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Author: Mary | Just Take A Bite

Stuffed Buttercup Squash

Last week I bought some buttercup squash at the orchard. I had never had it before. I tried to think of a creative way to use it besides the usual way to roast squash. I decided to stuff it. I’ve never done that before. And I actually couldn’t find many recipes for stuffed squash…at least not many recipes that could serve as a main dish. So I came up with something on my own! A mix of quinoa, mushrooms, zucchini, pepper, onion, goat cheese and pine nuts stuffed inside a squash half. Then topped with grated parmesan. Wow! So good! Even Justin, who doesn’t like mushrooms, thought it was really good. He was amazed that I just came up with this on my own. We even ate some of the squash skin, it was that good. I had never done that before. And I was quite surprised by how good it is! And probably good for you. This is definitely something I’ll do again. And I’ll play around with different stuffings. A wonderful healthy, hardy, meatless fall dinner. Not only does it taste good, it’s very pretty too 🙂 Something fun to try with guests…everyone gets their own little bowl 🙂 I’ll try to write down approximate quantities. You could use any kind of squash for this. But buttercup really worked well. I just used a small squash…perfect for 2. We each had a half. To feed more you could stuff more squash or use a larger squash and serve quarters. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand too. I served it with some homemade apple pearsauce. Yum!!

Quinoa, Veggie and Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash

serves 2

1 small buttercup squash, washed, halved, seeds removed
1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup quinoa

1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 onion, diced
3-5 white mushrooms, diced
1/4 green pepper, diced
salt and pepper
3 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 Tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prep squash. Place on baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt. Fill pan with a little water. Tent with foil. Bake until squash is cooked (45 min. – 1 1/2 hrs. depending on the size).

While squash is baking, cook quinoa: boil water, add quinoa. Cover, cook on low for 12 min. Remove from heat, fluff with fork. Cover for 15 min.

Sautee veggies in small amount of EVOO. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix quinoa and veggies in separate bowl. Stir in nuts and crumbled goat cheese just before stuffing, reserving a little for topping.

When squash is cooked, remove from oven. Scrape up a little squash if needed to make room for the stuffing. Fill each half of the squash with half of the stuffing mixture. Top with a little more goat cheese and nuts. Place back in the oven for 15 min. Grate parmesan over top just before serving.

Banket

I made my first batch of banket this morning. For those that don’t know banket is a traditional Dutch pastry. Although when I was visited The Netherlands I could not find any…and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about! Strange. Anyway, I made the dough and the filling last night so they could chill overnight. Then rolled and filled the dough and baked it this morning. Each step was super easy and very fast. I always assumed banket would be tough to make. But it was actually really easy. Although I may have to try another batch soon. I still have almond paste to use up. And I think I need to redeem my effort. I did not get the dough to seal very well, and it opened up while it baked. So it’s kind of open faced banket 😛 It still tastes good, just isn’t quite the way it’s supposed to be. You can see the difference in the unbaked and baked pics. Justin had some with breakfast this morning. He said it was very good. I tried a little bite. And even though I don’t like almond at all I even thought it was pretty good. I got the recipe from All Recipes. Definitely a keeper. I only made a half recipe. And I froze most of it.

Banket

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups almond paste
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 pinch salt
1 egg white, beaten

In a large bowl, cut cold butter or margarine into flour until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Make a well in the center, add cold water. Mix together until the mixture forms a ball. Do not overmix. Chill dough.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (225 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, blend together almond paste, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, almond extract and salt.
Divide dough in 4 parts, and roll into 15 inch strips. Place filling along the center of each long strip of dough. Roll up, and pinch the ends to seal.

Place strips 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden.

**11/26/09 – Updated pics at top of post after 2nd attempt. The dough stayed sealed this time.

Fall Cake

We were supposed to visit my family today…but we all came down with colds. So we’re staying home. I had already made a cake to celebrate our Sept/Oct birthdays. So Justin and I had some last night. Mmmm 🙂 I’ll have to keep working on my marble swirling :p This was my first attempt at making/using marzipan. I think the pears turned out pretty well. This was also my first time cutting the cakes in half so that the cake is 4 layers instead of 2. That worked well. The filling is chocolate, cream cheese, chocolate. The outside is vanilla. The trees/branches are chocolate. The leaves are icing. Now I just need to figure out how to take better pictures.

Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

On Saturday my family is getting together. We are having a pizza and potluck dinner. I am bringing a few fresh veggies and chips and salsa. I’m bringing my home canned salsa. So I figured I’d try making the tortilla chips too. I made a batch yesterday to try them out. Very good!! And so simple. They are really good fresh out of the oven and still warm. I have to make more yet for the gathering. I haven’t decided if I will make them at home or wait and make them at my parents’ house so they are really fresh. This is a good base recipe. It’ll be fun to experiment with various seasoning. Maybe someday I’ll try making my own tortillas. Then the chips would really be homemade 🙂 I got the recipe from Food Network.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas (preferably white)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used canola)
Fine salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush both sides of the tortillas with the oil (I just brushed one side and figured some would rub off on the next one as I stacked them :). Stack the tortillas and cut the pile into sixths to make chips. Spread the chips out in a single layer on two large baking sheets and season with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, rotating the baking sheets once, about 12 to 15 minutes (Mine took 10-12 minutes).

CA Chicken

This week I made it to a new meat market and picked up some chicken and bacon. And I had some avocado and swiss cheese to use up. So I decided to make CA Chicken for dinner last night. I’ve been making this for a few years now. We always love it! I can’t believe I haven’t posted the recipe yet. I guess it’s been a while since I made it last. Anyway, I don’t remember where I got the recipe. But it’s simple and very good! Sometimes I skip the bacon…depends what kind of mood I’m in 🙂 And we usually don’t have fresh tomotao on hand, so I just add a little salsa instead.CA Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 small onion, sliced
2 avocados, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced (I just used a little homemade salsa)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. monteray jack cheese, sliced (you can use whatever cheese you have on hand…I used swiss last night)
4 strips bacon

Heat oven to 350. Season chicken and wrap with bacon (I use a toothpick to hold it in place…just be sure to take it out before you eat :). Cook chicken and onion in a skillet or grill pan (be sure to give it a little time on each side so that the bacon cooks…it’s hard to get all parts of the bacon cooked/crisped). Top each breast with 1-2 slices of tomato, 2-3 slices of cheese and onions (all of the toppings are to your liking and what will fit on the chicken). Put in the oven for 15-20 min. When serving add a few slices of avocado and a sprinkle of salt.

Fruit Salad

Last night Rebecca and I made a fruit salad for Justin to bring to a work picnic. I got this recipe from my mom. We grew up eating it…it was my favorite. I haven’t made it in a long time now. And I realize how unhealthy it is. I’m sure it could be modified a bit to make it better (some fresh fruit…or even frozen, some better quality ingredients), but I didn’t have the time. And I knew it wasn’t for us :p So I made it as is. Rebecca loved making the pudding. And she got to try mandarin oranges for the first time. She kept saying “mow onja.” She got her own little pudding cup too 🙂 This is super easy to make. And a great one to make with kids.

Fruit Salad

1 pkg. (3.8 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup whipped cream (I used frozen whipped topping, thawed)
1 large fruit cocktail, drained
11 oz. mandarin oranges, drained
4 oz. jar marachino cherries, drained
6 oz. pkg. mini marshmallows
2 medium bananas sliced

Mix pudding according to package directions. Fold in whipped cream. Fold in well-drained fruit. Fold in marshmallows. Add bananas shortly before serving. Chill thoroughly.

Risotto Cakes

I tried a Barefoot Contessa recipe for dinner last night. I saw it on one of her recent shows. The risotto cakes were pretty simple. And quite good. I served them as a main dish. They would probably be better paired with some kind of protein. I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand, so I improvised with what I had. I used basil instead of chives. I used plain yogurt instead of greek yogurt. And I used parmesan and gouda cheese instead of fontina. You could do lots of different variations on this. They didn’t hold their shape as well as I would have liked. But from other reviews of the recipe that is pretty common. Only one really fell apart. And that’s because it slid off the spatula when I was trying to flip it. It helped to cook them longer on the first side (she says 3 min.), maybe 6 min. or so. Then it gets a good crust and hold together. You definitely have to plan ahead for these since the rice mixture has to set for a while. I made the rice the night before and added the other ingredients the next morning. I only made a half recipe and got 8 cakes out of it. I’ll post the original recipe and my mods.

Chive Risotto Cakes

Kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used plain yogurt)
2 extra-large eggs (I just used large)
3 Tbsp. minced fresh chives (I used basil and added some salt and garlic powder)
1 1/2 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (5 ounces) (I used parmesan and gouda)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil

Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4-inch) ice-cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch thick. Place 4 to 6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes (I’d recommend 6 min.) on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot.

I served them with peas and roasted cheddar cauliflower. I just wanted to post a pic of the cauliflower. I’ve never had this variety before. It doesn’t taste a lot different, but I don’t think it’s as sweet. I like regular better.

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

Last night Justin was gone all evening for church stuff. So Rebecca and I baked some cookies 🙂 She loved pouring and mixing. Although she seemed more interested in licking her fingers when she figured out what sugar was 😛 Lots of pausing for hand washing…sugar and slobbery teething hands don’t go well together. Once it was time to add the chocolate chips she forgot all about helping and just wanted to eat “choca chips.” I gave her some mini chips in a bowl. She had a blast stirring them and eating them. I’ve made this recipe before. Simple and very good! I don’t remember where I got it, maybe All Recipes. It made 50 cookies. Now I have a good stash in the freezer.

White Chip Chocolate Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cups white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets (I used silpat).

Bake for 8 to 10 min., until cookies are set (it was 10-12 min. for me). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Zucchini Lasagna

I made zucchini lasagna for dinner yesterday. I didn’t use a recipe. I just threw some stuff together. The main idea was to use thinly sliced zucchini in place of noodles. I did add a few noodles just to use them up. But it was mostly zucchini. The noodles were good, but not necessary. This was my use things up lasagna. I still had a 1/2 lb. pkg. of Meijer beef to use up (this could easily be a meatless meal, but I wanted to use up some beef). I had a jar of boughten spaghetti sauce that was getting close to date (I add some extra seasoning to it to make it taste more homemade). I had a few stray lasagna noodles. I had about a 1/4 cup of chopped spinach that I tossed in. And I still had a couple zucchinis to use. I used whatever cheese we had on hand. This was very good!!! We all loved it. Rebecca kept asking for more “zagna.” This was a great way to use up zucchini and get more veggies in our diet. For noodles I used 2 lasagna noodles (all I had left) and some fettuccine. I didn’t cook the noodles. They mostly cooked in the oven. A few tougher spots on the lasagna noodles, but still fine. I would recommend the thinner noodles if you aren’t going to pre-cook them. The fettuccine noodles were totally cooked. I’ll try to write down approximate quantities.Zucchini Lasagna

2 medium zucchinis, sliced thinly lengthwise
1/2 – 1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey would be good, or it would be good without meat too), cooked and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
any kind of pasta, if desired (leave it out or use GF to make this GF)
veggies – any veggies you want to add. I added frozen peas and spinach.
8 oz. shredded cheese – I used a mix of mozzarella, grated parmesan and grated edam

Spray 9×13 baking dish. Spread small amount of sauce in bottom of pan. Layer 1/2 of the noodles, 1/3 of the zucchini, 1/2 of the veggies, 1/2 of the meat, 1/3 of the cheese, 1/2 of the sauce. Repeat. Finish with a layer of zucchini and cheese. You can cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it at this point if you are prepping ahead.

To bake: Cover with tinfoil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake another 20 min.

Salmon Cakes

Last night I tried a new Food Network recipe. It’s from the new show $10 Dinners. I want us to eat fish more often, and this sounded like an easy way to do it. And a way to get Justin to eat salmon! I’ve never had canned salmon before, but it was pretty good. And the salmon cakes were very good. We both liked them. Rebecca wasn’t too sure, but I bet she’ll like them more if she tries them a few times. Plus she had one of her favorites (cauliflower) on her plate…so the salmon couldn’t compete 🙂 They were very easy to make. You just have to plan ahead so that you leave time to bake a potato before you make them. I didn’t add the bacon. We’ve had bacon in the quiche we ate a couple times last week, so I wasn’t really in the mood for more. And I just didn’t have time to cook it since I didn’t have much time to make dinner after getting home from the park yesterday. I bet it would be good, though. I only made a half recipe.Salmon Cakes

2 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, crumbled, bacon fat reserved
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 lemon, zested
1 (14-ounce) can wild salmon, checked for large bones
1 baked or boiled russet potato, peeled, and fluffed with a fork
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I just used a little EVOO, maybe a Tbsp. or two)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat in a small saute pan over low heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Cool the onions for a bit.

Mix the bacon, onion, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the salmon and potato, mixing gently after each addition. Form the mixture into 12 small patties. In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and pepper, to taste. Coat the patties in the bread crumb topping. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, and cook the salmon cakes in batches until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add more oil, as necessary. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.