December Menu

Items to use:
sweet potatoes, butternut, 1 acorn, banana squash, spaghetti squash, lettuce, spinach, carrots, 1 parsnip, 3 brussels sprouts, persimmon, pears, mushrooms, onions, yellow potatoes, pomegranates, cranberries, bok choy, 1/2 cabbage, tomatoes, lots of celery, citrus fruits, apples

Pear and gruyere panini

• Tortilla soup

• bean Curry

• Bruschetta

Goat Cheese and wild rice stuffing, yellow squash on the side

• ham and spinach stuffed bread

• Sloppy joes and sweet potato fries

taco salad

• white bean chili

• corn chowder blts

Onion and Bacon Soup

Somehow I've got three giant bags of onions this month. This recipe was a good use for a few of them. From Everyday Food Magazine.

6 slices of bacon cut crosswise into 1 inch pieces
3 large yellow onions, halved and thinly slices lengthwise
4 cups of low sodium broth (I used my favorite vegetable broth concentrate)
baguette sliced 1 inch thick
grated gruyere or swiss cheese

In dutch oven cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserve 1 Tbsp of grease. Reduce heat to medium. Cook onions in grease stirring occasionally and scraping brown bits from the bottom with wooden spoon, until soft and brown, about 1 hour. Add broth, bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Broil baguette slices with 1/4 cup of cheese each until bubbly and slightly browned. Top soup with baguette and serve immediately.

Squash Enchiladas

Recipe from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook

I am thrilled again to find a winter squash that my family will eat, especially to find one that Dave will race me home from to get the leftovers. My notes in red.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 16 oz can white corn (I used frozen)
butternut squash, cooked and drained well (I needed half of a large squash for a 9x9 pan, quartered it, put in a casserole dish with an inch or two of water, covered with plastic wrap with holes punched in it, and microwaved for 10 minutes)
salt and pepper
chili powder
cumin
green enchilada sauce (used 1 recipe of Amy's sauce for a 9x9 pan)
corn tortillas
pepper jack and cheddar cheese

Saute onion and garlic on olive oil. Stir onion mixture into corn and squash, and season to taste with s&p, chili powder, and cumin (I found it frustrating that no measurements were given, but I didn't take note of what I used either). Heat enchilada sauce and dip tortilla in the heated sauce to soften (this did not work for me, I softened them in the microwave wrapped in a wet dish towel). Fill tortillas with squash mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and roll. Place seam side down in a casserole dish. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with extra cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

November Menu II

Items to use:
sweet potatoes, butternut, acorn, banana squash, 1 green pepper, lettuce, spinach, carrots, parsnips, brussels sprouts, persimmon, kiwi, clementines, oranges, watermelon, pears, mushrooms, onions, yellow potatoes, russet potatoes, pomegranates, cranberries, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage

Thanksgiving
Potatoes
Rolls
Ham
Jello?
Cranberry relish
spinach artichoke dip

• Onion-bacon soup (everyday food), salad

• Butternut squash enchiladas (WWC)

• Bean Curry

• manicotti

• "Meatball" sandwiches and sweet potato fries

tostadas

• Liz's cheesy vegi soup

Asian-inspired noodles a la Fresh365 but with sun drencher dressing or asian crunch salad

Pie Crust

Pie Crust from Prudence Pennywise
My pie crust of choice lately. Makes a two-crust pie.

Perfect Pie Crust
Estimated Cost: $1.25
Notes: Making your own piecrust is inexpensive and delicious!
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5 tablespoons cold shortening
5 tablespoons cold butter
6 tablespoons and more ice water
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in fats. Drizzle with ice water and shape into ball. Roll out and place in 8 or 9 inch pie dish.
Post Edit: Another wise Prudence from the comment section asked me some very good questions that I should have included, so here goes. I'm glad my readers are so on the ball, since I can be a bit of a ninny. You CAN freeze this pie dough very easily. I prefer to freeze it BEFORE rolling it out and let it thaw in the fridge for a couple of hours. It will freeze magnificentally, which is why you should always make a double batch at least.

Eliza's Butternut

We've gotten a fair amount of winter squash in our co-op baskets lately, we've not been able to find many ways to eat it that are more than tolerable. My friend Eliza sent me this recipe that she claimed her family loves, but I gotta be honest, I was skeptical. Even up to the point that it was finished cooking and I tasted it (pre-adding the cheese), I thought, "this is not going to fly with my family." But you add the cheese, and wow, it is delicious! And everyone thought so. Not a complaint from Drew and Isaac about how I never make anything they like. Dave said, "This is so much better than any other squash you've made."

So, Eliza, thanks for getting me out of my comfort zone and for a great recipe.
Here it is exactly as she sent it with my notes in red.

Sometimes I add one or a couple of these;
shrimp
chicken
cinnamon
walnuts
bacon (we used bacon)
:)


Butternut squash soup

2lbs Butternut or acorn squash (I used 2 acorn)
1 Tablespoon Butter
2-3 apples (I like green ones, They stay together best) (I used Granny Smith, did not peel)
1 1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup celery
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Curry pd
or 1 TB paste (I used green paste)
2-3 Garlic cloves
5 cups broth
1/8 tsp Salt
1/2 cup cheese (I like the sharper cheeses But any will do) (I used medium cheddar)
half the squash and scoop out the seeds. Salt and pepper both halves. To cook you can put in a glass dish upside down with a little water in the bottom. Cook in the oven at 350 for about an hour, or the micro, covered for 1/2 hour or when the thickest part is soft. (I like it a little more on the firm side, so when I add it to the soup it doesn't disintegrate) (I cooked mine in the crockpot on high for about 4 hours, next time I'd cook it a little less)
While that is cooking saute all the rest of the ingredients except the broth and bay leaf and cheese. Once they are fragrant (about 5-10 min) add the broth and the bay leaf. When the squash is done score it with a knife (in squares, so when you scoop it out it will come out in chunks) scoop it out and add it to the soup. cook for a few more minutes to thicken the soup.
cube the cheese and put in a bowl. (I like to add it to the bowls of soup individually, otherwise it makes a nice cheese mess)
Happy eating with delicious bread!

November Menu

Ingredients to use: lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, russet potatoes, yellow squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, 1 red pepper, green beans, carrots, celery, butternut, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, banana squash

Pot pie

• Eliza's butternut squash soup, spinach/lettuce/goat cheese salad, bread

• Hasselback potatoes, bacon wrapped green beans, spinach feta bread

• Panini, sweet potato fries

• Stir fry w/ squash, red pepper, spinach, green beans, celery and noodles

• Fish and chips and something healthy

Clam chowder, salad
Pasta