Tis the Season of Cooking with Winter Vegetables

Series: Produce Box, December 20, 2011 Deliver; Published Blog 12

Scorpacciata. In Italy, scorpacciata is defined as consuming large amounts of local ingredients while in season. A produce box provides local ingredients of a certain season grown by the farmers. Currently in season are lots of winter vegetables that do not mind a little cold air or frost on their leaves. The farmer from Capay Valley even thinks that a little frost might add a little flavor to the vegetables being frosted on his farm.

In this product box series I will provide a recipe to encourage you to use vegetables in season to make your own vegetable stock. All the vegetables provided my box are organic meaning no chemicals are used in the growing process.

In my produce box received this week, I have the following vegetables:

1 Red Kuri Squash, winter

1 lb. Red Potatoes

1lb. White Potatoes

2lb. of Baby Bok Choy

2 Fennel

1 bunch of Leeks

1 bunch of Nantes Carrots

1 bunch of Spinach

1 bunch of Green Leaf Lettuce

1 bunch of Fresh Rosemary

Fennel Vegetable Stock

I am creating my own vegetable stock to develop into a recipe to make fennel sauce. I like the smell and flavor of fennel. It has the hint of anise but not too overpowering like black licorice. It works well as a substitute for onions since it is also a bulb. It can be diced, sliced, minced, or finely chopped. If it is sauteed the edges of the fennel caramelize up lovely. The other part of the fennel of the plant are the stalks that stick out of the ground with its leaves similar to dill plant.

Ingredients and Directions:

Grabbing a large pot and turn on the heat to about medium.

Add in 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (or canola oil.)

Toss in a hand full of fresh herbs: Sage, Rosemary, Thyme

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

Stir to prevent the garlic and fresh herbs from burning.

I tossed in a torn up fennel bulb piece to saute with the fresh herbs and garlic. I didn't leave anything to toss.

Add in the rinsed fennel stalks and stir.

Fill the pot with water covering the vegetables.

In addition to the fennel to balance the flavor I tossed in a handful of carrots and a few strangling lettuce leaves.

I also carefully flipped over the vegetables inside the pot to make sure the top of the vegetables get cooked on the bottom.

Then only seasoned with pepper- No Salt needed. Why? In your final dish of using the vegetable, you will flavor with salt. So to decrease over use of salt, do not season the vegetable stock.

Optional:

Since I was making a soup that needed leeks, I decided to toss in the green tops and part of the white bottom of leeks to my vegetable stock.

Add a lid and allow the stock to simmer for about 2 hours. Once it is done, turn off the heat and allow it to cool before removing the vegetables and straining out the fennel vegetable stock.

Here are the remains of the vegetables that flavored the water to create the stock:



This is stock to be used in soups or stews:

It can measured out and placed into the freezer for later use.

Making your own vegetable stock can be easy but takes a little time and lots of vegetables. My suggestion to you all is to be creative and add vegetables to the pot that you like.

Have fun cooking!

On the Eve of Pumpkin

Series: Produce Box, October 25, 2011 Deliver; Published Blog 11


The arrival of a new season brings in new crops. The weather has gotten a little cooler in the mornings and evenings. We have less daylight and more clouds. I love the changing of vegetables in my produce box. It inspired me to try my hand at a new recipe an Old Fashion Pumpkin Cookie.

Check out the list of vegetables I retrieved from my morning porch as I wiped the sleep from my eyes:








- A Sugar Pumpkin Squash



- 2 Garnet Sweet Potatoes



- 1 Large Yellow Onion



- Broccoli



- Celery



- Carrots



- Baby Bok Choy



- Collards



- Nantes Carrots



- Kale



- Fennel



- Green Leaf Lettuce

I am fascinated with a good pumpkin recipe especially during the autumn season. This year a recipe for Old Fashion Pumpkin Cookies and a Sugar Pumpkin squash both happen to be gifted to me on a fine evening. I figure it is a present from the Halloween Fairies and I gladly accept with much gratitude.

I pass this gift on to you to enjoy with your family.

Old Fashion Pumpkin Cookies

Step One

Combine in a bowl the following:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Mix and set aside.

Step Two

In your mixing bowl add 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1 cup puree pumpkin (See recipe below.)

Whisk together.

Add in 1/2 cup (1 stick of butter) of softened butter

Then beat in the 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Step Four

Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

Step Five

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The tops should be solid to touch and bottoms a light shade of brown.

Step Six

Swizzle white chocolate over the tops.

Step Seven

Open mouth, bite down for a moist cookie with a hint of cinnamon and pumpkin delicately warming you up for the cool evening night.

Baked Puree Pumpkin


Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
Cut into small wedges.
Remove seeds.
Bake for about 50 minutes.
Remove oven and let it cool.
Carefully slice the hard pumpkin off.

Add the pumpkin pieces to a Cuisinart and puree.

Ready for a bowl of Chili?

Over the years, I've worked on making a bowl of chili to my taste but more so because I LOVE CHILI CHEESE FRIES WITH BBQ SAUCE. It is simply delicious. (Well anything with BBQ sauce taste great.)

So here is my chili recipe that can be flexible for those meat eaters or vegetables only eaters basically a flexitarian recipe. My recipe can be a little time consuming but I figured out some short cuts for those with time commitments around the dinner time.


Meat (or Meatless) Chili

Preheat your stew pot.

For vegetarian version:

Add in your dry spices without oil. - Chili Powder, Cumin, Salt, Garlic powder, Cayenne, Pepper.

Once the spices have heated up. Follow to "Add in a little oil...."

For meat lovers:

Add in about a tablespoon of oil. Then add in your ground turkey (beef or pork or chicken)

While the meat browning- sprinkle your seasonings of chili powder, cumin, salt/pepper, cayenne.

Flip the meat and break it up until almost cooked. (I do not cook the meat all the way because when you add it back into the pot it will finish cooking.)

Remove from the heat and drain (if necessary).

Set aside. It will be added in towards the end of the cooking time.

For both versions:

Turn down the heat a little to below medium.

Add in about 2 tablespoons of oil.

Add in your cubed onion. Cook until clear.

Add in 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.

Add in diced pepper (optional.)

Allow the mixture to softened but don't let the garlic burn.

Short on Time- Easy Method:

The easy method is opening cans;however, for those interested in making your own 15 bean refried beans, chicken stock , or using own homemade stewed tomatoes recipes.

- Open 1 can (14.5 ounces) organic fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies

- Open 1 can (16 ounces) organic refried beans

- About 2 3/4 cups of organic chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarian)

Add in additional seasonings to taste...

For smokey sweet flavor: Add in smoke liquid, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce (2 tbsp) and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Bring the chili to simmer over low heat for about an hour. Remember to stir every 15 minutes and scrap down the sides.

Finally when you think it's almost done.

Add in your ground meat for those meat lovers and allow it to simmer a little longer until meat is fully cooked.

Turn off heat and leave on stove top to cool.

Taste test but don't forget to blow on the spoon! Adjust seasonings if necessary.

NOTES:

Added measurements in case you make your own homemade versions of canned items.

Organic versions can be used for this recipe.

For chili cheese Fries with Barbecue Sauce:

Cook fries according to package. I like them a little extra crunchy.

Spread french fries on a plate and spoon the chili on top.

Add a few swirls of barbecue sauce.

Enjoy with a fork!

Homemade Refried Beans

Making your own homemade refried beans isn't hard. I found through trial and error that it makes a difference in the chili. One thing I found helpful is soaking the beans. I do not recommend the quick couple of hour soak or placing them in a crock pot thinking they will cook. You might be a little disappointed. Just plan ahead the night before!

Soak the beans for 24 hours. Change water at least twice.

Heat up the pot on medium heat.

I like to flavor my beans depending on what recipe I will use them in.

For a chili recipe: I used chili powder and cumin. Season with pepper and salt.

Add in oil.

Drain the beans and add them into the pot. It will sputter with steam.

Stir and Pour water back into the pot to cover the top of the beans. I add about an inch of the top. It will boil away.

At this point you can optionally add in cloves of garlic and peppers to flavor the water.

The beans should be simmering/boiling.

There is a balance of heat that should be found to make sure your beans are becoming tender and the liquid is slowly evaporating. If the water gets to low add about a cup of water back in.

Stir.

Testing the beans. Remove one from the pot very carefully. When you bite into it, it should be soft. If there is a tiny bit of hardness to it, it will not become soft when you smash it. So make sure that when you think it is done, it should smash easily between your teeth.

Once the beans are done, remove from heat, remove garlic cloves and peppers (if you added) and grab your smasher!
Let your strength smash the beans-- transforming into refried beans. It might turn a little gray but don't worry. Season if necessary!

I don't recook them in oil but I add it into chili or burrito stuffing.



Chili Tacos

Have leftover chili? Here's my twist to using leftover chili and making a new dish from the last serving.

I had on hand a package of taco shells. Heat according to package.

I heated up my leftover chili.

I sprinkled cheese on the bottom.

Spooned my heated chili over the top.

Sprinkled cabbage and a little hot sauce.

Spoon guacamole or sour cream on top.

Simple meal made easy with leftover chili!

Enjoy and Have Fun Cooking!

Hey Batter, Batter...

Yes Folks- it is a fly ball over the left field. HOME RUN! We fried that fish...oops I mean baked the fish. Success measured in baseball is by the number of home runs a batter can achieve in a game; success in the kitchen is measured by clean plates, no leftovers, and full bellies of goodness.

My latest endeavor in cooking fish. I've attempted many different ways to cook fish for my husband who simply adores fish. Now if you know me I didn't like fish when I kid. My taste started to change when I tried fresh fish out the lake grilled on flat rocks when camping. When I got married to my fish loving husband, I tried even more to be more adventurous with fish.


After almost 13 years of marriage, fish recipes are starting to pour out of kitchen in new creations.

Parmesan Garlic Salmon

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the sauce to top the fresh/thawed salmon fillet.

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder

pepper/salt to taste

Optional: minced chives

Blend together.

Grab a baking dish line with parchment paper.

Place fish and top with sauce.

Bake until almost flaky which takes about 20-30 minutes depending on your oven and preference.

I grabbed a picture to help remind me to make this meal again since my husband simply enjoyed the flavors of the fish & sauce blending together in each bite.

I paired the dinner with a side dish of broccoli and pasta. The pasta was a cheesy/tomato flavor.

The coolest thing about this meal -- it took only 30 minutes from prep to sitting down at the table to eat.

Have fun cooking!

Granola Expedition

Granola Expedition

Are you hesitant about making your own granola? Not sure if it will turn out and then afraid that you would have to toss it? Or worried that when you looked up the recipe on the Internet you recognized half the ingredients were not budget friendly. Well stop worrying any further! I was in your shoes before now I am confident that I can inspire you to try my recipe. It uses flexible ingredients, relies on few ingredients, and can be kid friendly. (You can also make it with organic products.)

It was late at night and I was watching the Disney channel since it was left on. I saw this recipe info commercial. It had a Chef from Food Network mentoring a few Disney kid stars on how to make granola. I hadn't written it down but I was confident that I would find it on the Internet the next day. (No luck- it's a hard recipe to track down! Lizzie's Granola.) Instead I found similar recipes that caught my fancy plus with the visual demonstration from the Disney show I thought I could try.

Granola Expedition

2 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1/4 cup of olive oil (you can choose to use canola oil or whatever baking oil you have on hand)
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of corn syrup (or honey)

I also ground up a 1/2 cup of mixed nuts.

1 teaspoon of cherry extract (or vanilla)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Toss all the ingredients listed into a bowl to stir together.

Spoon into a large rectangular glass dished.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir.

Place back into oven for another 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Remove from oven.

2nd Part: Prepare while granola mixture is in the oven.

Here's what I add my twist.
I had this leftover nut trail mix. I just got tired of eating it but didnt want it to go to waste.
So I decided to pick out the banana chips. Ground them up just a little to make it smaller pieces.
I removed the chunks of dried fruit and also ground those into smaller pieces.
Finally added the whole nuts.

Once the granola mixture is removed from the oven. Toss together to start the sugars cooling. Do it slowly for more chunks.

Tips:

More sugar in a mixture, more easier to burn.

Do not add in the nuts or dried fruit. They will burn or harden.

Enjoy and Have Fun Cooking!

Cilantro Coleslaw

Adding a new twist to a traditional recipe: Coleslaw with an Asian twist.

I eyeballed my measurements based on how much salad dressing I want to make.

Dressing:

Mayo
Olive oil
Rice Wine Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Sugar
Salt/Pepper
Cayenne
Lots of Cilantro chopped

(I'll try to develop measurements and repost later on with them.)

Slice up the cabbage into thin shreds
I also added carrots, cucumber, and sweet pepper for color!

One thing to note with coleslaw dressing as soon as the dressing and cabbage are mixed together the dressing will get a little runny and the cabbage will soften. So wait until the last minute to mix and serve.

Weaving in the Vegetables

Inspiration comes and goes....I am inspired by recipes that incorporate vegetables into the main course. Usually it is meat, vegetable, and carbohydrate is on our family dinner plate. My latest attempt is to find recipes that inspire a weave of the usual into something new. Here's a little inspiration for you:


Zucchini Spaghetti

Trying to cut back on your carbs? Or trying to get your kid to eat more vegetables? This is a yummy recipe for the summer.


Spaghetti and sauce will prepared as normal.

Cut zucchini into matchsticks and saute with olive oil under slightly tender. Remove and place into a bowl.

A flavoring tip: add whole peeled cloves of garlic into the pasta boiling water to enhance with a garlic flavor. Remove and smash to saute with the zucchini.

Toss the zucchini with cooked spaghetti and sauce.

Plate up with green salad and turkey meatballs for a complete meal with extra vegetables.

Here's a picture of what it looks like and what inspired me to make it....

Second menu item that I hope will catch your fancy. It weaves ground turkey, oats, and broccoli into an Asian themed burger for the indoor grill. This recipe was created in cooperation with my husband. He had the idea and I executed the recipe.

Homemade Vegetable Burgers

Mix in a bowl the following for the turkey burgers:

1lb of ground turkey

10 broccoli florets processed in the food processor (frozen broccoli will work as long as it is slightly defrosted 4 minutes at power 1.)

1/2 cup of rolled oats

For seasoning: 1 tsp of red chili paste, 1 tsp of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of oyster sauce

Blend and make into patties.

I noticed the burgers are a little tender and require light touch. I also made sure to oil the side of the burger before I placed it on the grill. It seemed to help just a little.

As a side dish to my burger, I prepared a simple fruit salad with apple slices, orange wedges, and fresh blueberries.

From my family dinner table to yours- Enjoy!!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins Topped with Bacon Jam

This recipe makes my mouth water. It is an easy portion controlled meal making you grin with satisfaction.








Meatloaf Muffins Topped with Bacon Jam


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.



Grab a pound of ground turkey.


Add it to a bowl with 2 slices of bread torn in pieces, 1 egg, 1/2 onion diced, 1 stalk of celery diced, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and season with pepper and salt.


Smoosch together so the mixture looks well blended.

Scoop about 1/4 cup into a 12 count muffin pan or distribute 1/2 cup mixture into 6 count jumbo muffin pan.


Place in oven until 5 minutes more to cook. Top with the Bacon Jam mixture (recipe to be posted later.)


The meatloaf will be done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.






Dish up with a side of mini penne with a fresh tomato sauce and garlic bread.

Enjoy!

Easy Pecan Bars

Pecan Bars
An adapted recipe selected from one of my favorite cook books: Food for Friends by Sally Pasley Vargas

Recipe is divided into two layers.
Bottom Layer:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.



Add the following ingredients into a food processor:
1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
Salt to taste
1 stick of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Pulse until a powdery substance.

Prepare your baking dish a 9 by 13 works fine. Line with parchment paper. Cut and fold to the pan.

Pour the mixture into the pan.

Use your clean hands to pat to evenly compact the bottom layer.

Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven when done.



Top layer:

Grab a thick bottom small saucepan. Add in the following ingredients:
1 stick of butter
½ cup of brown sugar
½ cup of dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon of heavy cream

(My substitute: 1 tablespoon of powder milk and 1 tablespoon of butter)



Stir over medium heat to melt butter.
Continue to stir as you turn up the heat to bring to a boil.

Let it boil for 1 minute without stirring.

Pour over the baked bottom layer.

Sprinkle about 2 cups of pecans over the top of the top caramel mixture layer.

Place back into the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the topping is uniformly bubbly.


*Please use caution when you remove this dessert from the oven. It will be very hot.*

Remove and aside to cool. Let the caramel topping cool and solidify to touch prior to cutting into bars. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cool.

Your Taste Buds Will Adapt

In reflection while cooking a stir fry today, I realized that I've started to enjoy kale, chard, and collard greens. Prior to receiving a produce box, I hadn't really thought to purchase kale, chard, collard greens, or even butternut squash on a regular basis at least not twice a month. This sums up the fact the more you give it a try then better chance that you might like eating it.

So here are my salutes to new vegetables creeping into my life and my family eating habits. My first recipe is to make saute greens.

Saute Greens

Grab about a 3-4 leaves of kale and 3-4 of chard.
Remove the stem down the middle of the leaf. This is really tough and will not make for pleasant eating.

Next roll up the leaves. Slice the into thin strips. Soak the greens in a bowl with water. Rinse. Set aside.
Slice up an onion.
Grab out a nonstick saute pan with a lid. Heat on medium heat. Add olive oil. First caramelize your onions. Remove them.
Drain the oil back into the pan. Make sure the pan is nicely warm.
Remove the greens from the bowl of water and place into the saute pan.
Cover and let it steam until the leaves wilt.
Stir.
Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the lid and let it simmer off the access liquid.
Add back in the caramelized onions.
Stir.
Get ready for delicious greens and pair up with a meatloaf muffins, tater tots, and a fruit salad to make a great family dinner.



My recipes have transformed to incorporate these greens into my menu.

Everyday (Birthday) Cakes

As far as I can remember I loved looking through cook books. I think I was somewhere in 3rd or 4th grade when it came into my sister's and mine possession. It was when we really started to learn about cooking and took an interest in our food presented on the dinner table.





There was this one cookbook that I fondly remember as a kid that was especially for kids. Inside was a pretty picture of a chocolate cake with a design and balloons in the background associated with birthday parties.







(One thing I've learned through the years is that the picture may look pretty but it doesn't make the food taste any better once it is made.)


Eventually one day I found a recipe that sounded good with what I imagine a yellow cake to taste like with chocolate butter cream frosting. I stumbled upon a website ( King Arthur Flour) that provided an easy homemade golden vanilla cake. I use to receive their magazines and I remember the recipes within them but forget to clip them out. Well low and behold, they are now on a website with pictures!
Since it was my husband's birthday, I wanted to try it out but I checked with him to see if he would rather have oatmeal cookies with a marshmallow filling. The cake won!


Anytime I am going to plunge into the kitchen to start cooking, I like to write down my instructions and ingredients. This helps tremendously in making sure I don't miss a step. Sure- I could have printed it out and read it before trying it; however, the process of re-writing the recipe helps imprint it in my memory. I strategize on what steps to take. I group my ingredients and methods.





As soon as I got home from work, I started my task after being barreled down my two 40 pound puppies. I tied my hair back, pushed up my sleeves, put on my apron, and washed my hands. I was ready to start cooking! Since I had both desert to make and a dinner to cook, I acted upon an important piece of advice: Mediate a minute just to put into perspective the timing of a meal plan.



Thoughts that go through my head...



What needs to be done first?



What is second? If I get this task done, what is my next?



Can I overlap cooking times for a meal?




Timing is crucial in the kitchen. If the timing goes well it translates to sitting down for dinner at our regular scheduled time. Just like a restaurant, the guests like to have their meal at a certain time. So I treat my family the same way because in reality the body likes routines and starts the digestion process in the same timely manner each day.

Homemade Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Butter cream Frosting

Back to baking a cake. Here's how I started this process. Grabbed the butter, eggs, and milk for both the cake recipe and chocolate butter cream recipe. Just like baking cookies, room temperature ingredients blend together much butter than cold.




Preheat 350 degrees.


In a large bowl- whisk together the following:


2 cups of sugar

3 1/4 cups of flour

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt


Next- grab your very soft butter and your hand mixer.


3/4 cup butter, softened



Mix this with the dry ingredients and it will turn the mixture sandy.


Grab the milk and vanilla.

1 1/4 cup milk, room temperature

2 teaspoons of vanilla


Add all at once and turn on the hand mixer - 30 seconds at low, 30 seconds at medium.

Scrap down the sides.


Grab your eggs. I place them in warm water to bring them to room temp.


4 eggs


Crack 1 egg at time and add into the mixture. Blend for 30 seconds. Scrap time the sides. Repeat this process 3 times.


With the last egg cracked and added. Turn on the mixer for 30 seconds on medium high.


Time to pour your batter.


You can choose to use either cupcake pan or bundt or cake pans. It just depends what you would like. Just make sure to use parchment paper or cupcake holders.


Place in the oven and bake until just about light brown.


Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once it pulls away from the side a little, remove from the pans and place on a cooling rake.



Chocolate Butter cream Frosting


The frosting to top it off. I found this recipe after a quick google search. I decided to halve the recipe as I went along. Seriously what do you do with too much frosting and in my case I'm not a big fan of the sugary topping. So I tried to make it to my liking. I taste tested it along the way. I found this important but I went into a sugar shock at certain moments.



It helps to use room temperature butter and room temperature milk. A microwave can assist if you run out of time but make sure not to let the butter get too melted into soupy liquid phase.


Place into the mixing bowl:

1 stick of butter, cut into pads.

3 cups of powder sugar

3 Tablespoons of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/8 teaspoon of salt


Use the hand blender on low and let it blend together for about 30 seconds. About a little bit more milk if it is too chunky. Smooth it out just a little with about 30 seconds more.


Chocolate- I used my unsweetened cocoa powder. On the side of the package, it provides a chocolate square equivalents= 3 Tablespoons cocoa + 1 Tablespoon canola oil


I grabbed a small pot and heat it up on low. Added in 6 Tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2 Tablespoons of canola oil. I mixed it together until it became smooth and warm.


Pour it into my frosting mixture.

Next I turned my hand mixer on medium high to whip up the frosting.


Frost your cake once it has cooled with the chocolate butter cream frosting.

Once the cake is frosted place the candles for a birthday wish!

Food Blogging Time

As I search the Internet for recipes, I notice more and more individuals are catching the food blog virus. It is wonderful! There are so many views and so many ways to cook wonderful food. As a reader and a writer, I want to provide an insight to how I like to cook but keeping in mind my food preferences and additionally my own family member's food preferences. I can't at all times make each person happy with my cooking (but at least they get dinner cooked for them.)

Please take a moment and review the various recipes with the hope that you copy & paste them to try later... like I do. Take time to write down a recipe to get inspired and cook up a feast while having fun cooking it!

The 6:30 Dinner Crew

Welcome to a New Year! Let's dive into some new dishes with the help of my latest delivery. Today I received the following:

A bunch of carrots
A bunch of Collard Greens
1 Butternut Squash
A bunch of Purple Kale
A bunch of Broccoli
A bunch of Chard
A pound of Zucchini
A head of Radicchio
A bunch of Leaf Lettuce
A couple pounds of Sweet Potatoes
A red Onion
A half pound of Shallots






Many of the vegetables are easy to use in an average dinner menu but the Butternut Squash, Kale, and Collard Greens are my hardest to develop into a like-able dinner plate item for my family.

I first took on the butternut squash.What do you make with it besides a Butternut Squash Soup. Well, I turned to many cookbooks to seek my answer (or a quick search on the Internet) for recipes.




Here's what I came up with and thought would work for a tasty menu item:


Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Onions
Needed in Pantry Raid:

Olive Oil
1/2 Onion
1 Small Butternut Squash
Flour
Butter
Milk
Cream Cheese
Bacon Jam - optional
Bread Crumbs
Pepper and Salt

We will break this recipe down into steps for each layer.











Step 1: Caramelize Your Thinly Sliced Onions, Season with salt and pepper.


Place into the bottom of the casserole dish.










Step 1A: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Evenly slice your butternut squash into moon wedges. Toss in the flour and shake away extra. Place batches into the same heated skillet that was used for the onions with some additional oil for browning the butternut squash. It takes a few minutes on each side.




This helps to tenderize the butternut squash to quicken the cooking time.Add on top of the caramelized onions in the casserole dish.









Step 3: Grab a few tablespoons of butter to melt in the same pan and add in any leftover flour to match the amount of butter added. This will start a rue that will eventually turn into a white cream cheese sauce. Add in a cup of milk for each Tablespoon of butter/flour ratio. (For example: 1 Tablespoon of butter, 1 Tablespoon of Flour, and 1 Cup of Milk - makes a perfect white gravy.) Add in a package of cream cheese (and a Tablespoon of bacon jam if you have it.) Stir until almost melts. Season and pour it on top of the butternut squash and caramelized onions in the casserole dish.

>









Step 4: Finally sprinkle evenly over the top a thin layer of breadcrumbs. Open your oven and let it cook for about 20-25 minutes. At the very end when the butternut squash gratin is bubbling around its edges. Turn on your broiler and let the top brown up.


Step 5: Remove and let it cool.

Step 6: Did I mention make sure to let it cool?




Step 7: Serve up to your family to see what they think.

Opinions from my family: Second servings and cleared plates pointed in the direction that they enjoyed it and it turned out to be a good recipe.

This recipe helped inspire me to create a vegetarian lasagna using the butternut squash and a white sauce. See upcoming posting for the recipe.