Here is the Acorn Squash I Made....

I recently came upon a stuffed acorn squash recipe that I just had to try. I collect so many recipes and the recipe is so old, I don't even know where it came from. It was such a very easy recipe.  Last year all I had was butternut squash, and pumpkin, can't forget to try some acorn squash to cook on its own. My Mother would could a filled acorn squash for me when I lived at home.


AUTUMN SQUASH BAKE 4 Servings
Cut 2 Acorn squash (about ¾ pound each) in half. Remove seeds and fiber.
Place cut side down in baking pan with 1/4 inch of water in bottom. Bake in a 350°F oven 45 to 50 minutes, or until squash is tender and can  be pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, combine ¼ cup Butter or margarine, ½ cup Dried tart cherries, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon. Heat on top of stove or in microwave oven until butter melts.
Fill center of each squash half with equal amount of cherry mixture. Mix some of the cooked squash with the cherry filling.
Serve immediately or eat one and put the rest in the refrigerator for later.

I found it quite a treat. A dinner in itself.

Related articles

• Butternut Acorn Squash Bisque
• Apple Crumb Pie, Too
• The Resourcefulness of Peasants
• Roasted Chicken with a Herbes de Provence Stuffing
• Ratatouille and Podcast to Feed the Soul
• The Witch Panic of Fairfield of 1692
• Mummies and Egyptian Chicken
• Introduction
• It is Time to Get Artistic in the Bakery ... How about a Zebra Cake
• The Original Soupman Crab and Corn Chowder

The Original Soupman Crab and Corn Chowder

I brought home two boxes of soup and showed them to my boyfriend. Here is one of the boxes. On the back of the box it mentions the Seinfeld show and the Soup line at the Soup Kitchen. Would you believe, I am not a big fan of Seinfeld, even though I do appreciate some of the actors who came from the show. Here is the back of the box.

Here is a link to the website. If you look at their website you will see they make a bunch of different soups, and if you happen to be in NYC you can stop by the Soup Kitchen and try some. The grocery store I went to only had three available. 

The Original Soup Man logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to their website their credo is "To make the best soup in the world!"

Here is the soup, hot out of the microwave. It is not the most glamorous of photos. It tasted good for a box chowder. The best are always homemade but if you don't have time to make a batch yourself maybe you might try  The Original Soupman. 

I checked the box with Buycott and it rated GMO free for anyone who is watching GMOs. 

Related articles

• Butternut Acorn Squash Bisque
• Apple Crumb Pie, Too
• Roasted Chicken with a Herbes de Provence Stuffing
• The Resourcefulness of Peasants
• Ratatouille and Podcast to Feed the Soul
• Mummies and Egyptian Chicken
• Dining at the River Tavern and the Theater
• It is Time to Get Artistic in the Bakery ... How about a Zebra Cake

Apple Crumb Pie, Too

Autumn has arrived, and its time for more apple pie. In my home we love apple crumb pie. This recipe is as simple as they come. My Aunt came to visit from Hawaii. They live on the prettiest island Kauai. Her son and my youngest cousin who is in the army is going to Afghanistan soon. She stopped by to see us and her family in her travels.
For lunch my Mother served us a Pumpkin Curry soup and a Tortellini salad, and tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and a balsamic vinaigrette. My Grandma who is in a nursing home came to visit, and after we went back to the nursing home and saw a show and talked. We finished the evening with pizza from Fiore's in Old Saybrook. It was such a big day!

APPLE CRUMB PIE

1 9" unbaked pastry shell (If frozen allow to thaw)

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

7-9 green cooking apples, peeled , cored and sliced (I used Granny Smith)

½ cup of butter plus 4 teaspoons 

½ cup of Sugar (or ¼ cup for sweeter apples are used)

 Melt butter in pan under a low heat.  Each of the prepared apples should have been cut into about 8-9 pieces. Add apples to butter and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, covered.  Stir apples and butter mixture every few minutes till they start to look a little cooked and there is some apple juice in the bottom of the pan. 

Uncover and add sugar and cinnamon. Coat apples by stirring, and leave uncovered allowing a syrup to form as the juice evaporates.  Keep stirring apples till the syrup forms. Place partially cooked apples and syrup into a unbaked pastry shell and set aside, then prepare topping.

Topping

6 tablespoons butter (butter should be cold not at

¾ cup flour

room temperature)

⅓ cup sugar

Cut butter into ½" pieces and drop on top of flour, using a pastry blender (or 2 forks).  Blend flour and butter mixture until it is crumbly.  Add the sugar and keep blending till crumbs are formed. 

Place topping over partially cooked apples in 9" pie crust working to spread evenly. Bake at 375°F for 50-60 minutes depending on your oven, top should be a little brown and juices should be bubbling. 

Place your pie on a baking sheet or a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any juices if the pie may boil over.

Cool before cutting serve plain, with cheddar cheese or ice cream.

So that was lunch and dessert.

Related articles

• Dining at the River Tavern and the Theater
• Roasted Chicken with a Herbes de Provence Stuffing
• The Resourcefulness of Peasants
• Butternut Acorn Squash Bisque
• Mummies and Egyptian Chicken
• It is Time to Get Artistic in the Bakery ... How about a Zebra Cake
• Ratatouille and Podcast to Feed the Soul

Roasted Chicken with a Herbes de Provence Stuffing

Originally I was going to make Roasted Chicken with Za'atar Stuffing from Avec Erci by Eric Ripert. Well this round I definitely did not plan very well, because I didn't have any za’atar spice in the spice cabinet. It was either that or purchase sumac and mix together za’atar spice myself. I just wasn't having any luck. So there was only one thing to do, make a replacement - so I did. I replaced the za’atar spice with herbes de Provence.

I followed Eric Ripert's recipe exactly except for the change with the spice. Above you will see I de-strung the bird. and you can see the beautiful stuffing. I used a hearty french bread to stuff the bird. The garlic was wonderful roasted at the bottom the pan. It was so aromatic.

Roasting birds is so easy and fast. This recipe is just as easy, whether you use za’atar spice or herbes de Provence.

Eric Ripert says "Every cook should know how to roast a chicken properly. The process is one of the most basic recipes and a good, roast chicken is one of my favorite things to cook and eat."

Chickens are always in season.

Related articles

• The Resourcefulness of Peasants
• Butternut Acorn Squash Bisque
• Mummies and Egyptian Chicken
• Dining at the River Tavern and the Theater
• It is Time to Get Artistic in the Bakery ... How about a Zebra Cake
• Ratatouille and Podcast to Feed the Soul

Mummies and Egyptian Chicken

Blondie made the song "Walk Like an Egyptian" a hit in the 1980s. I did not become interested in Egypt and Mummies until the movie "The Mummy" came out, with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. The Book of the Dead was very intriguing, and in fact still is. Though all that action, adventure, fun and intrigue the only thing we didn't see them do is eat. This is the perfect meal to eat while watching the Mummy Trilogy.

The Mummy (1999 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Settle down to the movie with some Egyptian chicken fresh from the oven with some Tahini sauce and a side of potatoes and onions. 

Egyptian Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

This recipe is based off a recipe at foodofegypt.com. 

Cut up into small pieces the same size

3  medium Idaho potatoes potatoes

1 white onion

Place in a 15 x 10 x 2 inch pan.

Preheat oven to 425 F

Season with salt, pepper, dried basil, fresh parsley, dried rosemary and hot pepper flakes.

Place 5 chicken breasts upon the mixture and the season with the same mixture.

Add 1 1/4 cups water to mixture at side as not to disturb the spices.

Place chicken in oven and cook for 45 minutes frequently or until done. 

Here is the chicken right out of the oven.

Now for the Tahini Sauce or Yogurt Cucumber Dip.

You need 2 cups Greek yogurt

1 garlic clove, grated

1 cucumber, peeled and grated

Mix all together.

Related articles

• The Resourcefulness of Peasants
• Butternut Acorn Squash Bisque
• Dining at the River Tavern and the Theater
• It is Time to Get Artistic in the Bakery ... How about a Zebra Cake
• Ratatouille and Podcast to Feed the Soul