely before adding to pork.
Serves 15

I swapped out 1/2 green bell pepper for the chiles. I didn't do the cheesecloth-thing. I just cut the veggies large and put them into the liquid. Then, I strained them out of the stock.

My Grandma's Soup

I'm sure that I hated this as a child. But, now the memories draw me to it. It doesn't hurt that my husband loves it, too. So, if you need a home-cooked bowl of love, give this one a try!
Pink-Eyed Bean Soup
1 1/2 C pink-eyed beans, dried
celery, chopped
onions, chopped
carrots, chopped
potatoes, chopped
1/4 C ketchup (more to taste 1/2 - 1 C)
salt & pepper
hamhock, hambone, or cut ham

Cover beans with water (and let sit overnight). The next morning, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and hambone and cook all day. Add carrots 1 1/2 hours prior to serving. 1 hour prior to serving, add other ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is even better the second day!

*I clarified a few thing with my mom about this recipe. I have adjusted the instructions above. It is critical to add the hambone at the beginning of the simmering process to infused the flavor. -1/8/2010

This Week's New Recipe Reviews

Sweet Pork Salad with Cilantro Dressing
original recipe here
I am not wure what to say about this one. It was good, but not Cafe Rio. Don't try this expecting to get the same. I think the flavor may have come closer to Cafe Rio's if we had used BBQ sauce instead of the ketchup. I cut the dressing recipe in half, and I added a little coleslaw dressing for "sweetness" because my salsa verde was very spicy.
But, like I said, it was good and it was easy!

Build-Your-Own-Panini Night

Tonight, for dinner it was build-your-own-panini night. I put out:

Bread (Ideally, ciabatta bread)
deli ham
deli roasted turkey
lettuce tomatoes
cheese
roasted red pepper spread

But, you could add any sandwich toppings that you like. We also tried the Carrot and Apple Slaw recipe found here with a few alterations, of course.

Carrot and Apple Slaw
Not knowing how well it would be received, I cut the recipe way down like to 1/4 its original size. I didn't have apple jelly or golden raisins, so I put in regular Coleslaw dressing and raisins. Then, I just sprinkled individual servings with the chopped cashews. Well, I enjoyed it and, since I'm the only one who tried it, it was a success. I will be enjoying the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

This Week's New Recipe's Review

Ham, Cheese and Asparagus Mac with Tomato and Cucumber Salad
original recipe here
Macaroni: I cut the recipe in half for my family. And, other than peeling the asaparagus (a tip I learned from Food Network to get the asaparagus to cook evenly), I followed the recipe exactly. Oh yeah, I also went a little "shy" on the hot sauce. We really liked the flavor, and the combo of the ham and asaparagus was great. My two year-old ate it (with a toothpick) without complaints!
Salad: This was a little bit of a twist on vinegar-cucumbers, which I don't ever make. But, we like it non the less, and it would be great for a summer picnic. But, if you don't like the taste of vinegar, I would not reccommend it.

Joe's Molten Marshmallow-Chocolate Cakes
original recipe here
Followed the recipe exactly; but forgot to set the timer while baking, so I had to guesstimate. This is a supper easy, impressive dessert that I would reccommend for company. I am going to try reheating our leftovers tonight to see if the marshmallow goes molten again.

Ginger-Peanut Chicken-Salad Wraps
original recipe here
Cut the recipe in half. The peanut sauce had great flavor, with just a little kick. The cilantro was the perfect thing to cool the chicken mixture a little. We really liked this one, and will definitely repeat it. My husband even said that it would make a good leftover lunch, and since the chicken mixture could easily be served cold - I think he is right!

Another Meal at Mom's

Tonight, we ate at Mom's again, followed by an incredible evening at Cirque de Soleil's Corteo. We had: Split Pea (or Sausage) Soup, Rosemary Polenta, and Salad (spinach, craisins, mandarin oranges, feta, and toasted pecans).

Split Pea (or Sausage) Soup

from Sister Susan Tanner

3 qts water

1 lb split peas

1 lb sausage

1 C chopped celery

1 C chopped potatoes

1 C sliced carrots

1 C chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of sage

pinch of rosemary

Cook peas until soft. Brown, drain and rinse ground sausage. Add cooked sausage and vegetables about the last 30 minutes of cooking. You can add more water if it gets too thick.

Cinco de Mayo

It's time for our next holiday! Since Cinco de Mayo falls on Monday, I thought I'd post now so that you can plan it into your grocery lists for next week. Enjoy!

Here is a great link for a Cinco de Mayo Taco Bar. However, for the "little people" in your life my may need to tone it down a little. Try these. For dessert, how about some sombrero cookies? Or make these Mini Pinatas with your kids. You could also use this Chili Pepper Print to decorate any thing from napkins to a t-shirt. We'll be coloring this mexican mother and son.

"Award-Winning" Spicy Pork Chili

We got this recipe from our good friends the Krumpermans. They got it from a ward chili-cookoff. It was the first-prize chili that year. The great part is that you make a "Garlic Pork Roast" which you could eat for your Sunday dinner and, then, you shred the leftovers for the Pork Chili.

Spicy Pork Chili
1 container (2 cups) Garlic Pork Roast
2 cups hot or medium salsa (we use Newman’s Roasted Garlic, medium)
1-2 tsp. chili powder
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
Toppings:
½ c shredded Colby Jack cheese
sliced green onions
Sour cream

Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until hot (or leave in crock pot).
Sprinkle with toppings.

Garlic Pork Roast
3 ½ pound boneless pork loin roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup chicken broth

Trim pork; cook in oil on medium-high till brown on all sides; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place onion and garlic in crock pot, put pork roast on top and pour chicken broth over it. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

For the Chili: Shred the pork, saving 1 cup of the liquid to pour over the shredded pork. Can be stored in containers and frozen up to 4 months, or refrigerator for 4 days.

The "Garlic Pork Roast" recipe will make enough for 3 times the "Spicy Pork Chili" recipe, if you just use it for that. We like to reserve a little extra liquid that the recipe calls for. The chili recipe will make dinner for 4 people, or my family with one-time of leftovers. For company, I 2 or 3 times the recipe.

How to Make Baked Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

Here is a nice step-by-step "photo tutorial" for you to follow along with the recipe.

Baked Ham & Cheese Sandwiches

original recipe here

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 slices white sandwich bread
3/4 pound cooked ham, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded Gruyere, or other melting white cheese
Dijon mustard, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add flour; cook, whisking constantly, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes (do not let color).
Add milk and nutmeg to saucepan. Whisking constantly, bring to a simmer; continue cooking until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a shallow dish; cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the sauce. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes.
Place 4 slices of bread on a baking sheet. Spread each slice with sauce, dividing evenly; layer with ham, and sprinkle each with 1/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining bread; sprinkle with remaining cup cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and golden, about 15 minutes. Serve hot, with mustard on the side, if desired.

***I make as many sandwiches as I need for my family (up to the four the recipe can make). Then, I put whatever leftover sauce I have into a tupperware in the fridge for "fast sandwiches" later on. I also tear up the ham into bite-size pieces for my toddler's sandwich. It's just easier for the little ones to eat it that way.***