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.

Eureka!!!!

If Archimedes had eaten the same dessert as we did last night, he'd be saying "Eureka" too!

I thought my recipe for Spiced Apple Cheesecake was pretty darn good but this Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie leaves that in the dust. I made a few tweaks to a recipe I found for Candy Apple Pie, leaving out pecans because Nic doesn't like them, (in fact, he launched into an entire diatribe in Meijers on the evils of the pecan), and substituting a spiced apple pie filling because... well partly to save time and partly because I know you all are busy people. (I do this all for YOU).

OK, so here is the recipe for my Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1 large can of apple pie filling (or you can make your own if you're feeling like Martha Stewart)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tbs lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
2 tbs sugar
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/4 cup chopped nuts - pecans if you like them. I used chopped peanuts.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, mix the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Press into the base and up the sides of a 10-inch pie plate. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden in color. Remove from oven and cool completely. Pour caramel into pie shell.

Pour the apple pie filling into the base.

Combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Beat the cream and sugar together until nice and thick. Top the cheesecake with whipped cream, caramel and nuts.

So to recap we have 1 crumb base + 1 layer caramel + 1 layer apples + 1 layer cheesecake + 1 layer of creamy caramel goodness! which should look something like...



Dig in. Enjoy. Worry about the gym tomorrow.

Sushi - It's Not What You Think

From yesterday's beets and horseradish to today's sushi. What can I say? I have eclectic taste in food. I just came across this piece I wrote for a now defunct magazine and figured I'd share it.



Sushi: It’s Not What You Think

If I ask you to think of Japanese food, the first thing that comes to mind is probably sushi. Now if I ask what sushi is, I’m guessing that at least half of you will say it is raw fish. Try again.

Although sushi has become the catch-all phrase for a variety of seaweed-wrapped rolls and slices of fish with rice, technically sushi refers to the rice itself and the way it is prepared.

Sushi rice is a short grain rice with a high gluten content which is why it sticks together so well. If you’ve ever tried eating good old Uncle Ben’s with chopsticks, you’ve probably had great difficulty, not to mention made quite a mess, and you no doubt wonder how on earth other people manage to make it look so simple. The truth is they don’t…, at least not with that kind of rice. Glutinous rice, such as the varieties used in a lot of East Asian cooking, is much easier to eat with chopsticks because it sticks together in clumps. To prepare the rice for sushi, it is mixed with rice vinegar, mirin (a sweet Japanese wine) and sugar to give it a certain sweetness.

OK, so sushi may refer to the rice but there are a number of different accompaniments for it and together they form what we all know as sushi. (Incidentally, raw fish by itself is known as sashimi).

The most popular form of sushi as we know it is Nigiri Zushi, ie. little blocks of rice with a dab of wasabi and topped with a sliver of fish (often raw).

Inari-zushi is probably the type that Westerners are least familiar with. The sushi (remember we’re just talking about the rice here) is stuffed into little bags of fried bean curd and looks like a little package. Moms, this one is often popular with kids.

Fukusa Zushi looks much like Nigiri Zushi but is made with the rice either wrapped in or topped with omelette. Strictly one for egg lovers.

Finally, we have Norimaki Zushi: the rolls of seaweed most of us are familiar with. The fillings can be as simple as a piece of cucumber, or the elaborate combinations which we see at many local restaurants. One of our nearby restaurants even makes a fruit sushi with strawberries and fish eggs!

If you have never tried sushi in its various forms, it can be very intimidating to order it at a Japanese restaurant. While supermarket sushi is often nowhere near as delicious as that prepared fresh by a trained chef in a restaurant, it can be a more comfortable way to try it and see what you like.

I'll leave you with the advice one of my Japanese hosts gave me when I tried it for the first time: don’t worry about chopsticks. Sushi is the ultimate finger food. Simply dip in a little soy sauce and enjoy.

Roasted Beets with Horseradish Cream

Beets seem to be something of an acquired taste. I know very few, if any, people who rush out dancing for joy because it's beet season. But since I receive them in my CSA basket from time to time, I like to find new ways of cooking them.

You might be surprised to learn that not all beets are that deep purple color that stains everything. The beets I had recently varied from a creamy white to a mottled red.

I was also interested to find some horseradish root in my basket. Sadly, I really haven't been able to find any recipes other than horseradish sauce or the horseradish cream below, so if you come across anything, send it this way!



Roasted Beets

Peel and quarter your beets, remembering to be very careful if they are the typical dark variety as they will stain everything they come into contact with.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Make little packets of foil, containing beets and a drizzle of olive oil and honey. Roast in the oven for about an hour.

Horseradish Cream

Peel and grate your horseradish root. Whip 5oz cream until it's fairly thick but not TOO thick. No peaks. Fold in 2tbs grated horseradish, 2 tsp lemon juice, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. (Be sure to add enough horseradish as you want the cream to have a good kick to it).

Serve either with beef or over the roasted beets.

Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread

What goes better with chili than homemade cornbread? This one is also loaded with cheddar cheese and jalapenos. (When making it in future, I may add a teensy bit of sugar for added sweetness).



1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup cream-style corn
1/4 cup minced seeded jalapeño peppers
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup light sour cream
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Stir until JUST moistened. Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Turning Cold so Time For Chili

Fall definitely fell this week and there's a distinct chill in the morning air... which means it's time to start making soups and chili again.

The following recipe is for a regular dark chili but substitutes turkey instead of beef. The person who sent it to me claimed it's good for fibromyalgia. I can't comment one way or the other on that but it's pretty good. The recipe made enough for us to have dinner last night and still have plenty to freeze for two more days.

Tailgate Chili

2 cups small dried red beans (14 oz)
2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1 tbs chili powder
2-1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, chopped with their juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/3 lb ground turkey

In large saucepan, combine beans and water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until beans are tender, about 1-1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary to keep beans covered. When beans are tender, drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes or until onion is tender. Add bell peppers and jalapeño and cook 10 minutes or until bell peppers are tender.

Stir in chili powder, cumin, and coriander and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, beans, and reserved bean cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered 30 minutes or until chili is flavorful.

Crumble in turkey and cook, stirring frequently, 10 to 15 minutes or until turkey is cooked through and chili is lightly thickened.

Come back tomorrow for the jalapeno cheese cornbread I made to go with the chili.