Old Fashioned Squash Casserole

 

  Every year, I look forward to all the amazing produce Summer has to offer, and that ALWAYS includes zucchini and yellow squash. I swear you can do just about anything with 'em, but one of my absolute favorite things is an old fashioned Southern casserole. You know, the ones with the crushed Ritz crackers on the top. Rich and creamy without being too heavy, buttery and slightly salty from the crackers. Absolutely DELISH! Super easy to throw together too.

Definitely give this one a go, especially if you're wondering what to do with all that squash and zucchini coming from your garden. 

You'll be glad you did! 

 

2 tbs butter

6 medium yellow squash, sliced and then cut into half or quarter rounds

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream 

1 cup milk

8oz shredded Cheddar cheese 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

3 tbs butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In a large pan or skillet, melt 2 tbs butter. Add the squash and onions and cook until tender. Drain any excess liquid. 

In a large bowl, stir together remaining filling ingredients except the crackers and 3 tbs butter. Add the drained squash and onions, stirring gently until combined. Now fold in half of the crushed Ritz crackers. 

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour in the squash mixture and spread evenly. Toss the melted butter with the rest of the crushed Ritz crackers. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the casserole. 

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until top has lightly browned and the casserole is set. 

 

 

Tips:

Whatever you do, don't skip the first step! It may seem easier to just bake the squash in the casserole instead of cooking it first in a skillet, but this step is needed to remove all the excess moisture. Otherwise, you'll end up with a watery casserole and you'll be mortified when you make it for a dinner party and all of your guests are eating a squash soup instead of casserole. Don't ask me how I know...

The squash will cook down quite a bit, so you might use more than you think you will! 

I like to use just the yellow squash, but like I said, it works equally well with zucchini or a combination of the two 

If you don't have RITZ crackers, use any other favorite cracker, Just make sure they're nice and buttery! 

And if you really wanna go for the Old Fashioned vibe, go ahead and add some hot sauce. Now THAT's Southern cooking.

 

 

Butternut and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

 

 OK, I have a question for you.

Do you have the same menu every year for your Thanksgiving dinner? Or do you switch things up from time to time? I've asked this question many times, and it seems people like to have the tradition of the same menu from year to year. My family is the same! We have all of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes, and it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them.

 For many families, there's one dish that falls squarely into that category, and that's mac and cheese. It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it, right? Um... well... not for everyone. Full disclosure... as much as I LOVE a fabulous mac and cheese and all its variations, it has never been part of my family's traditional menu. I guess my Mom always figured we have mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and stuffing.. why would we need another starch? But hey, who am I to judge??? So that's why I decided to come up with a new "Thanksgiving" version of mac and cheese. 

 I added some roasted vegetables and some fresh herbs, but still kept it ooey and gooey, just the way mac and cheese should be. It turned out to be absolutely delicious! And it's definitely good enough to be included in one's holiday menu. It goes perfectly with your roast turkey or ham. Maybe this will be your NEW traditional holiday mac and cheese! who knows? It could happen!! Hope you like it!

 

 

1 lb diced butternut squash

1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 lb cavatappi pasta

 4 tbs butter

1/4 cup flour 

4 cups milk 

8 oz Velveeta cheese or American cheese

8 oz Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz Swiss cheese, shredded

1 tbs brown mustard

1/2 tsp thyme leaves

1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves

2-3 scallions, sliced 

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

 

 

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Place diced squash, cauliflower, and peppers on a sheet tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Spread out to a single layer. Roast in oven for about 30 minutes. After they've finished roasting, remove from oven, and reduce oven to 350ºF.

Meanwhile in a large pot of heavily salted water, boil your pasta until al dente. Drain, set aside. 

In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add flour, and whisk to combine. Continue to whisk and cook the flour for about a minute or two, then add the milk, whisking to break up any lumps. Add cheeses, mustard, and herbs, continuing to stir until thickened. 

Now it's time to assemble. 

Place roasted vegetables in a large greased casserole dish along with drained pasta. Stir in cheese sauce and sliced scallions until well combined. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese over all. Sprinkle some dried parsley over the top, for a little color, if desired. 

Place casserole dish in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. 

 

 

Tips:

You can butter your bread crumbs, if you like, but I had some olive oil left on the roasting pan, so I just used that. Or just sprinkle them dry. It'll all work!

Adding 4 cups of milk may seem like too much, but just trust the process! Your final dish will be the perfect texture. No one wants a dry mac and cheese!

When using shredded cheese in a dish, it's always best to buy the block and then shred it yourself. The pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it so it won't clump, but then it doesn't melt as well. Just FYI! 

Not a fan of butternut squash? Add whichever roasted veggies you like! Any kind of root vegetables would work well here. Could even do broccoli or sauteed spinach. All good! 

 

Warm Butternut and Cheddar Dip

 

  

 OK, so here's a question for you. When you entertain, are you more likely to make the same reliable dishes to serve to your guests? Or are you more likely to try something new and different? For the most part, I think I fall into the latter category, but I do still enjoy some of the tried and true. 

 For instance, at my last get-together, I served a few party foods as my friends and I decorated my Christmas trees. We had the favorite Spinach Dip (only I like to use broken soft pretzels as dippers instead of hollowed out bread), and then I also made this dip, which was definitely something new and different.

 I found the recipe on a site called Serious Eats, and it has Fall/Winter Entertaining written all over it. It has that "warm and comforting" thing going on, and it has an amazing depth of flavor that is PERFECT for drinks with friends. 

 So here's the thing.. Even though I have it listed in its original form, I must confess I didn't do it exactly as directed. I know, I know, sometimes I can't be trusted with a recipe. In this case, though, I didn't change the recipe, I just took a couple shortcuts. Instead of fighting with a giant butternut squash, I just bought a couple packages of squash that were already peeled and diced. So much easier! And I didn't have any fresh sage, so I just added some dried sage to the mixture. I'm sure my little shortcuts didn't affect the final product TOO much, so I was willing to gamble. 

  Speaking of the final product, it was fabulous! Choose a strong hearty cracker for dipping, and your guests will devour it. So if you're thinking of stepping outside the usual recipes for your next party, give this one a try. It just might become a new favorite!

 

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling and greasing

1 large butternut squash 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 stick (4 tbs) butter, plus more if needed

20 sage leaves (from about 3 sprigs)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Crackers or pita chips for dipping

 

 

 Preheat oven to 400°F. 

 Line a baking sheet with foil. Grease a small baking dish with olive oil and set aside. Peel, seed, and dice the squash into 1-inch cubes. Alternatively, use the microwave: Poke holes all over the squash with a fork or make shallow slits in the skin with a knife. Microwave squash for 3 minutes or until the skin and flesh have softened slightly. Peel squash and cut into cubes. Discard seeds. 

 Place squash cubes on the prepared sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast squash until fork-tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add sage leaves and fry in butter until lightly crisped and beginning to darken slightly. Remove pan from heat and remove sage leaves using a slotted spoon. Set aside. 

Return pan to heat, add onion, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion has caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add more butter if onion begins to stick to pan. Stir in garlic at the very end and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Place roasted squash, caramelized onion mixture, and about 2/3 of the crispy sage leaves into the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined. Add cream cheese and sour cream and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer squash mixture to prepared baking dish and mix in half of the cheddar cheese throughout. Top with remaining half of cheese. At this point, the dip can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking and serving. When ready to serve, bake dip at 400°F until cheese is entirely melted and browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Top with remaining crispy sage leaves and serve warm with pita chips or crackers for dipping. 

 

 

 

Tips:

Be sure to use a SHARP Cheddar cheese, otherwise you won't really taste that fabuloius ooey gooey-ness. You definitely don't want your dip to be bland. And be generous with your sage, salt, and pepper. Just give it a little taste before you bake it, and then adjust accordingly. 

This makes quite a bit, so if you don't have a crowd to feed, you could easily cut the recipe in half. 

Simple Summer Squash Starter

 

This is an easy side dish that is as simple as can be. If I’m being completely honest, I debated on whether or not to post it, because it’s not really a recipe, exactly. It’s just a few veggies sautéed together. Does that count as a recipe? I guess it doesn’t really matter. Anyway, I’ve made it several times over the last few weeks because it’s just so good, so I figured I’d share.
 So lets talk about it for a second. Want to?
It’s just any combination of sliced summer squash… Zucchini Yellow Crookneck, Pattypan, any kind you like… sauteed together with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh basil. Thats it. No bells and whistles, just as simple as that. But here’s the thing.. You can either serve it as its own side dish, along with grilled chicken, or fish or any other main dish you like. Or else you can use it as a starter for other dishes. Toss it with any kind of pasta for a main dish. Add some sautéed diced chicken and a little heavy cream for a rich and creamy sauce. Toss it into any casseroles, soups or stews whenever your dish needs some fresh vegetables. The possibilities are endless!
Last week, I made a casserole that I’ve been calling the Kitchen Sink Casserole, because it had everything in it but the kitchen sink. I started with the summer squash, added cheese tortellini, then added shredded chicken, basil, oregano, parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese on top, and then baked it in a giant casserole dish. It was a HUGE hit and it fed a crowd. Doesn’t that sound amazing?? it’s also a great way to use up all that extra zucchini from your garden. So, I hope you’ll give this a try. I’m sure you can think of loads of other ideas! Enjoy!

vegetable oil
Zucchini or any other kind of summer squash, sliced or diced
Onions, diced
Tomatoes, either fresh or canned
Garlic, minced
Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Use as much or as little of each item as you like.
Slice or dice all the veggies. Toss them into a big skillet or wok with a little oil. Toss them around the pan until they’re tender and cooked through. That’s all there is to it. Add fresh herbs, and season to taste.
Depending on the size of your skillet and how many veggies you have, you might want to sauté them separately or in batches, and then toss everything together after they’re cooked. That’s it!

Tips:
I like to use canned sliced stewed tomatoes. You could also use diced or whole canned tomatoes and then cut them up. I wouldn’t use puree or crushed, because I like the large pieces of tomato. If you’re using fresh, you can choose to peel them or not. Either way would be fine.
If your squash is not too large, you don’t have to peel it. The skins are very tender and add delicious color to your dish. If you let your garden squash grow quite large, then the peels became quite tough and much less palatable, so peeling them would definitely be a must.
You can make a big batch and then just store it in the fridge or freeze in ziploc freezer bags. I made a giant batch and then pressure canned it in jars (which is actually not recommended, but what can I say… I’m a rebel.) You do you!

Joey's Summer Squash Pie

  So I was looking for fun recipes to try with zucchini. During this time of year, I always like to find some new zucchini recipes, just because it's so abundant. Sooo.... what'll it be this time.....Do I wanna go sweet like zucchini bread? or savory as with an entree? And then I thought, ooooo how about a pie? YUM. So I googled, and immediately found a recipe from Taste of Home and it looked pretty awesome, so I thought I'd have a go.
 Well, the first thing I noticed is that it was kind of similar to a tomato pie recipe I've been making for years. In that pie recipe, you layer slices of tomatoes with fresh basil and scallions, then you spread a mixture of shredded cheese and mayonnaise over the top, and bake it. So this was basically the zucchini version of that recipe. I immediately thought "why have I never done this before?" I'm forever looking for new ways to reinvent old recipes, and I'm still completely amazed that I never tweaked that tomato pie.
 So, now, I'm reading the squash pie recipe, and I'm already deciding what changes to make. Not to the method, but mainly to the ingredients. Full disclosure, I always find summer squash to be a little bland unless you pump up the flavor a bit, so I added a few aromatics. (Basically I can never leave well enough alone!) Fresh herbs, onions, peppers, garlic.... it just seemed like this pie was calling for them!!
 Oh, and one more thing... with the tomato pie recipe, the one problem I always have is that the fresh tomatoes bring too much liquid to the party, and you end up with a soggy pie. So, recently, I started adding a little flour to the filling, just to help thicken it up a bit. It worked with the tomatoes, so I did that here too. And I must say those extra aromatics really boosted the flavor. It turned out great! At the very first bite, I thought "ooh that's REALLY good." Dontcha just love that feeling of getting something right on the very first try? Seriously delish! So if you happen to have a home garden that is overgrowing with a million zucchini, give this one a try. Serve it with a little side salad and there's your perfect brunch or light dinner. It's really just that good!





1 unbaked pie crust (ready made, or your own)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
olive oil
2 cups roughly diced zucchini
2 cups roughly diced yellow summer squash
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
a couple sprigs EACH fresh thyme, fresh basil, fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise



Heat oven to 350ºF.
Line deep dish pie plate with pie crust pastry. Crimp to make a decorative edge. Line pie shell with parchment paper. Fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment. Brush with beaten egg. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, make the filling.
  To a large skillet or wok, add a few big glugs of olive oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and peppers. Saute over fairly high heat for a good 10 minutes, stirring often, until very tender. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper. At the last minute, add garlic, fresh herbs, and flour. Stir until well combined and cook for only another minute or two. Spoon into baked pastry shell. Top with tomato slices. Combine the cheese and mayonnaise; spread over the top.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for a good 15 minutes before cutting.



Tips:
Like I said, I just couldn't leave this one alone. I had to add my own little spin. But just because I like certain things, doesn't mean you have to! Don't like peppers? Leave 'em out! Want to add eggplant? Go for it! Add any combination of veggies you want, or just do all one kind! It'll still be fabulous!
Also be sure to season everything well. It will probably need more salt than you think it will!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries, Feta, and Honey

 Every year, I try my best to find new and different Thanksgiving side dish recipes. I mean, for the most part, just about everyone has a turkey, or at least some sort of big something as the star of the meal (ham, prime rib), but it's the SIDE DISHES that you can vary from year to year to add some excitement to your menu! For this one, I wanted something fresh, easy, and yes, I wanted it to be a little lighter. Of course I know it's a huge feast and this is not a day for dieting, but it seems to me that having a few lighter dishes would be a very welcome break from all the super heavy casseroles. Am I right? Yes, of course I LOVE a good rich casserole, but this is a marathon, not a sprint, get it?
 So lets talk about this dish. I've seen it on several websites, but I first found it on a website called Out of the Woods Fitness. So, since that's where I saw it first, that's who gets the credit! It's EXACTLY as delicious as it sounds and it hits all the marks. The honey and squash are sweet, the cranberries are tart, the feta is salty, and the parsley adds a burst of green freshness. It's so perfectly balanced! I swear, when I made it, I could not stop eating it. Some websites also add toasted pine nuts over the top, just to add a little crunch, and I'd be all for that too. But you do you!
 So if you're looking for a new way to make butternut squash, or if you're looking for a new and lighter and dare I say it HEALTHIER side dish for your Thanksgiving, this is definitely the one!




1 large butternut squash, (about 3 lbs) peeled + cubed
a hearty drizzle of olive oil
salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste
2 cups fresh cranberries
2-3 tbs honey
1/4 cup finely crumbled feta
ground cinnamon, to taste
fresh parsley, to garnish, chopped



Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.
Lightly drizzle or spritz a baking sheet with olive oil.
Add cubed squash to the sheet along with another drizzle of olive oil.
Sprinkle with a light layer of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.
Roast for 25 minutes on the center rack.
At the 25 minute mark, pull out the oven rack, and add your fresh cranberries to the roasting pan.
Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cranberries have started to soften and burst a bit.
Remove from oven and add a sprinkle of cinnamon (approx 1/8-1/4 tsp or to taste) along with feta and honey.
Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.



Tips:
To make this in advance, follow the recipe as far as roasting the squash and cranberries, then place them in a sealed container in the fridge until your dinner. Then just reheat (in oven or microwave) and then pick up where you left off and finish the recipe as directed. In other words, don't add the feta, honey, and parsley until you're ready to serve!
In the original, it was noted that the honey is drizzled after the roasting (instead of before) in order to retain some of its health benefits. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but it makes sense to me!

Summer Squash Cheesy Bake

 Since it's the end of summer, before I move on to all of my new Fall recipes, I figured I'd do just one more recipe involving summer squash. Many of my friends have home gardens, and by now they have TONS of zucchini, so it's not uncommon for people to ask me if I know of any new squash recipes.
 Quite a long while ago, I signed up for a daily recipe to be sent to my email from Just a Pinch Recipes. I must admit that very often I don't have time to go through every recipe that is sent to me, but every so often, one will make me stop for a minute and give a look. That's what happened here!
 This recipe is easy and simple, quick to throw together, and it's SO flavorful! Clearly this is the zucchini recipe I was looking for! It's also very much lighter than your usual cheesy casserole because it doesn't have any heavy ingredients like cream or mayonnaise.
 Now, of course, you don't have to use a cast iron skillet, as I did. I just figured it would be an easy way to go from stove top to oven without dirtying another dish. Also, as you can see, I didn't really measure the amount of cheese. I just piled it on and then baked it until was all melty and bubbly. (Melty?)
 Btw, I know this is a "summer" recipe, but you can definitely make this recipe any time of year. Since squash is readily available, this just might be a perfect new addition to your Thanksgiving menu. You could even incorporate other kinds of squash into it. Endless squashabilities!
Definitely give this one a try!

1 medium onion, chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced 

4 large yellow squash, thinly sliced

1 tbs dried basil 

1/4 c olive oil 

1 c Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded 

1/2 -3/4 c mozzarella cheese, shredded 

salt and pepper, to taste

 

 

 Heat oven to 350ºF.

Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. 

Sauté onions and garlic in two or three tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on bottom of casserole dish. Stack zucchini and yellow squash on top of the onions, alternating vegetables. Make rows in the baking dish, standing the vegetables vertically in the pan. Continue until you fill the pan. Sprinkle squash with dried basil, salt, and pepper; then drizzle with olive oil. Cover pan with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Uncover pan. Cover vegetables with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes. Cover vegetables with mozzarella cheese and return to oven for about 5 minutes until cheese gets golden brown. 

Tips:

Like I said, I didn't use a baking dish. I just sauteed the onions and garlic in a cast iron skillet, then added my rows of squash right on top, then put the whole thing into the oven. 

 I didn't follow the amounts either. I started with an onion and 4 cloves of garlic as directed, but then I added squash until it was enough to fill the pan, and added cheese as much as I like. 

Since the sliced are stacked on their sides, I chose yellow squash and zucchini that are about the same diameter, but you can always cut them to fit.

 For a little extra topping, I added some bread crumbs to a bit of grated Parmesan cheese, then sprinkled it over the top.

 

 

 

Moroccan Summer Vegetable Stew

  Whenever my schedule becomes a little bit hectic, I find myself falling into that all too familiar trap of ordering a lot of take out food. Pizza, Chinese food, and of course, Wawa hoagies. Yes, of course, it's very convenient to just stop and pick something up on my way home from whatever show I'm rehearsing, but after a while, I CRAVE something fresh. So, inevitably, I wind up going to the produce market, seeing which veggies look the best, and then making something a little more colorful and a little less fried.
 Since I happen to live in the Garden State, I have access to an entire rainbow of fresh produce, and Summer always brings some of my very favorite veggies. All it took was a quick google search which brought me to the perfect recipe for all of my fabulous faves.
 It's from a blog called Veganosity and it's absolutely delish! One of the things I like about it (just like the website says) is that it just happens to be Vegan. In other words, there aren't a whole lot of Vegan versions of non Vegan ingredients. That always seems to be a better choice, in my book. For instance, if I were choosing a low carb menu, I would prefer to have foods that were naturally low in carbs, instead of, say, a low carb "pasta" or low carb "bread", know what I mean? It just tastes better! So, in this case, you just have vegetables, broth, aromatics, herbs, and spices. I wasn't necessarily looking for something Vegan, but it just so happens that it is! This is DEFINITELY the welcome change I had been craving. It's also really quick to throw together, so you don't have to worry about slaving over a hot stove. Usually, my go to summer veggie recipe is the Avocado Gazpacho recipe that I got from my school pal, Kathleen. I think this recipe needs to be added to the rotation!



1 tbs vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch coins
1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 yellow summer squash, diced
1 tbs ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can coconut milk
1 tbs (or more to taste) garam masala spice blend
1 tsp coarse salt
2 medium tomatoes, diced

fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
couscous or rice for serving



 Heat the oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook until the onion becomes translucent. Add the zucchini and cook until it begins to brown around the edges. Add the yellow squash, ginger, and garlic and cook for two minutes. Add the vegetable broth (if you want a stronger coconut taste, only add three cups of broth instead of four), coconut milk, garam masala, and salt and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer for five minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for another five minutes.
Cook the couscous or rice according to package directions. Fluff with fork. Place on a plate, pour stew over. Top with chopped cilantro.



Tips:
I've often heard that some people find cilantro to have a soapy taste. If you fall into this category, just use fresh parsley!  And btw, instead of sprinkling it just over the top, I added the cilantro right into the stew at the end.
The stew will thicken just slightly as it simmers. If you would like a thicker stew, make a quick slurry of a couple tbs of flour with an equal amount of cold water or broth, then stir it into the stew. Bring it up to a boil until it thickens.

Joey's Autumn Harvest Stew

Ok, so let's talk about my FAVORITE new recipe in quite a long time.
Every so often, I'll come up with an idea that I can't seem to get out of my head, and this was absolutely one of those times. I was thinking that I wanted to do a savory something with fresh pumpkin. A one-pot dish sounded like a good idea... maybe a soup? or a stew? Yes, definitely something along those lines. I also thought it might be cool to add a few other autumnal ingredients. Another kind of squash, maybe some corn, and definitely something green for color. I also had the idea to include barley to add a little body to the stew. Again, ideas that just stick in my mind until I go ahead and try them. I did some googling, found a couple recipes to use as inspiration, and this was the result! This stew has the most AMAZING flavor, you won't even believe it. I'm not even kidding when I tell you that I couldn't stop eating it! It's rich but not heavy, hearty but not too filling, fresh but still very deep with flavor. It's also cozy and comforting and it'll definitely hit the spot. It only took about an hour to make, but it has the taste of something that is simmered all afternoon. And it lends itself to any number of variations. I think that's one of my favorite things about this recipe. I'll probably NEVER make it the same way twice! Want to make it completely vegetarian? Use vegetable broth and leave out the meat. Don't like barley? Add rice instead! The possibilities are endless.
 I think the reason I love this one so much is that it feels like something my Mom would make. She used to say to me "Just put it in a pot and let it cook." It sounds simple, but seriously, that's how she always did it. It's definitely the best way to cook and it's how I learned! So you should absolutely give this one a try. It definitely tastes like home, like a big hug in a bowl.
 I hope you like it :)
 


2 tbs butter 
2 tbs olive oil 
1 medium onion, chopped 
2 cloves garlic, chopped
several sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with cotton twine 
2 tbs fresh sage, chopped
1 or 2 bay leaves
2 tsp kosher salt 
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika 
2 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded, cubed
1 can cream style corn
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup pearl barley, uncooked 
2 big handfuls of kale, chopped
1/2 rotisserie chicken, pulled from the bone and shredded
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup flour 
crisped and crumbled bacon, optional


In a large pot, melt butter and oil together over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute for just a few minutes until the onions begin to soften and the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the herbs, seasonings, pumpkin, and acorn squash. Toss all until well coated. Add the corn and the chicken broth. Bring it to a bowl then reduce the heat to simmer. Add the barley and give it a good stir. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Add the chopped kale and the shredded chicken. Stir in the cream. Make a slurry with the flour and 1/2 cup cold water. Add to the pot. Stir and simmer until it thickens. Adjust seasoning if needed. Remove thyme bundle and bay leaves from the pot. Serve deep soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with crumbled bacon, if desired.


Tips:
This is one of those recipes where you really don't need a recipe. The amounts are just guidelines. Taste as you go, and add as much or as little as you like. It will all work!
I used pumpkin and sweet dumpling squash, but you can use butternut, acorn, or literally any of the nearly 150 varieties that are out there. Use any kind you like! Use potatoes instead of barley, add carrots, parsnips, turnips, or any other root vegetable. Use the recipe as a springboard to make it your own!

Joey's Cheesy Tortellini and Veggie Bake

  One of my favorite things about summer is the huge bounty of fresh vegetables that comes with the season. Since I live in the Garden State, I have access to some of the best fruits and veggies you'll ever taste, so I'm all about adding them to my cooking. Sometimes I'll even just steam a variety of fresh veggies and there's dinner! But then sometimes I chop them up and add them to a delicious casserole like this one!
 I was kind of in a pasta mood, but wanted something a little different. So I decided to toss some tortellini in a creamy cheese sauce, add a few veggies, and here we are! It was SO fresh and delicious I couldn't stop eating it! I'm not even kidding. It's creamy and cheesy, but it's not as heavy as you might think because I used broth instead of cream. And the fresh herbs give it a brightness that works perfectly. And yes, I know there's a lot of chopping involved, but it really doesn't take very long.  And once you get everything chopped, that's half the battle! The final product is definitely worth it!
 So keep this dish in mind the next time you go to your produce stand or farmer's market. Look and see what is the freshest. Choose whatever veggies look the best. Use as many as you like! It will all work and I promise you'll love it!



oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow squash, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 lb tortellini
handful of fresh basil and/or parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add a few glugs of oil, and saute onions, zucchini, squash, and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. You don't need to brown them, you just want to soften them and let some of the moisture evaporate from them. Remove veggies from pan to a large bowl. In the same pan, add a few more glugs of oil. Saute mushrooms, tomatoes, and garlic until they soften up a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour, and continue to stir and saute for another minute or two. Add broth and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese melts and combines smoothly with the broth. Adjust seasoning if needed. Add sauce to veggie bowl along with basil and tortellini. (no need to boil the tortellini, it will cook in the sauce). Toss all to coat with sauce. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top first with mozzarella and then Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly.


Tips:
Be sure to season everything as you go! Adding a little salt at the end is just not gonna cut it.
Not a fan of summer squash? Use whatever veggies you like! Broccoli, carrots, peas, it will all work!

Butternut Squash Slaw

Ok, so, before you crinkle your nose, just go with me on this one, ok? Do you trust me? Have I ever lied to you before?
 I saw Damaris Phillips making this on her show, Southern at Heart, and I immediately thought "oo that sounds interesting!" I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE regular Cole Slaw, but I figured maybe this is the perfect swap for someone who isn't a fan of cabbage! Makes perfect sense to me! Only one way to find out! So I gave it a try. And guess what! It's absolutely delicious! At first I wasn't sure how it would go with this being a vinaigrette dressing, since regular cole slaw has a mayonnaise based dressing. But it absolutely works! Its fresh and crunchy, and sweet and tangy!
 So if you're not a fan of regular cole slaw, or if maybe you'd just like to try something new and interesting, give this one a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, grated on a box grater
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons chopped dried cherries
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Whisk together the maple syrup, vegetable oil, and sherry vinegar in a large bowl. Add the squash, parsley, dried cherries and sunflower seeds; toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.

 

Tips:

The key to this recipe, at least for me, is the parsley and the toasted sunflower seeds. The parsley gives such a freshness to cut through the sweetness, and the sunflower seeds add the most amazing toasty note. 

I used apple cider vinegar, just because I had it on hand, and I used dried cranberries instead of cherries, just because I like them and dried cranberries felt more like Thanksgiving. 

Btw, I used a food processor to shred my squash. SO much easier!

Baked Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar and Butter

 I was looking for Thanksgiving side dish recipes and I found several recipes for acorn squash. I had never cooked an acorn squash, so I went with it. Some were pureed or diced, some were glazed or stuffed. Then I found Paula Deen's recipe where they are roasted with maple syrup, butter, and brown sugar. Clearly, this was the recipe to try, don't you think??? I mean, seriously, doesn't that sound AMAZING??? It's super easy to make, can be done in advance, and OMG just wait until you taste it! It sort of has a glazed sweet potato sort of a vibe. And how convenient is it that each person gets his own little portion? I love that.
 If you're looking for something that looks elegant and impressive, but is absurdly easy to make, then this is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish for you. It's also really economical because one little acorn squash is good for four servings. Perfect! So good. You should definitely try it.


1 acorn squash, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.
 Scoop the seeds and stringy pulp out of the squash cavities and discard. In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, syrup and salt and pepper, to taste. Brush the squash cavities and the cut sides of the squash with the butter mixture and place them on a baking sheet, cut side up. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Brush with a little more of the brown sugar maple glaze. Serve one quarter per person.


Tip:
Don't forget the salt and pepper! It gives it sort of a salted caramel kind of vibe. Just one taste of the glaze, and you'll want to put it on everything! Not even kidding!
When I baked the squash, I was worried that the brown sugar would drip down onto the tray and burn. So I poured a little water onto the tray to keep that from happening. Worked very well, I must say!
The original recipe said to serve one HALF per person instead of one quarter, I think an entire half of a squash is far too large to put on your dinner plate. So I decided to cut them into quarters instead.

Summer Squash Sauté

 Ok, so, I was in the mood to make something summery and seasonal and light and quick and easy and fresh. Naturally, the first thing I did was go to the produce market to see what looked good. The zucchini and yellow squash looked SO vibrant and fresh, I decided that this was clearly the way to go. I did a few Google searches, added a few other key ingredients, and landed on this recipe. Now, I have to say, when I told Claire I was gonna make summer squash with sun dried tomatoes, she said that she wasn't really a fan of zucchini. But when she tasted it in this recipe, she loved it! I told her "Basically, you can cook anything in olive oil with garlic, basil, and sun dried tomatoes, and it's gonna be amazing!" I'm sticking by it. My point is even if you're not a fan of summer squash, you should definitely try this recipe. Have I ever lied to you before??? Just ask Claire! It's REALLY delicious!

3 or 4 small zucchini 

3 or 4 small yellow squash

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt; more to taste  

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 

2 or 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled  

1 whole jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced

6-10 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons

Freshly ground black pepper

  Wash the zucchini well to remove any grit and dry them with paper towels. Trim off the ends and quarter the zucchini and squash lengthwise. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the soft seed core by running a sharp knife down the length of each quarter; it’s all right if some of the seeds remain. Arrange the zucchini and squash, cut side up, on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Blot the quarters dry with the paper towels. Cut each quarter on the diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick diamonds.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini and squash, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it browns and softens enough that you can cut through it with the side of a fork, about 5 min. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute for a minute or two longer. Remove from heat. Add basil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Tips:
If you don't mind the seeds in the center of the squash and the zucchini, you can just go ahead and slice them up instead of removing the centers.

Joey's Butternut Apple Gratin

 Lately I've been playing around with different ingredients, coming up with some new recipes, trying different combinations of savory and sweet. I love a fabulous dish that embraces that balance of flavors. As I often do, I browsed around the produce section of the supermarket, just to see what looks good, what's in season, what sparks inspiration. I noticed the butternut squash and wondered "why have I never done anything with that?" So that set the recipe creating wheels in motion. To be honest, I knew right away what I DIDN'T want the recipe to be, more than what I WANTED it to be. Even though I wanted to keep the sweet and savory theme going, I didn't want it to be as sweet as candied yams. I didn't want to add any meat to it, like crumbled bacon, etc, because I thought it would be nice to make it a vegetarian dish. I didn't want it to have cheese or eggs in it, because I thought that would make it too heavy. Great, now that that's settled, lets figure out what I WANT the recipe to be. I already had a bag of apples in my shopping cart because I was planning to bake an apple pie. Ooo good idea. I'll add them to the dish. Hmm...maybe some onion too....and some fresh herbs....  with a buttered crust topping. Perfect! After bouncing a few ideas around with Marie, I tried a couple versions of my new dish, each time changing it just a little. And Eureka! This is the one! It's exactly what I had in mind! It's the perfect side dish for your next holiday meal and it's simple to make too! Try it! Oh, and be sure to let me know how you like it! Thanx!

1 large butternut squash (2-3 lbs)
2 Granny Smith apples
1 small onion
a few big pinches of:
 fresh parsley
 fresh sage
 fresh rosemary
 fresh thyme
 kosher salt
 freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbs honey
4 tbs butter

1 cup coarse bread crumbs
2 tbs butter

Heat oven to 350F.
Peel squash and cut in half. Using a spoon, scrape out the insides, just like you'd do if you were carving a pumpkin. Cut the squash into large chunks. Place in a large bowl.
Peel and core apples. Cut into large chunks. Add to the bowl.
Peel and roughly chop the onion. Add to the bowl.
Chop the parsley, sage, and rosemary. Remove the leaves from the sprigs of thyme. Add all of the herbs to the bowl along with a good dash of salt and black pepper. Toss everything together. Dump everything into a 9x13 casserole dish. Drizzle with honey. Dot with butter. Cover with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes or until almost tender.
Mix bread crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over all. Place back in the oven, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden.

Tips:
Be sure to use a sharp knife when cutting the squash. I usually cut it across the width first (instead of cutting it lengthwise), just because it's easier to work with. It's also easier to cut each half into chunks if you place it cut side down. It's more stable that way.
Even though the apples and the squash are naturally sweet, I still added the honey. It's only a tablespoon. It's not enough to make it overly sweet, but it's just enough to smooth over the tart edge from the apples.
I like chunks of apple, as opposed to slices. I just think they hold up better when they're cooked. So, I cut each apple in half, then each half into large dice (about 8-10 pieces). I do the same thing with the onions.
For the bread crumbs, place a few slices of stale bread or rolls into a food processor and pulse until they're coarse crumbs. In this particular recipe, the finer store bought crumbs just aren't the same.
Many of the ingredients are just to taste. Do you like a lot of fresh rosemary? Do you like a lot of butter? I used about a tablespoon of each of the chopped fresh herbs. Add as much as you like! By the same token, if there's anything that you particularly DON'T like, then by all means, just leave it out. It'll still be fabulous!