No Recipe but Tips

No recipe today but a couple of quick tips to pass along.

1. For those of you who end up buying spices for one recipe, never use them again, and end up with a cupboard full of stale spices... and who live in the UK (sorry!)... my mum brought some Schwartz spice packs with her on her most recent visit. Each one is a sachet of spices and herbs, just enough to serve 4 for a specific recipe. They're great. We had Mexican Chili Chicken last night and Cajun Chicken last week. Tonight I'm going to try the Spicy Meatball mix. Highly recommended.

2. Why oh why did I never think of freezing tomato puree before? I'd always buy one of those little tins, need all of a tablespoon and the rest would go off before I could use it. Now I scoop it into an icecube tray. Each cube is about 1 tbs so just pop what you need into a recipe and you're ready to go. Saves time and waste.

On a completely non-food related tangent, anyone wanting to send letters from Santa to kids in their family, my deadline this year is December 15 to make sure they arrive in time. Fully personalized on Santa's own letterhead all the way from the North Pole. $10 a pop so email me for more info: fiona@fionayoungbrown.com.

Writing, Writing

I haven't been doing as much cooking lately because (ironically) I've been writing about food. In addition to researching the origin of the groom's cake, I've also been working on a personal essay about childhood memories and cupcakes.

Speaking of cupcakes, watch this space. I have some recipes for chocolate avocado cupcakes and gingerbread latte cupcakes that I'm dying to try. Coming soon....

Fudge Brownie Cookies

Last night I was visiting some friends and needed to atone for some horrifically spiced gingerbread a few months ago. They are my tester guinea pigs.

I decided to try making some Fudge Brownie Cookies, from a recipe I first found at Life's Ambrosia. The result is some of the richest, chocolatiest cookies I have ever had.

You need:

1 package fudge brownie mix
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 stick butter, melted, cooled
3-4 tbs cold water
1 cup dark chocolate chunks

Combine the flour, brownie mix and brown sugar.
Stir in eggs one at a time. Add the butter and 2 tbs water. The batter will probably be really thick and floury still so add 1 more tbs of water. Batter will be very thick.
Fold in chocolate chunks
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a cookie sheet.
The recipe then called for heaping tablespoons on a sheet. I'll be honest, I found the mix too thick for that so I used my hands. Press down slightly. Don’t flatten completely. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate perfection!

A Simple Feast

Last night, I made an incredibly delicious dinner consisting of just 3 ingredients I happened to have in the kitchen. It served as a useful reminder that fancy doesn't have to mean complicated or time-consuming.

So what did I have?

Salmon, grilled in pineapple chipotle salsa on a bed of soba noodles.

It could just as easily have been chicken or tofu... on pasta or rice... with frozen veggies or soy sauce.

The point is, you may be surprised by what you can whip up when you think you haven't got enough to fix a proper meal but don't want to go to the store or mess around preparing something more involved.

A Dear John Letter to Spaghetti Squash

Dear Spaghetti Squash,

We met a few years ago but you didn't seem like the other squash in my life... butternut, acorn, pumpkin. They were so reliable, dependable.

Not you. You were different with your long strands of rebellion. I was intrigued. And there was your name - Spaghetti. So full of promise.

I've tried to love you. I've tried to walk on the wild side. But it's just not working out. It's not me. It's you.

You're just like spaghetti you said. You can eat me instead of pasta you said.

Lies. All lies!

I tried you with pasta sauce. It wasn't the same. Within an hour I was running for ice cream and begging forgiveness from my linguine.

I tried you with cheese and bacon. What isn't improved by cheese and bacon! Yet all you did was sully their wholesome deliciousness.

I tried to make this work but it's time to move on.

Spaghetti squash, there's no room for you in my life anymore.

Goodbye.

Acorn Squash Soup

Fall is the perfect time for soup. Not the stuff that comes from a can and you add water (sorry Campbells!). I mean proper homemade soup that's thick, warming, and nutritious, like this Acorn Squash Soup.

You need:
1/4 cup celery (you can also add some onion if you like)
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp curry powder
dash of cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 12oz can evaporated milk
3 cups mashed cooked acorn squash*
salt and pepper
5 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

* I used 2 small acorn squash. Cut them in half, place face down on a baking sheet and bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes. When cooked scrape the flesh into a bowl.



In a large saucepan, melt the butter and saute the celery for a few minutes until it softens. Stir in the flour, bouillon, dill weed, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Slowly add the broth and the milk, stirring well. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the squash and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat through and serve, with crumbled bacon sprinkled on top.

If you prefer a smooth soup you can run it through a blender first, but it's not a particularly chunky soup to begin with.

We had some left over and will finish it tonight with some added chicken and broth to stretch it out a bit.

Butternut Squash and Orzo Pasta

I love butternut squash - that beautiful orange color, the texture, the flavor. There's so much you can do with it, like this Butternut Sage Orzo dish:

1 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
4 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into small pieces
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup orzo
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 tbs fresh sage

Start by peeling and chopping your butternut squash, and let me tell you, peeling it is not an easy task. (Of course, I'm secretly hoping someone will now email with an incredibly easy technique!)

Saute the onion and the garlic in the oil for 5-7 minutes. Add the squash and broth and simmer for 10 minutes or longer, until the squash is tender.

Meanwhile cook your orzo pasta. Drain the pasta and mix with the squash. Stir in the cheese and sage and serve.


The flavor is very subtle which I liked. Nic added hot sauce for more kick and asked that I add a spicy sausage next time (actually a pretty good suggestion).

This is nice either on its own as a main dish, or as a side.