My first squash of the season

Over the years, I have really turned into a crazy squash eater. I am a little obsessed with winter squash. They are the main reason why my market basket is soooo heavy in the Fall.

Growing up, I do remember having the occasional acorn squash puree with brown sugar, but that's about it. Winter squash is an incredibly versatile vegetable. You can roast it, puree it and use it in soups or as a pasta sauce, simmer it in stews, or use it in quick breads or desserts.

Granted, they look a little intimidating to deal with. A little technique, patience, and a sharp peeler and heavy knife, and I promise you'll be good to go. Also, winter squash is a great source of vitamins A & C, fiber, magnesium and potassium, not to mention sweet and delicious.

To prepare my butternut squash for dinner last night, I peeled it, then chopped off the slender part, cubed that, then cut the bottom bulb in half, scooped out the seeds and cubed that up- all under the watchful eye of Mischa.

I've been told that if you microwave it for 15-30 seconds or so, it loosens the skin and makes it easier to peel. Unfortunately, I always seem to remember this trick halfway when I've peeled the squash. So, I've never done that, but maybe someday I'll remember too.

Here is one of my standby recipes for squash- and one that has converted a couple of co-workers to eating squash. It's a great recipe to experiment with- feel free to swap out the pasta for a different shape or type. I have used shallots & sweet onions and last night I used a leek. For seasoning, I add herbes de Provence instead of the sage. Some crumbles of goat cheese would be nice, but it's also good without the cheese. Got some crumbled bacon or pancetta- why not?

Enjoy- this makes a great lunch dish to take to work.

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallots

3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise (about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
4 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) or fettuccine
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 475°.

Combine the squash, sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons oil, salt, pepper, and shallots in a jelly roll pan; toss well. Bake at 475° for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in sage.

While the squash mixture bakes, cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place cooked pasta in a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons oil; toss well. Serve the squash mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup pasta, 3/4 cup squash mixture, and 1 tablespoon cheese)CALORIES 248 (29% from fat); FAT 7.9g (sat 2g,mono 4.5g,poly 0.8g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 137mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.4g; SODIUM 713mg; PROTEIN 7.1g; FIBER 5.2g Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2001

Recent recipe reviews

Looking back over last week, I didn't cook an awful lot. I've been in a lunch rut as of late and am seeking some new inspiration for lunch ideas. The lunch rut means a fallback to cleaning out the freezer. I did try a couple of new frozen meals though, which I liked- Healthy Choice's panini with chicken, apples and onions and Lean Cuisine's tortilla crusted fish. Apparently the only way I like fish is overly processed or just deep fried.

Got an abundance of food this weekend on the farmers market run. Along with my first winter squash of the season (an acorn & butternut squash), a box of edamame, some delicious cinnamon roll apple butter, summer squash, kale, broccoli, more potatoes, red peppers to roast this week & make hummus with, my favorite find was local grapes. Oh, they are so good- I'm nibbling on them now as I write this.

The overall winner, recipe wise, this past week was the baked gnocchi with spinach and ricotta. I love gnocchi, but somehow as of late I haven't got too thrilled about just cooking it and topping it with sauce. This dish was easy to throw together, reheated very nicely and will definitely be repeated. I got this off of Joe's blog- Culinary in the Desert- I did not have fresh basil on hand when I made this so I just added a liberal amount of Penzeys Tuscan Sunset blend.

Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta

(Adapted from Prevention)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3 ounces shredded mozzarella, divided
1 ounce fresh grated Asiago cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and fresh ground black pepper3 cups marinara sauce, divided
1 pound packaged potato gnocchi, divided
2 cups baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In small bowl, whisk together ricotta, basil, 1/3 cup of the mozzarella, Asiago, egg and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

In an 8" square baking dish coated with nonstick spray, spread a thin layer of the marinara sauce over the bottom. Arrange one-half of the uncooked gnocchi in a single layer - scatter half of the spinach on top. Using a spoon, add small dollops of half of the ricotta mixture on top of the spinach. Spoon a layer of marinara over the ricotta, leaving enough sauce behind for another layer on top. Repeat layering, adding all of the remaining sauce on top.

Scatter the remaining mozzarella on top.Place into the oven and bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove and let sit 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional grated Asiago cheese before serving, if desired.Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

My other winner was Ellie Krieger's sloppy joes from her cookbook Healthy Appetite. Since my roomie had a date on Friday, I had the option of going to yoga and then making me dinner. I've been craving sloppy joes for a long time. A couple of years ago, when I came home armed with a new recipe and all of the ingredients for them for dinner that night, I told Angel what I was fixing and she looked at me like I announced we're having poop pancakes. She hates sloppy joes- major childhood trauma there. These would make her change her mind (if she tried them)

I made these with ground turkey and red kidney beans. I also added a heaping tsp of Penzeys Chili con carne seasoning in lieu of the dry mustard and a dash of chipotle too.


Sloppy Joes
Healthy Appetite by Ellie Krieger

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic,
minced 1 jalapeno,
minced 1 red pepper,
diced 1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole-wheat burger buns

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Information per Serving
Calories 248
Carbohydrates 37 grams
Total Fat 4 grams
Saturated Fat 1.1 gram
Protein 18 grams
Fiber 7 grams
Sodium 535 milligrams

Enjoy- have a good week!

English 105

So, it was nice to get back into the normal routine again after going home. We were super busy at the store this past weekend. I froze the remaining corn that Wayne gave me. Angel was quite impressed with the handi-vac- and can understand why I'm a little giddy about the prospect of getting a deep-freeze.

I got back to the gym this week- (after taking a week off) which feels great. My horoscope this week reminded me that yoga does not solve all your problems, even though you want it too. How did they know?

In all the pile of stuff I took over to Planned Parenthood- I found some old essays and notes tucked into one of my freshman year Poli Sci books. Among them, the note saying "My name is Lori Ann. I'm going to Ames, Iowa" which my sister pinned to my back before I boarded the Greyhound bus back to Ames after Spring Break. An English 105 essay about my Spring Break- apparently Jamie owes me $10 (which did you ever pay me??) and we're engaged. It also mentioned that I'm engaged to two guys now- I'm not exactly sure who the other guy was- I think it was Matt. That whole if I'm not married by when I'm 30 thing- which apparently we *all forgot about*

And what really made me stop in my tracks, was an essay I wrote about my dear friend Matt. I miss him so. I haven't seen him or heard from him since my junior year in collage- yikes- 15 years ago or so. I've looked for him, off and on- thanks to the wonders of the internets. I came across my Ex, who may know but I really don't want him back in my life. Plus he owes me $50- Loser. And the advice that Matt gave me back then, still rang true today- "have patience- it will all work out for the best" Just reading that and hearing his voice in my head- settled me in a way I really can't describe. So, my horoscope was accurate. But yoga helps a lot.

Matty, I hope you are well. I'm sure that you'd be surprised a little to learn that I've acquired by inheritance that symbol of 80's yupiedom, my Grandma's Cusinart. I love it- and the only way you'll get it from me is to pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Trip home

As you know from one of my previous posts, my Mom had her cataract surgery yesterday. She came through just fine- griping that she really could of driven herself home after all.

It's always unsettling to see some one you care about wheeled off on a gurney, but I am really grateful that everything turned out well. It's great that she'll be able to see better- which is something we often take for granted. And to note for the record- Finley hospital has atrocious coffee and no Food network on their cable.

I got home Wed. night, armed with a massive load of produce I picked up from every stop I made on the way home. I stopped at JoDee's Dad in Grand Junction to drop off her house warming gift- a trunkful of christmas light displays :-) her family tradition must continue. Wayne gave me a dozen ears of corn and a huge zucchini. Then picked up some peppers from Jamie when I stopped up there for a really fabulous dinner & meet the new dog, Roxie- who I nicknamed "100 calorie pack"

I was listening to Deep Storm by Lincoln Child on CD - which is a good read- but when it's dark and you're driving by yourself in the car- it's a little treacherous to change cd's. I think I am going to start to listening to non-fiction books in the car when I drive around town. I always intend to read more non-fiction- but it doesn't hold my interest at night that well. And I retain stuff more by listening to it.

So- I have to drive my Mom to her appointment this afternoon. She'll get her bandage off and be cleared to drive and I'll head back tonight. I think today I am going to box up some old books to take to Planned Parenthood. I meant to scan some old pictures in from high school & college- but of course, I forget them. I always have to forget something every time I go home- it's just the way of Lori. But I will scan in some older photos & but them on my Myspace page-

When I got home- there was a stack of recipes on the counter that she wanted to try. Where do I get this from? I made some chocolate chip zucchini bread- which turned out great. We also tried out her new toy- the pressure cooker. We made risotto in 7 minutes last night for dinner. Wow! So that will be fun to play with- and makes me think about requesting one for Christmas.

But, I will share this gem with you I found. Grade school poetry. Enjoy.

Color Poems

By Aaron, Brent, Griffin, Whitney, Melanie, Lori & Mitchell

Purple

Purple is nice when it's light, though it also is nice when it's dark.

Purple is nice when in a rainbow.

Purple is a pretty color because it is the color in flowers. Like Irises.

Purple makes me think of grape lollipops.

Purple is the color of grape koolaid.

There are purple planes on my shirt.

Purple makes me think of Ronald Reagan's brain.

Recent good reads

Being the huge James Bond fan I am, I was surprised to come across The Moneypenny diaries by Kate Westbrook. It was a very fun read- just imagine that your Aunt, Miss Jane Money penny didn't just work for the civil service, that the character Miss Moneypenny was a real person, and Ian Fleming based all of the Bond books on a real career of James Bond.

The style of it was fun- she assembled the book from editing her late Aunt's diaries and flushed them out with historical details- most of which took place around the Bay of Pigs.

I was delighted to find ol' Monneypenny a strong character, with a childhood spent in Africa, tolerating 007's flirtations and turning him down, and she gets field experience, saving a certain 00 agent.

This is the first in a three part series, so I am keeping my eyes open for them when they are released.

Also, recently I finished World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler- a novel of a post-oil future. You can check out the website here: http://www.worldmadebyhand.com/

I really can't say the plot was a turn paging one- but the world that he created just fascinated me. And the characters and how they saw the world and lived their lives just drew me in. I was intrigued by the fact that they didn't mourn for the days full of cars and electricity, but they really considered themselves lucky to be alive and striving to make their town prosper. The sens of community was incredible, as everyone pitched in around the town and looked out for each other. And it was a hopeful view of a possible future, not one that disintegrated into chaos and destruction.

Just made me wonder what I would miss most about our modern world. Refrigeration, laundry machines, heat in the winter come to mind. Also the lack of mail and phone service would just hurt me considerably because so many of my close friends and all of my family live a considerable distance away. And just think of everything we take for granted at the grocery store that's brought in from overseas that would be gone- bananas, coffee, tea, cinnamon and pepper. And just how useful we really are- a lot of the characters are identified as so-and-so, he used to be an software designer now he's a carpenter. What skills would we have that would be critical in a not-so modern world?

And I am this close to finishing Hide by Lisa Gardner. I haven't read anything by her before- I am now hooked. Great thriller- and I suspect the ending will be the best part. :-)

Eau de Fair

Our State Fair is a great State Fair. If you haven't gone, it's a must to-do. It wasn't until I lived here, and done with grad school, that I went. I hopped on the bus, walked around and feasted on a funnel cake.

This year, we managed to get over there earlier than planned. Going with someone is always great, you can split all the food- therefore increasing your number of must haves. Well, when it comes to having a complete off day, you have to go in with a plan.

I love the smell of the Fair. That yummy sweet smell of fried treats, the smells from the grills, that sweetness of summer. One new thing I took in this year, I walked up to the Rabbit and poultry pavilion and saw the chickens. Such beautiful chickens! And the weirdest thing I saw all day- a couple of people were grooming and BLOWDRYING a chicken. I really want to raise chickens at some point, part of my live like Martha Stewart pipe dream. They were also selling broiler hens for $8, so I came kinda close to buying a chicken. Of course, the reality of getting it back to the car sunk in- I don't think the shuttle bus driver would of let me take it on the bus.

We took in the sights- of course the butter cow is a must see. She also did Shawn Johnson too. My roomie has proclaimed that if she ever "makes it", she doesn't want a street or school named after her- just to her likeness to be sculpted in butter at the Iowa State Fair. There's something to be said about that.

When we were in line waiting to order our pineapple, we talked with the most amazing couple. They were grandparents with their grand daughter who was 2. She was living with them for 6 months while her mom was in the job corps in another state. I couldn't even imagine leaving my kid for that long or the struggle she goes through daily. And how great it is for the grandparents to pitch in and help. That is just an amazing family for that little girl to be blessed to come into. I wish them the best.

My roomie was slated to be a celebrity chef serving at the Pork Tent- her apron was just the cutest thing. And yes, when she was done she smelled just like a pork chop on a stick. Mischa loved that smell and had to lick her upon returning home.

We ate:

An order of fried ravioli- always a favorite
Soft pretzel
Apple cookie and apple pizeta
Home made potato chips and AE dip- which rocked!
Turkey burger for dinner
Deep fried pineapple- good but a lot of work to eat. There was a bit of the core in the piece of pineapple which made it difficult to cut off a bite to eat. ( Of course, the atmosphere we were in was quite atrocious- at a picnic table within range of the WOW radio station broadcasting Sean Hannity live blasting away. Grrrrrrr........)

So, we fared pretty well. I had my craving for fried veggies taken care of the previous night at Taki, a Japanese steakhouse and sushi place, which we girls from Penzeys went to celebrate our 4th anniversary. Oh, Mischa ate some of the tempura crust from a sweet potato slice I took home. And he ate a hunk of brioche bread I got from La Mie at the farmers market. Weird cat.

So final tally:

Butter cow- spotted
fried food consumed- only 3
beer sloshed on me- yep
mullets spied- oh yes- it was East Side night
weird guy with belt buckle with picture of rooster and word "cocky"- check
Shammy show

And after I was done- I still had $8. So, I totally could of gotten that chicken anyway. Our lease doesn't say anything about a chicken...

Anyway, this week is going to be a busy one. I am heading home on Wednesday. My Mom is having surgery on Thursday to remove a cataract. I'm really glad that she's getting it done, now she can see better to drive!! Nothing like being a passenger in her suv while she's backing out of the driveway and she mentions nonchalantly "you know, I really can't see over here- it's such a bother to turn my head to see"

My mom did get a pressure cooker- so we have a new toy to play with this week. Hopefully we'll follow the directions and I won't have to go back to help her paint the kitchen ceiling.

Have a good week!

Corn griddle cakes

I swear that I have eaten fresh sweet corn every day this week- and I'm beginning to suspect my body needs a little break!

Last night, I stopped by the Drake farmers market to get 4 ears of corn to make this new recipe. I checked out one of my favorite cookbooks (again), Jack Bishop's A Year in the Vegetarian Kitchen. It really focuses on eating seasonally, which is one of the main things I am trying to be more aware of in planning our menus.

I made these just about as directed, except for the cilantro and I did add a little minced onion and a touch of Southwest seasoning. They are a perfect recipe to mess around with, add some more onion, red pepper, fresh herbs, switch the type of cheese or even add some crab meat or sliced shrimp. Feel free to top them with sour cream, salsa or honey. I served them with some refried black beans and sauteed some patty pan squash.

Today, I had some leftover ones for lunch that I topped with butter and honey- very scrumptious.

Enjoy!!

Savory Corn Griddle Cakes

4 medium ears of corn, husked
1/4 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
1 TB fresh minced cilantro
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 TB butter, melted
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cut kernels off of the corn. Easiest way to do this is hold the ear straight up in a large bowl & cut down- the bowl catches all the kernels and they don't scatter everywhere. Discard cobs. Stir in cheese, cilantro, milk, eggs and melted butter into the corn until smooth. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt, stir until no flour streaks remain.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly grease it. Fill a 1/4 cup measuring cup with batter and pour the batter into the pan to make a round cake. Repeat until pan is filled (you should have 3-4 in pan) Cook, flipping the griddle cakes once, until lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Keep finished cakes on warmed plate in the oven.

Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with salsa, sour cream or honey.

Jethro's BBQ

So, it seems that every restaurant opening lately in the Des Moines area is either a Mexican or barbecue place. Love them both, but can we have too much of a good thing?

Friday night after catching The X-Files movie (which was quite good, if you're a fan- you'll love it, nice creepy disturbing time) we decided to try a new place for dinner. I have to admit, I am a huge proponent of flipping the traditional "dinner and movie" combo. I love the idea of saving a couple of bucks on the matinee and having a leisurely dinner after- without the worry of rushing through dinner.

The statewide smoking ban has been a huge boon for us in dining out options, I hate ending up smelling like a bar room floor when I want to go out to eat. We opted for Jethro's BBQ, the new barbecue sports bar that just opened this summer right by Drake University. Being a sports bar- we probably never would of gone there before the ban went into place. But, in the parking lot, I smelled the smoke I love to smell- nice hint of hickory smoke- yum.

Guys (and gals) rejoice- several plasma screens will fill your sports fix- and on all different walls so now needless straining of the neck required. I could look out the window and gaze nostalgically over onto where my first apartment used to be. Yes, sadly, that building got razed to make way for the expansion of McDonald's- my place was now where the drive thru is.

Nice selection of draft beers- about 4$ a draw and great seasonal selections though. I opted for a Sam Adams Summer Ale.

But really the best part, in additional to super quick service- was the food. Angel had the smoked chicken philly sandwich with jalapeno creamed corn. A huge sandwich- with the most succulent smoked shredded chicken I've ever had and topped with sweet carmelized onions, peppers and cheese. The corn was a bit of a letdown- they smoked their corn and dumped a lot of cream in it, that was too much for the dish. I had the smoked turkey sandwich, by far some of the best smoked turkey I've had, with the most amazing sweet potato fries. They have 5 sauces to choose from- I decided on mixing the sweet and hot together.

I have to admit, I've been burned before in getting poultry from a bbq place- usually it's overcooked and dry. But if the chicken's outstanding- then the rest is sure to please. Enjoy!

Ah- bitten by the bug

Well, to cut to the chase, my beloved beer bread did not make the cut. Sorry- we lost out to bacon.

I'm sure that others that have thoroughly enjoyed it will be more disappointed than me. However, I learned a lot- I am a pretty good cook, and getting to be a better baker. Presentation is what I need to work on- and the little nit-picky things that the judges look at. The competition was stiff- 26 entries, and the beautiful ones I loved- didn't win- including one lovely batch of what looked like cinnamon rolls. Beer for breakfast? Why not!

One thing which was a little ironic for me was the general comment made by one of the judges that they don't like the bottom of the breads to be too greasy- so if your butter on top drips down or the cheese oozes out, that doesn't bode well. Mine does have melted butter on top, to help with the browning so it doesn't look anemic (which I prefer).

And since it is sooooooooooo freakin hot out- after doing my errands today- I don't have the desire to go ahead with the pumpkin bars tomorrow. Which is ok- I need to clean and go to yoga tonight. Cooking is what I do to relax and enjoy- if I'm bitchy about it, I'm not going to do it. But am looking forward to next year's competition...and I'll have all year to tinker.

Anyway, here is the recipe- try it and you'll enjoy. Maybe not a blue ribbon winner but may motivate a loved one to clean out the garage- which isn't that more beneficial??

Bavarian Beer Bread

Ingredients:

1 TB olive oil
1 cup diced onion
3 cups all purpose flour
3 TB sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 oz (about 1 cup) cubed beerkase cheese (you can use any semi-firm buttery cheese really- HyVee had this in a 4 ounce package, nice and buttery)
1 12oz bottle of beer
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp caraway
cooking spray
1/4 cup butter, melted and divided

Preheat oven to 375

Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and golden, about 6 minutes.

Combine flour, thyme, caraway, salt, sugar, baking powder in large bowl. Make a well in center; add cheese, onion and beer. Stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into 9x5 loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle evenly with 2 TB melted butter. Bake for 35 minutes and then brush with remaining butter and bake an additional 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, remove and cool on wire rack.

Tip: since I cubed the cheese, I tossed the cubes with a tiny smidgen of flour so they didn't stick together and would distribute evenly in bread.