Creamed Acorn Squash

Okay, I'm actually cheating a bit by posting this recipe because I didn't actually make this recipe, my mom did. But I was lucky enough to sample it. Since I didn't make this recipe, I don't have much to say about it other than: if you like warm, gooey, cheesy goodness, you'll enjoy this dish. From what my mom said (I feel like such a little kid saying that...), this dish is really easy to put together and makes a beautiful cold-weather meal. She also recommends serving it with pork if you're wanting to serve it with a protein. However, this dish can also stand well on its own.

I look forward to actually making this dish myself. But if you beat me to the punch, let me know how your experience was with trying this recipe and if you have any changes or suggestions.

Creamed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash, halved crosswise & seeds removed
course salt & pepper
½ C heavy cream
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
8 torn fresh sage leaves
½ C grated Gruyere cheese (or a sharp white cheddar)

Preheat oven to 375° F

Place squash cut sides up in a baking dish

Sprinkle with salt & pepper

Pour ½ cup water around the squash

Combine cream, sage, & garlic in a saucepan and simmer 5-10 min over medium high heat. (Do not let it come to a boil.)

Pour into acorn squash halves and bake 30-40 min until tender

Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese

Cook 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and golden

Cool for 5 minutes before serving

Avgolemono (Lemon Chicken Soup)

Avgolemono. It's about as tricky to make as it is to pronounce (auv-go-le-moe-no). But never mind the fact that my spell check wants to change it to "Acclaiming" or "Overwhelming", which it may seem to be; Avgolemono is absolutely worth the effort. This is one of those soups that, to me, just taste like home.

At this time of year when you have to get up ten minutes earlier just to scrape the frost off of your car windows, hot soup is often the saviour to the soul (hmm...that almost sounds like a book title...). Especially out here in the North Wet where your soggy clothes cling to your body, forcing the cold air to seep deep into your bones, a hot cup of soup can often turn a gray day into a cozy one.

This Mediterranean soup is both hearty and fresh. With a lemon kick, it will awaken your senses from their winter hibernation. It takes a few extra steps to make than most soups, but believe me when I say, you'll be happy that you did.

Avgolemono

Ingredients:
½ onion diced
1 carrot cut into chunks
1 lb chicken breast fillets
1/3 c long grain rice
3 eggs, separated
6 Tbls lemon juice
2 Tbls chopped parsley
2 Tbls ground sage
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and carrot in hot oil 5 min then set aside.

Bring 6 cups water and add rice and chicken.

When chicken is cooked, shred and return to stock.

Add onion and carrots to soup.

Simmer just below the boiling point.

Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks are formed.

Gently stir in yolks to the egg whites.

Slowly beat in lemon juice in the egg mixture.

Slowly stir in 1/3 c of the hot soup to the egg mixture and beat thoroughly.

Continue to add some hot soup until egg mixture is warmed and thin.

Then slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the rest of the soup. Be careful to keep the soup below the boiling point or the eggs will curdle.

Add parsley, sage, salt, and pepper. Adjust the lemon to taste, adding more if you want a stronger lemon flavor.

Set aside for 3-4 minutes for flavors to mingle. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Cake Pops

For years now I have been having an on-going love affair with pumpkin. This time every year, I sneak off to the local cafe to embrace my much adored pumpkin spice latte and succulent pumpkin bread. In the evening, I put my lips to a bowl full of sinfully delicious curry pumpkin soup. At night, I nibble on pumpkin seeds. And for dessert, I let the rich taste of pumpkin pie melt on my tongue. Oh yes, I LOVE pumpkin!

Just when I thought there were more than enough pumpkin sweets to choose from, I had to go and create yet another. It isn't enough that there is pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin chocolates....No. I had to take it one step further: pumpkin cake pops! The funny thing is, I wasn't intending on making cake pops when I started this recipe. In fact, I was trying to make a soft delicious pumpkin bread. The problem was, it was a little too soft! As I flipped over the bread pan, the bread fell apart along with my dreams of eating pumpkin bread that evening. But for all the sweet breads out there that fall victim to the sticky bread pan, there is a solution: cake pops. Its a wonderful way to turn a disaster into a ridiculously sweet and satisfying creation.

So thanks to the dangerously delicious invention of cake pops, I was able to still enjoy the sweet pumpkin flavor that I am infatuated with.

Now, I know the picture below isn't a picture of the pumpkin cake pops. But honestly, I didn't decorate the cake pops so they looked kind of plain. Instead, I'm taking to opportunity to be the annoying mom by showing off the other love of my life, my son. And hey, there's a pumpkin in the picture so it still counts, right?

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1  teaspoons ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in yogurt, vanilla, and pumpkin. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until cake tests done. 

Pumpkin Cake Pops

Ingredients:
Cake (recipe above)
1 12oz container of frosting
White chocolate for dipping (make sure NOT to use white chocolate chips. They wont melt correctly. Be sure to use white chocolate that is specifically for melting and dipping such as Baker's chocolate!)
Lolly sticks (I just used bamboo skewers that I cut in half)
Styrofoam or other support base for drying the cake pops on

Once the cake is cool, crumble it finely with a fork. Scoop the frosting into the cake and stir until it starts to combine. Add more frosting as needed. The mixture will begin to feel soft like dough.

Using an ice cream scoop, or your hands, make round shapes about the size of a golf ball. Line on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stick a lolly stick into each ball and freeze over night. Be sure to dip the tip of the stick into the melted chocolate BEFORE you stab into the cake ball. This will help secure the cake ball onto the stick, preventing it from sliding down the lolly stick later on.

Once the pops are firm, melt the chocolate in the a microwave safe bowl for about 1-2 minutes, or until thoroughly melted. Dip each pop in and gently shake off the excess chocolate.

Using a piece of Styrofoam or other support base, stick each cake pop upright so the chocolate can drip down over the cake pop as it sets. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.

Harvest Pork Medallions

It usually begins in October. As the Fall season settles in, our calender becomes heavy with scheduled events. One weekend we're celebrating our wedding anniversary. The next, we are going to the pumpkin patch with our parents. After that, there is the Halloween party with our friends. And as I watch the days grow shorter, the dark cold chill of winter whispering around the corner, the scheduled events quickly consume our calender as November steps in.  Before I know it, we're in a full on sprint towards the holidays and I am left standing elbow deep in a list of things to do.

Luckily, just as the holiday season begins to take its toll on my sanity, the Fall harvest flourishes with what are some of my favorite comfort foods. As I slip into my sweat pants in preparation for my "festively plump" physique, I sneak away into the kitchen and joyfully play around with the endless flavor combinations of Fall.

This dish was inspired by several classic flavor combinations: apples and cheese, garlic and onions, pork and apples, pork and onions, sage and cheese, and sage and pork. So what did I do? I threw them all together in hopes that it would create a flavor explosion. And that it did! In tribute to the Fall season, this dinner highlights several harvest delights in a juicy, hearty, and colorful display.

I totally made this recipe up, so if you have any comments or suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Harvest Pork Medallions

Ingredients:
2 medium-large pork medallions
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbls olive oil
1 large apple, diced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced into strips
8 cloves garlic
3 Tbls olive oil
4 thin slices of brie
4 Tbls sage pesto (for the recipe, click on the following link: http://thetastyspoon-gingerales-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/popeyes-pesto.html)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In an oven safe baking dish, combine the apple, onion, garlic, and 3 Tbls of olive oil. Place in the oven uncovered and bake for about 45-60 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, using the 2 Tbls olive oil, rub down each medallion so that both sides are evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides of the medallions.

Place the seasoned medallions in a cold pan and bring up to a medium high temperature. Starting off in a cold pan will allow the meat to retain its moisture as it is brought up to temperature. Allow the medallions to cook about 7-10 minutes on each side until they are golden in color. Then remove from the pan and place in an oven safe baking dish.

Remove the apple, onion, garlic mixture from the oven (when finished) and set the oven to broil.

Top each medallion with two slices of brie. Then place the medallions into the oven, uncovered, and broil until the brie is melted.

Remove medallions from the oven.

On a serving plate, smear the pesto onto the spot where the medallion will be placed. Set the medallion onto the pesto and top off with the baked apple, onion, garlic mixture.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Roasted Root Veggies

My goodness! It has been hard to find computer time these days. Thanks to my hyper-active baby who doesn't like to take naps, finding time to cook let alone blog is near impossible anymore! But for the few precious moments I have right now, I'm going to shoot out a quick blog of one of my favorite Fall dishes. It is super easy to make and it tastes fantastic! If you're looking for a great side dish to try this Thanksgiving, consider this recipe for roasted root veggies.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get tired of sweet potatoes only being served in a brown sugary marshmallow mound on Thanksgiving day. This recipe, however, offers the naturally sweet flavor of the sweet potato without adding any additional sugar. And, in addition to caramelized garlic and onions, you'd be surprised how sweet, savory, and nearly buttery smooth this dish can be (even without the use of any butter!). Of course, you don't even have to use sweet potatoes at all if you don't want to. The glory of this recipe is that the ingredients are very flexible. You can use any combination of root veggies that you like. So have fun scouring the produce aisle for new and inventive ideas and enjoy this mouth-watering dish that flaunts all the savory flavors Fall has to offer.

Roasted Root Veggies

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Rosemary
Salt & pepper
Any assortment of your favorite root veggies:
  Example 1:
  Potatoes ( either sweet or other), Carrots, Onions, Garlic, and Apple (It’s not a root veggie but it adds good flavor)
  Example 2:
  Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Onion, Garlic

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Cut all veggies into thick chunks (about 1 inch squares.) Place chunks into baking dish or pan. Drizzle with olive oil and stir until all veggies are slightly wet and shiny. Sprinkle desired amount of rosemary, salt, and pepper on top of veggies (rosemary is pretty strong in flavor so it doesn't take much).

Bake uncovered in oven for approximately 50 min. or until all veggies are soft when poked with a fork, stirring every 15-20 min.