Fall fun

The H , little guy, and I met my in-laws at a local apple orchard this past weekend. I was thrilled to discover that they sell fruit butters and jams with no added sugars--just fruit. Love that. I didn't get any this time, but will certainly go back. My grocery store doesn't have a great just fruit jam selection.



The little guy had a great time playing around and certainly wouldn't mind a return trip!

OK, I *owned* that squash.

Acorn squash. Small, pointy-ended green skinned veg. I asked about it in my previous post. I have (had) 5lbs of it in the basement, thanks to the co-op. And up until dinner, I'd only ever eaten it buried under mounds of butter and brown sugar. Growing up, it was the one squash I could tolerate the most, but I had to eat it as described above and it had to be eaten first. Why is it that squash gets cold so fast? Anyway, childhood memories aside, this squash was awesome. I took a few (pathetic) pictures of it, but won't gross you out with them right now. Perhaps I will edit to include them later... you know, when the camera isn't several rooms away and I'm not feeling so lazy.

Here's how it went down:

I wanted to make quinoa and acorn squash and had the brilliant idea of stuffing the latter with the former. Got that? But what else should go into it? A little rummaging in the freezer and pantry brought forth 4oz of cooked ground spicy turkey sausage, a tiny delicata squash, apples, and onion. And thus, my dinner began. The quinoa (in veggie broth) simmered itself in the rice cooker while I baked the halved squashes at 350 for 40 minutes or so. I chopped the apple (Fuji) and onion (red) and sauteed them in olive oil, then added the mostly-thawed cooked sausage. When the squash was soft, I scooped out each half and added the flesh to the skillet, stirring well to combine. I threw out the delicata skins and put the acorn shells back into the baking dish.

A quick taste determined that it was good, but not really flavorful. I hadn't added any salt, pepper, or seasonings yet. What to add? Italian herbs = bad combo. Red pepper = overkill with the sausage. Nothing sounded good...until I found the curry powder. It was PERFECT. And my Curry-Stuffed Acorn Squash was born. I added 1/2 teaspoon to my skillet, scooped some quinoa into the squash, then stuffed the seasoned filling into the four cavities. I topped each one with a tiny shower of locally-made mild white cheddar and tossed them back in the oven for a few minutes to warm through and melt. The sweet, gently spicy, smoky nature of the spice complemented the flavors in the squash just right. At dinner, I was that annoying cook who kept exclaiming over her own brilliance and tasty end result. Ha! I wasn't the only one, though; The H even said I could submit it to CE Mag. It was seriously good. I was so proud of us! At The H's suggestion, next time I make this, I will attempt a red (or other colorful) reduction or sauce.

After dinner I pounded out a fast and awesome 3.25 miles on the treadmill. Endorphins may or may not be contributing to the glowing review of this meal, though even before I cranked up my iPod and broke a good sweat, we were saying how good it was. :) Yay squash!

DDC #2: Holiday dinner #3

One of my self-chosen Dark Days Challenge rules was to make local-food items for family gatherings or potlucks as much as possible, so when our third family dinner in as many days rolled around I knew I wanted to contribute local ingredients to the table. With co-op pickup handily scheduled for last Tuesday, I was prepared to make parsnip mashed potatoes (using this recipe) and an apple crisp (using this recipe) today. Both got rave reviews, I'm happy to say. And though they are not the greatest, I took two pictures I have of the dishes--parsnips keeping warm on the stovetop, and apple crisp waiting to be baked 'til bubbly.

The parsnips were sweeter than potatoes, but very similar in texture. Even without cream or butter, they turned out so creamy and pleasant. My only change from the recipe linked above is that I doubled it and added one extra potato, so my ratio was 8 parsnips to 3 (large) Pontiac Red potatoes. Both the parsnips and taters were locally grown. I also made roasted broccoli, for the second time ever, using this recipe again. It was also very well-received, though not made with local ingredients. Does broccoli grow in west Michigan? I don't even know!

Due to The H's wheat allergy, I made the crisp with gluten-free flour. I love how the apples caramelize in the filling, and a crisp, sweet crumb topping is one of my favorite dessert components. I accidentally told my sister to add to much sugar to the apples (gotta love help in the kitchen, though!) so it was a bit sticker and sweeter than it's been other times I've made it... glad I was able to get my long run in this morning!

Beef stew and apple crisp

Yesterday was a snowy, blowy day here on the west side of the mitten state, a perfect day for beef stew in the slow cooker. As I was putting this together, I realized that the majority of the ingredients came from our co-op. Perfect! I'm trying to transition our household to eating more local food vs. grocery store stuff, so this meal was ideal. And it was tasty, too. I think The H had three bowls at dinner, and took leftovers for lunch today.

Co-Op Beef Stew

1lb beef stew meat, cubed (co-op!)

Red wine, for deglazing pan

6 small carrots, scrubbed and sliced (co-op!)

2 onions, peeled and diced (co-op!)

4 potatoes, washed and cubed (co-op!)

Canned tomatoes

Zucchini, diced

4oz fresh sliced mushrooms

Worcestershire sauce, about 1 Tbsp

Black pepper and sea salt, to taste

Beef stock or broth, about 2 cups

Prepare potatoes, carrots, and and place into olive-oiled slow cooker crock. Add tomatoes. Brown cubes of beef with a few cloves of minced garlic, and add to crock. Deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup red wine; bring to a boil, get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, and add the wine to the slow cooker. Pour in beef stock. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire (hot sauce, like Frank's, would probably be good in here, too). Cover the crock and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add the sliced mushrooms and zucchini for the last hour of cooking. Thicken with a cornstarch-water mixture if desired. We left it brothy per The H's request.

Dessert was an oatmeal apple crisp made with co-op Ida Red apples. It was delicious! I used this recipe from allrecipes.com with very few modifications. For example, I used turbinado sugar instead of white, added nutmeg to the apples, and walnuts to the crumble topping/crust. Instead of straight butter, I used Smart Balance 50/50 blend. It was a perfectly sweet, homemade end to our chilly winter day.