Butternut Squash Casserole

Recipe by my good friend, Emily McFarlane.

This is one of my favorite winter time foods. There's butternut squash, sharp cheese, and caramelized onions, what else could you ask for?

Ingredients:

One medium butternut squash peeled and cut into one inch cubes (if they sell fresh pre-peeled and cubed squash at your grocery story (they do at Trader Joe's), go for it! about 2 lbs)

Olive oil

One small onion or two shallots chopped

Three cloves of garlic minced

12 oz. of spinach (I like fresh, but you can use frozen, thawed and drained if you prefer)

One cup sliced mushrooms (shittake are good in this, but cremini- aka baby bella, or white button mushrooms work fine)

For the cheese sauce:

1.5 tablespoons of butter

1.5 tablespoons of flour

1-1.5 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheese (I like to use something sharp like gruyere or sharp white cheddar, but something smokey like gouda works too. Anything that melts well and is, preferably, white so you can see all the delicious contents of your baked casserole)

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Put peeled and cubed squash into your casserole dish, toss with oil and bake while you are completing the other components of your dish. It's important to start baking it before you add the sauce otherwise the whole thing will take FOREVER! Remember to stir ever 5-10 minutes so it cooks evenly. Do not cook longer than 20 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile saute onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and the garlic is a little browned. 
4. Add mushrooms and saute for a few more minutes. 
5. Add the spinach, after it has wilted, remove from heat and set aside.

To make the cheese sauce:
 6. Start a "roux" using equal parts butter and flour. 
7. Stir together over medium heat until butter melts and a paste forms. The roux is done when it goes from smelling like play-doh to pie crust (or after 2-3 minutes). 
8. Alternate adding milk and shredded cheese, whisking constantly to melt. 
9. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste. You can also include herbs if you like, rosemary is excellent with this flavor combo.  

10. Pull the butternut out of the oven. 
11. Spread the spinach-mushroom mixture evenly over the cooked butternut and mix together with a large spoon or spatula. 
12. Pour the cheese sauce across the pan and use your spatula to make sure it covers all the areas of the pan.

13. Cover casserole dish with aluminum foul and return to the oven for 15 minutes. 
14. Remove the foil and cook for 10 more to allow the cheese sauce to brown (mmm the best part).

It's done when heated through an the squash thoroughly cooked (test by making sure squash is easily pierced with a butter knife)

Allow to cool a few minutes and enjoy! Great with brown rice, whole wheat pasta or egg noodles.

Vegetable Stock Made from Scratch

Recipe by my good friend, Emily Mcfarlane.

Stock makes everything more delicious and adds layers of flavor to your homemade dishes. Use it in place of water when cooking rice or pasta, as a base for soups and sauces, and to simmer veggies, fish, or chicken on the stove top. Buying it can get expensive especially if you want the stuff without a lot of extra sodium or other crap. The solution is to make your own on the cheap. Don’t worry, it takes very little time or effort and can be made out of things you would normally throw away.

Keep a gallon-size bag in your freezer and as you chop veggies, put the leftover peels, odds and ends in the bag.

What to include:

Celery that’s gone rubbery

Carrot peels and ends

Mushroom stems

Outer layers of onions and papers

Garlic bits- papers, the knob on the bottom of the head, cloves that are too tiny to chop up otherwise

Herbs that you forgot about and have dried out

Beet scraps- peels, bottoms and tails (but not too much or you will have bright pink stock!)

What not to include:

Anything with high water content- lettuce, cucumber etc

Anything that is very starchy- potato, butternut squash

Any veggies that are too far gone- celery and carrots that have gotten a little limp are ok, but if they're brown and rotting then don't include them- the flavor will permeate your stock.

Make sure you’ve cleaned everything BEFORE you put it in your freezer bag, it’ll make things easier when it comes time to make stock. When the bag is full, you’re ready! Make sure you have at least the equivalent of 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery and one onion (the aromatics). In addition make sure you have plenty of herbs to flavor your stock: garlic, basil and thyme work well; tying them up in some cheese cloth will make them easier to fish out later. Put all of your veggies (no need to thaw), herbs, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a large pot and cover with water (about 12 cups). Bring water to a boil then turn down and allow to simmer for an hour or so. Your kitchen will smell awesome and in the end you will have delicious stock. Wait for it to cool down a bit, then using a slotted spoon remove all of the vegetable bits and the bunch of herbs.

To store your stock, I would recommend pouring it into a few different containers for your freezer so you don't have to thaw the entire batch to use it in a recipe. Even better, use a liquid measuring cup to parcel out one cup measurements so it will be ready for recipes (risotto, I'm looking at you). I also like to freeze some in an ice cube tray covered with plastic, in case I only need a little bit.

 

Barrio, [Park Slope] Brooklyn

there are several benefits to living down the street from a restaurant/bar that serves 2 for 1 cocktail drinks all night. i only have a mere 4 blocks to bravely put on my right foot-then-left foot-sober face, and for 2 DELICIOUS drinks for $9 total? not bad i'd say. they have everything from mango margaritas to mojitos to something called the caprihana.

210 7th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-465-4000

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with a Balsamic Glaze

I know that brussel sprouts are an acquired taste, but I happen to adore them. Simply tossed with butter and a sprinkle of salt, and I am a happy lady. I decided to take it up a notch and create a simple glaze that complimented and accentuated the brussel sprouts. I think that a balsamic glaze works particularly well with veggies that have a sweetness to them like brussel sprouts, peppers, carrots, and even heartier ones like acorn or butternut squash. I've used this glaze with meats and seafood like chicken and shrimp and had fantastic results. Pretty much this glaze is a show stopper, and can be matched with almost anything!

Ingredients:
10-12 brussel sprouts, cleaned and halved
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs honey
salt & pepper
seasonings of choice (optional)

what to do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil (easy clean up)
3. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper
4. Arrange the brussels sprouts on the baking sheet, and sprinkle salt and pepper over the tops
5. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the sprouts so that they're all covered
6. If you choose to use a seasoning (i used lemon herb, but you could use any kind like italian or herbs) sprinkle over the top
7. Bake in oven for 25-27 mins, sticking a fork in the sprouts to see if cooked through

Roasted Shrimp and Tomato Penne Pasta

 

It's amazing the kind of dishes you can throw together with a little creativity. I had not been to the grocery store in quite some time, but [thankfully] I had a few basic items around the house, and I almost always have shrimp in the freezer. It's always a good idea to keep pastas and canned tomatoes around. If you eat as much pasta as I do, constantly buying pasta sauce in jars can add up. I've learned that keeping a can of diced, whole, or stewed tomatoes in the pantry can be really helpful in a pinch. They are essentially a blank slate for an Italian sauce that you can take in several directions. Adding in Italian spices, cloves of garlic and a splash of red or white wine takes a .99 can of tomatoes to the next level. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup penne pasta

handful of frozen (or fresh) shrimp, thawed

1 can of diced tomatoes in italian spices

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp italian spices or basil, oregano

salt & pepper

olive oil

white or red wine (optional)

what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Start a pot of water on the stove to boil - add salt, splash of olive oil

3. Prepare the shrimp on a baking sheet by spreading them out and drizzling them with olive oil, salt, pepper

4. Bake shrimp for 7-9 mins until pink and curled up

5. Once water boils, add in pasta, and cook according to box instructions

6. In the meantime, pour tomatoes into a saucepan and heat to simmering

7. Add in the minced garlic, italian spices, and a splash of red or white wine

8. Let the sauce reduce for a few minutes, and add in the shrimp once it's ready

9. Drain and rinse pasta, return to pan

10. Add sauce to pasta

11. Serve with shredded parmesan over the top

Cream Cheese and Walnut Cookie Bars

I was flipping through my mom's cook book, Still Life with Menu by Mollie Katzen, and came across this recipe. It sounded so peculiar that i had to try it out. The cookies were delicious, but had a drier consistency than i had anticipated. They are definitely not the melt-in-your-mouth kind of treat, but delightful just the same. They went nicely with a warm cup of Chai tea!

Recipe by Molly Katzen: Still Life with Menu

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup ground walnuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon

what to do:
1. In a mixer, cream together butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy
2. Add in the egg and continue mixing
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients
4. Measure a piece of aluminum foil to 10x13, and place dough in the middle
5. Wrap the dough with one side of foil, and roll dough over to the other side to create a log
6. Tuck sides in, and either refrigerate for a couple hours, or put in the freeze for 30-40 mins
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
8. Slice the frozen dough into 1/8" slices and place on cookie sheet
9. Bake for 12-15 mins

I would like to try this recipe out again, but slicing the cookies thinner than i did in the picture, and also trying it out with a sweet flavored cream cheese like hazelnut.

White Chocolate and Dried Cranberry Cookies

 

Adapted from the classic Toll-house Chocolate Chip Recipe

Now, i know you can never really "get tired" of homemade chocolate chip cookies, but this winter when I went home for the holidays - I was on chocolate overload. This is a great alternative to chocolate chip cookies while using the same recipe. Maybe you'll feel less guilty eating 10 of these in one sitting because they have fruit in them? I did...

If you enjoy making cookies it's a good idea to make sure you always have the basic cookie-making ingredients on hand - flour, brown sugar, vanilla, etc. Mastering a basic cookie makes it easier (and more fun) to play around with the ingredients. Instead of dried cranberries you could use blueberries, apricots, peanut better chips, raisins - whatever you've got around the house. 

Ingredients: 

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup white chocolate chips

what to do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl

3. In a separate bowl cream together both sugars, vanilla, and butter

4. Beat in the eggs one by one until combined

5. Gradually add in the flour mixture to the wet mixture until combined

6. Add in the cranberries and white chocolate chips

7. Place spoonfuls of dough on a baking sheet

8. Bake for 8-10 mins

If you don't want to use all of the dough, you can always freeze the rest. Pull out a long sheet of plastic wrap, and place spoonfuls of the dough in the middle. Cover the dough with one side of the plastic wrap, and roll to the other side, so it forms a log. tuck in the outsides, and it's ready to store!