Category: Recipes

Butternut squash breakfast muffins

We had some diced butternut squash left over from the yummy butternut squash, sage and Parmesan pasties, so I found a recipe for muffins–make the kids eat the veggies for breakfast!

Butternut squash breakfast muffins

Adapted from Simple Daily Recipes

Dry ingredients

  • 1 c whole wheat flour
  • 1 c old fashion oats
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 c dried cranberries, rehydrated in warm water
  • 1/4 c raisins, rehydrated in warm water

Wet ingredients

  • 1 1/4 c diced raw butternut squash (or roasted if you have that)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 c vegetable oil
  • 1/4 c fruit juice or water

While assembling the other ingredients cook the squash in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir it from time to time, but no need to pay much attention to it. It takes 15-20 min to cook, probably about as long as it takes to get the rest of the stuff below assembled.

Preheat the oven to 350, grease muffin tins.

Place the cranberries and raisins in a microwave safe bowl and cover with warm water.  Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.  This is a speedy way to rehydrate the dried fruit. Drain off the water from the dried fruit.  The rehydrated fruit won’t burn when it’s exposed at the top of the baked item.

Combine the dry ingredients and the rehydrated fruit in a large bowl, mix well. Add the wet ingredients, adding the squash last, once it’s nice and soft. Stir everything together and spoon into the greased muffin tins.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

 

Butternut squash, sage and Parmesan pasties

These yummy pasties were fairly easy to make. I made the chopped the squash and made the dough in the morning and left it in the fridge until about 30 minutes before we were ready to make the pasties. Throwing them together in the evening didn’t take very long and then you have 40 minutes to do other stuff before dinner.

Butternut squash, sage and Parmesan pasties

Adapted from TheKitchenButternut squash, sage and Parmesan pasties

Dough

  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 6-8 Tbs ice water (I add a bit of lemon juice)

Filling

  • 8 oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsb dried (or  1 Tbs fresh finely chopped)
  • 1 Tbs finely chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • egg for egg wash

To make dough

Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or your hands. Start with about 5 Tbs of water and then add 1 Tbs at a time until all the flour comes together to form a nice ball. Refrigerate 30 min or longer (if you wait more than a couple of hours, let the dough warm up a bit so it can be rolled out.

To cook

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl combine the filling ingredients. Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll out into circles. Spoon the mixture over half of the dough circles and fold over, crimping the edges shut. Transfer to backing sheet. Cut steam vents in the pasties, paint tops with beaten egg. Bake for 40 minutes at 375.

Layered Squash, Barley and Spinach Pie

Slice of layered squash, barley adn spinach pieThis recipe looks a lot harder than it is. It’s really fairly simple and didn’t take that long to make. It was tasty too. I didn’t get quite as fancy as the original with the decorations, but it still looked nice. I don’t think it took quite as long to bake as listed, but it’s been a couple of weeks…I’m getting behind on adding recipes we’ve made.

Layered Squash, Barley and Spinach Pie

Adapted from BBC Good FoodLayered squash, barley adn spinach pie

For the filling:

  • 1 small butternut squash (about 2lb), peeled and cubed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil , plus a little extra for brushing
  • 1 onion , finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup pearl barley,
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp  soy sauce
  • zest 1 lemon
  • 8oz ricotta
  • 8oz soft cheese, I used mozzeralla
  • 1 tsp dried sage, or a few fresh leaves chopped
  • 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

For the pastry:

The original recipe has a crust recipe, but I used my own stand by…

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 5-6 Tbs water
  1. Heat oven to 400 F and roast the butternut squash with 1 tbsp oil for 25-30 mins until tender, then set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, 2 Tbsp oil in a large pan and cook the onions and garlic for 10 mins until soft. Remove about 2/3 of the onions. Add the mushrooms and pearl barley to the pan. Sizzle for a few mins, pour in the stock, then bring to the boil. Bubble fiercely for 30 mins until the barley is tender and sticky and there is no liquid left. Stir in the soy sauce, season and set aside.
  3. While the barley layer is cooking, make the other layers. Stir the zest, ricotta, soft cheese and a good amount of seasoning into the reserved onions until smooth. Take a third of the mixture and gently fold with the sage and roasted squash. Mix spinach into the remaining ricotta mixture with the parsley.
  4. To make the pie, brush a bread loaf tin with a little oil. Make 3 long triple layer strips of foil and lay these across the width of the tin to help you lift out the pie to serve.
  5. Roll out 2/3 of the pie dough and ease into the tin, pressing evenly into the corners and sides – you can be rough with it. Spoon in the spinach layer, smooth the surface, then repeat with the barley and finally the squash layer. Dome the squash mix slightly to give a rounded top. Roll out the remaining pastry to fit, brush the edges with some egg, then press the lid over the top. Trim the excess and crimp or pinch to seal, then decorate with pastry trimmings cut into leaves (add bay leaves, if using, when the pie has 30 mins left in the oven). Can be covered and chilled overnight.
  6. Bake for 30 mins on a backing sheet, then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for another until the pastry is golden brown (30-60 minutes). Let stand for 15-20 mins. Use the foil strips to lift out carefully. Carry to the table and slice thickly to serve.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

These Asian Lettuce Wraps were excellent! The kids loved them and the parents were only disappointed that there weren’t any leftovers for lunch. They were so good in fact, we brought them back for a second week in a row! I left out the chile and red pepper flakes and added sriracha sauce for the adults.

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from Our Family EatsAsian Lettuce Wraps

  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 small Poblano pepper, diced (we skipped this)
  • 1/2 cup grated carrot
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (skipped this too)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • cilantro for garnish

Bang the stem of the lettuce head on counter to remove the core and gently separate leaves.  Set leaves aside. Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and carrots to skillet and saute for about 3 minutes, until they begin to soften.  Add ground turkey to skillet and cook until no longer pink.  Add garlic and ginger and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add chili powder and cumin and saute about 1 minute.  Pour in soy sauce and continue cooking about 3-4 more minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Place one or two lettuce leaves on a plate and spoon about 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into them. Sprinkle with cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Chicken with artichokes in creamy mustard sauce

Dinner a Love Story is one of my favorite sites for meal ideas. The recipes tend to be good, family friendly and relatively easy to make. The site also features stories of their lives, meals, readings, etc. This particular recipe caught my eye, not only because it looked yummy, but because it started with a note from one of the kids about the pains of being a child of a food blogger and having to wait another fiiiive hours for mom to finish taking photos of dinner before they could eat! As you may have gathered looking around my blog, I generally snap a quick shot or two before digging into a meal…Anyway it was yummy and fairly quick to make. I made a few substitutions based on what was on hand.

Chicken with Artichokes in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Adapted from Dinner A Love StoryChicken with Artichokes in Creamy Mustard Sauce

  • 1 1/3 pounds skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 chopped tomato
  • 1 can artichokes (drained), cut in half
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup cream
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • chopped parsley or thyme

In a large skillet, brown chicken pieces in olive oil over medium-high heat, about 2-3 minutes a side. (They do not have to cook through.) Remove, decrease heat to medium, and add onion. Cook a minute or two, scraping brown bits leftover from chicken. Add tomatoes, artichokes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Nestle chicken thighs in the vegetables then add wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook another 10 – 12 minutes.

While it’s simmering, whisk together cream and mustard. Remove skillet from heat and stir in creamy mustard mixture.

Garnish with parsley or thyme and serve with a good crusty bread to soak up all the sauce.

Asparagus pesto ham and cheese sandwiches

The Fine Cooking Raw Asparagus Pesto recipe sounded good, and the picture that went Asparagus pesto sandwichalong with it sealed the deal. I was tempted to increase the garlic, but was glad I stuck with the small clove as it was good, but more would have been too much.

We’ve used Charle van Over’s Best Bread Ever recipe for many years now, so I made some bagettes and added ham and cheese. We served it with sweet potato fries.

Overall, while you need to be around most of the day, there’s not that much involved in making this, and it was very good.

 

 

Butternut squash pizza

Butternut squash pizzaWe get Fine Cooking, and when it arrives in the mail, it’s always fun to flip through the pages and read about food and pick recipes to try out. We do end up using many of the recipes, though probably not as often as we should…Then there are a few that we use all the time, over and over again…I think I’ve about memorized the Cream Scone recipe we’ve made it so many times! The pizza dough recipe from a recent edition looks like it will become another standby…we’ve already made it twice and it is really good. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking for a pizza topping and ran across A Zesty Bite’s Butternut Squash Pizza. We ended up using a red sauce, and it’s really good.

Butternut Squash Pizza

  • Pizza dough
  • Spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce or pesto
  • Butternut squash, diced and roasted
  • Cubed ham
  • Goat cheese

Make the pizza dough ahead of time. The recipe calls for at least 3 hours in the fridge (so 5 hrs total), but we’ve had really tasty dough leaving it in the fridge for 2 days. Take the dough out and let it warm up for a half hour or so before rolling it out into pizzas.

Dice and roast the butternut squash (450 for 20-30 min).

Preheat the oven with a pizza stone in it to 450-500.

Spread the sauce on the pizza, top with butternut squash, ham and goat cheese. Bake until nice and brown.

 

 

 

Pasta with portobello mushrooms, onions, spinach and goat cheese

This recipe was adapted from Bella Eats, adding a package of frozen spinach. It’s a relatively easy and tasty meal that works well for weeknight family dinner. The goat cheese is a nice smooth flavor that the kids like. Using whole grain pasta and adding the spinach makes this a bit more of a healthy one-pot dinner.

Pasta with portobello mushrooms, onions, spinach and goat cheese

Portobello pastaAdapted from Bella Eats

  • 2 Tbsp butter, divided
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 3 large onions, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 lb portobello mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved and then cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1 package (10oz) frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
  • 3/4 lb ziti or penne (preferably whole grain)
  • 4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • 4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain.
  2. In a large sauté pan, melt 1 Tbsp of the butter with 2 Tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are well browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan.
  3. In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp butter with 1 Tbsp of the oi. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved onions, the parsley, spinach and the pepper.
  4. Toss the pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water with the mushroom mixture, the remaining 1 Tbsp oil, the goat cheese, and the Parmesan. If the pasta seems dry, add more of the reserved pasta water.
  5. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Zucchini and saussage upside down cornbread

I was looking for a nice main dish incorporating zucchini the other day and came across this recipe for Zucchini Upside Down Cornbread. I liked the sausage and am always up for cornbread, so we gave it a shot. Not sure about the cooking time they list, I ended up doing about 45 minutes, at least 30 of which were at 425, which is what the cornbread recipe called for. I’d guess 40-45 minutes at 425 is the best bet. It sure looked good when it came out of the oven, but flip it over and wow, it’s a nice looking dish that tastes great and fills you up!

Zucchini and sausage upside down cornbread

Based on Bastrop Farmers Market

2 medium zucchiniZucchini and sausage upside down cornbread
1 lb Turkey/Chicken Italian sausage
1/4 cup chopped onions
8 ounces corn muffin mix–or recipe from corn meal container
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 425º
  2. Coarsely shred enough zucchini to make 1/3 cup; set aside. Cut remainder into 1/4-inch slices.
  3. In skillet, over medium-high heat, brown sausage; crumble well. Add the onion when partially cooked. Remove sausage onions and drain if needed. Reduce heat a bit. Add zucchini slices to pan. Cook over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring twice.
  4. In a well-sprayed 8×1-1/2 inch round cake pan, starting in center of dish, arrange cooked zucchini slices in concentric circles using all of the slices.
  5. Make the corn bread mix according to package instructions. Add cheese, crumbled sausage and onions, andZucchini and sausage upside down cornbread before flipping over shredded zucchini to cornbread batter. Spread mixture evenly over the zucchini slices.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes, till top is golden.
  7. Using a spatula, loosen sides of corn bread from dish; invert onto a serving platter.

Makes 6 wedges. Serve warm.

General Tso’s Chicken

Frying chicken for General Tso's Chicken

The following is adapted from this recipe at Food For My Family. The coating on the chicken fries up nice and crispy. The original recipe didn’t have much in the way of veggies, so I added some red bell pepper and a bag of stir fry veggies (broccoli, snow peas, etc.). The recipe for the makes quite a bit, I keep cutting it down, and think this recipe has about the right amount, especially with a good amount of veggies. Sorry there’s no picture of the final product with all the veggies added in. Serve over rice–brown if you have time.

General Tso's Chicken

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from Foodformyfamily.com
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

For the chicken:

  • 1.5 lbs chicken breast cut into 1-1/2″ chunks
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 egg
  • oil for frying

For the sauce:

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 3-5 Tbs oil--for frying chicken

Some Veggies

  • 4-6 scallions chopped
  • 10-15 dried thai or cayenne peppers--I left these out for the kids
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced
  • 1 bag stir fry veggies or whatever sounds good or is on hand

Instructions
 

For the sauce:

  • Mix together cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water.
  • Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, rice vinegar and the hot water.
  • Stir until the sugar dissolves.
  • Refrigerate until needed.

For the Chicken

  • In a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and pepper.
  • Add the egg and the soy sauce to the cornstarch.
  • Mix well.
  • Add in chicken pieces and stir to coat.
  • In a wok or large skillet, heat oil on medium high and fry chicken in batches for 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  • Set chicken aside and cover to keep warm
  • Pour off excess oil, keeping about 1 Tbs of oil
  • Add in scallions and sauté for a couple of minutes.
  • Add in the peppers and other veggies and cook a couple more minutes.
  • Add in sauce and hot peppers, if using, and cook for 5-10 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
  • Add in chicken and cook until sauce thickens and coats the chicken.
  • Serve over steamed rice.