Holiday Sweet Potatoes

My FAVORITE dish at Thanksgiving!! I could eat the whole pan! In fact, sweet potatoes, rolls, pie, and cranberry sauce is the reason I show up for dinner! Oh yeah, and corn...and stuffing. Okay, most of the dinner except turkey and green beans.

Holiday Sweet Potatoes

2½ pounds sweet potatoes

½ cup sugar

½ cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. vanilla

Topping-

¼ cup butter, melted

¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Boil the sweet potatoes till done, then peel and mash with all of the above ingredients. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with the topping and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup

So, Brian requested some butternut squash the other day.  Those are some big squash, so I thought I'd just make a meal out of it instead of serving it just as a side dish.  I found a recipe from the Gourmet Magazine and got to work.  I think the soup turned out beautifully, fantastic color, savory flavor...baby food-like consistency...ew.  That was the only problem, the texture was just like baby food (and I know that because, despite having no baby at home, we played "baby food roulette" at the EQ activity last week).  I don't know how I could have blended it any smoother.  Anyway, that was the main complaint.  If any of you try it out, tell me if you are able to obtain a silky smooth texture.  

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash

1 medium onion

1 Tbs. freshly grated ginger (optional)

3 Tbs. butter

3 cups chicken broth

1-2 cups water as needed (for thinning out the soup, although I used half cream and half water)

salt and pepper

sour cream for garnish

Cut squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Arrange the halves cut side down in roasting pan that has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Bake squash in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until very tender at 350-425. Set aside to cool. When the squash is completely cool, scoop the flesh from the skin. 

While the squash is baking, cook the onion and the ginger in the butter in a saucepan, over moderately low heat, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened, Add the broth and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, covered. Add the squash to the sauce pan. 

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, in batches, and puree until smooth. Add enough water to achieve the desired consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Return the soup to the sauce pan and cook over moderate heat until it is hot. Garnish each portion.

Okay, I didn't use the ginger.  And I used about a cup of heavy whipping cream as a replacement for some of the water.  And it took about an hour and a half for my squash to roast...at 400.  Of course, my oven sucks, so maybe for you people who have a good oven, it would be less time.  Anyway, all in all, it had a great flavor.  

Falafel Wraps

I sort of made this up, so quantities are guesses. Sorry. I hate recipes like that! But this is so very yummy that you'll want to try it.

Falafel mix - 1 or 2 boxes depending on your family
1 bag of broccoli slaw
tortillas or flatbread or pitas
any combination of mayo, sour cream or yogurt
curry or garam masala seasoning
oil for frying

Make the falafel mix according to package directions. Usually you mix it with water and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. While it's sitting, mix the sauce. I took 2 or 3 large spoonfuls each of mayo and sour cream and mixed them together then added a tsp or so of curry and tasted it. I added another bit of garam masala and some salt then tasted. I LOVE curry so I ended up using a few tsps but taste it as you go until you find the level you're comfortable with. Throw it in the fridge to chill.

Once the falafel mix is done "resting" (lazy falafel, get back to work) fry it in oil. I just blobbed a medium scoop into the oil so they were about the size of an egg, only flatter because I squished them.

To assemble the wrap, put some sauce down the middle of a tortilla or bread of choice then add a falafel nugget or 2 or 3, then broccoli slaw then a bit more sauce. Eat.

These were so dang good. We pretty much ate them all and didn't have leftovers. The first time I used flour tortillas and this week we'll be trying whole grain tortillas. We'll also be trying it with yogurt mixed in. I loved that this was fast, vegetarian, and mostly healthy. And that the kids ate it!

Russian Potato and Mushroom Soup

This is so light and lovely, but filling at the same time. This soups makes me feel happy and healthy after eating it.

5 tbsp. butter, divided
2 leeks, chopped - clean those suckers well because they hide a lot of dirt
2 large carrots, sliced
6 c. chicken broth
2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced (Yukon Gold is the best, really)
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c. half-and-half
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
fresh dill weed, for garnish (optional)

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Mix in leeks and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Pour in broth. Season with dill, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Mix in potatoes, cover, and cook 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender but firm. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir into the soup. In a small bowl, mix the half-and-half and flour until smooth. Stir into the soup to thicken. Garnish each bowl of soup with fresh dill to serve.

Veggie Melts

I was smelling some basil in Jenni's garden while we were in Phoenix and thought of these awesome sandwiches. I think it's a really old Pampered Chef recipe, but I'm not sure. In any case, they are delicious! I make them as a main dish with fruit and salad, but Brian thinks they are more of an appetizer.... I don't really have a specific recipe, but I'll tell you how I do them.

Veggie Melts

I usually use day-old French bread sliced thin. Depending on how many you think you'll be making, slice 1 or 2 Roma tomatoes very thin and a zucchini very thin. I like to slice the zucchini on the diagonal so it makes the slice cover more surface area of the bread. Mix about ¼ cup-ish of Mayonnaise with 1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic and about 1/2 tsp. dried basil. (I'm not completely sure of these quantities - I may shake a little more basil in than that and I can't even tell you how GOOD these are with some finely chopped fresh basil!!). Spread this mixture on the bread slices (¼ c. mayo will do about twelve melts). Then top with zucchini and tomatoes slices. Finally, cover each veggie melt with grated mozzarella cheese (I use sliced because it's a lot less messy). Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve warm. It's melty goodness.

White Chili

I thought all white chili tasted gross. I was wrong. I found this recipe from the Year of CrockPotting blog. (Seriously, check out her amazing recipes.) This is so easy to make and so delicious. The chili is fairly sweet so we don't like to add cheese.

16-oz. bag of frozen white corn (yellow works too)
2 cans of white beans (any kind will do - DON'T DRAIN)
1 4-oz. can of green chilies
1 small to medium onion, chopped (I like to use sweet onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth (you can use bouillon and water)
juice from one lemon (or a shot or two of lemon juice from a jar)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything into the crockpot. You don't need to drain and rinse the beans or the chilies. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, or high for 4-6.