This morning’s subway commute was eerily empty.  It always creeps me out a bit when there is nobody else in the car with me.  But then, I guess it’s better than being packed in the train like a can of sardines…

Munchables for the day:

Apple, dried papaya/pears, 365 spelt pretzels, PB&J dipped MoJo bar, Honey Graham Z bar, and un ensalada enorme.

Work was nice and slow.  Happiness!  I love it when I get a full hour lunch break.  I enjoyed each and every bite of my packed eats.

I even got off work 5 minutes early!  I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but sometimes a mere minute can make the difference between a 10 minute express ride home on the subway and a 30+ minute schlep on a local train.  I got home by 7:15 so you do the math…

I was drawing a complete blank in terms of dinner.  Nothing sounded good.  Nothing!  (Hate that)

Have you ever started to prepare a meal knowing full well you weren’t really into it…and then it totally surprised you?

Well, that’s how this dish went.  I made a “vodka tomato sauce” (of sorts) out of smashed up cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, and plain greek yogurt…took one taste and chucked it into the trash can.  Trust.  That’s where it belonged.  It was way nast.  Then I remembered a recent WF purchase. 

Quorn meatless and soy-free meatballs to the rescue!  Pretty good nutritional stats, huh?

I thawed a few and added them to a huge (and I mean HUGE) plate full of spaghetti squash (tutorial here).

Also in the spaghetti squash pasta: cherry tomatoes and a few dollops of salvaged tomato sauce (not from the trash can, I still had the separate ingreds).  Check out those gorgeous spaghetti squash “noodles”!!

What would a pasta be without nooch?

Heavy handed?  I should say so…

The dish was outstanding, which was unexpected, and thus all the more pleasing.  There’s nothing like low expectations to really boost your opinion, eh?  The quorn meatless meatballs were different than anything I have tried before.  I liked them, but there was definitely something kinda funky about them that I couldn’t quite put my finger on…they were really salty (hello, 390 mg sodium per serving).  I think the part that weirded me out was how well they replicated real meat.  First of all, I’m not used to that taste, and secondly, it’s not a flavor I really care to recreate.  But for those who are into meat alternatives that taste fairly authentic…quorn is the product to go with.

I had a mayj squash baby after this dinner, and yet, I still had room for a 4×4  HUNK ‘o cornbread. 

Yes, I took a bite before taking a photo…my bad! 

Anyways, I hope everyone has a FABULOUS Thanksgiving tomorrow.  Eat, drink, and be merry!  And do a bit extra for me.

Being squash season, it was only a matter of time until a big ‘ol spaghetti squash found it’s way to my kitchen.

The first time I made this manned up enough to hack into this bada$$, I was more than a bit nervous.  I kept seeing all these gorgeous pictures of perfectly cooked stringy spaghetti squash throughout the blog world, but never really understood what exactly I was supposed to do to get there.  Fortunately, I pieced together a game plan…and got a pretty decent yield. 

This time around I felt like an old pro, so I figured I should take pictures throughout the process.  Since I had a million and one questions the first time around, others out there must too, right?  Well either way, here’s my photo tutorial of how to make spaghetti squash.

To split it, get a huge knife and deliver a swift blow.  You’ll notice two knives in this photos and that’s because in order to more easily hack it open, I first poke (stab) holes in the whole squash and then microwave it for 2 minutes.  Make sure you poke holes with a small knife first so it doesn’t explode, and also make sure you rotate it in the micro or it will get too hot in one spot.

It should look like a pumpkin inside (but stringier and with far fewer seeds).

To cook it, place it open side down on a pan.  If you want to, you can submerge it in a pan with an inch of water.

Get your mind out of the gutter…

I cooked this on 375 for an hour, but it does vary based on size and thickness.  To know if it’s done, poke it with a knife.  The knife will easily penetrate the skin if it’s ready. 

Expose the inner flesh and let it cool a bit.

Once it has cooled a bit you can begin to scoop out the stringy squash flesh.

It will break away from the outside easily.

You will get a TON of squash out of this, so what I usually do is tupperware the spaghetti squash in several servings and freeze a few for a (future) quick and easy dinner.  Don’t be nervous, it stores and reheats well, and you don’t lose any of the texture.

Look how closely you can scrape!

Hope this helps anyone out there who wants to try spaghetti squash but was too nervous to try.  All you need is a big knife and some serious cojones.

The first thing to do in squash is to find your grip. Unlike tennis there is a standard grip in squash and normally players have the same grip when they are playing forehand and backhand. This is quite different from tennis or badminton. Here is Razik’s take on the grip.

Truth to be told, the grip actually differs from people to people. Ramy Ashour, the talented young Egyptian, is known to have a badminton grip, changing from standard squash forehand grip to badminton style backhand grip. The former world number 1 Amr Shabana changes grip when he does backhand shoots, too. He will even change his grip position depending on the shot he is going to execute. This is standard among the top professional players. Here is his view on grips and more:

So the bottom line, find your own grip! Here is a series of videos that will help you through:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=EBEC48A09D1524BA

References:

1. Get a grip tips from the Khans

Who knew I could feed myself from a front yard garden alone? Other than the flour, I grew everything for this dish in my small, urban yard; potatoes, garlic, chard, tomatoes and squash.

I may have mentioned my front yard transformation last spring. With the help of a great neighbour, a dumping of dirt, a seed catalogue and some eager kids, we transferred lawn into an edible space.

Less the brussels sprouts and the chard, most of the garden now harvested. There were the three varieties of potatoes; Peruvian Reds, Blue and Russian Fingerlings, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash, sweet Yellow Pear Tomatoes just for this dish alone. (It doesn’t even hint at the edamame, peas, beans, beets, asparagus, blueberries, herbs, okra, cabbages, zucchini, pumpkins… corn… wow!)

After digging up a surplus of potatoes, I needed a few ideas on what to do with them. With BBQ season pretty much a thing of the past, potato salad wasn’t topping my list as much as the gnocchi. Besides, I just had to when I saw the light pinkiness of the potatoes and the great texture that was perfect for such a thing.

Feeding yourself all on your own, that’s local.
Now, that’s something to be thankful for!

PERUVIAN PINK POTATO GNOCCHI

1Lb Potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed (you can use other starchy potatoes, like Russetts as well)
1 Cup All Purpose Flour, plus more for rolling.
1/4 teaspoon Salt

In a large bowl, finely mash the cooked potatoes so they are lump free.
Add the salt and half of the flour then add 1/4 cup at a time stirring to combine and bring everything together in a smooth dough. You may not need it all.
Depending on your work surface, third or quarter the dough. Take one piece and cover remaining pieces.
Roll the dough into long “snakes” and cut into 1″ pieces.
Roll each piece off the back of a floured fork and repeat finishing all of the dough.
Drop into salted boiling water and cook gnocchi until they float; about 3 – 4 minutes.

While the gnocchi were boiling I made the “sauce” of tomatoes, chard, squash and garlic.
I cubed the peeled, cleaned squash and sautéed it, covered in a large, lightly oiled pan. Once the pieces began to soften, I removed the lid to let the stem escape and pieces brown.
I added two cloves of finely chopped garlic and the chard to cook for another two minutes.
Once the chard had wilted, I added 1 cup of sliced yellow pear tomatoes, salt, pepper and a palmful of chopped basil.
Simple and delicious.

Courtesy of the better half:

Having a light cup of soup, at the beginning of a meal, will help you feel fuller

When we were really little, my grandmothers hosted Thanksgiving, trading off every other year. Eventually a broken hip and other ailments got the best of them. For a year or two they took us all out to a noisy, over-crowded restaurant. It didn’t take long for my mother to declare that SHE would now be cooking Thanksgiving dinner. No one argued.   

Since my grandparents didn’t like to drive after dark, the feast was mandated to start at the stroke of one. To meet this deadline, my parents were up and in the kitchen early, stuffing the turkey before the dawn. Snuggled under the covers, I could hear them having what could have been misconstrued as an argument.  Within the family, we considered it to be nothing more than an enthusiastic discussion.

And what critical question could possibly merit so much predawn attention? Without fail, year in and year out, they engaged in an intensive debate on how long to cook the bird. In those days, my dad spent almost zero time in the kitchen but was surprisingly opinionated on this matter. Eventually they came to some kind of agreement, gave the turkey a kiss and pushed him into the oven.

Hours later the topic was revisited when they poked and prodded and opined if the bird was done. This second debate was even more interesting because at least one of my two grandmothers was more than apt, ready and able to pipe in with an opinion. 

Eventually some kind of consensus was reached. Beautiful and golden brown, Tom Turkey was pulled from the oven. At that point, the activity in the already busy kitchen was turned up a notch.  After everyone had given the requisite oooh or awww, my dad went to work carving the bird. My mother and grandmothers bustled around at top speed getting everything else ready and on the table.  In short order, the sideboard groaned under the weight of the huge turkey and all the fixin’s.

Ours was a traditional New England feast and the menu remained more or less unchanged for decades. As in 1621, the vegetables were hardy and local. A salad never graced our Thanksgiving Day table but the spread always included a huge mound of mashed potatoes, a big pot of butternut squash and a bubbling casserole of creamed onions. Lots of gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, two kinds of stuffing and Nana Nye’s Cape Cod turnip completed the meal. Nana insisted and the rest of the adults seemed to agree that Cape Cod turnip was something special. I thought it tasted like bitter baby food. But then again I thought the squash tasted like bland, slightly sweet baby food. The meal ended with a trio of pies, apple, pumpkin and pecan, served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. No one ever felt the need for change; it just seemed right to have the same menu year in and year out.

My mother happily retired as Thanksgiving’s head cook several years ago. I now have that honor. Mom is more than delighted to peel a few potatoes but otherwise stay out of the fray. In spite of a few grumbles, I have made a change or two to the menu. (Blame it on all those years I lived in Europe!) The meal is a little simpler now. We make do with one stuffing instead of two. The squash is no longer boiled and mashed but roasted for soup. I’ve switched out the onions and turnip for broccoli and a salad. My sister-in-law Jennifer and her three girls bake beautiful apple and pumpkin pies. And my dad. Some things never change. He leads the annual Thanksgiving Day debate on how long to cook the bird.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Enjoy!

Bon appétit!

 Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasting squash is a delicious alternative to the boiled and mashed dish of my childhood. It is great on Turkey Day and wonderful in leftovers so make a little extra. Enjoy!

Serves 6-8

2 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds each), peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place squash in large roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for about 15 minutes. Add the onions, toss to combine and continue roasting, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned about 45 minutes total.

Cheesy Gratin with Thanksgiving Leftovers

Use the leftover squash in salads, soups or baked in a cheesy gratin.

Serves 6-8

12-16 ounces dried penne pasta

1 pound baby spinach

About 2 cups leftover turkey cut into bite-sized pieces

About 2 cups leftover roasted butternut squash

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more to butter the baking dish

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Pinch nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter a large baking dish.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, less 1 minute.  Drain and return the pasta to the pot. Combine the spinach with the hot pasta; let the spinach wilt. Add the turkey and squash and combine.

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, herbs, paprika and nutmeg and whisk for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Add about 2/3 of the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sauce to the pasta, toss to combine and transfer to the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheeses. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the gratin is piping hot and golden brown.

Feel free to make a comment; I’d love to hear from you. Just click on COMMENTS below.

For a printer-friendly version of this posting visit my website: www.susannye.com/id6.htm. You can find lots more recipes on my website: www.susannye.com.

©Susan W. Nye, 2009

So you have decided to buy a new racket. Maybe your first one? If you want to go into details, there are lots of things you should consider, on the other hand since this is your first racket there is not so much to consider! I will just give a brief overview on how to choose your first racket.

Power vs Control

Power vs control will be an underlying theme in squash. It is because in general power and control don’t really go together. This is always a dilemma because you want both but you can’t have both. The fundamental reason behind this is the Newton’s law:

f = ma (force is mass times acceleration)

So if you want more force you, you want a heavier mass and more acceleration. We can apply this equation to the squash racket: if you want more power (force generated), you need to have more mass (heavier racket) and more acceleration (more strength generated by your body movement).

The equation can be read the other way around:

a = f/m (acceleration is force divided by mass)

The acceleration is proportional to force but not for mass. Thus if you have a heavier racket, you will need more force to control the acceleration (racket control). In general we have the following trend:

the lighter the racket is the more control you get
the heavier the racket is the more power you get

So in the end you can’t get both!

Tear drop vs round

You will notice that rackets have wide spectrum of shapes. On one end of the spectrum there is this tear drop shape:

The advantage of tear drop shaped rackets are that they generate more power. This is because the racket weight tends to be distributed towards the end of the racket (tear drop shape). Also you get long vertical strings that bend more and thus release more power when coming back to normal length.

On the other end of the spectrum sits the round shaped rackets:

As you can guess, this shape has the opposite effect of the tear drop shaped racket. It gives you more control rather than power. This is a result of the strings bending less and also the weight distribution being towards the middle of the racket.

Conclusion

So what should you get? It depends on your style of play. If you are a power player and like to smash the ball around the court, get a tear drop with decent weight say 140g-ish. If you would like to have more control, go for a light round racket 130g-ish. Ideally you should try the racket before buying it. This is because even though racket A might be lighter than racket B on the scale, racket A might feel heavier when you swing it due to the weight distribution requiring and generating more torque.

But in the end don’t worry too much about the racket. Modern squash rackets are very good, you can’t really go wrong.

Practical 3 Steps

Normally when I buy a racket this is how I do it.
1. Visit the manufacturer’s website and read technical details.
2. Pick a racket and try to see if I can get my hands on one.
3. Visit Google Product Search, check the different websites online and order! (Be aware that some websites charge posting fees separately.)

References:

1. Squash Racket Review (reviews of high end rackets)

I like to cook with real pumpkin when it’s in season. About once every year I get my hands on a pumpkin, and after roasting the seeds, I cook with the flesh. Usually I make chocolate-chip pumpkin bread. This year, I decided to try a recipe I saw a lot of online: pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter sauce.

Does anyone serve dairy for Thanksgiving? Instead of (or in addition to) a traditional pumpkin pie, this would be a great seasonal recipe for anyone whose menu wasn’t filled with turkey and meat. Try this for a vegetarian (or your unkosher) Thanksgiving feast!

After pureeing and flavoring the pumpkin for the inside of the ravioli, I made my own dough to wrap it in, and rolled it out by hand. I only got about as far as 20 raviolis before I broke my rolling pin. I suggest using a pasta maker or the pasta Kitchenaid attachment. I have neither, so I went out and bought some wonton wrappers the next day (for less than $3) to form the rest of my raviolis, which I threw into the freezer to save for another day.

For the filling:

• About 2 cups of pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook the pumpkin in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the pieces as much as possible
2. Melt the butter with the pumpkin
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Put the mixture into a food processor and puree.

I used Giada’s recipe for fresh pasta dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Place the flour in a food processor.
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and stir to combine.
3. Add the egg mixture to the food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides once or twice.
4. Continue, with the machine running, until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers. The dough will be cornmeal-yellow in color. Some of the dough will be sticking together, but it will not form a single ball.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press the dough into a ball and knead gently until the dough is smooth.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Shape the pasta. Make sure you roll the dough out really really really thin!

Now it’s time to assemble your ravioli. Place a teaspoon of the pumpkin filling into the middle of your dough. Brush the edge of the dough with some egg wash and fold, making sure there are no holes for the pumpkin to leak out of while cooking.

Boil the formed raviolis for about 3 minutes, or until they float to the top. Set aside while you make the sauce:

• 1 stick of butter
• About 10 leaves of fresh sage
• Pinch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Brown the butter in a large saucepan. Be patient, it will take about 20-25 minutes.
2. Add the sage leaves to the butter, and cook for another minute, making sure the butter doesn’t burn.
3. Turn off the fire and season the sauce.
4. Pour the sauce over the ravioli and serve immediately.

Above are all half-moon shaped homemade raviolis. Stay tuned for when I cook my semi-store bought rectangular ones. What kind of sauce should I make with them?

The Kosher Foodies wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for this year? Aside from good food?

Every year Grandma would ask “What do you want me to fix for Thanksgiving?”  And every year, my sister and I would request her squash recipe.  This recipe works great using fresh or frozen squash.

Grandma’s Squash Casserole

Mix squash, onion, cheese, sour cream, and soup together.  In a separate bowl , mix stuffing and butter.  Add 1/2 stuffing to squash mixture.  Put squash into a greased baking dish and top with remaining stuffing.  Bake at 325 for 15-25 min or until hot & golden brown.

Chef Caitie Barker and co-host Terry Castleman go shopping for fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market in Springfield, Illinois. Back at the restaurant, Caitie makes Acorn Squash Soup, Stuffed Pumpkin and fresh Apple Dumplings — a yummy late fall menu. Don’t forget to post your comments and questions below!

Be sure to nominate Caitie for the James Beard Rising Star Award (for restaurant owners under 30) at www.jamesbeard.org.

By Howard Harding, PSA World Media Manager
The Professional Squash Association is celebrating the first PSA Super Series event in India for 12 years with next month’s staging of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, a $152,500 championship featuring the top 32 players in the world, in Mumbai.

Promoted by Ivy Sports, led by Raj Arora and PSA member Ritwik Bhattacharya, the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters will be held at the Bombay Gymkhana from 5-10 December.

It will be the 8th staging of the PSA Masters, the only PSA Tour event which is open exclusively to the top 32 players in the world – in this case, the 2009 event entry being based on the October PSA World Rankings.

The event was last held in April 2006 in Bermuda, where current world No2 Amr Shabana claimed the title for the first time after beating England’s Peter Nicol in a five-game final.  It was Nicol, the former world number one who retired in 2006, who won the inaugural PSA Masters in 2000, before going on to secure the title a second time four years later.

Interestingly, it was Nicol who won the last major PSA event to be staged in India – the Mahindra International in Mumbai in 1997, which the former Scot won for the third year in a row.

Lee Beachill, the PSA’s Chief Operating Officer, is delighted that India will be welcoming back the world’s top players to compete in a one of the biggest PSA Tour events of the year:  “We applaud Ivy Sports and their sponsors Punj Lloyd in deciding to stage one of the Tour’s biggest events in Mumbai, an Indian city where squash has always had a loyal following.

“Our grateful thanks also go Cyrus Poncha and the Squash Rackets Federation of India for all their help – and we look forward to working closely with them in raising the profile of squash in India.

“All our top players are looking forward to returning to India’s largest city and competing for one of the richest prizes in the sport this year,” Beachill concluded.

Egypt’s world No3 Karim Darwish is seeded to win the 2009 Punj Lloyd PSA Masters after meeting second seed Gregory Gaultier, the Frenchman who succeeded him at the top of the PSA rankings this month, in the final.

But both will be wary of a number of players – not only former champion Amr Shabana, the third seed from Egypt who won the World Open title for the fourth time earlier this month, and his compatriot Ramy Ashour, the fourth seed who was the 2008 world champion, but also fifth seed Nick Matthew, the Englishman who this week won the Qatar Classic crown for the first time after picking up his second British Open title in September.

Two noteworthy first clashes thrown up by the draw include Ramy Ashour v Hisham Mohd Ashour, a family duel between the sport’s most successful brothers; and Amr Shabana v Renan Lavigne, a potential boardroom battle between the PSA’s Egyptian President and French Vice-President!

PSA Masters 1st round draw:

[1] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[7] James Willstrop (ENG) v Jonathan Kemp (ENG)
[13] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
[4] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[15] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[6] David Palmer (AUS) v Tom Richards (ENG)
[12] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[9] Peter Barker (ENG) v Joey Barrington (ENG)
[8] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[10] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Chris Ryder (ENG)
[3] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Renan Lavigne (FRA)
[11] Alister Walker (ENG) v Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND)
[5] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Julian Illingworth (USA)
[14] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Davide Bianchetti (ITA)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Daryl Selby (ENG)

Oden (Root Vegetable Stew); Edamame; Collard Green Tofu Salad Wraps; Orange triangles

I’ve been raving about the Angelica Home Kitchen cookbook lately. I found the recipe for this Oden (root vegetable stew) in this amazing cookbook. Rutabega, Turnips, Parsnips, Squash in a broth of ginger, shoyu, mirin, shiitake, and seaweed…rich tasting, light, delicious. Even if you don’t like these vegetables, they taste delicious melded in this warming soup.

I’ve decided on our Thanksgiving menu: Oysters, Roast Pheasant; Garlic sautéed Kale; Medley of Roasted Root Vegetables (Rutabega, Turnip, Parsnip); Carmelized Onions; Smashed Squash; Rustic Corn Bread; Concord Grapes (if I can find them!!). Yum! What’s on your menu?

Have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones!

Beef brisket; BBQ; baked beans; fried squash; brussels sprouts; mac and cheese.  The Barbecue Joint, Chapel Hill

Hey y’all!  Welcome to the end of Tuesday!

I am rushing around trying to get packed, Sissy all set up (she will be alone on Thursday and Nick will be home with her on Friday), do laundry and try and clean up the place a bit.  I hate coming home to a dirty house!

As for the eats of the day…

Morning snack was the other 1/2 of my apple from breakfast.

Yes, I took a bite before the picture, or maybe someone took a bite out of it while it was in the break room fridge???  How many people bring reusable lunch boxes to your work?  It is embarrassing how many people bring plastic bags to a place dedicated to the environment.  I guess this shows that the place may be environmental, but that doesn’t mean the people are.

And my lunch?  Well it was a bunch of all different sorts of things.  I am trying to use things up before I leave.

All of my Tupperware to combat all of the plastic bags at the office.

Brown Cow greek and the remainder of the pom arils, peanut butter and celery sticks.

Leftover buttercup squash mouth.

Lots of crunch and ubber filling.

We had our usual Friday crisis.  How do they know we are off for 3 days?!?!?!  Those Fates are tricky!

I slowly made my way through my PM snack for the last hour of work.

Clementine, shredded wheat, mixed nuts.

After work I went to the gym for a quick workout so I could be home to say good bye to Nick!  I did 25 min of the hill and then 30min of negative splits.

Dinner?!?! What to make????

Tofu. Roasted Veggies. Wheat berries. Check, check and check!

Tofu mixed in maple syrup, EVOO, salt, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Wheat berries cooked normally with a little goat cheese mixed in.

Roasted onion, broccoli, mushrooms and carrots in EVOO, oregano and S&P.

Wow, I did not realized how full this would make me feel!  I also must admit I had a few (yes really only a few) Kashi crackers while I was waiting for my food to cook.

OK it is time to get crackin’!  Biggest Loser is on in the background I have some on MamaPea’s maple chick peas to take out of the oven!

See you bright and early!

Yay Maine!!!!!

SERVES  8    PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes + cooling    COOKING TIME: 1 hr 10 mins

Easy to prepare

INGREDIENTS

425 mls / 15 fl oz  (approx 2 US cups)  double (heavy) cream

1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped

2 thyme sprigs, one stripped of leaves

butter, for greasing

500g / 1 lb 2 oz parsnips (about 4 large)

500g / 1 lb 2 oz butternut squash (about 1/2 a large one)

25g / 1 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

…………………………………………………………

Method

Place the cream, onion or shallot and the thyme sprig in a small pan.  Slowly heat to just below boiling point, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Strain, discarding the onion and thyme.

Heat oven to 160C  / 325F  / Gas 4  /  (Fan oven 140C  /275F).  Rub the bottom and sides of a gratin dish measuring about 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in) with butter.  Peel the parsnips and trim the ends.  Peel and scoop the seeds out of the squash.  Thinly slice the vegetables.

Layer the parsnip and squash in the dish, pour over the infused cream, then scatter with the thyme leaves and Gruyere cheese.  Bake for 1 hour until golden and a fork slides easily into the veg.

………………………………………………………….

Get Ahead:  Leave the bake to cool, then cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 days.  To reheat, place in a 220C  / 425F  / gas 7  (fan 200C / 400F) oven for 15 minutes.  If the top starts to brown more than you’d like, cover with foil.

This recipe first appeared in the December 2007 Christmas edition of BBC Good Food magazine

6 servings

2 medium white or yellow onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz stewed tomatoes with juice
Pinch of sugar
1/2 lb eggplant
1 small red bell pepper
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp oregano

Cut onions into quarters. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. In a plastic bag combine flour and pepper and shake to mix. Add chicken and shake to coat lightly. Remove chicken and reserve excess flour.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan. Add chicken and cook until golden. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add remaining oil and add onions and garlic. Cook 3-5 min until mix begins to brown.

Add reserved dredging mixture and stir until flour is no longer visible. Add tomatoes and their juice and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat cover and simmer while you prepare the vegetables.

Chop vegetables into bite sized pieces, then return tomato sauce to a boil. Add vegetables except zuchinni, bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Uncover and bring back to a boil. Add chicken and any accumulated juices and stir into zuchinni. Cook until zuchinni is just tender and chicken is fully cooked.

A few Saturdays ago I sat down on my gorgeously comfortable new couch with the November issue of Bon Appétit in hand and devoured it. I decided to make dishes pretending I was having a week long Thanksgiving feast.

Don’t you just want to dive into it? I did for the next 8 meals. Two servings reside in my fridge for future nights filled with weakness and apathy.

2 pounds peeled seeded butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt plus additional for sprinkling
7 large eggs
2 1/4 cups half and half
6 tablespoons dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
3 day-old baguettes, torn into 1-inch pieces including crust, about 10 cups
1 cup chopped shallots, about 4 large
2 bunches Tuscan kale, ribs removed, kale coarsely chopped
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash with 1 tbl oil on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt; bake until squash is tender, turning with tongs occasionally, 20-25 minutes.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Ass half and half, wine, mustard, and 1.5 tsp salt; whisk to blend. Add baguette pieces; fold gently into egg mixture. Let soak 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbl oil in large pot over med-high heat. Ass shallots and sauté until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Ass kale; cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover ans stir until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Kale will be a bit crunchy.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Generously butter 13×9x2-inch baking dish. Using spoon, transfer half of bread from egg mixture to prepared baking dish, arranging to cover most of dish. Spoon half of kale over bread. Spoon half of squash over bread and kale; sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat with remaining bread, kale, squash and cheese.

Cover bread pudding with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until bread feels springy to touch, about 20 minutes more.

Preheat broiler; broil pudding until cheese browns slightly, about 2 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and serve.

[Adapted from Bon Appétit, November 2009]

courtesy of Betty Crocker.

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 C bread crumbs
• 1/4 C butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 C parsley
• 1/3 C parmesan cheese

1. Set oven to 375 degrees. Peel, seed, and halve lengthwise the squash. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices overlapping in cooking dish.
2. Melt butter. Add garlic. Cook 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Mix bread crumbs, cheese, and 1 Tbsp or butter/garlic mixture.
4. Brush squash with remaining butter/garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, parsley, and dry mixture.
5. Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes or until squash is tender. Increase oven to 425 degrees. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer until browned.

NOTES & SUBSTITUTIONS: I doubled the recipe and it took about an hour to get tender.

As I mentioned in my last post, I always like to stock up on winter squash at the end of farmer’s market season.  Unfortunately, that often means I can’t use up the squash soon enough.  This happened for me this year again, as I bought too much acorn squash, and some went bad before I could use it.  I was left with just one last squash that I had to figure out what to do with.  After trying out the butternut squash casserole (see my previous post), I wanted something different than a pasta/cheese/squash puree combination.  In previous years, I’ve baked acorn squash with brown sugar and raisins, but I wanted something not-so-sweet this time.  I had some bulk pork sausage in the freezer, plus some onions that needed to be used up, so I figured out my own combination of a mixture to put in the acorn squash halves to bake.  I got the idea from a Facebook friend, and then revised that recipe to my own tastes/ingredients.

First, I baked the squash:  cut in half, scooped out seeds, salted and peppered it, and baked in a dish at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Next time I think I’d raise it to 400 degrees, as it needed more time to bake (I finished it in the microwave).

While the squash was baking, I sauteed some onion (one medium onion, at least) and once it was translucent, browned 1/3 to 1/2 pound of bulk pork sausage in the same skillet.  I put in some salt and pepper, and also some dried rosemary.  Sage would also work.  At the very end, I tossed in a handful of golden raisins I had leftover from making granola (I’ll post that recipe soon too).  At about halfway through the squash’s cooking time, I put the sausage mixture into the center of each squash half to bake.  It made a bit more than the halves could hold, so I put the rest in a baking dish and covered it with tin foil in the oven as well.

In all, I think this was a pretty good recipe–next time I’ll have to figure out what to do as a sauce–it was a bit dry.  I also think that next time I’ll scoop out the squash and mix it more thoroughly with the sausage mixture, to give everything a more even flavor.  I really recommend the raisins–especially the extra-juicy golden ones–as they gave a slightly sweet and fruity taste to the peppery sausage and the zing of the onion.

Cold temperatures settle-in to the Central Texas area just before Thanksgiving every year. Even if our days warm up again, the light freezes are enough to kill off sensative plants like beans, basil, peppers, tomatoes, and squash.
Today was likely our final squash harvest from the food bank garden.
Yet we are happy to see that we can now clear the large garden bed for carrots. Meanwhile, the food bank welcomed their 32 pounds of organic food. Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

On yesterday’s post was a good comment made by Jeff(or Jon or whatever name he used this time ) about the processed foods I eat, saying that aren’t I being a hypocrite with how I present myself? I say: No. I do eat processed food. And I love it. And I can, because the processed food I choose doesn’t conflict at all with my all-natural ingredient diet. A mint Newman-O is just as processed as a mint Oreo, but I’ll gladly chow down on the former whereas I won’t touch the latter. Of course, I completely expect some people to think this is absurd and not see a distinction, but I very much do and that is what shapes what I eat. I definitely think Jeff’s comment was a good one as it gave me the opportunity to share this all about me. And I was touched by how many of you replied in defence of this distinction I make It reminded me of how I have some of the best readers in the world. Oh, and while I’m publically responding to comments–Food Makes Fun Fuel is a blog written by a guy. Rare in blogworld, I know, but true.

That’s not to say I never eat raw foods, though, like this apple I grabbed before class:

Apple

Then again, this was pretty nasty and old and by the time I finished I wished I had something more processed. Thankfully, coffee washed it down and I picked up a new bar to try later that I’d been eyeing. In class we got yet another end-of-semester paper. If I didn’t use Google Tasks and Google Calender to keep track of things like this, I’d be very frightened right now. But I’m not. That apple, as bad as it was, held me over well through class and blog reading, to the point where I was making a lunch to eat in Greek History. It came in two parts.

Broccoli And 2 Eggs Scrambled With 2 Lightlife Sausage Links

2% Chobani With Raspberry Chocolate Jam

For the “main course” I scrambeled 2 eggs with the last 2 of my new, favorite processed not-meat and microwaved that until most of the liquid was set–so good! I loved the spicy sausage in the egg with a little salt. For “dessert”, I sweetened the 2% Chobani a little and topped it with jam; the 2% are really hard to find but they’re soo good. Full fats a bit too much, but plain’s a bit… plain :-/ This is a great compromise. This meal had over 40g of protein. I don’t really track that for the most part, but sometimes I like to check for kicks and giggles, and that impressed me.

Class 1 was dull. Class 2 was duller. I had to take the escalator with my teacher. She’s nice but that’s always a bit awkward. She also smokes everyday before class so that was a bit nauseating to be in close-quarters with. After class I wasn’t quite ready to go back to my dorm and finish up some work, so I didn’t

Blue State Coffee At The Book Store

I know I’m not alone in loving book stores and coffee on really rainy days. Last year, one of my classes was a good mile down Comm Ave in Boston from where I had been picked up normally, so on nasty weather days I just went to Barnes And Nobles and waited for a ride to come to me. I also got a message while I was moseying saying my dinner plans were not. Not ideal, but much better than learning this at 6. Eventually, I hobbled back to my dorm. I got a bit peckish and broke out that new bar I mentioned.

Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Odwalla

I like the idea of trail mix, but I don’t like how clumsy it is. I like bars. So I had good hopes for this. In the end, it was good, but didn’t blow me away; it reminded me of a Clif mountain mix Mojo, except with an oat base instead of soy protein, and a little less nuts. Since I get plenty of oats on a regular basis, I think I prefer the Mojo because of the protein. Otherwise, this was decent. Speaking of getting enough oats…

Pumpkin Oats With Vanilla Almond Butter And Vanilla Powder

I wasn’t feeling like anything extravagant, per say, so instead I kept it pretty vanilla. Vanilla, in my book, is quite tasty I think I listened to all my Bing Crosby Christmas songs at least once while catching up on television. I watched 2 episodes and I still have a good 10 left. I guess I slipped on that last week. I have to say I was a bit happy when dinner was called off; it was pouring last night and I was happy to be in PJ’s a bit early. It also let me have a go at this cornucopia:

Acorn Squash With Macarroni And Cheese With Tuna

Yum! It tasted as delicious as it looks. It’s amazing what you can make with canned tuna and a single serve mac n’ cheese packet. I had a lovely tofu dinner planned but this salty mess stole my mind and the show. The acorn squash was perfect steamed in the microwave in a bowl of shallow water for 5 minutes and let rest.

I loved Heroes last night for some reason. It totally dragged me back in to the season where it lost me. I think I’m a bigger fan of Claire’s story line at the time than anyone else’s. Afterwards I had a snack.

Peanut Butter Yogurt With Strawberry Jam And Chocolate Chips

I wasn’t sure if the strawberry, peanut butter, and chocolate chip would work in sync. What was I worried about? This was delicious. I just love the crunch of whole chocolate chips, and the strawberry was a nice sweetness to the sweet-but-not-too-sweet yogurt. Because I foresee questions on this, peanut butter yogurt is 6oz plain greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons Byrd Mill peanut flour(PB2 also works for this) and vanilla liquid stevia. It has a slightly nutty flavor and packs a protein punch. I think The Big Bang Theory was also great last night–what a good ball comedy. To the Jay Leno show, I finished the night with this.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Chocolate Chips, 3/4 Cup Silk Nog

I like to think I have some restraint around Silk Nog. Mighty Maple and chocolate chips, on the other hand… I need to remember to pack that today because it’s clearly one of my favorite nut butters and yet we don’t have one at home! Shame. While watching Leno, I came to the conclusion that, while Lady Gaga is fun to run to, she’s a scary scary person to watch perform. Not Adam Lambert scary, but still. Now I could definitely picture him opening for her.

This morning I hit the snooze twice and felt totally rejuvenated after my morning routine. Seriously, why didn’t I feel this good yesterday morning? I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I grabbed this bar knowing it would make my workout that much more amazing.

Amazing Grass Whole Food Energy Bar

It must have worked because my running felt so strong. Seriously, where was this energy yesterday? I planned for 10 miles, and ended up doing 13.1 in 1:51:02. I easily could have done the 15 I wanted except for time restraints; I can’t wait until next semester when, no matter which schedule I end up with, that won’t be an issue Monday, Wednesday, or Friday! Even more shockingly, I wasn’t feeling very “sweet” for breakfast. All I wanted was something spicy!

Oats With An Egg, Morningstar Breakfast Patty, And The Heat Is On PB

Pumpkin Pie Yogurt

I decided to do oats that Green Dog Wine would be proud of These set my mouth on fire with The Heat Is On. And the processed breakfast patty was the perfect protein touch to compliment it all Lol. I jest, because if you can’t make fun of yourself, who can you make fun of? The yogurt was more of a thing of convenience, as in, it’s convenient that I don’t have to take home 2 tubs of yogurt because I dumped what was left of them in there with some pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and liquid vanilla stevia.

I’m currently employing the throw-everything-on-the-bed method again for when I go home today!! Ok, that might be a tad more exciting if I didn’t have to go home this past weekend for the party, but still it’s pretty fun when it’s for 5 days. Later on I have a nut butter review to share with all of you  :-)

I used the remaining squash puree for a pie, that I had previously made a squash cake with.  The pie was for a going away party I attended.  I was not happy with the outcome of it, though it received praise, it did not have the flavor I hoped for.  I also made maple syrup whipped cream to accompany the dessert. I also made pie crust from scratch for the first time.  The crust came out okay, but I think it will take more practice to have it come out like my grandmother’s.  Here are links to the pie filling and whipped cream recipe as well as the pie dough recipe, I consulted.

Pie crust and Pie filling

Recipe for Grilled Autumn Vegetables

INGREDIENTS:

2 yellow squash, halved, seeds discarded, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles
1 butter nut squash, halved, seeds discarded, sliced into triangles
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch-rounds
3 red bell peppers, seeded and halved, sliced
4 plum tomatoes, sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pre-heat the grill to medium-high (or a grill pan)

2. Arrange squash on a steamer rack in a saucepan and steam over boiling water, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. On a big platter brush the sliced vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

4. Place the vegetables on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes, turn over with tongs, and grill for 5 more minutes, or until they are lightly charred with grill marks. Remove from the grill.

5. Serve warm with the phyllo squares, goat cheese & olive tapenade.