Mashed Acorn Squash and Apples

Poor little acorn squash.  It just doesn’t hold a candle to its sleeker, yummier, cousin the butternut squash.   Last weekend I was chatting about this with some wonderful friends while we were away together in Vermont.

(I didn’t take this picture but I could have, this is what Vermont at this time of year actually looks like.  Unbelievable.)

This got me feeling sorry for the poor little Acorn Squash.  How, nessiebnyc, can we include these little looked over squash into our lives more?

This is the ticket.

This requires very little prep and lots of pay off and will be gobbled up by even the pickiest kids.

2 acorn squash – cut in half lengthwise and seeds and pulp removed

4 apples – any type will do – peeled, seeded, cored and chopped

olive oil

salt pepper

2 tbs. butter

3 tbs honey

t tbs. brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pre heat the oven to 450.  On a greased baking sheet salt and pepper the squash and place them cut side down.  Roast for an hour or until the squash are soft.  While the squash is roasting peel, core and chop the apples.  Toss  the apples with the cinnamon and sugar and place on a greased baking sheet.  Roast the apples for approximately 30 minutes or until soft.  Allow both the squash to cool enough to be able to peel and spoon the flesh into a large bowl, add the cooked apples and mash and stir to combine.

 

 

I like it chunky but you could use and immersion blender or food processor to make it very smooth.  In a small sauce pan heat the butter and honey until simmering.  Add a bit of the hot butter and honey mixture until you have the consistency and flavor you like.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.

Enjoy!

While I was enjoying the country life I could have been back here in NYC buying a Banksy.  Sigh.  I wouldn’t trade our weekend for anything but I’d love to have gotten some cool $$$$$ art on the cheap.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/14/20961005-the-ultimate-fake-out-how-i-didnt-buy-a-banksy?lite

In case you don’t know who Banksy is (no one does by the way, he? keeps his identity a secret):

http://www.banksyny.com/

Apple Sauce! & A Couple of Videos

Apples, who doesn’t love them?  We went apple picking on labor day weekend and have just a few left.  Since we’ve all been a bit sick and the kids have had some tummy troubles I decided to make some apple sauce.   I had no thought that I would want to eat it or that it would make it into this blog but it is awesome!   First of all your kitchen (or if you live in a tiny NYC apt. the whole place) will smell like heaven and second of all it tastes SO GOOD.  I would gladly serve this warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to anyone for dessert and you could even add a bit of calvados if you wanted to make it extra grown up (though there’s no need).

4 -6 apples – I used a mix of varieties – peeled, cored and diced

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup water – or a bit more depending on how juicy your apples are

1/4 cup brown sugar – or less if you have very sweet apples

Put all the ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat and cover.  Cook at a low boil for 15 to 20 minutes or until the apples are soft.  You can mash some with the back of the spoon or if you want it very smooth use an immersion blender.  I didn’t mash it at all and thought it was lovely as is.

 

The Andrews Sisters up above reminded me of this:

http://tv.popcrunch.com/snl-lawrence-welk-show-betty-white-singing-sisters-kristen-wiig-denise-video/

 

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables & Rigatoni – Granny’s Birthday Lunch

    

My Mom just had a milestone birthday and rather than buying her something she could get for herself we decided to make a birthday lunch for her at our place.  As Granny is basically a vegetarian these days (if you think I’m strict, you should talk to her for a few minutes…)  I naturally had to make a vegetarian lunch for her.  We had a simple green salad, roasted vegetables with whole wheat rigatoni, vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and raspberries and champagne for the grown ups.  It was relaxed, pretty and hopefully a good way to tell Granny how much she means to us.  The little ones doled out lots of hugs and kisses and sang happy birthday to her several times so that probably helped get the message across.  This was super simple and the kids luvvved it, it also makes for great leftovers so that’s happy for someone like me who suddenly has to pack a nut free lunch everyday, yikes!

2 acorn squash – washed, trimmed, and cut into 1/3 inch rings

2 small red onions – peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch rings

8 – 10 plum tomatoes – halved length wise and cored

12 unpeeled garlic cloves

1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni

salt and pepper

olive oil

1/4 cup kalamata olives – pitted and chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 crushed red pepper flakes – or to taste

small handful each fresh basil & parsley – chopped

parmesan cheese – optional

Preheat the oven to 350.  On a large rimmed baking sheet toss the squash and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in a single layer.

On a second rimmed baking sheet pour enough olive oil on the sheet to thinly coat the bottom then with your hands make sure all of the tomatoes and garlic are lightly coated with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Make sure the tomatoes are cut side down.  Roast both sheets of vegetables for approximately 40 minutes.

Using tongs transfer the garlic to a bowl and allow to cool until you can handle them.  Pop the cloves out of their husk and add to a large bowl.

Allow the tomatoes and  squash/onions to cook for another 20 minutes  or until soft.   Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.  Pull the skins off the tomatoes (they will come off really easily) and chop the squash and tomatoes into bite sized pieces.  Once the pot of water is at a full double bubble “boil” and trouble

http://www.potw.org/archive/potw283.html

add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  Once cooked drain the pasta and add all the veggies, the chopped parsley and basil tossing to mix well.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

In a small dry pan add the pine nuts over medium heat.  Allow to toast until just fragrant and lightly browned.  Add a couple of glugs of olive oil, red pepper flakes to taste and the chopped olives.  Allow to heat through and serve on top of the pasta dish for those who want it (probably not little children).

Garnish with parmesan cheese for those that want it.

    

Enjoy!

Pizza On the Grill! & ‘Smores!

       

It’s the little things in life don’t you think?  Husband took the last two weeks of August off and we took the nuggets to my parent’s place in Bridghampton, N.Y..

We had the most romantic family vacation.  Digging giant holes on the beach for the “kids” (Husband) to play in.  Drawing with chalk on the back patio and playing with sprinklers in the yard.  We cooked all our meals but for two breakfasts and it was delightful.  No awful trying to entertain hungry kiddos while you’re waiting for the food to come, no debating if this is the moment we should pick up the kids and run out before we’re “asked” to leave, and most importantly no terrible food.

I’ll save my big rant on avoiding  angry Hamptons vacationers for another time but very quickly, WHY are people out there so hostile?  Are we not at the beach to relax?  Apparently we are not.  Moving on.

http://www.therudehamptons.com/

 

The apex of our family love-in was pizza-on-the-grill night.  Living in NYC we don’t do much grilling but out there we decided to fire it up frequently.  I read a few years ago that you can make pizza on the grill and I thought it might be a fun thing to try with the kids.  It was SO much fun and delicious.  In the spirit of make-your-own night I also got marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate and we had ‘smores after.  BOO-YA.

I’m not a dough making expert so I went to the local pizza place and bought a round of dough.  I was a little worried they would think I was crazy or wouldn’t know what to charge me but based on their reaction people must buy dough from them all the time, who knew?

 

1 round of pizza dough for a large pie – divided into 4 pieces and stretched out as thinly as possible.  This makes personal size pizza and is more manageable on the grill.

2 cups simple marinara sauce

mozzarella – thinly sliced

parmesan cheese

olive oil

fresh basil leaves

*If there is anything else you want to put on your pizza don’t let me stop you, we kept it simple with these ingredients.

Marinara Sauce:

1 14 oz. box, crushed tomatoes

2 whole cloves of garlic – peeled and smashed

salt and pepper

olive oil

5-8 whole basil leaves

For the Marinara Sauce:

In a medium sauce pan add the olive oil and garlic.  Once the garlic is fragrant add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and bails leaves and heat until simmering.  Discard the garlic and basil leaves before using on the pizza.

For the Pizza:

Heat your grill as hot as you can.  We have an old-fashioned charcoal grill and as with most things you make on that kind of grill you are best off “banking” your coals to one side and leaving the other side empty so there is a hot and cool side to the grill.  While the grill is heating up get all your ingredients ready and have on hand a spatula and a cookie sheet.

Place the first round of dough on the oiled grill and replace the top.  Peek after 2 to 4 minutes, the top should still be kind of raw but the bottom will be cooked and toasty.  Using the spatula and the back of the cookie sheet slide the dough off the grill onto the back of the cookie sheet.  Make sure to put the lid back on the grill to keep it hot.

Turn the dough upside down so the cooked part is now the top and the raw part is the bottom.   Spread a thin layer of sauce around the top of the dough and add the sliced mozzarella, basil leaves and a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Replace the pizza on the grill for another 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the bottom is cooked.

After we ate the pizza we used the remaining heat from the grill to toast the marshmallows for the ‘smores and basked in toddler/pre schooler love.

Enjoy!

 

 

Summer Din-Din

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My poor little boy was sick today!  Poor thing, he was just adorable about it and wasn’t so sick he couldn’t work it to get in a crazy amount of TV time.   As a result we were home a lot more of the day then we had planned to be, which was fine because I got to do some cooking while he was napping and half napping in front of Peep and The Big Wide World.  I made a peach pie

that I have been meaning to do for ages but that’s an epic story that’s too much to get into here (the baking – of ONE pie – took place in two different locations, oy vey).  For dinner I made us turkey burgers and corn on the cob.  I don’t have tons of pictures of the burgers as I didn’t really intend to post about them but they turned out so well and the whole dinner was such a success I decided to include them here.

I made up the “recipe” myself because all my google searches turned up really stylized turkey burgers; southwest, stuffed with blue cheese, coated in Aleppo pepper etc. etc. and I really just wanted something simple so the four of us could (for once) eat the same thing (someday I hope we can also eat at the same time….).

1 lb. ground turkey

1 yellow onion – grated (this is the key to everything)

2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

 

Combine all the ingredients and form into patties.   Cook over medium heat until cooked through.  I served mine on a sesame seed bun with sliced tomato and spicy arugula that our lovely friends gave us from their garden.  If you’ve never grown anything you might want to start with arugula or lettuce.  It’s fool-proof,  grows from seed very quickly, and the difference in flavor is surprising.  Home grown arugula is so much spicier than anything you buy at a regular market, you can actually taste it on the burger.

Hope you’ve had a great weekend!

 

Enjoy!

Tomato Sauce

I’m totally exhausted and tired of eating PB&J or the equivalent.  It’s been a relief to have the annoying babysitter out of my hair but it has also seriously cut down on my time to cook and blog about it.  Today I got aggressive, put my son in front of Sesame Street

(I keep telling myself people do worse things to their kids and they’re ok)  and made this quick tomato sauce while the baby was still napping.  I had to rush a little but I got it done before the show was over and my little one woke up, gold stars for me!

1 small yellow onion – finely diced

2 small carrots – finely diced

2 celery stalks – finely diced

2 cloves garlic – finely diced

1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 tube tomato paste

olive oil

salt & pepper

red wine – 1/4 cup or so

1 bay leaf

2-4 sprigs fresh thyme

hot red pepper flakes to taste

In a large pan over medium heat add the onions, red pepper flakes (if you’re using them) and a little salt and pepper and allow to cook slowly until they are soft and translucent.

I’m reading the new Michael Pollen book, Cooked (I love it, go read it).

http://michaelpollan.com/

He talks about how people don’t cook their onions (and other veggies like the carrots and celery in this dish) long or slowly enough.  I agree, and when I have the time I do like to let them go for a while (1/2 hour or so) but today since I was racing the baby’s nap I just clipped through the steps and it turned out really well anyway.   But if you have the time and are happy to putter in the kitchen try letting those veggies soften slowly,  it adds something nice to the end product.

Once the onions are translucent, add the carrots and celery and cook until fully softened.

Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf and wine.

Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and allow to cook stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or so.  If you find the sauce is getting too thick you can add some of the water you have boiled the pasta in and it will loosen it back up.  I served this over a tiny bit of penne as that’s all we had in the house.  That’s how tired and sad things are around here this week, there’s not even pasta in the pantry.  After this I’m clicking through a Fresh Direct

https://www.freshdirect.com/about/index.jsp?siteAccessPage=aboutus&bloglogout=true&successPage=/index.jsp

order and then getting into bed with Michael Pollen and calling it a night.  I put a little grated parmesan on top and both kiddies couldn’t get enough, thank God.

Enjoy!