Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts

Try this even if you do not like butternut squash or brussel sprouts. It may surprise you.

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and seeded, chopped into 1/2 in cubes
1 container fresh brussel sprouts, rinsed, and ends cut off, sliced into 3-4 slices (depending on the size)
2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs butter
Rachel Ray's 24/7 Everyday Seasoning
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 . Toss the brussel sprouts and squash wiht the olive oil. On a foil lined sheet pan bake for 30 min. Remove from oven. In a hot skillet, add the butter (you may not need both tbsp). Season with 10-15 twists of RR seasoning (If you dont have it or cant find it sub salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp cumin). Toss the aquash and brussels wiht the butter and seasoning in a hot skillet for 6 min. Add 1 tbs brown sugar, saute for an additional 3 min. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and cook on low for 5 min.

You could easily skip the butter/skillet part and sprinkle the brown sugar on the veggies in the sheet pan and bake an additional 4-5 min. I end up burning it becasue I forget about it so I keep it on the stove where I can see it!

Apple Custard Pie

Just made this for an Apple Pie Contest- wish me luck!

Ingredients:

For the filling:
8-9 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used Winesap and a few Ginger Gold Apples)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten, plus 1 beaten egg yolk
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbs butter, cubed and chilled
1 tsp cinnamon

1 basic pie crust (use prepackaged if you like. I made Ina Garten's recipe for pie crust)

IN a food processor combine streusel topping ingredients, set aside and chill.
Heat the butter and add apples, sugar and cinnamon, stir and cook about 5 min. Set aside. In a large bowl combine apples, spices, vanilla, buttermilk, flour and eggs. Roll out pie crust and fit into a deep dish pie pan. Add cranberries and pour filling over. Top with the streusel topping and flute edges of crust. Bake in a preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes, do not open oven, then lower temp to 350 degtrees and bake for 40-50 min or until filling is solid and not "squiggly". Cool on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Servbe warm or chilled. Refrigerate if not serving immediately.

Thai Turkey Wild Rice Soup

What cook doesn't love a happy accident? I know I do. That's what happened today. I was all set to make Italian wedding soup tonight, but didn't have enough parm cheese and no orzo. This soup may be one of my best and it's only because I had to improvise.

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, smashed, divided into 2 portions
1 large onion, chopped, divided into 2 equal portions
handful fresh basil
handful fresh parsley
2 sliced whole wheat bread, torn
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg ground turkey
2 tsp xtra virgin olive oil, plus 2 more tsp

2 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bunch bok choy, chopped (try to get a smaller one, more tender)
handful fresh organic spinach
2 32 oz containers college Inn light and fat free broth
1-2 tsp sirachha hot chili sauce (or fresh hot peppers chopped)
(I actually used crushed hot peppers I had in the freezer, it was a good garden yr for them)
3/4 cup wild/brown rice mix. (see pic for the kind I used)
1/2 inch pc of fresh ginger, grated
10-12 grinds of Rachel Ray's 24/7 Everyday Seasoning. (I love this stuff, if you don't have it use salt.pepper and a spice you like)

In mini chopper or food processor, combine 1/2 garlic, 1/2 onion, basil, parsley, bread. Mix. Add in turkey and egg, mix until thoroughly combined. Make mini meatballs about the size of a walnut. In a skillet heat 2 tsp xtra virgin olive oil until hot and add meatballs. Saute until brown on both sides, about 3-4 min.  In Dutch Oven or soup pot add 2 tsp olive oil. When hot add onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Saute until soft, 3-4 min. Add sliced bok choy, 2 min more. Add rice, spinach, ginger and meat balls and cover with the chicken broth. Stir in siraccha and add Seasoning. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for 40-45 min until rice is cooked.

Fresh Roasted Jalapeno and Poblano Salsa

Fresh Salsa- 6 roasted peppers, I used a combo of poblano, jalapeno and chili peppers, roasted in oven till skin turns black, cover pan with another pan for 20 min. Peel and discard skins and seeds.

COmbine in food processor-
peppers, 3 cloves garlic, large bunch cilantro, juice of 2 limes, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cracked pepper, 1/2 onion, diced. 3 cups fresh or canned tomatoes. I oven roasted 6 garden tomatoes and added 1 large can of jersey tomatoes. I put mine in Ball freezer containers. If you are freezing, add to almost the very top to prevent freezer burn.