Butternut Squash Lasagna

This past Saturday was the first time I have ever touched or tasted a butternut squash. I had no clue how to prepare it in such as way that my family would want to eat it. After searching various butternut squash recipes, I had to make a choice between risotto and lasagna. That was a hard call to make, harder than the hour that some recipe reviewers spent peeling and chopping their squash. I'm not even going to try to figure out why it took so long or worry that there might be people lazier than me out there. It takes about 5-6 minutes to peel the squash, even with a dying peeler. Please excuse my lame pictures, I cook in the equivalent of a dungeon in terms of lighting.

Here is the basic recipe that I followed. I can't really say it was the same, so here is my recipe:

1 butternut squash, peeled, sliced and roasted (see directions)
1 pkg frozen spinach--use fresh if you have it!
10 boiled lasagna noodles
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c. flour
3 1/2 c whole milk
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 c. mozzarella (this is an estimate)
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt
pepper
cayenne
nutmeg

Peel your squash, remove seeds with a spoon, and slice.




Place on baking tray drizzled with olive oil, drizzle squash with more olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on 350 for about 45 minutes or until squash is tender, but not falling apart.

You can roast the squash earlier in the day, and do the rest later.

Make the roux when you are ready to assemble (right before your pasta is done cooking). Melt butter, add flour and garlic until thickened, add milk and bring to a boil, using a whisk, stir frequently. Add spinach with liquid removed (chopped if you are using fresh). Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg to taste. Put a thin layer of liquid down in baking dish and place 3 noodles on top.



Layer mozzarella cheese, squash, and more sauce.





Layer 3 more noodles, more mozzarella, more sauce, and the last 3/4 noodles. I always make an extra one because sometimes they break. On top, pour remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.







Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until lasagna is bubbly and gooey.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I have a lot of pumpkin right now, and I am getting more. I also had a bacon and eggs in the fridge. The pumpkin recipe can be found here. I used more of the pumpkin puree that I made on Sunday. I estimate that the entire dinner costs around $8 to feed all five of us. Not bad, I'll have money left over for gambling and cigs--if I smoked or gambled.

The apples are just peeled, diced and sauteed with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter until their deliciousness increases 10 fold.

The pancake recipe was spot on, but I had to double it for our family, I had 3 pancakes left over when all was said and done. They smelled absolutely amazing, I did read a few other recipes that called for 6 tablespoons of pumpkin, if I were you, I wouldn't bother, definitely not enough to be tasty. Also, I specifically try to find recipes that use buttermilk, as I have about 2-4 cups of buttermilk from making homemade butter each week.

Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze

I made this today. Here is the original recipe. I diverted from it, because it wouldn't be a recipe if I actually followed it. It would be a commandipe?
So, I used walnuts instead of pecans, and I only made one loaf. The problem with dividing the recipe was that the original calls for 3 eggs. Well, I used two and all is right in the world. I also topped it with a maple glaze for which here is the recipe:
Maple syrup
Confectioner's sugar

Mix about 2 tbsp maple with about 1/4 c confectioners sugar, adding more ingredients until you like the consistency and pour or spoon it over the bread. Easy? Yes.

Lettuce Tacos

Remember that ground sirloin I posted a few days ago? Well it met it's fate in a lettuce taco. The recipe for the taco seasoning is here. I topped it with some shredded cheese, yellow tomatoes, homemade salsa, and some creme fraiche.

I don't have a picture of the salsa but here is the recipe:
Hull and core 5 medium tomatillos, cook over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse 1 can fire roasted tomatoes and green chiles, 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, 1 small onion, 1-2 jalapenos seeded and de-veined to remove the heat, 2 green onion, a handful of cilantro. You may have to work in batches. Add to tomatillos and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Add rest of sliced bunch of green onions. Season with salt or lime juice if desired.

Tomato and Mozzarella salad and Crustless Quiche

The tomato salad is pretty simple, 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes, 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, 3 tbsp. diced onion, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Add a tbsp chopped parsely and a pinch of crushed red pepper, if you desire.

The egg dish. I have been trying to remember where I got the idea from but it has alluded me. Anyways, it was supposed to have a crust, which I did not make because carbs hate me.

3-4 mushrooms chopped and sauteed in olive oil, set aside. Boil 1 sliced leek until tender, drain and set aside.

Beat 4 eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper with 1 tbsp creme fraiche. Add mushrooms, leeks, and 1/4 c gruyere. Bake in greased pan on 325 for 20-30 minutes, or until eggs set and top begins to brown.

Two Egg and Mushroom Omelette

1.About 3 small mushrooms sauteed and seasoned with salt and pepper, set aside.

2. Beat 2 eggs, season lightly with salt and pepper. Add in 1 tbsp creme fraiche and a 1/2 tsbp of chives.

3. Pour into skillet and cook eggs, add mushrooms when center is almost completely cooked. Fold over and continue to cook for a minute or so. Slide onto plate. Eat. Rinse. Repeat. Just kidding!

Stuffed Eggplant

Ground Sirloin that I ground myself with the old Kitchen Aid.

So I found this recipe here. I used some of my ground sirloin, reserving the rest to make into taco meat. I found that the beef really needed something else, so I added a dash of cinnamon to make it a bit more savory. Really, I forgot to salt the eggplant and it was a bit tough, maybe it was because I bought it at Market Basket, Home of the Worst Produce Ever. It was good but I wouldn't say it was great, I may actually do my own take on this at some point, so watch out! And yup, them be yeller tomaters on to thayr.