Sandy's Sherried Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from Southern Lady Magazine

Makes about 2½ quarts

2 large butternut squash, halved and seeded (about 4 cups cooked) (Reader, if you’re fortunate enough to have a store that sells the squash already peeled, seeded and cubed, dive on it. It saves so much time!)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 tbsp garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 tsp ground coriander

2 quarts chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp sugar

1½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp dry sherry

Preheat the oven to 375˚. Place squash, cut sides down, on a lightly greased baking sheet, and pierce several times with a fork. Bake for 1 hour or until tender; cool slightly before handling. With a large spoon, scrape out cooked squash into a bowl, discarding peel; set aside. Alternatively, place cubed squash on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Roast for 30 minutes until browned on the edges.

In a Dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter turns light brown and smells nutty. (Watch the butter closely. Although the olive oil will raise the butter’s burn temperature, if will quickly go from brown to black.) Add onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, and coriander. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Add squash, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and sugar, stirring well. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In the container of a blender, puree squash mixture, in batches, until smooth. Return squash mixture to Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add cheese, cream, and sherry. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Healthier Pork Schnitzel with German-Style Green Beans

Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

4 boneless pork chops (1 pound total), 1/2 inch thick

¼ cup flour (Anyone want to try whole wheat flour? We used all-purpose as it was onhand.)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt (Spike, Lawrey's, Penzeys or just substitute plain salt)

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp milk

¾ cup homemade whole wheat bread crumbs

¼ cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tsp paprika

3 tbsp grapeseed oil

Use a meat hammer to pound the pork cutlets to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness. Cut small slits around the edges of the cutlets to prevent curling.

Set out 3 shallow bowls – one with a mixture of the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper. The second with the egg and milk whisked together. The third with a mixture of the bread crumbs, Panko and paprika.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Dredge the cutlets first in the seasoned flour, then dip the cutlets in the egg mixture, and then into the mixture of bread crumbs and paprika.

Working in batches, sauté the cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the cutlets from the skillet and cover with foil or place in a warm oven to keep warm.

We always eat schnitzels with slices of lemon on top. While I living in Germany, I learned to use the tines of a fork to press down on the sliced lemon, pushing the juice into the schnitzel. Since I’m a maniac with a lemon wedge, this works out well for everyone involved as no one runs shrieking from the table with lemon juice in their eyes.

German-Style Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped finely

½ tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook fresh beans in a little salted water until tender.  Drain beans and reserve about ¾ cup of the cooking liquid.

Sauté bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is cooked and onion has lightly browned. Add bean liquid and cook until liquid has reduced to ¼ cup. Add sugar, vinegar, beans and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until warmed through.

Mediterranean Deviled Eggs

Courtesy of shockinglydelicious.com

12 hard cooked eggs, peeled

3-4 tbsp mayonnaise

2 tbsp olive oil (use seasoned oil from the sun-dried tomatoes if available)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp balsamic (white or red) or aged wine vinegar

1/4 tsp dried oregano

8 drops Tabasco sauce

2 tbsp chopped green scallion

1 tbsp finely chopped Kalamata olives

1 tbsp small capers in brine, drained and patted dry

Garnish: sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, capers or parsley

Slice the cooked eggs in half, lay whites on a plate and put yolks in a large mixing bowl. To yolks, add mayo, oil, mustard, vinegar, oregano and Tabasco and mix well to combine (can use an electric mixer). By hand, stir in scallions, olives and capers.

Stuff the whites with the mixture. The easiest way to do this is to fill a small plastic zipper-top bag with the filling, zip it closed, cut off a tiny corner of the bag and pipe the filling out through that corner. Use all the filling for the eggs. Discard the empty bag.

Garnish each filled half-egg with a sliver of sun-dried tomato, or an olive slice, or capers, or a leaf of parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be made a day ahead.)

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely diced

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Cold-Oven Pound Cake

Courtesy of Taste of the South Magazine

1¼ cups all-vegetable shortening

3 cups sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Garnish: confectioners’ sugar, sweetened whipped cream, fresh raspberries

Spray a 12- to 15-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat shortening and sugar together until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to shortening mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk and beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix thoroughly, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla, mixing well.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place in a cold oven. Bake at 325˚ until a wooden pick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack, and let cool completely. Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and raspberries.

Foolproof Double-Crust Pie Dough

Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated All-Time Best Recipes 20^th Anniversary Edition

2½ cups (12.5 oz) all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilled

8 tbsp vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

¼ cup vodka, chilled

¼ cup ice water

Process 1½ cups flour, sugar, and salt together in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter and shortening over top and continue to process until incorporated and mixture begins to form uneven clumps with no remaining floury bits, about 15 seconds.

Scrape down bowl and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup flour over dough and pulse until mixture has broken up into pieces and is evenly distributed around bowl, 4 to 6 pulses.

Transfer mixture to large bowl. Sprinkle vodka and ice water over mixture. Stir and press dough together, using stiff rubber spatula, until dough sticks together.

Divide dough into 2 even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on a counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling out.)

Dear reader, please note this crust does not need to be blind baked. It will, however, benefit from the pie plate being set on a large preheated roasting pan/cookie sheet during baking.

Chicken Chesapeake

Courtesy of Cooking with Paula Deen January/February 2011

8 oz lump crabmeat, picked free of shell

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 lbs), cut in half

1½ tsp salt, divided

1½ tsp ground black pepper, divided

½ cup butter, divided

1 (8-oz) package sliced baby bella mushrooms (I’d recommend slicing your own, but I have a hard time arguing with Paula)

½ cup minced green onion

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

Hot cooked rice (Ok, I’m going to go ahead and argue with Paula here. Serve it over steamed broccoli to help cut through the caloric wasteland.)

Garnish: ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle crabmeat evenly over baking dish.

Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from pan, and place over crab in baking dish.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and green onion; cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add wine, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in chicken broth and cream, and cook for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Add remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. (I omitted the additional salt and pepper as I felt the sauce was seasoned well without it. I encourage you to always, always taste as you go while layering on spices.)

Pour mixture over chicken, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice … ahem … broccoli!

Cola Pot Roast with Vegetables

Originally from Comfort Food by Southern Living

1 (12-oz) can cola soft drink

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 (3-4 lb) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

1 tsp fresh coarsely ground pepper

8 large carrots (about ½ lb), cut into 1 ½-inch chunks

7 Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 ¼ lb), cut into quarters

2 large onions, cut into eighths

2 tbsp cornstarch

½ cup cold water

Garnish: fresh oregano or thyme sprigs

Combine first 5 ingredients and 2 tbsp oil in large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Add roast, turning to coat. Seal and chill 8 to 24 hours. Remove roast from marinade; discard lemon slices, and reserve marinade. Sprinkle roast with pepper.

Brown roast 4 minutes on each side in remaining 1 tbsp hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove roast from skillet and transfer to a large roasting pan. Add reserved marinade to skillet, stirring to loosen particles from bottom. Bring to boil. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 300˚. Arrange carrots, potatoes and onions around roast in pan; pour hot marinade over roast and vegetables.

Bake, covered, at 300˚ for 4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Transfer roast and vegetables to a serving platter. Skim fat from juices in roasting pan.

Whisk together cornstarch and ½ cup cold water in small bowl until smooth. Whisk cornstarch mixture into juices in pan; cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until thickened, whisking to loosen particles. Serve gravy with roast vegetables. Garnish, if desired.

Sunday Sugo

Courtesy of Cook's Country's Lost Recipes

Makes enough for 3 pounds of pasta.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb hot Italian sausages (4-6 links), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb sweet Italian sausages (4-6 links), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
3 yellow onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb 93% lean ground beef
3 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp plain dried bread crumb
½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a bowl.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon more oil in the pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the sausages.

Head the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, bell peppers, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until the tomato paste begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add the ground beef, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up any large clumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, cheese, sugar, and bread crumbs. Return the sausages and beef, along with any accumulated juices, to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened, about 1 hour longer.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the basil. Serve.