Saturday night – 10/28/2017

T wanted to make pie and so we built a menu that leads up to pie.

Menu
Chicken and Sausage Bake
Rice Pilaf
Roasted Butternut Squash with Chickpeas, Pine-nuts and Fried Shallots
Broccolini with Garlic and Soy

Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

It is amazing what 20 years of trying new things, and a high heat roasting, can do for a formerly disliked vegetable.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Servings: 8-10
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Special equipment: 2 rimmed half-sheet pans

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs. Brussels sprouts
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Prep the sprouts by trimming the stem end and then cutting them in half. Remove any damaged or browned leaves.
2. Arrange the oven racks so one is in the middle and one a the lower position. Preheat the oven to 475°F convection (or 450°F on a regular oven). Set out 2 half-sheet pans.
3. Divide the Brussels sprouts between the two pans. Drizzle each pan with about 1 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle each pan with a generous pinch of salt and about 20 grinds of pepper.
4. Using your hands toss the sprouts with the oil and seasoning. Arrange the sprouts cut side down across the tray. Avoiding crowding the pan as it will limit browning if they are pressed up against one another.
5. Place the pans in the oven and roast 20 minutes if using convection. If using a regular oven roast for 10 minutes then rotate the racks back to front and top to bottom in the oven, and roast for another 12-13 minutes.
6. The roasted sprouts should be easily pierced by a fork and nicely browned. Cover loosely with foil until ready to serve.

Notes:
If you get some very large sprouts you may wish to quarter them so they have a similar mass to the halved ones. Likewise if you have mostly large sprouts you may want to leave smaller ones whole.

I’m still not fond of these tiny cabbage-like vegetables when they are steamed, or god forbid, boiled.

Saturday night – 10/14/2017

Whenever I’m at a loss for what to make for Saturday dinner I just look back a year, or two, for inspiration. That is, after all, one of the reasons I record our Saturday night gathering menus.

Menu
Oven Barbecued Ribs
Buttered Shells with Parsley
Grilled Green Beans with Sesame
Skillet Braised Carrots
Parker House Rolls

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Delicata Squash with Red Onion and Za’atar

One of my favorite fall vegetables is delicata squash. If you get them quickly enough after harvest you can cook them without peeling. The flavor is milder than butternut squash with a bit of earthiness thrown in. The shape is like a fat sausage or salami. The center of the squash is filled with pulp and seeds like a butternut or acorn squash.

I paired it with red onions and za’atar, a spice blend used in Middle Eastern cooking consisting of sumac, thyme, white sesame seeds and salt. On a whim I sprinkled a bit of vinegar on just before serving.

Delicata Squash with Red Onion and Za’atar
Servings: 8-10
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, halved length-wise, peeled, and half moon
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 lbs. delicata squash – peeled, scooped to remove seeds, and cut into 1/4″ half moons
• 2 tsp. za’atar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the onions and toss them in the oil until coated. Distribute the squash over the onions and then sprinkle the squash with the za’atar. Add the water, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Give the pan a shake or two to redistribute the squash, exposing areas that may have been previously covered by another piece of squash. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Test a piece of squash with a fork; if the fork pierces the squash with just a bit of give then you are ready to finish the dish. If the fork doesn’t easily pierce the squash then recover and cook for another few minutes then test again.
4. To finish the dish turn the heat up to high and set aside the cover. Gently toss the onions and squash together with tongs. Once the water has evaporated sprinkle the squash and onions with the vinegar. Plate and serve.

Notes:
I have a vegetable peeler with a serrated edge which worked well on this squash.

You’ll want a pan with a lid for this dish as the squash basically steams over the onions. I used a Pampered Chef straight-sided saute pan that we’ve had for ~15 years.

A number of recipes I looked at for inspiration suggested substituting butternut squash for delicata. You may need to cook a bit longer.

Saturday night – 10/07/2017

This week’s menu started with the chicken tenders. Ted does an amazing job with them however we don’t do them often because the coat every horizontal surface with first flour, and then hot oil. I built the rest of the menu with stuff I was in the mood for over the past week.

Menu
Chicken Tenders
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Delicata Squash with Red Onion and Z’atar
Corn Bread (ala Alton Brown)

store-bought apple pie

Noodle Salad

This recipe is inspired by some “Asian” noodle salad from a local market’s prepared food section. I grab it when I swing by for their house-made frozen cod cakes. I did the online search for “Asian” noodle salad, mixed and matched a few things and came up with this.

It seemed to go over well and the leftovers were as good, if not a bit better, after a couple of days rest in the fridge.

Noodle Salad
Servings: 10-12
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes

Saturday night – 09/30/2017

This week we celebrated friend J’s birthday with two of her favorite things – scalloped potatoes and pineapple upside down cake. I filled in the pieces with other favorites.

Menu
Baked Ham with sour cherry glaze
Scalloped Potatoes
Cauliflower Green Olive Salad
Spanish-style Chickpeas

Pineapple Upside down Cake