Perfect Baked Squash or Pumpkin

As we get farther into fall, I start to get the yen for all things pumpkin! This is the time of year when we go with the children to choose the pumpkins they'll make into jack-o-lanterns. When we do, I try to get a pie pumpkin and bake it whole. It makes the perfect base for pumpkin pie, soup, or pumpkin muffins. The same method works for both butternut or acorn squash, two other fall favorites!

Ingredients

1-2 pie pumpkins
or
1 medium-sized acorn squash
or
1 large butternut squash

Wash the pumpkin or squash. Remove the stem. Prick the outside skin several times with the tines of a fork. Place on a foil-covered baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. (If making butternut squash, turn the squash over after 30 minutes.) Check for doneness by piercing with a knife. The flesh should be nice and soft. If done, remove the pumpkin or squash from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Slice it in half, scoop out and discard the seeds. Now the pumpkin or squash is ready to cut up into other dishes or to be pureed in the blender or food processor.

Cooking these vegetables whole allows the sugars to remain in the flesh and the flavor to intensify without the need for a lot of other seasonings. If you want to make squash as a side-dish, try serving it cut and very lightly salted, or sprinkled with pumpkin pie spice. It is delicious.

Enjoy!

Jeff & Katie's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Jeff and Katie stopped by our house earlier this week, and I made them these cookies. As our children played with them and their young daughter, the heaping plate I brought to the table was reduced to crumbs. Fortunately, I had set some aside for Jeff and Katie to bring home! (I wonder whether Katie decided to share.) Well, with this recipe, I guess she can just make more!

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa (I use Droste)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup Splenda for baking (or white sugar)
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
1 tbs milk
1 bag peanut butter chips (12 ounces)

Mix together the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside. In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter and shortening for about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and blend until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, blending after each addition. Add vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients, scraping the bowl as you go. Add milk and mix thoroughly. The batter should be very light-textured. Add chips and mix in gently.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop from a teaspoon about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool 1 minute in place and then move to a cooling rack. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Grandma's Chicken-Broccoli Bake

When NanaJane makes this dish, it is called Chicken Divan. Grandma has a variety of homespun names for it. I found it filed under three such names in my recipe box... all the same recipe, and all delicious. This is an all-in-one dinner just perfect for a rainy day.

Ingredients

8 cups cooked rice
(I prefer jasmine rice, but brown rice is also delicious)
8 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
salt & pepper to taste
seasoned salt to taste
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
6 tbs. fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons worth)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion, minced
10 oz. frozen broccoli
(or 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli, blanched)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9x13 casserole dish, place rice in an even layer. Cover evenly with cooked chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, soups, lemon juice, garlic, and onion. Spread rice and chicken with half this mixture. Layer the broccoli on top, followed by the remaining half of the soup mixture. Sprinkle cheese over all and top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread

When the weather turns cooler, I love to start baking. The warm oven heats up the kitchen, making it a natural place for my family to gather. And what calls to them more than the wonderful smell of baking bread? I make our banana nut bread in mini-loaves, with nuts on the inside and outside. They make wonderful gifts for neighbors, or a delicious snack, sliced with a light spread of cream cheese.

Ingredients

3 overripe bananas, well mashed.
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tbs. oil
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a loaf pan, or mini-loaves. Mix bananas, oil, and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.

(Tip: for perfect mashed bananas, place overripe bananas in the freezer overnight. Allow them to thaw in a bowl on the counter top. Snip off the end of the peel with a pair of scissors and squeeze the banana out through the opening.)

Stir together the dry ingredients and add to the banana mixture. Mix thoroughly. Add half of the nuts to the batter and stir. Pour the batter in prepared pan(s) and sprinkle remaining nuts on top. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean (mini-loaves will take less time). Cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

Celeriac Vichyssoise

There's a chill in the air, which means the time has come for beautiful soup recipes. This recipe is taken directly from The New Basics Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. I make it every year when the weather turns chilly and your bones tell you that winter is around the corner. "This soup is like eating a bowlful of life itself," my sister told me when I sent her the recipe. It is just too good not to share.

Ingredients

4 tbs butter
3 cups diced onions
1 leek, well rinsed and diced
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
2 lbs. celeriac (celery root) cut into large dice
6 cloves garlic
6 cups homemade or store-bought chicken stock
3 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp celery seed (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion and leek and cook over medium heat until translucent (10 minutes.) Add the potatoes, celery root, and garlic. Stir and cook 5 more minutes. Add the lemon juice, stock, celery seeds (if using), salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook 30 minutes or until the celery root is tender. Allow to cool slightly, off the heat. Puree the mixture in a blender, in batches. I blend until the soup is the consistency of applesauce -- not entirely smooth, but fairly so. Return the puree to the soup pot and add milk and cream. Heat, stirring constantly, until soup is heated through. Serve with a warm, crusty baguette.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of helping my son's second-grade class make applesauce in the slow cooker. They were studying Johnny Appleseed and wanted to finish the week with a hands-on project. This is a perfect recipe for children who are just getting used to reading a recipe and measuring ingredients -- and it tastes terrific! Parents helping may want to peel the apples before slicing; the method I used for the recipe was designed to allow the children to do much of the work of peeling without using a knife. We used a star-shaped press-slicer and then peeled each slice with a potato peeler. It was a challenge, to say the least. But the children sure enjoyed making something entirely on their own. The best part of all, of course, was eating the applesauce at the end of the school day. Yummy!

Ingredients

10 Apples (Jonathan, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup water


Wash the apples. Preheat the slow cooker by turning it on HIGH setting. Slice and peel the apples. Put them in the slow cooker. Discard the peels. Add water, cinnamon, and sugar. Stir together. Cover and cook until apples are soft. When ready to eat, uncover crock pot and gently mash the apples with a potato masher. Allow the applesauce to cool slightly and then scoop it out into cups.

Enjoy!

Great Grandma Mildred's Tomato-Pepper Salad

Great Grandma Mildred worked with a wonderful woman named Brita Saladino in the kitchen of St. Paul Gradeschool. They were great friends, sharing a love of life and plenty of recipes. This salad was one of their simplest, but most satisfying. (When we make it, my husband snacks away at least half the bowl before supper is even served.) As always, this late summer delight is best with produce fresh from the garden or farmers market.



Ingredients:

6 Roma tomatoes
2 green bell peppers
1 small white onion
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. white vinegar (or white wine vinegar, if you prefer)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Wash and dice tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Remove seeds and stem from peppers and dice the same size as the tomatoes. Peel and dice the onions. Toss tomatoes, peppers and onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining four ingredients and toss thoroughly.



Enjoy!

Easy Peach Freezer Preserves

When I was young, we lived in Virginia. In front of our house were two huge white peach trees, and each year my mother would make peach preserves for our family. To this day, peach preserves are my favorite on toast or biscuits or over vanilla ice cream. Here's an easy recipe to make them at home. Use the freshest orchard peaches you can find -- the more local, the better!

Ingredients:

8 cups fresh peaches, pitted, peeled and diced
Juice of 2 lemons
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 packages pectin (I use sure-jell)

Prepare your peaches and place them in a large saucepot. Add lemon juice and stir to incorporate. Use a potato masher to lightly press the peaches and allow them to release their juice. (If you like your preserves less jam-like, skip this step.) Stir in sugar until thoroughly distributed. Allow peach mixture to rest for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, bring water and pectin to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the peaches and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour into freezer containers, leaving at least 3/4 of an inch at the top for expansion. Allow the preserves to cool at room temperature for 24 hours to give the pectin a chance to set. Use within 3 weeks if stored in the refrigerator, or within one year if frozen.

Enjoy!