Winter Squash Two Ways

According to this blog, I was really into serving squash with roasted red peppers two years ago. Sounds yummy! This year, my big discovery is the addition of feta cheese. So. good. It is gluten free and delicious.

Stuffed Acorn Squash~ Simple!

-Slice into 6-7 pieces
-Spray the pan and the tops of the squash with olive oil (you can buy this with the Pam spray)
-Bake on 375 for 45 min. or until tender
-Add diced dried onion, salt, and pepper
-Add feta cheese
-Broil on hi for 5 minutes or until melted

Stuffed Butternut Squash~ with Cumin

-Slice in half
-Spray the pan and the top of the squash with olive oil
-Bake on 400 for 45-1 hr depending on the size of your squash
-Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin, and dried onion
-Add feta cheese
-Broil on hi for 5 minutes

I hope you try this! ;-)

For more squash recipes on this blog, see:

Butternut Squash Casserole

Creamy Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

Shrimp Scampi over Spaghetti Squash

For the Shrimp:

-1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

-1 tbsp. pure olive oil

-2 tbsp. garlic, finely chopped

-1 1/2 c. dry white wine 

-scant 1/4 c. lemon juice

-1 tsp. italian seasoning

-1/2 c. softened butter

-1/2 c. parmesan cheese

instructions:

1. heat skillet and add olive oil

2. add shrimp and cook until tender and no longer translucent, reduce heat. Remove shrimp and set aside.

3. add garlic and cook 2-3 min. no more

4. add white wine and lemon juice

5.cook until wine is reduced by half. After reduced, add italian seasoning.

6. reduce heat to low, add butter.

7. add shrimp back to sauce and season with salt and pepper

8.sprinkle with parmesan cheese

to cook the spaghetti squash:

http://eatwithinyourmeans.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/

Baked Stuffed Green Peppers

via Jodeze Home and Garden

2 green peppers
1 c. brown rice
2 bratwursts, diced
1/2 onion
parmesan
salt and pepper
garlic powder, chili powder, or cumin, if desired

-Cook rice according to package instructions. 
-Cook bratwurst, according to package, and dice.
-Slice off the tops of the green pepper.
-Reserve 1/4 c. diced pepper for filling.
-Soften the onion and green pepper in olive oil.
-Add to rice and brat mixture.
-add seasonings
-Fill the rinsed-out green peppers with rice mixture.
-Dust with Parmesan cheese.
-Bake upright filled peppers on 350 for 25-30 min. or until green peppers are softened but not overcooked.

Serves 2

My Newish Favorite Food: Irish Nachos

photo via handmade & craft

Irish Nachos with Pulled Pork.

It is Southern, it is Irish, it is awesome.

Bake potatoes. Like, make Baked Potatoes

Cut into fourths and scoop out some of the potato, leaving the "skins."

Alternatively: thinly slice potatoes and bake like this recipe (below)

Top with pulled pork, sour cream*, melted cheese, salsa or tomatoes, and green onions (or chives... is that the same thing?). Here is a "real" recipe ;)

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
-In a large bowl combine potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir until coated.
-Place potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. ... 
-Place cooked potatoes in a large oven safe skillet. Top with cheese and bacon or pulled pork (can use leftover pork shoulder from slow cooker). ...
-Sprinkle with green onions.


YUM-O!!!!!

* I have been using Greek yogurt, and I honestly can't tell the difference!!! In taste;)

The Perfect Iced Mocha.... When You Know You're Gonna

~1 tsp. sugar

~1 heaping tbsp. cocoa

~1 shot espresso

~1 1/2 c. milk, cold

~4 cubes ice

~handful crushed ice

~mason jar, with lid

1. Brew a shot of espresso

2. Meanwhile, stir together your cocoa powder and sugar

3. Add hot and steaming espresso to cocoa mixture and stir until dissolved

4. Add milk and ice

5. Put lid on mason jar and shake a few times

BONUS: The lid will keep flies and mosquitos out of your drink!

Spicy Salmon With Teriyaki Pan Sauce

ingredients:

-2 pieces of salmon

-1/2 c. soy sauce

-2 large cloves garlic, pressed

-1/4 c. brown sugar

-sugar (opt)

-fresh ginger root, chopped or diced

-dash red pepper flakes

-1-2 tsp. veg./ olive oil

-dash garlic salt

We ate this dish when our kids were with their grands. I made it spicy this time, because it just sounded so good. And it was! So delicious, you guys. ;)

First, take your salmon out of the freezer, and place into a glass dish with water. Let it thaw overnight or for a day in the fridge.

When it is thawed, take it out and pat dry with a paper towel.

Dice your ginger root and press your garlic.

Start your sauce by adding 1/2 c. soy sauce to a small saucepan.

Add garlic and let it cook for about 2 min. or so.

Add 1/3 c. water and then your 1/4 c. brown sugar, or alternatively 1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar and 1 tbsp. white sugar.

Cook down about 2-3 min., until sugar is completely dissolved in the water.

Strain chunks of ginger if there are any.

Set your sauce aside.

To cook the fish, add a bit of olive oil to a pan.

Put fish, skin side down, and without fully cooking it, let it get hot, 1-2 min. Meanwhile, coat the top side with soy sauce and a dash of garlic salt. Flip & cook 3-4 min.

Flip and cook again, 3-4 min. on the other side (the first side).

At the end, add your sauce, and heat until hot, but not bubbling.

If it boils in the pan, there is a risk that the sauce will burn. 

(That's why you should add it at the end.)

Serve with rice and steamed carrots.

Enjoy!

Papaya Chia Seed Smoothie

Mmmm.... papaya. A little thick around the middle, it makes excellent juice, if you've never tried it. Stephen and I had a lot of papaya juice on our honeymoon in Costa Rica!  This smoothie recipe is sure to delight you, and hopefully your kids, too. I've made it a few ways. Let me share them with you:

Version 1: More Acceptable to Adults

-1/4 papaya sliced into pieces

-1 c. greek yogurt (strawberry flavored)

-1 c. orange juice

-2 tbsp. chia seeds

-1 c. frozen blueberries

-1 handful (4-5 pieces) ice

To prepare, slice in half, and scoop out papaya seeds. Slice papaya into pieces for easier blending. Put everything in a blender or vitamix and press start. Let it complete the smoothie cycle, pour into a glass or cup, and enjoy!

Version 2 (more acceptable to my children--- ask me how I know!!)

-skip chia seeds

-1-2 bananas

-1 c. frozen blueberries or frozen strawberries

-1 c. strawberry greek yogurt

-1-2 c. orange juice

-1/4 a papaya, sliced into pieces

-1 handful (4-5 pieces) ice

Papaya can have an odd flavor. However, it makes the tang of the blueberries more mild and creates a more flavorful smoothie overall in this particular mixture.

Enjoy!

Spicy Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets

1 1/2 tsp. old bay

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 small pats butter

I’ve tasted enough bland tilapia in my day to know that when I eat a good piece of fish, I will gladly and willingly shovel two or three pieces of it down my gullet.  This happens to fall into the latter, non-bland variety. When such a delicious piece of fish comes along, I am happy to share it with you, dear friends!

I like to cook fish, and like Julia Child’s recipe for boeuf bourgignon, you should pat your defrosted fish (only defrost under cold running water) with a clean paper towel so that it isn’t dripping wet. The water will interfere with cooking a cook piece of fish.

Add a pat of butter to a hot pan, let it start to sizzle. Lay four tilapia fillets and cover the top side of your fish with seasoning. Let the underside of the fish get hot, but don’t wait for it to cook or you won’t have seasoning cooked in on that side. Once it gets hot, flip the seasoned side over and cook for about 4 minutes on high heat. Check it and if it is white and a little browned in spots (like grilled chicken), it is ready to be flipped. After applying the rest of your seasoning to the other side, flip it and cook another 4-5 minutes until reverse side is white with browned spots, as well.

The great thing about this combination of spices, I think, is that the spice is spicy without being too hot, the ginger tempers the Old Bay and makes it more rounded out (less of the plain salt hitting your tastebuds), and the butter makes the finish rich. I think this recipe could be taken up even a few more notches with real garlic, minced or pressed.;)

Enjoy!!!

Banana Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 c. smashed bananas

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. oil or butter (melted)

(recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens;)

1. Grease two loaf pans. Combine dry ingredients.

2. Combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil.

3. Add wet to dry.

4. Stir until just combined. Lumpy is ok.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 min.

Baird's Coffee Cake

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 c. supgar

3 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 tsp. baking powder

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. almond flavoring

1 c. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. pecans

creamed butter, sugar, add eggs, add sour cream and flour alternately

grease pans, sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top

Bake 25 min. at 350.

To double it:

2 sticks of butter

3. c. sugar

4 eggs

2 c. sour cream

4 tsp vanilla

4 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1c. chopped pecans

Delicious Strawberry Cupcakes... that I'll probably bake again ;)

These cupcakes were delicious and best served warm or right out of the oven. Of course, fan them (like they do on my fave, "The Great British Baking Show"), so that the frosting doesn't melt off.  These recipes have been tweaked, but are all inspired by another great show, "Cupcake Wars."

For the Cupcakes:

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 c. strawberry yogurt
1/4-1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. baking pow.
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add dry to wet. Bake at 350 for 15-18 min.

For the Strawberry Compote Filling:

1/2 c. strawberries
1 tbsp. pow. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. water

Cook down about 10 min. Scoop out centers by cutting in a circle with a knife. Use a small spoon to fill cupcakes.

For the Buttercream Frosting:

3-31/2 c. pow. sugar
1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. milk

Use beaters and make sure the butter is softened but only a little. 

This recipe was perfect- it bakes up nicely, and I will definitely do the compote filling again. So yummy and a win with all of my kiddos and Molly's friends. ;)