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

Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad

I love a warm goat cheese salad, but they are a lot of work to bread and cook the cheese. This method was soooo much easier! It came together in 5 minutes. Drew, Isaac, and Eli all ate every bite; I don't think that has ever happened with a salad before. The only changes I made were: added a diced tomato, used garlic powder b/c I was out of cloves, and I didn't measure anything.

Recipe copied from Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 8 cups baby spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 6 ounces goat cheese, sliced
• 8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 8 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Arrange the spinach on four plates.
2. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat, and add crushed garlic. Cook and stir until slightly golden. Stir in breadcrumbs. Drop the goat cheese slices into the breadcrumbs a few at a time, and turn to coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Place a slice or two of goat cheese on each serving of spinach, and drizzle the salads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Menu--October

• Mexican Lasagna

• Fajitas

• Broccoli soup

• grilled veggie sandwich
• Butternut squash ravioli
• Bruschetta and artichokes

• Wild rice soup aunt cathy's spinach salad

• red curry and roasted cauliflower

Pot pie

Menu-September

Jessica's Skinny Soup--rolls
Lettuce Wraps
Fajitas
Stroganoff
Margarita Pizza
Taco Salad
Tomato Soup and grilled cheese

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

This was a risky meal that totally paid off. I had tons of cabbage and mushrooms from my last two weeks Bountiful Baskets, but the chances that my family would eat mushrooms wrapped in cabbage leaves were slim. These were so good that even the cabbage/mushroom-lover in the family was surprised. Everyone ate them. I served them over mashed potatoes. The flavor was reminiscent of stuffed peppers or shepherds pie.

The recipe comes from Not Eating Out In New York:

The changes I made were:
Cooked for 1 hr 20 min--we were hungry.
No shallots--didn't have any.
Added 1 tsp italian seasoning to mushroom mix
Used Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage
(makes 3-4 servings)

1 small head of cabbage, cored
1 lb any mushrooms, such as Portobello/Crimini, Porcini, button, wild varieties, etc., stems trimmed and roughly chopped
1 16 oz. can diced or whole peeled tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the boiling water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large shallot, minced

Heat up the onions and olive oil in a saucepan on low heat. In a mixing bowl, crush the tomatoes with your hands for a minute or two until the pieces have broken down to a loose pulp. Add it to the onions just after they have turned slightly transparent, about 5-6 minutes. Add the raisins, if using, and the lemon juice and let simmer, covered for another 10-15 minutes.

Put the mushrooms and shallot in a food processor and pulse a few moments until they have broken down to rough, moist pulp. Remove and turn into a mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs (if making from fresh bread, simply pulse the bread a few times in the food processor first). Add the egg, Parmesan, and a pinch each of salt and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap.

Preheat oven to 374 degrees. Bring a stockpot of salted water deep enough to submerge the cabbage in with water. Once it’s boiling, gently add the cabbage and let boil for 1 minute. Remove with tongs or a large spatula and remove 2-3 of the outer leaves. Replace into the pot and boil another minute. Remove, and tear off another 2-3 leaves. Repeat until you have at least 8 leaves big enough to use to wrap with the stuffing. Let the rest of the head cool. Cut out the tough middle fibrous stem of each leaf of cabbage and discard (these should be shaped like a thin diamond and comprise the whitest streak of each leaf).

Place an inch-thick log of the mushroom stuffing mixture inside each blanched leaf and wrap, tucking in the end pieces like a burrito, until fully wrapped. You should have approximately 8 fully wrapped leaves. Slice the rest of the remaining cabbage to about 1/2″ inch thick pieces and place along the inside of a covered casserole or large cast-iron Dutch oven. Place each rolled stuffed cabbage leaf in a line on top of the shredded cabbage. Top with the tomato sauce, and cover. Bake covered for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove from heat, and let rest, uncovered for 5-10 minutes before serving.