Butternut Squash Soup with Apple Relish
Fall is by far my favorite time of year for one reason: Halloween! I live life for this holiday. I look forward to October 31 all year, and aside from my brother's birthday being on November 1, I think that is the worst day of the year (my husband claims it's his favorite day of the year but I can't imagine why? :) My obsession with Halloween goes back to childhood memories. My family always welcomed fall with such open arms, and my dad made a huge deal out of Halloween. We would go to the extremes with decorations - making scarecrows and monsters out of old flannel shirts, hay, and scary masks. Pumpkins and hay bells would always be at the end of our driveway, complete with monsters hanging in trees and scarecrows sitting in chairs. My dad and my Nenne were both big on dressing up, and they always had such memorable costumes! My dad loved to buy a new scary mask every year and play tricks on people with it.
Looking back, I feel like we celebrated Halloween the entire month of October. I can remember being just a little girl, and telling my mom, "There's something extra special about fall.. It's the only season I can smell." That stands true today. I can smell fall when it's coming, and starting October 1, our house smells of pumpkin, chili is often on the stove, our television plays only movies in the scary genre, and I insist on buying at least 20 gigantic pumpkins and squash to decorate with. I get chills just thinking about it.
This soup is special to me because we do a Halloween dinner party every year, and this was the first fall soup I ever created for it. It was a huge hit, so I make a batch (or three) every fall.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE!!!
Grocery List:
Soup:
2 large butternut squash - peeled and chopped into 1 in pieces
1 sweet potato - peeled and chopped into 1 in pieces
1 carrot - peeled and chopped into 1 in pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
1 small onion - chopped
1 stalk of celery - chopped
2 tbsp garlic - chopped
2 tbsp shallot - chopped
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or apple liquor
6 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sage
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne
Relish:
1 Fuji Apple - finely chopped
1/4 cup walnuts - toasted and finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion - finely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries - finely chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp - apple juice
4 small acorn squash (optional)
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Directions:
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Toss squash, potato, and carrot with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast veggies for 35 minutes or until soft.
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Step 2:
While veggies are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Sautée onion and celery with a dash of salt until translucent. Add garlic and shallot to the pot with a dash of salt and cook for one minute. Add the vinegar or liquor, stock, maple syrup, spices, and roasted veggies to the pot. Stir to combine.
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Step 3:
Using a hand blender (or transfer soup to an electric blender working in batches) blend soup together until smooth. Let the soup sit over low heat for 30 minutes or longer (the longer it sits the better it tastes).
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Step 4:
Make the relish. In a bowl, stir together the apple, walnuts, red onion, cranberries, maple syrup, apple juice, and about 1/8 tsp salt. Make the squash bowls by cutting off the corner of the bottom (this makes a flat surface for it to sit on). Then, cut off about 1 inch of the top. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and insides until smooth and in the shape of a bowl. Taste soup before serving and add more salt if needed. Ladle soup into the squash bowls and top with apple relish.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Shrimp, Grits, 'N Collards
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This dish simply reminds me of growing up in the south. As everyone knows, shrimp and grits are everything in the south. And you can't go to Mississippi and not find greens on the menu. Most kids grow up hating greens but I always adored them. They're still one of my favorite sides to order, next to grits of course. This recipe combines the two southern staples, making it one great, big country dish!
Grocery list (4 people):
Collards:
4 strips of bacon
3 cloves of garlic - minced
1 tsp red pepper flake
4 bunches of fresh collard greens - leaves only, stems discarded
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup apple juice
Grits:
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1 cup stone ground grits
4 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp butter
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
Shrimp:
1 lb shrimp - peeled, deveined, tails on
2 tsp fresh tarragon - chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme - chopped
4 tbsp butter - melted
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Fresh parsley - for garnish
Directions:
Collards:
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Fry the bacon and set aside. Using the bacon grease, over medium low heat, sautée the garlic and the red pepper flake for 1 minute. Add the greens, sugar, salt, and pepper and let cook down for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and apple juice. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30-45 minutes. Crumble the bacon into the greens and stir to combine. Taste and add salt if needed.
Grits:
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Add water and milk to a large saucepan. Over medium low heat, whisk in the grits. Continue whisking and bring grits to a slight boil for one minute. Simmer and whisk occasionally. You want these to cook slowly (watch them attentively and stir often, the way you would risotto). If the grits get dry, add more milk. Cook until creamy. Add the salt, pepper, butter and mascarpone. Stir to combine. Taste and add salt if needed. Shrimp:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Stir together the fresh herbs, butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Toss the shrimp with the herb mixture on a roasting pan. Roast for about 6 minutes or until the shrimp just turn pink. Plate the dish. In a shallow bowl add grits, top with a nice portion of greens, then add shrimp. Garnish with torn parsley.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Andrea's Cooktales - Episode 2 - Farmer's Market Pasta
Farmer's Market Pasta
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Any cooking story with mama is a great one. I love being in the kitchen with my mom. It can be the middle of summer, and for some reason cooking with mama makes it seem like it's Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's just so festive and fun. My earliest cooking memories with her were right around the holidays so a day in the kitchen with her always seems like a special occasion. We often go to the farmer's market together on Saturday mornings. One Saturday last summer, we went and I told her whatever we found, I'd make up a recipe with it when we got home. We just so happened to find the most beautiful and unique zucchini, squash, and eggplant - such odd colors and shapes - so when we got home I cooked up a pasta for my parents. They said it was the best pasta they ever had, so I wrote down the recipe and called it my Farmer's Market Pasta!
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SEE THE VIDEO HERE!
Grocery list:
2-3 cups of fresh veggies (any will work but I use eggplant, squash, zucchini, tomatoes)
4 slices of bacon + the bacon grease
1 tbsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves - minced
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - fresh grated
1 lb penne pasta (or any bite sized pasta)
Basil - chopped
Dressing:
1 tbsp garlic - minced
1/2 a lemon - juiced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup good, fruity olive oil
Directions:
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Step 1:
Heat oven to 450.
Fry bacon and set aside the bacon strips and the grease.
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Step 2:
Cut the veggies into 1 inch cubes and place on a baking sheet. Toss together with bacon grease, olive oil, minced garlic, Kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
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Step 3:
Boil pasta in a large pot with water and a handful of salt. Boil for 6-7 minutes or until al dente. While pasta boils, make dressing. Combine the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil.
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Step 4:
Put cooked pasta directly into a serving bowl with about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Crumble bacon directly into the pasta. Add Parmesan, roasted veggies and all their juices, and dressing. Toss together to combine. Top with more Parmesan and chopped basil.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Quick & Easy Pumpkin French Toast
I always love to wake up on a weekend morning, make myself a cup of coffee, and sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the day. Sometimes, I like to make myself a quick breakfast before. This morning was one of those mornings. I woke up starving, but I didn't want to waste the beautiful day away cooking for hours. I found a few things in the pantry and created something I think we can all agree to like this time of year: Pumpkin French Toast! Y'all, this took 15 minutes and the enjoyment it gave me will last me all day!
Grocery list (2 people):
3 eggs
3 tbsp cream
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
2 heaping tbsp canned pumpkin
Pinch of salt
Butter Bread (I like a fresh loaf but you can use any you have on hand)
Directions:
Step 1:
In a shallow dish combine the eggs, cream, spice, vanilla, honey, pumpkin, and salt with a fork until smooth.
Step 2:
Over medium heat, add butter to a griddle or pan.
Dip sliced bread into egg mixture.
Step 3:
Fry bread for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden.
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!
Pumpkin Caramel Salmon
Long before Pumpkin Spice Lattes and pumpkin everything, I have awaited fall the very day it ended. It's my season, and it has been since I was a little girl. I could always smell fall before it came. I remember asking my mom when I was very little, "How come I can smell fall coming? I can't smell any other season." I remember her saying, "Probably because it's you're favorite season. People can smell their favorite season." Whether or not she meant it or was making it up, I don't know (if Mama doesn't know the answer to a question asked, she often makes something up and is known to be right on more than one occasion). But I do know, fall is the only season I can smell, and it happens to be my favorite.
Grocery List:
Caramel sauce:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Kahlua Pumpkin Spice Liquor
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
Salmon:
4 salmon center-cut filets - skin off
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
Pecans - toasted and roughly chopped
Directions:
Step 1:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Make the sauce. Over high heat, combine sugar and water in a large saucepan. Stir once and let sit until it starts to bubble and turn light brown color (do not stir when it boils). Use a candy thermometer, and when the sauce gets to 230-250 degrees, turn the heat down to medium. Let the sauce sit until it's amber in color. Remove from heat and add the heavy cream (stand back when you do this, the sauce will come to an extreme bubble). Add the liquor, pumpkin spice, and salt. Stir to combine. As it sits off the heat, the sauce will harden. To keep it smooth and warm, simmer.
Step 2:
Heat a pan with a splash of olive oil to the highest heat (like you're going to boil something) until the oil smokes.
Prepare salmon by brushing on about 1 tsp of olive oil and sprinkling 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper on each filet. When oil is smoking, put salmon face down in the pan and don't move for 2-3 minutes (this creates a perfect crust). Flip salmon and let cook on the stovetop for 1 more minute. Put pan in the oven for 3-4 minutes (If you don't have an oven safe pan, transfer salmon to a baking sheet).
Step 3:
Plate the salmon. Put one filet down on each plate and top with caramel sauce and chopped pecans. Serve with mashed sweet potatoes or roasted pumpkin!
CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!