BIZZY BAKES

I like the colors of this salad, the golds, greens and wine colored.  They make for a pretty plate to present. Spinach and Butternut Squash Salad with Nuts and Cranberries Ingredients: 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar ½ cup walnuts 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons honey salt and pepper to taste 4 cups of baby spinach ½ cup dried cranberries Method: Roast or boil squash cubes.  I boiled them and some overcooked so I recommend roasting. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Once the butter bubbles, stir in brown sugar, followed by walnuts.  Sauté nuts; stir frequently until coated with mixture, 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.  Whisk vinegar, honey, remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.  Combine spinach, sq...

I have posted, in the past, an Apple Strawberry Crisp which I did make for the first days of Passover.  What I did though was to make some extra topping and make a Mango Squash Crisp following the original recipe and subbing in these two ingredients.  It was good and I used it as a side dish rather than a dessert. I would think, this recipe, leaves itself open to many different substitutions giving us an easy recipe to make in a variety of guises.  It good me all fruit with cherries and blueberries or sweet potatoes and pineapple.  This is the place to use your imagination and have fun creating it. Mango Squash Crisp 1 bag of Butternut squash cubes  1 - 2 mangoes cut into small pieces ( about the size of the cubes) ½ cup sugar  2 teaspoons lemon juice  ½ teaspoon cinnamon  Crumb Topping:  2½ cup potato starch  1 cup sugar  1 egg  1 cup oil  4 oz. ground walnuts  In a 10 inch ba...

Potatoes have become a mainstay of Passover.  Potatoes are versatile and can be used in probably hundreds of ways.   Some people moan and groan about how many potatoes they "have to" eat because there is nothing else.  Huh?  Fortunately, there is a plethora of vegetables to cook and be creative with. How many different squash are there?  What about root veggies?  Although, we do not eat beans and peas, there are many other greens,  Kale is big of recent times and spinach and bok choy as a few examples. Eggplant, carrots, radishes, lettuce, parsnips, turnips.........need I say more?  If you are a vegetable eater, the opportunities to make the holiday one of good eating, is endless. I love potatoes and have no desire to run away from them.  I like sweet potatoes and use them throughout the year.  For the potato avoiders butternut squash is a good substitute.  This is an easy and yummy side to make on Pesach or any other day. ...

I was looking for a dish to round out my Shabbos meal on Friday night.  I had made chicken cutlets and a roast in gravy, spinach kugel and roasted potato slices.  We had plenty of food for the main course but it felt wrong since we were having a nice crowd for dinner.  I wanted something to complete the meal and make sure, there was something for every one.  Rice sounded right. This makes a pretty dish and a neutral one.  While it definitely has flavor, it seems to go with almost any other food.  It served its purpose since it did a disappearing act. This is a Cooking Light recipe and I have been fortunate with their recipes.  I get their magazine and always find a few new recipes to test.  Many go on the roster for future meals. Baked Rice with Butternut Squash (adapted from Cooking Light September 2002) Ingredients: 1 24 ounce bag of frozen butternut squash cubes 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth 1 cup water 1 teas...

I am back to using what is in the house for our meals.  I looked around and found a bag of cabbage and used that as my basis for the following recipe.  What goes with cabbage?  Apples popped into mind.  I like to shred some apples for cole slaw, sometimes and I am sure they will be good with cabbage.  Now, what to do to make the recipe better and a little different which is when I thought of the butternut squash I had with no plans as to how to use it. Sauteed Apples, Squash and Cabbage Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 large tart apples - peeled and cubed 2 cups cubed butternut squash, peeled about 12 ounces of shredded cabbage 1/2 cup shredded carrot 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon five spice seasoning 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Method: In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the olive oil and heat together....

I found a new website, Whole Foods Market , which has some good old fashioned cooking with updated ideas.  The recipes, I looked at were hearty and appealing and since I had a butternut squash on hand, I gravitated to this warm and yummy soup. This list caught my eye and already, I was planning ahead what to make from it.  I bet you can see some dishes, you also would like to make. Grilled Veggie Pinwheels S tuffed Zucchini with Gazpacho Sauce Easy Roasted Asparagus Caramelized Root Vegetables Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread C arrot Apple Muffins Mushroom-Cheddar Vegetarian Burgers Portobello Mushroom Club Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches with White Bean Pesto This is an example of why I love my immersion blender.  I find that I use it almost daily and for almost every soup. Classic Butternut Squash Soup ( adapted) Ingredients:  2 tablespoons virgin olive oil 2 carrots, diced 1 celery stalk, diced 1 large onion, diced 4 cups cubed butternut squ...

  I am sure, I am not the only one, who finds wonderful ways to cook squash, in particular butternut squash.  Eating chunks of it plain is good, adding a little something can be better and when I say little, that is what I mean. I took a peeled squash and separated the part with the seeds from the narrow part.  I then, using my peeler, made thin strips of squash from the outside of the part with seeds (the base?).  All I did, after that, was to put them in a bowl with about two tablespoons of maple syrup.  The result was pure deliciousness.      Ingredients: 1 butternut squash half, peeled in long strips 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup Method: Grease a small baking dish. Mix maple syrup and squash strips. Place in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until squash is completely cooked.  

This is the second time I have thought I should write a book called, My Romance with Squash.  Each time, I bring home a new squash, I fall in love again.  I have had a crush on Butternut Squash for many years and this dish may have been the fulfillment of my dreams, easy to make and just right to eat with a slight sweetness that gives it charm. Roasted Butternut Squash Ingredients: 2 medium sized butternut squash 2 large sweet potatoes 1 - 3 tablespoons of  olive oil 1 tablespoon of honey 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce mixed with the honey Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on large cookie sheet. Cut butternut squash and sweet potatoes into cubes about one half inch in size. In a bowl, mix together the oil, honey, cayenne and cubes.  Make sure, all the cubes are coated. Spread the cubes of squash and sweet potatoes on parchment covered pans. Bake for 1 hour or until the cubes are soft enough to ...

For weeks, hubby has been asking for kasha and I just have not gotten to it so today was the day.  I like to add something to the kasha, it being a plain dish without a little oomph so I chose butternut squash, because I have it, in the house.  Then, I found a mango and that did it.  I had my dish. Kasha with Butternut Squash (a dapted from Spark People) Ingredients: 1 tablespoon Olive Oil 1 Onion, chopped 1 tablespoon shredded ginger 2 cups kasha, cooked 1/2 teaspoon dried nutmeg 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 1/2 cup golden raisins 1 butternut squash, cut into  one inch cubes 1 mango, cut into small pieces 1 cup water 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 cup nuts Method: In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes.  Add golden raisins and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.  Stir in the water, squash, and salt and bring to a simmer over high heat. ...

I apologize for the lengthy name of this recipe.  It is interesting but each descriptor seems necessary.  I wanted to stress the healthy aspect of being baked and the luxury part of being candied.  Do any of you have difficulty, naming recipes?  There is the tug to make it an interesting title so others will look at the recipe.  There is the equally compelling tug, to make it brief, not to bore anyone.  Should we tell it all in the title or just give a tease to the reader?  How many words make up a title with clarity? I know, there are no pat answers, for the questions but what guidelines can we make, to bring our readers, the titles they are looking for.   Do you want to know the recipe comes from Pioneer Woman or Ina Garten in the title? If you are using a food with many identities, do you want the butternut squash or Idaho potato in the title? Do you even look at the titles?  Is it the photos that ...

We love baked fries.  Ridding the recipe of the oil makes it much more appealing.  Also adding both the sweet and the spicy elements make it even more palatable.  Orange vegetables are versatile and experimenting them with brings to us, treats galore. Ingredients: 1 butternut squash 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey or 1 teaspoon agave cooking spray Method: Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and remove seeds from  butternut squash. Slice squash in half. Cut it up into french fry shapes. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.   Sprinkle with a combination of pumpkin pie spice, black pepper and  sweetener. Spray with cooking oil (Olive) Place tray in pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, turning halfway through baking process. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.

You may have guessed that we like the orange vegetables, squash, pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes.  I find ways to use them in soups, salads, sides and main courses.  They not only add flavor to the meal, they add color.  This soup is rich and warm and makes you want to cuddle. Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup – Nigella             (adapted from Nigella Lawson)                                                                                              ...

I don't know about you but I know that two of my favorite vegetables are sweet potatoes and butternut squash.  Can you imagine the magic of putting the two together?  The dish was soft, smooth and sweet.  It mashed up beautifully.  All I added was some maple syrup and a bit of cinnamon - yum. The "difficult" part was cutting the vegetables with a knife that is less than good.  It took a lot of strength to get it to cut through but success was, at hand.  It must have looked like a comedy in action, with me going from one cutting tool to another, making little progress.  When, I succeeded with a piece, you heard my cheer, wherever you were.  That slowed me down and hopefully knocked off some calories. Preparing for this holiday is cutting and cutting and browning and boiling and more chopping.  I think, I once said that I find this therapeutic.  I love using the bench scraper to chop and slice and when I could, I did use it.  Unfo...

Butternut Squash Kugel Tamar Ansh —- for Passover and all the year Please check out the Passover Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  It is amazing.  It is the next post. Butternut Squash Kugel This is a recipe, I made, last year.  It was good then and it is good now.  Again, I must have goofed somewhere because mine came out more cakey.  Look at Tamar’s and you will see what it should look like.  Ours was more like a cake or bread but a delicious cake or bread.  When it comes out softer, it is better, I must admit. I found this recipe online here .  The top photo is from the book.  I wanted you to see it since I did not get anything nearly as good.  I will place my photos beneath the recipe. We enjoyed this immensely and I am hoping I will have time, to make it again, this Passover. //             Butternut Squash Kugel By Tamar Ansh       Other th...

I just discover Muffin Mondays.  Considering, I have many muffin recipes blogged, I decided to bring this over from Chaya's Comfy Cook and share it from here. Spiced Butternut Muffins The Three Squash Meal Locating three different squash, in my refrigerator, drove me to make dinner with three sides of squash.  We had these muffins, spaghetti squash fritters and stuffed acorn squash.  What a delightful way to make a meal. I am not sure about these muffins.  I found it difficult to figure out how much squash I had.  I bake in cups, not pounds.  I think mine were a little too heavy.  The flavor is there and I think, made a bit lighter, these would be better. The beauty of these is that there is one tablespoon of  margarine in them, nothing more in terms of fats.  That makes it worth a lot but that also might be why, these are heavier than I would have liked. Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins Servings: 10 Ingredients: 1/2 pound peeled...