Butternut Squash Corn Chowder - total time 1 hour

We don't normally eat sweet/savory meals... I used to, but my husband doesn't like sweet meals (just lots of sweet cookies), and my tastebuds have adapted.  Sweet potatoes are great for you, but I can't get over the thought of anything potatoe-y being sweet.  So the first time I tried cooking butternut squash, I didn't like it.  Too sweet!  But Martha Stewart keeps putting squash recipes on Pinterest so I thought I would try this more savory than sweet interpretation of her recipe.

1 butternut squash, cubbed

1 large onion, chopped

2 ears of corn

2 cups vegetable stock

.5 cup cream

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp smoked paprika

a pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

1.  Brown butter in a large pot.  Add onions and squash, cook on medium-high heat for eight minutes.  Add vegetable stock, paprika, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until squash is tender.

2.  Carefully pour stock/onion/squash mixture into blender and pulse until smooth.  Pour back into pot, add corn and cream and simmer for five additional minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of paprika.

Roasted Cauliflower with Gouda Sauce - total time 30 minutes

The idea of having a colorful meal is a meal full of different vitamins and nutrients.  We all have been told to eat our green vegetables because they are healthy.  Orange means beta carotene, red means antioxidants.  So what does white mean?  Does it mean the absence of these nutrients or, like light, a combination of all nutrients.  Turns out, cauliflower has a little bit of everything.  There are also green, orange, and purple versions and the colors change the nutrient content.

Here's an easy recipe to get more white on your plate...

1 large head of cauliflower

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp dijon mustard

.5 cup cream

1 cup grated white cheese (I used gouda and gruyere) 

a pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.  Arrange on a cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

2.  Melt butter in pot, add dijon mustard, cream, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Stir until mustard is combined into cream.  Add a small amount of cheese at a time, stir until incorporated, and add a little more.

3.  Drizzle cheese sauce over cauliflower.  Serve immediately because it cools quickly.

Caution:  Cheese sauce doesn't heat very well, so eat as much as possible!

Spin Dip White Pizza - total time 30 minutes

When spinach dip is on the appetizer menu, we are usually going to order it.  So it was only natural that we combine our favorite appetizer with our easiest quick dinner.  Add some chicken for those who insist on having meat on their pizzas.

2 whole wheat naan

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

.5 cup artichoke hearts

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup asiago cheese, shredded

sprinkling of grated parm

oregano

garlic chives

salt & pepper

1.  Heat pizza pan while oven is preheating to 350 degrees (this will get the crust crispier).  

2.  Add half the asiago cheese as the base layer.  Then spinach, artichoke, and garlic.  Sprinkle remaining asiago, parm, chives, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken - total time 8 hours (10 minutes of work)

For about the same cost of a package of free range chicken breast, you can get a whole free range chicken! Then you'll have chicken left over for salads, sandwiches, etc (we used some for quesadillas too).  Using the crockpot makes it an easy set it up and forget about it kind of meal.

1 whole chicken (remove any insides)

2 tbsp butter

.25 cup chicken broth

herbs - rosemary and oregano

spices - paprika, salt & pepper

1.  Put a couple of pads of butter on the bottom of the crockpot.  Pour in broth.  Place chicken in crockpot and distribute herbs and spices over top.  Cover, turn on low, come back in eight hours!

It literally falls off the bone... I picked up the chicken and half of it stayed in the crockpot!

Cookie Crumble Cupcakes - total time 1 hour

Everyone thinks it is strange that I bake cupcakes, but don't like them (and some times don't even try them, relying on other people's feedback).  My birthday cakes as a kid were cookie cakes (and still are).  So this time I combined my favorite dessert into my cupcakes.  Needless to say, these are delicious!

cupcakes...

1.25 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp baking powder

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 cookies (oreo, nutter butter, chips ahoy, etc)

ganache...

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp cream

frosting...

8 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Whip together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla, whip together even more.  Add baking powder and cocoa powder, then slowly add flour a little at a time.  Pour batter into muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes.

2.  Smash your favorite cookies into crumbs and place in bowl.

3.  In a double boiler, melt dark chocolate chips.  When chocolate is melted and the cupcakes have had a few minutes to cool, add cream to chocolate and mix to get ganache.  Dip each cupcake into the ganache and then into the cookie crumbs.

4.  Whip butter for frosting, add vanilla, then add powdered sugar a little at a time.  Pipe a small amount of frosting onto each cupcake.  Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Stuffed Squash Blossoms - total time 30 minutes

After being nibbled on by birds and bunnies, my squash plants finally started taking off when most should be finishing up production.  When you see more blossoms than maximum possible squash consumption, it is time for some stuffed squash blossoms!  I had my doubts at first, but hot off the stove, these things so yummy!

1 cup ricotta cheese

.25 cup cream cheese

1 egg

8 squash blossoms

herbs, salt & pepper

.5 cup flour

.5 cup water

.25 cup olive oil

1. Clean blossoms carefully with a brush or paper towel.  Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, egg, herbs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.  Put cheese mixture in a piping bag to make stuffing the blossoms easier and cleaner.

2.  Heat oil in a small pot.  Mix flour and water in a small mixing bowl to make fry batter.  Stuff each blossom with one to two tablespoons of cheese filling.  Gently twist the petals closed, dip in fry batter, then fry in oil.  Fry for about two minutes and flip.

These are great by themselves, in a salad, or with pasta.

Lasagna Rollup - total time 50 minutes

After the success of Pesto Chicken Rollups from a couple weeks ago, I changed my normal lasagna recipe into rollups because they make perfect serving sizes.

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup ricotta

1 cup mozzarella, divided

1 egg

1.5 cup spinach

8 lasagna noodles

1 jar crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce

italian herbs

salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook ground turkey in a pan.  When turkey is just about fully cooked, add chopped spinach to wilt down a little.  Cook lasagna noodles.

2.  Combine turkey/spinach to ricotta, .5 cup mozzarella, egg, herbs, salt, and pepper.  

3.  Lay out lasagna noodles and spread the mixture across the noodle.  Roll the noodle up and place seam side down in a casserole dish.  Pour tomato sauce over top the rollups and top with mozzarella.  Bake for 25 minutes.

Spinach Artichoke Bake - total time 45 minutes

Casseroles are so simple and great for weeknight meals.  All the time is really hands off time in the oven.  Just combine all the ingredients and get it cookin'.  This one is no exception!

1 cup rice

1 lb chicken, chopped

1 jar artichoke hearts

1 lb spinach, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup cheese, shredded

.5 cup cream cheese, softened

.5 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to package.  Cook chicken in pan (five minutes each side).  

2.  Combine rice, chicken, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, cream cheese, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.  Scoop into casserole dish and top with panko.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Broil for 2 minutes to get the panko a little toasty.