Butternut Squash Pizza

I love Butternut Squash. And Acorn Squash. And, well, any other type of squash that’s out there. Unfortunately, Husband does not feel the same way I do. Daughter and Dog enjoy it, but, well… Anyway, I spent the afternoon with Jen and Lisa and I brought along a Butternut Squash Pizza. It was loaded with the squash, roasted Vidalia onion, sage and feta and served on a store-bought flatbread. I made something similar a couple years ago with my Sister and her Husband (he likes squash) and I’ve always wanted to make it again.

The recipe is below, and it includes my sister’s editorial notes. I left them in because they were very helpful. Enjoy!

Caramelized squash pizza

1.5 lbs squash, peeled and sliced very thin
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, sliced thin
1tsp dried crumbled sage
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
6 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp mashed garlic
2 pre made medium pizza rounds
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Preheat over to 325 degrees
place sliced squash and onion in baking dish and toss with rosemary, sage, 1
tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 3 tbsp olive oil to coat. Cover with foil or tight-fitting lid.

Bake about 1 hour or until squash is tender and onions begin to caramelize
Remove from oven and increase temperature to 375 degrees. (We actually
cooked our pizzas at 425).

Mix remaining olive oil with remaining salt, pepper, and garlic. Brush each
pizza with garlic mixture. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese and top with
caramelized squash, onions and crumbled feta cheese.

Bake at 375 or 425 for 15 minutes (both times we extended til at least 18
min). Remove from oven and serve.

I think ours had to bake higher and longer because we bought raw pizza dough
from the pizza place. If you use a Boboli or something like that it would
only take 15 min max.

(Blurry) Wednesday Walk

I started the day at the Eye Doctor and took some shots on the walk back to my car. I totally spaced that my eyes would be dialated, and I’d have really no idea what was in the viewfinder of my camera. I took this shot from in front of my car in the parking ramp. It looks a lot better now than when I shot it.

I Started Knitting

remember?

(post created and posted from my iPhone using the WordPress app)

A Lot of Lullabys

I’ve been listening to a Lullaby CD over and over and over for the past 7 months. Surprisingly, I’m not sick of it. In fact, there are a couple songs that have stuck with me. Well, the melodies all stick with me, but there are a couple that have strong messages.

Like these lines from “When you Wish Upon a Star”:

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

And from “Simple Gifts”:

‘Tis the gift to be happy, ’tis the gift to be true,

‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain’d,

To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Nice, don’t you think?

Maiden Minnesota

A couple weeks ago I received a postcard in the mail for the “Maiden Minnesota 2009″ event. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the event, but basically, it’s an evening featuring local, women-owned creative companies. There are dresses and jewelry and cupcakes and purses. What else does one need, really?

An Apple a Day

We bought a few apples, like a few dozen apples, a few weeks ago. As I was reading blogs and linking from one to the next I found a whole lot of apple recipes I wanted to try. Last weekend I tried two of them, both successes.

For dinner, Husband made this beautiful Chicken & Spiced Apples dish from Eating Well. The chicken was tender and full of flavor, and the apples lended a beautiful sweet and tart flavor to the plate.

For dessert, I couldn’t help but make this Apple Custard Pie. I found this recipe on a blog, and I have no idea (I’m so sorry), where I found it. I used a store bought crust, because if you remember, I don’t do pie crusts. And the rest came together so quickly. Sliced apples, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and then a mixture of half-and-half, vanilla and an egg poured on top. Do the layers again and pop it into an oven. I wish, oh, I wish, I could remember where I found this recipe. The pie is soooo good. It’s not too sweet, the apples make it healthy, and the store bought crust was passable. But I’m not a crust snob. Let me know if you want the recipe. I’d be happy to type it up for you. Once I remember where it is!

Wednesday Walk

I think a scarf in this color, don’t you?

Mexican Layer Dip

We went to a party last week and were asked to bring an appetizer. We went to the half-haunted Halloween at Woodlake Nature Center, so I needed something I could make ahead of time and that would be hearty when we were cold and hungry. I chose a Mexican bean dip and it was delicious. The bottom layer was refried black beans, topped with fresh avocados, a mixture of sour cream and taco seasoning, 2 cups of cheddar cheese and tomatoes and green onions for looks. It was delicious. Even the 3 year old couldn’t get enough. I made a 9×13 dish and 6 and a half of us finished it off in no time. Yummers.

Autumn Color Palette

Everyone said the colors this fall would not be good. There was no rain, then too much rain, then snow. So the leaves were expected to drop early, before they had time to become beautiful. I think “they” were wrong. I brought Dog on a much needed walk yesterday and was amazed as I walked through a yellowish-orangey-green world. The colors were stunning. I picked a few to prove it.

Then, I started thinking. I’ve been meaning to start a new project for the living room. Something to hang up.

I found these collages at, of all places, Room and Board a few months ago and had to have them. But there’s an empty spot on a nearby wall that I’d like to fill with something complimentary. That’s all I can tell you right now, but I think these leaves have just provided me with the palette.

Curried Apple Pumpkin Soup

I found myself without a car a couple days ago. The Service Engine Soon light came on. Then the temperature gauge went to Hot. Then I brought it to the shop. They drove us home and Daughter, Dog and I were alone in the house with a baking Pumpkin and it was snowing. What were we to do…? Make soup!

I started by roasting the pumpkin. I had planned to use some of it for baby food, but decided to double the soup recipe so I could bring some to my parents. It’s okay, I roasted way too many sweet potatoes so Daughter is set for a long time.

Originally I wanted to make Pumpkin-Leek Soup, but the leeks I bought (2 weeks ago) were no longer good. So  I went online and found a recipe for Curried Pumpkin Apple Soup. I had the pumpkin, and the refrigerator is overflowing with apples, so it was perfect. And it came together very quickly. I sauteed an onion and the apples, added the curry, the roasted pumpkin and some chicken stock and used my stick blender to puree. When it’s smooth (note: the stick blender didn’t get it as smooth as a blender would, but I like some texture) I added more chicken stock, a bay leaf and milk.

The soup was good. Made even better by some stinky cheese and crunchy bread. And there are two pints in the basement freezer for another snowy day. Hopefully my car won’t be in the shop again then.