When creating our Thanksgiving menu, I tried to consider the likes and dislikes of all four diners.  However, for one of our dishes I felt that the preference of three diners outweighed the dislike of the fourth diner.  And with that decision, I added Pureed Caramelized Squash to the menu.

I felt it was even more necessary to make this squash dish, as our friend Vicki does not prepare winter squash often, as she would be the only member of her household to eat it.  Knowing that my husband and I would enjoy butternut squash also, it seemed worth making.  I apologized to Mr. Tom (Vicki’s husband) but figured he would appreciate my consideration for his wife.

With this Thanksgiving being the first time I made this dish, I was pleased to discover that it is a delicious and flexible vegetable dish.  As the butternut squash is pureed, it is a great dish to make at home and bring to dinner at someone else’s home.  Simply put the fully prepared squash in a microwaveable or oven-proof dish, and reheat before dinnertime.  Give the squash a couple hearty stirs, and it is ready to be served.

Pureed Caramelized Squash

1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds)

6 Tb. unsalted butter

2 Tb. fresh sage leaves, minced

1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

2 Tb. sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup molasses

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Peel squash.  Remove stem, cut in half lengthwise, remove and discard seeds.  Dice into 1-inch cubes.

Melt butter in a small saucepot over medium-high heat.  Add sage, rosemary, sugar, vinegar, and molasses.  Stir well until mixture boils.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and simmer for a minute or two.

Place squash cubes in a large mixing bowl, and pour molasses mixture on top.  Toss well.  Spread squash in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Toss squash, and return to oven for another 30 minutes.  Squash is done when it is fork tender.  Allow to cool briefly.  (You want squash not to be steaming and excess molasses mixture to be liquid.)  Puree squash in food processor, dividing squash into smaller portions if needed.

Squash can be served immediately or refrigerated.

All of my children and my husband love bacon.  So, for a lazy weekend breakfast or a summer burger barbecue, there is often the request to have bacon with the meal.

However, the mess from cooking bacon on stovetop (even when using a lid or a splatter shield) often makes me want to suggest a different ingredient.  Though, with four little smiles asking, “Pleeease. . .” I usually cook the bacon and deal with the mess after the meal.

Recently, someone suggested that I cook the bacon in the oven.  I have to admit that I was skeptical.  I figured that the result would be splattered bacon grease inside the oven instead of the stove.  Well, the excellent news was that there was no mess in my oven.  Plus, there were other benefits.  The bacon didn’t need to be flipped, so I didn’t need to watch the pan or worry about getting burned by grease that was splattering.  Also, the smell of bacon didn’t seem to linger as long as it did after cooking in a frying pan.

I will admit that cooking the bacon in the oven did require more time, but I think it was worth every extra minute!

Splatterless Bacon

1 lb. bacon

Preheat oven to 400.  Place roasting rack inside 2 - 3  inch deep roasting pan.  Starting at the middle of the rack, place strips of bacon about 1/2 inch apart.  Do not crowd the rack.  (It probably will take two batches to cook the whole package of bacon.)  Place pan in oven, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, depending on how crunchy or chewy you like your bacon.

Serve immediately, or add to your favorite recipe.

As a child, I would have picked onions out of many dishes.  I wouldn’t have wanted them on a salad, in a sandwich, probably not in a soup either.  However, with age I developed a more adventurous palate.  In fact, I still am opening my mind to new foods, but that is a whole different post.

As I developed an appreciation for onions, I began to try them in different forms for a variety of dishes.  I would saute some diced onion and add it to an omelet.  Thinly sliced red onion would top a tossed salad.  Depending on whether I wanted crunch or not and a sweeter or tangier flavor would determine how I prepared the onion.

Having removed onions from my “yucky” food list, I opened myself to many more foods when dining, which led to my discovery (many years ago) of caramelized onions.  However, I remained hesitant to make them at home.  Instead, I would saute onions, but I missed that sweet flavor.  So, a few years ago, I started tinkering with a few different caramelized onion recipes, until I found a combination that worked well for me.

Although, you need about 30 minutes to prepare this recipe, most of the time is spent waiting.  It is very easy, almost fool-proof.  And for the flavor that these onions delivering, it is well worth the wait.

Caramelized Onions

1-2 Tb. extra virgin olive oil

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

1/2 Tb. sugar

Heat a nonstick skilled over medium heat.  Coat pan with olive oil, and add onion.  Stir to coat with oil.  Allow onions to cook slowly, lowering heat if onions appear to be browning too quickly (or burning).  Stir occasionally.  Add sugar after the first 15 minutes of cooking.  Continue to cook for another 15 minutes, or until onions are golden brown and extremely tender.

For many people a weekend morning without plans is the perfect occasion for sleeping late.  For me, it is the perfect time for a big, homemade breakfast.  At our house, the kids often request my cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip scones, pancakes, or waffles.  However, if the kids aren’t home in the morning, it is the perfect time to try a less sugar- or chocolate-based breakfast.

With no kids home on this past Saturday, I decided to try my hand at baked grits.  Having been raised primarily in New England, grits are not native to my cooking repertoire.  However, with travels to Maryland and Delaware on a fairly frequent basis, I have seen this dish on many menus.  Checking out fellow diners’ meals, grits seemed like a nice replacement for homefries or hashbrowns.

Plain grits seemed okay, if they were topped with butter, salt, and pepper.  To make our grits more flavorful, I decided to add cheddar and parmesan cheeses and dried chipotle chile pepper.  While they baked in the oven for 20 minutes, I had time to cook the sausage and eggs.  I even had an extra minute to make mimosas for an extra special touch.

While much of the Eastern time zone was waking, we were enjoying a hearty, delicious breakfast for two. Personally, I’ll take breakfast with my husband over sleep any day.

Two-Cheese Baked Grits

4-1/2 cups skim milk

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried chipotle chile pepper

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 Tb. butter, unsalted

2 cups quick-cooking grits

1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine milk, salt, chile pepper, and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium.  Stirring constantly, add grits, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.  Stir for 4 - 5 minutes or until grits are creamy.  Pour grits into a greased 8 X 8 baking dish.  Top with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Serves 6 generous portions.

For my most recent birthday, 2 of my children got me a present I always wanted - a good countertop deep fryer. With the help of my soon-to-be-wife they made the selection of an Emeril LaGasse/T-fal Deep Fryer.

One of the first items that I decided to make was Beer Battered Onion Rings. I have to admit that I am a sucker for anything deep fried, and my kids are no different. So, although they are not the biggest fans of onions, the prospects of some grilled burgers and deep-fried anything sounded good to them!

Deep-Fried, Beer-Battered Onion Rings

4 large sweet onions, sliced into rings

1/2 cup dark beer

1/2 cup seltzer water or club soda

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 cup of milk

Directions:

Pour beer and seltzer water or soda into the bowl of a blender or food processor (I use the Magic Bullet) . Sprinkle in pepper, mustard, salt and onion powder. Pulse until combined. Add flour last, and process only until mixed. The batter should be slightly lumpy, about the consistency of pancake batter.

Whisk egg white until frothy in a shallow bowl. Gently stir in contents of food processor, mixing until combined.

Soak the sliced onions in a small amount of milk for 10 minutes. Drain and lightly sprinkle with onion powder, then dip in batter.

Cook them in oil that is 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Place on paper towel to remove excess grease, and salt.

With my handy dandy deep fryer I was able to fry all of the onion rings in two batches.

They were enjoyed with ketchup and honey mustard dipping sauces by my family.

Thursday was a busy afternoon in our house. With both of the adults having appointments in the afternoon, we knew that dinner would need to be an easy to prepare meal. Trying to eat healthier meals, we didn’t want to go the fast food route.

Having 2 of the 4 kids with us and 2 vehicles, I opted to drive solo and go to the grocery store. I had decided on the meat, a lean cut of beef. To accompany this, I wanted veggies that would add color to the plates. I also wanted to offer something that wouldn’t receive wrinkled noses from the kids.

While debating which vegetables I would serve, I remembered that we had a lot of baby carrots at home. They would be easy to cook: boil until just tender, then toss with a little butter, and a pinch each of brown sugar and honey. The other vegetable could be less child-friendly, as they both like carrots, and this could be a small, “no thank you” serving. I wanted something that was tasty, quickly cooked, and contrasting in color. I decided to use spinach.

Typically, I buy frozen spinach, as it is so much easier with which to work. However, that night I thought cooking it at home would be best. To give it more flavor, I decided to season it with salt, pepper, and garlic.

The spinach was a hit with 3 out of the 4 diners. Our almost 10 year old declared it not to her liking, though she did manage to eat 3 bites. For the rest of the group, it was well-received, with requests for seconds.

Wilted Spinach
1 1/2 Tb. olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced	12 oz. fresh spinach salt and pepper
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In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. When pan is warm, add garlic.  Saute for a minute.  Add spinach.  Using tongs, toss spinach frequently for 2 - 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, remove from heat, and stir to combine flavors. NOTE:  Watch spinach closely, so as not to allow it to become overly soft.

Brussel sprouts.  Just the name alone can make people say, “No, thank you,” to a dinner invitation.  Probably one of the least liked vegies for kids, it is a tasty side dish for many meals.  I learned just how unpopular this vegetable is at the grocery store the other day.  The clerk at the checkout asked how I was.  I stated that I was delightful.  He laughed and said he didn’t know anyone who was both delightful and bought brussel sprouts.  It was my laugh for the day.

The first time this veggie was offered to the kids, they thought they were being served an inhumane dish.  However, with open minds and the right seasonings, they have taken to enjoying (or at least tolerating) brussel sprouts.

What I like about brussel sprouts is the change in menu from typical vegetables, such as corn or broccoli.  Also, they require little prep work and cook quickly.  Finally, they are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid.

Brussel Sprouts with Lemon
1 pound brussel sprouts 2 Tb. butter	2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lemon
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Trim stems on brussel sprouts and remove outer leaves, if wilted.  Put enough water in large frying pan to cover the bottom, and add brussel sprouts.  Cook covered over medium heat, allowing it to boil for approximately 10 minutes or until tender.  Remove cover, allowing water to evaporate.  Add butter, garlic, and juice of the lemon.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve immediately.