Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

This is, hands down, my absolute favorite fall salad.  I have been obsessed with butternut squash to a frightening degree this season and cannot stop eating it.  I have made this salad no less than four times in the past two weeks because it is that good!  Plus, Paul also really, really likes it.  He is obsessed with arugula almost as much as I am obsessed with squash.

The recipe is infinitely adaptable.  I have used roasted, cubed sweet potatoes instead of the squash.  The Parmesan has been switched out for other salty cheeses, such as Gorgonzola or Feta.  Hate Walnuts?  Use roasted pecans instead!  I also like to occasionally throw a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds on top, because I like them so much.  But only when I plan on eating the whole batch by myself (Paul scorns all seeds that are not sunflower!).

This would make a delicious and different salad to serve at Thanksgiving dinner!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

For the squash:

1 1/2-pounds butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Maple Syrup (do not use maple-flavored pancake syrup)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries

For the vinaigrette:
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil

For the salad:
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Pour everything into the blender along with the mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.  Give it a good whiz until everything is combined.  Slowly add in the oil, beginning with 1/4 cup.  Add more if the dressing is not thick enough, but usually I find that a little over 1/3 cup is usually the right amount of oil for this dressing otherwise it is a bit too oily.

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well. Serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce

Matthew is pretty much obsessed with anything pumpkin.  He makes his mother proud.

I had to share this recipe quickly before I forgot what I did to throw it together.  It was absolutely divine. Paul rated the dish in its entirety one of his "favorite dishes ever."  As I have mentioned earlier, he is a huge fan of Spaghetti Squash.  And who doesn't love it?  The stringy, fibrous innards make a wonderful, low-carb replacement for pasta!

In addition to my plethora of butternut squash, I had recently purchased a fair amount of spaghetti squash to use for our weeknight meals.  I then had the brilliant idea of using both types of squash to make a dish - namely, a Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce to be served over roasted spaghetti squash.  And then sprinkled with bacon (because bacon and squash is a match made in heaven!).

When I mentioned the idea to Paul while at the grocery store earlier in the week, his skeptical reply was: "Sounds like a lot of squash."

Oh ye of little faith.

Two days later, he was ravenously gobbling down his third serving of this delicious dish and singing my praises.  What an easy way to get the vegetable-hating husband to eat about five healthy servings in one sitting!

If you decide to give this a whirl, and I do hope that you will, try to use a combination of Cooper cheese and mild cheddar for the sauce.  I'm sure whatever cheese you use will be delicious, but that was the combination we threw in and it was absolutely killer.  You could also toss the sauce with regular pasta and it will be similar to a Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese.  This is good stuff.

And the bacon is purely optional...but it is a really awesome garnish! (Note: I garnished mine with some chopped almonds as well as seen pictured above).

The pictures are absolutely horrible because it has been getting dark at 6:00 pm, making it really difficult to get any decent lighting.  So if you think the dish looks gross in the picture, it is probably just the lighting.

Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce

3 strips of bacon (or more if you are a true carnivore!)
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 cup roasted butternut squash puree (not store bought!)
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon fresh sage (do not use dry!)
1 cup grated cheese
Salt and Pepper

Cook the bacon in a skillet set over medium heat until crispy.  Set aside to drain on paper towels and reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.  When the bacon is cool, crumble into coarse pieces.

In a small stockpot, heat the grease (if you omit the bacon, use a tablespoon of butter or olive oil) and the minced garlic over medium heat until fragrant and bubbly.  Add the butternut squash puree and until it is heated and has absorbed the garlic, about 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the half-and-half until the squash is completely absorbed.  Stir in the fresh sage.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble.  Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese until completely melted.  Ladle sauce over individual servings of spaghetti squash and garnish with bacon pieces and shredded Parmesan.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Pizza

We have been keeping busy around here and enjoying the wonderful Fall weather.  Fall has always been my favorite time of year.  I love the changing colors of the leaves, the many different varieties of squash that finally come into season, the smell of freshly baked apple pie, and all the cute little pumpkins that begin popping up on porches all over the neighborhood.  Not to mention, the Columbus Day Sales are awesome.  Matthew and I picked out some new kicks.

Harvest season is in full swing and all the local farms offer a variety of fun activities for adults and kids alike.  I took Matthew to one of my favorite local farms where they had an entire "Pumpkintown" mini-theme park set up for toddlers, complete with a wide variety of inflatable structures, a corn maze, a haunted house, and free piping hot apple cider.  At first, Matthew was very apprehensive about partaking in all the inflatable fun.  However, once I pushed him into the "pumpkin jump," he began to perk up.  Then I could not get him out when his time was up.  I had to crawl in there after him.  It is not easy to chase him around in an inflatable pumpkin that was not built to support your body weight.  I felt like the whole thing was going to collapse.

Then we headed to a gigantic inflatable slide.  The kids were instructed to hold onto ropes and pull themselves up to the top.  The attendant thought Matthew was too little to climb up all by himself, but I insisted that he let him give it a shot.  I had taken Matthew to a mini rock climbing wall a few weeks previously and he did fantastically well.  He made it all the way to the top of the wall fairly easily.  Anyway, he was not afraid of climbing up to the top of this slide.  Slowly but surely, he gripped and pulled his way to the very top where he triumphantly sat, waving and smiling.  Obviously, he was very proud of his achievement.  

However, when it came time for him to come down the slide...he wasn't so sure.  He begged for me to come get him, but I told him that the only way he was coming down was via the slide.  He finally went for it.  You can almost see the terror on his face.  He was all smiles at the bottom.

I tried to get a few photos with the props they had scattered throughout the farm.  Matthew did not understand the concept...

...Finally I got him to smile and poke his head through by playing peek-a-boo.

Matthew's favorite part of the whole outing (besides eating popcorn and drinking cider) was the corn maze.  He was all about taking the lead through the maze.  Every time he led us to a dead end, he would cry "OH NO!" and then giggle, turn around, and try another route.  He was actually amazingly good at figuring his way through it.  He must have a built-in GPS (unlike both his Mother and his Father).

Afterwards, we had to make our way through the market and buy some fresh produce.  I got a little overly excited by the beautiful butternut squash they had for a mere $0.15/pound.  I ended up buying a bushel.  Which means that I came home with about 25 perfect butternut squashes.  Which means that I will be making a lot of recipes featuring butternut squash.

This pizza recipe was inspired by a couple of recipes that I have spotted throughout the web over the past couple of years.  I combined my favorite elements from a couple of them and came up with the result below.  It was a divine, delicious, and different pizza (don't you just love the alliteration?).  The sweetness from the butternut squash paired perfectly with the creamy, mild flavor of the roasted garlic white sauce.  The Parmesan added a wonderful salty element to the whole thing.  Next time, I will probably scatter some bacon pieces over the top (I adore the combination of butternut squash and crispy bacon).  This would also be wonderful with some toasted walnuts scattered on top as a garnish.  If you are not a fan of thyme, try using some fresh rosemary or sage.  Leave it out all together if you are skeptical...but this is one seriously tasty dish.

Even Matthew ate it.  Not that his opinion matters much...he also tried cat food for the first time yesterday and apparently found it quite tasty.

Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Pizza

For Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons Parmesan
1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt/Pepper

For the Pizza:
1 recipe of your favorite pizza dough
1-2 pounds Butternut Squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 head of garlic, papery skins removed from the outside and the top cut off
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
4-5 slices thick bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
1-2 cups mozzarella


To prepare the squash and garlic, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  On a baking sheet, toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Place the garlic head on the sheet and drizzle some olive oil over the top.  Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender. Remove the squash and continue roasting the garlic until it is soft and fragrant (about 10 minutes more).  When cool enough to handle, pop the softened garlic cloves out of their skins and mash into a paste with a fork.  Set aside while you prepare the white sauce.

Place a pizza stone in your oven and set the temperature for 500 degrees.  Let the oven preheat with the stone for at least 20 minutes before placing the assembled pizza inside to bake.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat in a small saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk continuously until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk in a steady stream.  Continue to whisk the mixture until it thickens to the consistency of heavy cream.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese and thyme.  Whisk in half of the garlic mash.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the pizza, spread the white sauce over the top of your prepared pizza dough leaving a 1-inch border.  Scatter the red onion, bacon (if using), and butternut squash over the top.  Sprinkle with the cheeses.  Carefully slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone and bake for 8-12 minutes (depending on your dough recipe) or until the cheese is melted and the crust has browned.  Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

An Early Visit with Santa

This past weekend, we spent a little time shopping at the Holiday Expo in downtown Erie. Now, please do not judge. I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but sometimes you just want to get an early start to Holiday shopping. Besides, it ended up being a bust and we walked away without a single purchase. Maybe we'll just give everyone gift cards this year. And cookies.

We ran into a very special (and jolly!) individual. As soon as the man in the big, red suit walked past, Matthew was instantly intrigued! And frightened at the same time. Santa sat in his chair and then held his arms open wide so Matthew could feel free to go sit on his lap. Matthew took three ginger steps forward...

...and then ran.

When we finally caught up to him and dragged him back, Santa suggested that "Mom" sit with him on his lap. Santa or no Santa, this mom was a little creeped out by his suggestion (I may or may not have imagined him seductively rubbing his leg with his white-gloved hand while asking me to "Ho-Ho-Hop on board!"). I only agreed to it if Paul also took a turn sitting on Santa's lap.

And he did...

Paul acted extremely sheepish and embarrassed about the whole thing. Secretly, I think he was thrilled! Doesn't he look so giddy and happy in the picture? And look how he is even wearing a shirt that matches Santa! He's sucking up early to the big guy with the hopes that he will receive a new MP3 player this Christmas since he just ran his last one through the washing machine.

After taking these pictures, Santa proceeded to give Paul and I some parenting advice that made absolutely no sense. Something about letting the kids stay up late so they sleep in longer and eat fewer cookies. Let me know if you can interpret that riddle of fun. What the pictures don't show is that we were sitting right across from a full cash bar and something tells me, at least based on the gibberish coming from his mouth, that Santa may have had a little too much bourbon.

Below is one of my favorite ways to use butternut squash. It is a dish that we have looked forward to making each fall when we can get some beautiful butternut squash for around 10 cents per pound. It is one of Paul's favorite fall dishes - probably because it has bacon in it. Matthew would not touch it, but his opinion does not exactly count. He chose a cut up hot dog over this deliciousness. Weirdo.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage

adapted from Cooks Illustrated

4 slices bacon , halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces

8 fresh sage leaves, plus 1 tablespoon minced (Do NOT use dried sage)

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

6 scallions, sliced thin (about 1 cup)

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and ground black pepper

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound penne pasta

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup sliced, toasted almonds

Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add whole sage leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, reserving bacon fat and bacon-sage mixture separately.

Return skillet to high heat, add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat and heat until shimmering. Add squash in even layer and cook, without stirring, until beginning to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until spotty brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add butter and allow to melt, about 30 seconds. Add scallions, nutmeg, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and minced sage; cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer; continue to cook until squash is tender, 1-3 minutes more.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water, and transfer back to Dutch oven.

Add squash mixture to pasta; stir in 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and reserved bacon-sage mixture, adjusting consistency with reserved pasta liquid. Serve, sprinkling individual servings with almonds and additional Parmesan.

Spaghetti Squash: A Miracle Vegetable

Chilly fall days, lingering thunderstorms, and overcast skies. That pretty much sums up what the weather has been like over here. Thankfully, we were able to venture out for a short family walk this evening. It was pretty windy, so we were only able to walk for about a mile before Matthew started to whine.

He sported his new Notre Dame hat while we were out. Paul thinks it makes him look like a gnome.

Okay, maybe it does. He's still a cute little gnome.

Matthew always insists on holding my hand as I walk beside him while Paul pushes the stroller. He picked this little habit up this past summer and I love it.

Nights like these call for something warm and comforting for dinner. One of our favorite dishes is roasted Spaghetti Squash topped with some Vodka sauce and Parmesan. Spaghetti squash is one of Paul's favorite things to eat. He really is not a big fan of vegetables unless they are MAJORLY dressed up with butter or a Velveeta cheese sauce (heaven forbid!). However, he could eat Spaghetti squash every day, which is why I have dubbed it a miracle veggie. Spaghetti squash has a solid flesh like any other member of the squash family, including Pumpkin, Butternut, Hubbard, etc. However, once it has been roasted, the insides will fall away from the shell in strands that resemble spaghetti. It can then be scooped into a bowl and eaten with sauce as a great, healthy substitute for pasta. It is absolutely delicious.

Another special guy in my life is also a big fan of Spaghetti Squash. And today happens to be his birthday! Happy Birthday to my wonderful Dad! I miss you and wish I could be there to celebrate with you. One of my favorite memories as a little girl is of you "blowing out the candles" on your birthday pie (normally pumpkin) by taking a napkin and holding it to a candle until it lit, blowing it out, and repeating. Eventually, the napkin erupted into flames and you promptly threw it into Mom's water glass. The look she gave you was priceless. I love you!

Spaghetti Squash with Vodka Sauce

sauce adapted from Cooks Illustrated

For the squash:

1 large spaghetti squash

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the stem end off the squash with a large, sharp knife. Being careful not to cut your finger off, halve the squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeded innards. Brush the flesh evenly with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Sometimes, we like to smash a couple cloves of garlic and rub the flesh all over with the garlic. Place the squash halves face down on a large cookie sheet. Roast for 30-45 minutes (depending on your squash) or until a small, sharp knife can be easily pierce the skin of the squash.

While the squash is roasting, prepare the vodka sauce!

For the sauce:

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup vodka

1 cup heavy cream

Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mince garlic with a press into small bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon water. Heat the garlic mixture, oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and let simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in vodka and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in cream, pepper to taste, basil, sugar, and salt. Transfer the sauce to a food processor or a blender. Make sure to cover the top with a kitchen towel and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and keep warm until squash is ready.

To Assemble:

Once the squash is cooked, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Scoop the insides with a large spoon into a strainer to remove any excess liquid (if any). The squash will be very hot, so I usually wear an oven mitt on the hand holding the squash. Repeat with the other squash half. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop generous amount of squash into individual bowls Spoon sauce over the squash and top with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan. Enjoy!