Baked Butternut Squash Casserole

Baked Butternut
Squash Casserole

Every Friday I go down to the local farmer’s market. Mainly because our Amish friends are there selling their produce, but also because I love getting all their product. It’s so fresh and wonderful to cook with. This time my friend Donna Sue asked if I would like a Butternut Squash. Truth be told I don’t like squash but I took it anyways. (Didn’t want to be rude) Then I asked her how to prepare it? She told me just use it like a sweet potato. So here’s my first way of trying butternut squash.

Ingredients:

• 1 large Butternut Squash
• 2 TB Sour Cream
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 TB salted butter, diced
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• roasted seeds from the squash

Peel, cube and seed the Butternut Squash. Clean and save the seeds. In a large pot cover the squash cubes with cold water and boil until soft. (Toss the squash seeds with salt and ground black pepper and roast in the oven until lightly browned and crispy. I use my low broil setting and place them on a foil lined cookie sheet. Once roasted set aside for later in the recipe.)  When the squash is entirely soft, drain, but save a bit of the cooking liquid. Place in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat until smooth. You may need to add a bit of the cooking liquid to reach a smooth texture.

Preheat your oven to 350 and butter a small 1 quart baking dish.

Fold in the sour cream, cream cheese, butter, marshmallows, ginger and pumpkin spice. Place this mixture in your baking dish. Now in a small mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and the roasted butternut squash seeds. Sprinkle this over the squash mixture.

Cover the dish with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 20-30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

 

Dutch Oven Baked Apples

Baked Apple

Recently Mark and I went camping. Only for a weekend, but we had a nice time. Mark bought me a new Lodge Dutch Oven for the quick trip and I just love it. We used this beautiful cast iron oven to prepare our dinner of Kentucky Burgoo and Beer Bread. Then I used it to make baked apples for dessert. Everything turned out awesome…..so awesome that we are now considering adding a fire ring to our back yard for cookouts. Here’s my recipe for our baked apples.

Ingredients:

• a couple of Honey Crisp Apples
• a handful of white chocolate chips
• a handful of milk chocolate chip
• a handful of shredded coconut
• 2 TB light brown sugar
• a couple of dashes of cinnamon

Core your apples. While coring enlarge the tops a bit so that you can stuff the sweet mixture in them. In a zip lock baggy combine the chocolate chips, coconut, brown sugar and cinnamon and shake until well mixed. Stuff this sweet mixture into the cored out area of the apples. Double wrap in foil, place in your Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Cover with the lid and place directly into the fire. Bake there for about 30 minutes. Remove from fire and carefully unwrapped the foil, now enjoy this wonderful campfire dessert.

Lodge Cast Iron
Dutch Oven

Cooking our dinner
bread on top

Kentucky Burgoo

Campfire Coffee

 

Potato Cakes “Leftover Delight”

Potato Cakes

Over the years I have tried and tried to make potato cakes from left over mashed potatoes, never successfully. Well never successfully until now. I used my left over “Baked Mashed Potatoes” ….. and yes, finally, something I can’t get enough of.

Ingredients:

• 9 to 12  patties made from leftover cold “Baked Mashed Potatoes”, about the size of a big biscuit, flattened.
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten with a fork
• bacon grease or vegetable oil

First thing, make sure the Baked Mashed Potato leftovers are cold, hopefully refrigerated overnight. Patty up the potatoes. I make them about the size of a big biscuit. In a bowl stir together the flour, Italian Bread Crumbs, salt and pepper. In second bowl, add your beaten eggs.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, then add your bacon grease, or vegetable oil if that’s what you prefer. But I promise the bacon grease brings another level of flavor that is wonderful. You’ll need it about 1/8″-inch deep. Fry on each side until golden brown. Serve hot or warm.