Even Better Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Just over a year ago, I posted my first attempt at butternut squash soup. It was really good and got rave reviews. This time it's better, I promise.

It's a little bit time-intensive, but it is totally worth it in the end. It honestly tastes like it just came out of an expensive restaurant.

The credit for this recipe belongs to someone else, you can find the original recipe here. I changed some of the quantities to add more flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

1 (3 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and ground black pepper to taste

8 strips bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

6 carrots, chopped

2 bay leaf

4 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 apple - peeled, cored, and cubed (I used a Tango apple)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups apple cider

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place squash in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil; mix to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread squash into a single layer on a baking pan. Roast the squash in the preheated oven, turning once, until fork-tender and caramelized; 30 to 40 minutes.

Place the bacon in a Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving the drippings in the pan.

Place the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, curry powder, thyme, and salt and pepper in the Dutch oven; cook in reserved bacon drippings until the carrots and celery are soft. Mix in the apples and cooked squash and cook another 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the mixture and cook another 1 minute. Pour the apple cider over the mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; allow to reduce to about half its original volume. Stir in the chicken stock; simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. If using a blender, don't fill the blender more than half-way. Always remove the center lid piece of a stand blender when blending hot liquids so the steam can escape. Cover the hole with a dish towel while blending. Stir the nutmeg into the soup. Garnish each bowl with some of the bacon pieces to serve.

Crock-pot Sloppy José's

Get it? The Spanish version of Sloppy Joe's? 

I rarely make recipes I see on Yahoo! Shine, but this one already had some reviews and it looked interesting. I was lured in by the versatility of the recipe, claiming you can use eat it on buns, in taco shells, or in a taco salad. Frankly, taco salad was the magic word as it is one of my weaknesses. We had two hungry 20 year old boys (missionaries) coming over for dinner right after I got home from work so I decided this would be a perfect time to try out the recipe. 

As I know how my mornings usually go, I cooked up the meat and chopped all the veggies the night before so that the next day I just pulled it all out of the fridge and threw it in the crock-pot for a 5 minute preparation. 

After work, I was welcomed home by a wonderful smell. We set the table with buns, tortillas, tortilla chips, salad, salsa and shredded cheese and told the missionaries to create their own masterpieces. Between the two of them they proceeded to eat: 5 sloppy joes, 1 huge soft taco, a plate of nachos, and some salad on the side. I think they liked the food. :)  Today for lunch I had an excellent taco salad and verified the recipe's claim. 

Ingredients:

2 lb lean ground beef

3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 1/2 cups chopped red and/or green pepper

2 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic

2 16oz jars salsa (I used 1 jar mild and 1 jar medium)

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

1/3 cup tomato paste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper*

      (this is a tame amount, if you like spice feel free to add more)

Directions:

1. In a skillet cook beef over medium heat until brown, stirring to break meat in pieces. Drain fat. In 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker stir together beef and remaining ingredients (except rolls).
2. Cover; cook on high-heat setting 4 to 5 hours or low-heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
3. 
   

Recipe Credit: http://shine.yahoo.com/food/recipes/spicy-beef-sloppy-joes-535428.html

Chocolaty Chocolate Cookies

I made these first the first time last night for a cookie exchange and boy are they delicious!! To give credit where credit is due, I found the recipe here but have posted it below for convenience. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATY Chocolate Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Roll into teaspoon sized balls onto foil lined cookie sheets.
3.	Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

*should you wish to cover in toppings, such as peppermint candy or nuts, dip tops of balls before baking.

Butternut Squash Soup

Growing up, my family really didn't eat a lot of squash. I'm not sure why, perhaps my mom didn't like it. We did have zucchini, but that's about it. As an adult I have found I have an affinity for the versatility of squash and have been branching out into different ways to prepare all the different varieties.

Last weekend I bought a butternut squash and when the weather took a chilly turn, I made it into a healthy, delicious soup. Most recipes will call for some form of cream to thicken the soup, but honestly, it's not necessary. The squash is quite capable of thickening and creaming on it's own. 

I took this soup to a soup/salad potluck and it was a hit. :) Not only did it taste delicious, but how can you beat the festive autumny-orange color?

Here's my rough guesstimate of how I made it (you should all know by now that I don't follow recipes)

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, quartered and roasted face-down in oven for 45 min

2 tbsp butter (or olive oil)

1 onion, diced

2-3 tbsp garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock (give or take)

2 tsp Marjoram

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

After roasting squash, let cool and peel off skin. 

In large pot, combine butter, onions and garlic and cook on medium heat until onions are translucent.

Add squash and chicken stock.

Using immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy. (Or you can dump ingredients into a regular blender, but I suggested just investing in an immersion blender if you like creamy soups.)

Add Marjoram, salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste.

Cook until heated, stirring to ensure the bottom doesn't burn.

You may find that you need to add additional stock or water or reduce to get your desired consistency and depending on the size of your squash.

If you wish to add some additional creaminess, you can add 4oz of cream cheese or 1/2 c. half and half.

Irish Soda Bread

This past weekend I celebrated my Irish heritage and made my friends celebrate with me. The hit of the party was this fantastic bread that I found at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandma-mcandrews-irish-soda-bread/Detail.aspx.

I made it pretty much exactly as the recipe said. Don't leave out the raisins, they are a must! They add to the moisture and flavor. This recipe makes one good-sized loaf.



Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup corn oil
1 cup raisins

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
2.In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and corn oil. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Add the raisins, and stir a few times, just until the ingredients come together into a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and with floured hands shape dough into a ball. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet, and cut a large cross in the top with a sharp knife.
3.Place the bread on a middle rack of the preheated oven, and bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

This pulled together in 10 minutes and was honestly sooo good. Luickly I made two loaves as everyone had their fill and then asked to take some home. In the end I had no leftovers. :)

Sidenote: If you want to make a nice authentic Irish meal, I served this bread with a thick, hearty country stew using cabbage, parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks and bacon, of course. On the side I also served imported Irish cheddar, which was a divine addition!

The rest of the feast:

Coconut Cream Cake

I had the responsibility to make the dessert for Christmas dinner. I was concerned with finding a great dessert that didn't require a vast amount of time. I was lucky to find this great recipe. The cake looked much fancier than it actually was, plus it tasted great!



1 (16 ounce) package white cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (10 ounce) package flaked coconut

Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake in two 9in round pans. Cool completely.In a small bowl combine cream of coconut and condensed milk.
Place bottom layer of cake on plate. Poke holes in cake with a straw. Pour milk mixture over cake. Place 2nd tier on top of 1st tier and repeat. Spread with whipped topping. Sprinkle coconut over cake. Decorate as desired. Serve chilled.

I made this cake again last night for company and served it with fresh berries and it was even more amazing!

Frosted Cranberries

As I was looking for a pretty addition to our food table for the Ugly Sweater Party I was hosting, I came across this recipe. I am glad I decided to make it as it was a gorgeous centerpiece and fun concept. It is an incredibly simple recipe but with great results, causing the cranberries to be tart on the inside but sweet on the outside. It was a total success.



2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons pasteurized egg white or corn syrup
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 cup white sugar

In a medium bowl, stir together the water and egg white until blended but not whipped. Coat cranberries with this mixture. Spread the sugar out on a baking sheet, and roll the cranberries in it until they are coated. Dry at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Use as garnishes for desserts, or eat them plain.

I found that these were actually better the next day. Also, don't store them in ziplock bags as they will go soggy and sticky.