Here’s to the Squash

Here’s to the Squash…

The yellow squash. Not as decadent as its fellow butternut, acorn, or spaghetti variety but still perfect for a winters night.

For the first time in a long time I have only a mere three days as opposed to three months in-between my posts. An outstanding accomplishment I feel and hopefully will be the first of many future kitchen adventures now that I am a bit more settled.

Next week I embark on a journey back home for the holidays! A phrase I am using for the first time, ‘home for the holidays.’ I can’t wan’t to be worry and fancy free with good food and family.

With a longing for all I have been missing at home lately I decided to make one of my moms dish’s for squash caserole. Strolling over to the nearest market I bought all needed ingredients … then when looking for the yellow squash was pointed to a shelf where one package lay left. YES – package, of yellow squash. There is no way I will ever eat vegetables out of a plastic wrapped container of my own free will. They just look so sad in there……So after stopping by TWO more markets I finally found some yellow squash that looked quite happy to jump into my bag and come home with me.

So here we go: Yellow Squash Casserole {for 2}

Wash and thickly chop two large yellow squash, half a red onion, and 10-15 small carrots (or one large).

Fill a large pot with all of the chopped vegetables and water then bring to a boil.

Boil vegetables until the are just tender enough to mash up. The squash skins will still be a little tough which is alright.

I used a small casserole dish, close to the shape of a bread pan. Drain the all the water then transfer the veggies into your dish. Since a masher was not on hand I used a large fork.

Once you have a good mash going, you may be able to drain a bit more excess water out.

The next part is up to your liking….I added around 1/4 cup cottage cheese a decent handful of bread crumbs and a little seasoning.

Then came the cheese……

I had picked up a block of white chedder from trader joes labeled: The Unexpected White Chedder. Deliciously sharp and with hints of parmesan this cheese gets two thumbs up. Hands down Amazing. Any cheese will do, but the salty nutty flavor of the ‘Unexpected’ rendered all other seasonings useless.

With cheese, cottage cheese, bread crumbs, and desired seasonings added, mix then top casserole with a bit of extra shredded cheese and bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for around 25-30 minutes or until bubbling hot on top.

Once given a moment to cool serve with a spinach salad and crusty baguette….. Or however you please…

Especially as a meal for two, or one, on a cold winters night there is nothing more pleasing then a hot plate of squash.

Get Your Pom On

Pom Pom Pom

and more POM

Hi there. So New York has swallowed me whole.

In less then two months I have become one of the many captives of this crazy city.

Time passes differently here… within the blink of an eye three weeks can go by. Really. Just like that. In all seriousness I must manage my time a bit better. I have so many amazing recipes swimming around in my head and no time to act upon them.

The one thing I am doing lately, however, is eating pomegranates.

Lotsandlotsandlots. of pomegranates.

I passed a crate of them earlier in the week while at market and thought “aren’t these reaching the end of their season?…….and I haven’t had fresh pomegranate yet this year!……I HAVE  TO HAVE FRESH POMEGRANATE NOW!!!”

With a mindset that ice was coming to freeze the city over tomorrow this Georgia-girl bought almost the whole crate…..

so have no fear, I now have plenty of pomegranates.

There is something extremely stress-relieving about de-seeding a pomegranate. My roommates probably think I have lost my marbles, standing in the kitchen for at least a half-hour with my hands covered in deep magenta/red juice and the carcasses of fruit skins scattered over the counter……..all for a bowl of seeds.

But I find it oddly beautiful. These seeds are so tight, that you know they will burst with the slightest touch and you refrain from letting your teeth do just that so you can actually have something left to show for your labor once all is done.

Left to chill in the fridge for a few hours and I swear you will devour every last one within seconds.

I have been topping my morning yogurt with them, throwing them on top of salads, and had them in a ‘outofthisworld’ curry soup the other day that is one of my amazing recipes to come.

So quick, before winter is amongst us, GO! and get yourself a pomegranate.

Kale chips ~ you have my heart and soul.

Kale

ALL SUMMER I waited. And waited. It felt like I was living in limbo – a world after graduation and before your first career choice, whatever it turns out to be. Stuck somewhere between the concrete and the unknown I felt like it might never end. And then it all changed within a span of two weeks, funny how things work. Long story short I have moved from Georgia to New York. A very drastic change to say the least, though people do say they never took me for a true Southerner. This may be a shocker but I have never been a fan of fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea so my departure can’t have surprised all that many. I am very excited to be in a city with every type of ingredient you can imagine and hope the future posts begin to reflect it. I am sad to leave loved ones but look forward to all the adventures that lay ahead!

And now this is where the kale, a vegetable I feel does not get the recognition it deserves, comes into play. When first being considered for this position in NY I had gone up to Atlanta for a weekend of dancing. Swing dancing. The one thing I thought would always be my number one. Then while eating dinner with family my last night there we decided to try something different. My Aunt was describing how no one in her house will ever eat cauliflower, but if she tosses it with a little olive oil and seasoning and bakes it…..there is never a morsel left. Upon hearing this I realized this is how all those raving food bloggers make kale chips. That very second we decided to make them ourselves and see what all the hype was about.

Needless to say it was AMAZING! The smell alone…….. I wanted to take the entire three baking sheets of kale, pour them into a large bowl, and run off. God save the person who tried to take even a piece away from me…

You have no excuse not to try these crispy and nutritious treats! But beware: You better make enough!

First you must exert great amounts of patience as you wash, pat dry, then proceed to shop the kale into bite size pieces. Depending on the type of kale you are using the lower/thicker part of the stem can be discarded, I have found sometimes that it can remain a bit chewy. OR you can go the easier route by purchasing a large bag of already washed and chopped kale. Oh modern marvels.

Once you have all you kale chopped and ready to go spread it out evenly on a large baking sheet. drizzle with olive oil, or oil of choice, remember a little goes a long way. Sprinkle with salt. Toss, by tossing you end up giving the pan a good coat. Then bake at 325 for around 12 minutes or until crispy.

As you take your first delicious taste of a kale chip any misconception you might have had will dissapear. Angels up above will sing. And it will take immense effort to offer the rest of the batch out to lucky onlookers.

Kale chips will quickly become one of your top favorites AND you can really get a bit creative with them too. I like sprinkling parmesan cheese on top right before I put them in the oven. I’m sure other cheeses would be amazing, or maybe even something spicey? No matter the flavor one thing is for sure. North or South I will always love my kale chips

A Very Hearty Cookie

It has been way too long since I’ve written on here. Way to long.

And the thing is that I have been concocting new things, from hummus to smoothies, but getting it all on here is the extra step I have skipped lately. Living in a post graduation world can be difficult, back home with all of my possessions in boxes, I day dream of new places as the job applying continues on. I am very optimistic about the fall, however. My imagination gets the better of me as I picture thousands upon thousands of fresh graduates storming the job market in June  like a pack of wild animals. With that in mind, waiting till the fall seems like a very smart idea.

During the summer wait I decided to get out of the 110 degree Georgia heat index and visit a friend in Canada. To no surprise I arrive at their hottest point of the season and didn’t see a temp below 90. Needless to say my story begins at the airport returning from my warm escape. I never have very good luck in airports, I hear it is hereditary for my Uncle has similar issues. My all-star moment was when returning home from studing abroad in France but I’ll leave that story for another time.

You can go ahead and guess I had lots of spare time on my flight home from Canada and was finally able to read Molly from Orangette ’s memoir ‘A Homemade Life’. It was amazing. In every way a book centered around life and food can be. What I loved most would have to be the addition of ginger and dark chocolate in so many of her recipes. I have become quite a ginger snob lately, in my pantry you will currently find organic crystallized ginger, powerful natural ginger ale, ginger chews, mango ginger chews, the list goes on. When you need a boost though, or even as an after meal treat, the warm and spicy zing of ginger does the job nicely.

So when a cookie became in high demand a crystallized ginger and dark chocolate cookie was the highly approved result.

Personally I feel these lovelies should be called mounds instead of cookies. Thick, bready, not that sweet, and almost scone like they can be eaten as a snack, dessert, with peanut butter for breakfast……I can’t tell you the shelf life because they haven’t lasted more then a day and a half before my mom asks when I’ll be making another batch.

Crystallized Ginger and Dark Chocolate Mounds {Cookie}

Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp orange peel/zest

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup milk, or almond milk

1/2 to 2/3 of a small container of applesauce (roughly 2-3 ounces)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

splash of maple syrup

Large handful raisins

Large handful chopped crystallized ginger

large handful dark chocolate chips/ or pieces

I like to use a lot of dashes and handfuls when cooking. Exact measurements tend to be challenging because I will always want more cinnamon, oats, raisins or chocolate then any recipe will ever call for. So get a little creative when cooking and add something the recipe doesn’t call for! Cookies are great practice for this moment on the wild side. Once you have a basic dough the possibilities can be endless…

To start:

Mix the ground flax and water in a bowl and set aside (let this sit for a few minutes), I’m using flax instead of an egg, I’m sure either one would be fine. Then Mix all the dry ingredients together in a seperate large bowl except for the brown sugar. In the bowl with the flax mixture add the sugar, vanilla extract, oil, and milk then stir till combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir, then add your raisins, ginger, chocolate, applesauce, and splash of maple syrup and stir again. The applesauce helps add a natural sweetness along with making these ‘mounds’ extra moist.

Ignore the countless dirty bowls that now surround you

And scoop out the dough into roughly 12-14 ‘mounds’ on a sprayed cookie sheet.

Bake a 350 degrees for about 12-13 minutes. Let cool, forget your worries, then enjoy!

mmmmmm…ginger…

In the middle of this Heat Wave…

Waiting and waiting for summer…

and then you live one day in a heat index of 117 degrees. A small part of me was day dreaming of the cute scarves and light jackets of fall, uh oh…So to stay in the cool zone I’ve been taking my spinach smoothies to the next level with an abundance of fresh and chilly fruit

With as much spinach as I can fit in the blender, lots of cinnamon, ground flax, half a frozen banana, frozen strawberries, peaches, pineapple, and finished off with almond milk and a drop or two of pure vanilla extract. BLENDddddd. to cool creamy nutrient packed goodness!

Stay cool now ~

Summer Morning Oats

I’m back….back with some oats for you on this lovely and HOT summer day.

While I am basking in the glory that is post-graduation I am trying to stay motivated. It is so easy to fall into a routine, which I can not do. So here is a way to jumpstart your day

Despite the Georgian heat I wanted a hot and hardy cereal – Welcome: Oat Bran

This bag of Oat bran has been sitting in my pantry FOREVER and it was screaming out for attention

In a small pot bring 2 cups water and a good pinch of salt to boil, then turning the burner off, slowly stir in 2/3 cup of oat bran. Leave everything to sit for about 2 minutes. Then [with a rustic wooden spoon if your feeling in the mood, which I was] scoop out half the oat bran mixture into a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1 or 2 tbsp ground flax seed, large dash of cinnamon, and a decent swirl of honey. I proceeded to add a new dried berry mix with golden raisins, cherries, cranberries, and blueberries.

STIR. and ENJOY.

You have two options for what is left in the pot.

1 – prepare a bowl just like yours for a fellow lucky companion…

OR

2 – prepare a bowl just like yours and put in the fridge to have the next morning.

The choice is yours ~ too a happy and productive day

The Next Chapter

So, where have I been the past two months???

Unfortunately no where near the kitchen. I have FINALLY earned my degree, however, in Motion Media Design. So now that school is finally over I can concentrate on what I really want to do with my time….so expect some yummy recipes soon

Hope everyone is having a lovely start to summer ~

JUMP for cookies

Get ready to rock your socks {…}

These cookies are amazing, and contain no butter or eggs. A ‘healthy’ chocolate chip cookie if you will. But to me it tastes like a brown sugar, peanut butter, maple, dark chocolate, sea salt, cookie of goodness.  :)

The recipe is amazingly simple to go along with these tasty treats. Mix your dry, mix your not dry, then combine and bake.  You have no excuse not to make these and feel awesome about yourself. {recipe at end of post}

First mix together the dry:

Mix together the not dry:

Make sure you mash and mix up the peanut butter so all the wet ingredients are completely combined.

Then combine and mix. When everything is blended throw in the chocolate chips and form into balls.  Place on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

You can flatten slightly for a thicker cookie or flatten completely for a much thinner cookie. I chose a happy place in-between the two.

If you like before baking the cookies sprinkle a little sea salt and/or brown sugar on the tops of the cookies.  Salt especially is such a good flavor addition to a sweet snack.

These were absolutely delicious right out of the oven, which is when most of my desserts are eaten…, but if you can save a few they are even better the next day.

Recipe for JUMP cookies ~

1 and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

about 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1.5 tbsp chunky peanut butter {or nut butter of choice, any will work}

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

3.5 tbsp canola oil

as much CHOCOLATE as your heart desires

Refreshing Mexican Salad

Summer is in the air ~

And I am ready. Ready for the colors, the sun, and most of all – the produce. This recipe is a perfect example of how to incorporate all of these things in one dish. The star ingredient in this salad is the lime, it takes the show…I find myself making this dish a lot throughout the winter months to create a small bit of warmth. But no longer will I have to pretend, so put on your short shorts and get ready to refresh your taste buds with this salad!

This recipe is very versatile, what you put in can vary to take advantage of whatever you have on hand.

First off is chopping fresh veggies. I used a yellow and orange bell pepper though next time I would use red and green. The yellow tends to be a bit sweet.

dice onion

Then put the chopped peppers and onion in a large mixing bowl

Drain and rinse beans, three cans of what ever your fancy [black bean, pinto, cannellini, great northern, kidney] and throw in the bowl.

Next is a bag of frozen corn, I usually make this dish within 30 mins of eating and always enjoy how the frozen corn gives that extra chilly factor but canned corn would work just as well. Add large amounts of cilantro and the dressing, then mix and serve, or cover and leave in fridge until ready.

Refreshing Mexican Salad

3 cans of beans [black bean, cannellini, pinto, great northern, kidney] drained and rinsed

2 bell peppers – chopped

1 medium red onion – chopped

1 bag frozen corn

Bunch of cilantro

for the dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tbsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

I recommend tasting as you add the salt and sugar, you may not need all of it.  Then season with hot sauce afterward if desired.

 

Hamantaschens!

The one tradition my family has kept once a year is making hamantaschen cookies from scratch

These beauties have a light sweet dough and endless filling possibilities.  The true test is trying not to eat all the fillings up while your trying to make them…

For the dough mix 2 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp orange peel, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl.  Add in one stick of cut butter, canola oil, and water.  Then mix in 2 beaten eggs and 2 tbsp of milk.  Once the dough binds together knead until smooth.  Divide the dough in half and wrap both portions in wax paper.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before baking or overnight.

When your ready to bake flour your surfaces, or entire kitchen table, to allow for plenty of rolling pin room.

Roll up your sleeves, flour your hands, and get down to business.  Roll out the dough, you might want to knead it for a quick second first, then with a 3 inch round cookie cutter cut out as many circles as you can.

Take the leftover dough, knead it back into a ball, then start all over again.  Making as many hamantaschens as you can.

You can fill a hamantaschen with almost anything, which is the pure beauty of this tasty cookie.  A traditional filling is poppy seed, but we also use an array of fruit spreads, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.  Next year I’m throwing nutella into the mix, I smile just thinking about it!

To fold the hamantaschen you fold three sides of the circle as shown, making sure to pinch the ends.

When your ready to bake preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place hamantaschens on a greased or lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes then take out and let cool.

A perfect example of what happens when your corners are not properly pinched…

Dough Recipe:

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp grated orange peel

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1 1/2 tsp water

2 eggs

2 tbsp milk

Fillings:

assorted jellies, nut spreads, and chocolates.  Get creative and make up something new!

Click here for the history behind the treat.

Enjoy ~