hot chocolate in a pinch

we woke up this morning to 20 degrees and snow so i was craving hot chocolate to warm my belly. i liked this recipe because it's made with things i regularly have on hand. i got it from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
  

1. Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

a winning combination

these are my favorite buttermilk pancakes and the yummy syrup to go with 'em. and they freeze SO well--they remain moist and fluffy even after being warmed in the toaster. and, if you use fat-free canned milk for the syrup, it will get weird and stringy after a couple days.

best buttermilk pancakes

2	cups all-purpose flour
2	teaspoons baking powder
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
3	tablespoons sugar
2	large eggs , lightly beaten
3	cups buttermilk
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

cinnamon syrup (from my sister-in-law, biffy)

1 C white karo syrup
2 C sugar
1/2 C water
2 t cinnamon
1 C evaporated milk

bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil. boil for 2 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. cool 5 minutes with the lid on and then add evaporated milk.

butternut squash lasagna

i found two recipes that each had different interesting elements, so i sort of fused the two to come up with a rather tasty combination. i used a good housekeeping recipe and a michael chiarello recipe from the food network. p.s. it's not low fat.

ingredients:

you'll need to prepare this roasted butternut squash recipe, but adjust it using a squash that's on the smaller side of medium-sized.
12 lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions
2 T olive oil
1 jumbo onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 large bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped, tough stems removed
shredded parmesan and mozzarella for lasagna top

for the squash mixture:

1/2 t salt
pepper
1/4 t nutmeg
3/4 C ricotta cheese
1/2 C shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg

for the sauce:

• 2 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter
• 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) dried thyme
• one small clove garlic, minced
  
• 4 cup(s) low-fat milk
  

directions:

heat olive oil over medium heat. add the onion and cook about 25 minutes or until golden/caramelized, stirring often.

in the meanwhile, mash the squash with a potato masher, leaving a few chunks. add all ingredients under "for the squash mixture." refrigerate until you're ready to assemble the lasagna.

add the swiss chard to the onion and cook until wilted, about 7 minutes. pull off the heat early and let it finish cooking in the hot pan. cover to keep warm.

heat oven to 375. start preparing the sauce. microwave the milk until nearly hot to save time (in my archaic microwave it took 4 min). melt margarine or butter over medium heat. with wire whisk, stir in flour, pepper, salt, nutmeg, thyme, and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. gradually whisk in milk and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until sauce boils and thickens slightly. boil 1 minute, stirring.

in a greased 9 x 13, evenly spoon about 1/2 cup white sauce to cover bottom of dish. arrange 4 lasagna noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. evenly spread all swiss chard mixture over noodles and top with about 1 cup white sauce. arrange 4 lasagna noodles on top, then about 1 cup white sauce and all butternut squash. top with remaining lasagna noodles and remaining white sauce. sprinkle with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

cover lasagna with foil and bake 30 minutes; remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly and cheese is browned.

scrumptious roasted butternut squash

i tried a recipe for butternut squash lasagna and wanted to stop after i tasted it roasted with the fennel and cinnamon--absolutely scrumptious! i'll post the lasagna later.

inspired by michael chiarello of the food network.

1 large butternut squash
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 1/2 t finely chopped fresh sage leaves
2 t fennel and cinnamon spice blend, recipe follows
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the squash's hard shell. Trim about 1/2-inch off the top and bottom ends so you can set each section of the squash flat on a cutting board. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out with a spoon, and coarsely chop the squash into 1/2-inch chunks. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a bowl, toss the squash with the oil, sage, spice blend, and 1 teaspoon salt and fresh ground pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast the squash in the oven until very soft and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, stirring once or twice.

fennel and cinnamon spice blend

• 3 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Salt

homemade kettle corn

we love kettle corn around here. i know many people who do not. well then, this post is not for you. i got this recipe from allrecipes.com.

ingredients:

1/4 C oil
1/4 C sugar (brown will give you a caramel-ish flavor or white will give you a less strong, sweet flavor)
1/2 C popcorn
salt to taste

directions:

put on the oil on medium-high in a heavy-bottomed, large pot. throw three kernels in there. when all three of the kernels pop, the oil is ready. quickly stir in the sugar and then the popcorn and put the lid on. let the pot sit on the heat for 3 seconds, then lift it off and shake for 3 seconds (this will keep the sugar from burning). alternate sit/shake until the popping starts to slow down. pull off the heat and sprinkle with desired amount of salt and shake vigorously. pour into a large bowl and stir periodically until it cools to prevent clumping. add more salt if necessary. enjoy!

roasted eggplant and zucchini lasagna rolls

i found the recipe here. the recipe calls for serving them with a pumpkin bechamel, but i tried it and didn't get it--the flavors didn't go well at all in my mind. so we just used traditional marinara. thumbs up all around. plus it was a sneaky way to use eggplant which i love, but no one else in the family really cares for. they didn't even notice.

ingredients

• 6-8 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 2 cups eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups zucchini, cubed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated and divided
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk

directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions, drain and transfer to a damp dish towel.

Spread the cubed eggplant and zucchini on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Use your fingers to quickly mix the ingredients on the pan to evenly coat with the oil. Roast in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, turning once.

Meanwhile, prepare two shallow dishes with the ingredients for breading the lasagna rolls. In the first dish, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon of milk. In the second dish, combine 1/4 cup of the parmigiano reggiano cheese and the panko bread crumbs.

Prepare another baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup of parmigiano reggiano cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cottage cheese. Once the eggplant and zucchini mixture has cooled, add to the cheese mixture, stirring to combine. Cut the lasagna noodles in half. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto the end of each noodle half. Roll the noodle around the mixture and place seam down.

Dip each lasagna roll first in the egg mixture and then in the panko breadcrumbs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until the rolls are golden and crispy.

butternut squash soup

i was so flattered today to get an email from a friend who remembered eating this soup at my house a year ago and was asking for the recipe. from this i am assuming it's worthy enough to share here.

disclaimer: i've always sort of just thrown stuff in on the fly, so this is my first attempt at actually writing a real recipe down. so please forgive me if you find yourself needing to improvise...but i will do my best.

ingredients

1 large butternut squash or 1/2 butternut squash and 1/2 uchiki kuri squash*
4ish C chicken stock (i usually like to do a mix of canned and cubed)
2 pinches of each of the following: parsley, thyme, marjoram, oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
ginger to taste
brown sugar to taste
cream
nutmeg

*also called red kuri squash. this squash adds an indescribable, amazingly yummy taste that really makes regular butternut squash just that much more yummy. last year i found these squash at fred meyer.

directions

i've cooked the squash two different ways in the past.** if you're pressed for time, just cut 'em up and steam them...this way you don't have to skin them. but if you've got the time, take the time to skin them and cube them, then toss with a tad bit of olive oil and brown sugar and roast on 400 for about 20-30 minutes. (you can always roast them on one day, refrigerate and make the soup the next day.)

next, throw the cooked squash in a pot with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. take it down to a simmer and add the herbs and salt and pepper. also, add the ginger here if you'd like to add some heat to your soup. if not, wait and add the ginger later. simmer for as long as you'd like the flavors to steep. i normally go for about a half hour.

next, take out the blender. puree in batches until you've got a pretty thick, yet still soupy, soup. (take out the bay leaf first.) i usually find that inevitably there's a little bit of liquid left in the pot that i just discard. mix in the ginger now, if you haven't already and add some brown sugar to taste.

ladle into bowls. swirl about a tablespoon of cream on top and sprinkle with nutmeg. voila! enjoy.

**i actually tried something different and this is the way both i and my husband prefer it. i roasted one half butternut squash and one half uchiki kuri squash using this recipe. then i followed the above recipe, except i omitted the ginger, nutmeg and cream.