Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

When the weather starts getting colder and the days shorter, there's nothing like a warm bowl of soup. This curried butternut squash soup is great with dinner or on its own as a light lunch. My family's favorite way to enjoy it is for dinner alongside a nice warm veggie quesadilla. I think it's the perfect comfort soup after a long day. What I love about soups with squash is that they form an ultra smooth creamy texture without actually adding any cream. Potatoes have that effect too, but have a little more starch and give soups a slightly grainier texture. I often substitute butternut squash for potatoes in many blended vegetable soups for this reason. For this soup, I really wanted to maximize the flavor of all my ingredients. We all know butternut squash does not have a strong flavor, but if you roast any vegetable you will get more flavor out of it. Ready for some geeky science facts? Caramelization refers to the chemical reactions that occur when sugars start to break apart. It leaves behind all sorts of new compounds with stronger aromas and more intense flavors that can be sweet, sour, or bitter. For this to happen you need temperatures to be above at least 220°F. So, if you are thinking about boiling instead of roasting your squash, you totally can, but know your soup will taste different. Apples are the other main ingredient in this soup. It doesn't matter what kind of apples you use, as long as they are flavorful. I tasted my apples when I cut them to make sure they had a strong flavor. Of course, it still was not enough for me in the end, which is why I added some apple juice to the soup. That's totally up to you though! As you can tell, there is some flexibility in this recipe. Roast or don't roast. Add more apple flavor or leave it out. The spices pack a lot flavor too, so you really can't go wrong. Enjoy! It's a very satisfying soup and perfect for the season.  Print Save Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe Embed Ingredients 2 pounds butternut squash, cubed 1 tablespoon oil 2 medium apples, diced 2 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup red onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon cumin pinch of cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons white table wine 3 cups vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup apple juice, optional Directions Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the butternut squash cubes on a large baking sheet covered with foil. Drizzle the oil over the squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix to coat the squash. Roast it in the oven for 25 minutes or until tender. Toss occasionally to prevent sticking. In a medium pan heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Lower the heat and add the onions, apples, garlic, curry powder, cumin and cayenne. Gently cook until the onions are soft and slightly browned. Add the wine to the pan and return the heat to medium while mixing for about a minute or until the pan is deglazed. Remove the mixture from the heat. Add the apple mixture to a blender with 2 cups of broth, roasted butternut squash, cardamom nutmeg, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture into a large soup pot and add the remaining broth. Salt to taste. Heat to a boil and stir in the apple juice if desired. Serve hot. Recommended Demarle Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat Le Creuset Jelly Roll Pan Le Creuset 7-quart Stainless Steel Stockpot Wusthof Santoku Knife - 5 inch via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2iiq6PB Food Fanatic

Japanese Sweet Potato with Honey Butter

The holidays are just about over and I have had my share of sweet potato casseroles. Everyone loves the sugary goodness and fluffy marshmallows topping the velvety potatoes but now I am looking for a more simple potato that goes with some roasted chicken or pan seared flank steak. A roasted Japanese sweet potato with a pat of honey butter surely fits the bill. Japanese sweet potatoes have a reddish purple skin and a pale yellow flesh. They are a bit starchier and drier than their orange sweet potato cousin. I would describe their flesh as having almost a chestnut like texture. Like any other type of sweet potato, they are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Believe it or not, you'll get the most out of all the good nutrients if you eat your sweet potato with some fat. This helps absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. Who doesn't want a pat of butter on their potato? Since this Japanese sweet potato is not as sweet as it's orange cousin, I thought some honey butter would be the perfect topping. These sweet potatoes are roasted just like any other sweet potato. I like to roast them at high heat and prefer mine well done so it is creamy on the inside and the skin is slightly crispy. Not everyone enjoys the skin but I make sure I always eat mine. I like the texture contrast from the flesh of the potato and would not want to miss out on any nutrients. I roast my potatoes in a 400 degree oven for 50 minutes. However if you are cooking something else at a lower temperature, sweet potatoes are very forgiving and you can roast them a little longer at a lower temperature. The next time you want a potato side dish, try the Japanese sweet potato. If you really want to dress it up, you can even add make your own cinnamon butter. Or just a pat of plain butter works too. You will not be disappointed. Print Save Japanese Sweet Potato Recipe Embed Ingredients 4 japanese sweet potatoes, medium to large in size 1/4 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 tablespoons honey Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse and scrub sweet potatoes. Prick holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. While potatoes are baking, mix together butter and honey in a small bowl. Serve the sweet potatoes split open and with a pat of the honey butter on each.  Recommended Le Creuset Jelly Roll Pan 360 Bakeware Jelly Roll Pan Demarle Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat Dreamfarm Clongs via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2hzaZ3C Food Fanatic

Traditional Cornish Pasty

You may (or may not) have heard of the Cornish pasty (sometimes spelled pastie, pronounced pass-tee not paste-y). Alongside the sausage roll, the pasty is Britain's favorite on-the-go meal. Bakeries are all over England and that makes it convenient to go in and pick-up a fresh pasty for lunch, the most popular being the Cornish pasty. Other varieties include cheese and onion and minced beef, but whatever the filling, they're always savory, never sweet. The Cornish pasty is a complete meal in itself that is a mix of beef and vegetables that are incased in a flaky pastry that is then baked. There are many variations to the Cornish pasty, like the shape and filling, but these are not correct. For the pasty to be authentically Cornish there are some rules. After all, it represents the county of Cornwall in the South of England and it has to be right. The pastry should be shortcrust pastry (like pie crust, unsweetened). Chopped skirt steak, onion, rutabaga (swede if you're in the UK), potato, salt, pepper and a little butter are the proper filling. A circle of pastry is rolled out and the filling must be placed in the pastry uncooked, to allow it to cook slowly and develop the flavors. The way the pastry is sealed also has to be right. The edge has to crimped in a way that looks like a braid, basically rolling the pastry edge on itself to create the characteristic look. The sealed edge is not to be on the top of the pasty, but on the side. If it doesn't have this crimp, it's not Cornish. In addition, if the pasty is not 'D' shaped it is also not Cornish. I like to serve the pasty with a simple side salad. This bright clementine arugula salad would pair wonderfully. Since the filling contains all the makings of a meal, a heavy side is really not needed, but a nice pint of ale will certainly finish the meal nicely! Print Save Traditional Cornish Pasty Recipe Embed Ingredients For the Pastry: 3 cups flour 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold until ready to use (2 sticks) small pinch of salt 1/2 cup cold water 1 egg, beaten, to brush on pastry For the Filling: 6 ounces potato, chopped bite-size pieces 6 ounces rutabaga, swede, chopped into bite-size pieces 1/2 small onion, chopped small 1 pound skirt steak, chopped into bite-size pieces 8 teaspoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon milk Directions For the Pastry: To a food processor add the flour and salt and butter. Pulse until you get the texture of fine breadcrumbs. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in cold water until it forms a ball. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and shape into a flat ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 10-15 minutes. For the Filling: Preheat oven to 360°F. Whisk the egg with the milk. Take 4 ounces pastry and roll into an 8 inch circle. Place a small handful of potatoes, rutabaga, onion, and beef in the center of the pastry, leaving 2-inch border. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt pepper and flour. Place a little piece of butter on the top. Brush half of the edge of the pastry with egg mix then fold the pastry in half and seal the edge. Twist the edge to create a good seal. Cut a slit in the top of the pasties and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush all the pasties with the rest of the egg/milk and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Recommended Wusthof Santoku Knife - 5 inch Magimix 5200XL Food Processor Demarle Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat Le Creuset Jelly Roll Pan via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2hQqS3f Food Fanatic

Italian Meatball Soup

It is cold out. I am not a big fan of the cold. I grew up in the Mid-West where cold has its own meaning. When it snows in November there is a good chance you will not see the grass or the actual road again until April. Now we live in Colorado, and I have gotten spoiled. Anything under 40 degrees and I am complaining. We get snow, but it melts a couple days later. Wind chill happens a couple times a year, but almost never is negative. To deal with the cold I rely on soup. There is nothing like a comforting hot bowl of soup at the end of the day. Add crusty rustic bread and you have a meal that almost makes me forget it is cold outside. This Italian meatball soup comes together in under 30 minutes, and all in just one pan. Store bought frozen meatballs are key to getting this dinner on the table fast. The really nice thing about this recipe is you don't have to plan ahead at all. You can start with frozen meatballs and still be eating in 30 minutes. I am the worst with planning ahead for dinner, so knowing that I can make up my mind at 4:00 and we can still have a homemade meal is key. I added fresh spinach during the last minute of cooking, but if you don't have any, feel free to skip this step. I have made it both ways, and my family is happy either way. My son loves having the pasta in there, so I wouldn't skip that step! Ditalini is a small round cut pasta that works great in this Italian meatball soup. But you can really use any small cut pasta. You could even break up spaghetti if that is all you had. Dinner is meant to be easy, so use what you have! Print Save Italian Meatball Soup Recipe Embed Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 teaspoon italian seasoning 1 pound bag frozen italian meatballs 6 cups chicken stock 1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta, uncooked 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped salt and pepper, to taste Directions In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Pour in chicken stock. Add frozen meatballs. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Stir in spinach and season to taste. Serve immediately. Recommended Le Creuset 7-quart Stainless Steel Stockpot Dreamfarm Supoon via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2iDOrMC Food Fanatic

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Even though I live in Texas and it doesn't normally get too cold here, winter is still when I want to hunker down and just bake all day. And eat, of course. This year I've managed to not give in to the temptation too much, simply because we've been too busy with work and life and everything else that goes with it. But we do still need to eat, and that's enough excuse for me to load up the kitchen with muffins. One of the reasons we love muffins so much is that it's so easy to keep them seasonal. Blueberry muffins in the summer, whole wheat apple cinnamon muffins (my kid's fave) in the fall, and of course, cranberry orange muffins in winter. Now, for some people Thanksgiving is when they pull out the cranberries, and that's the end of it. But those tart little jewels are more versatile than people think, and are perfectly wonderful in all sorts of breakfast items. I always make sure to buy enough cranberries so I can freeze the extras and experiment with recipes all winter. Cranberries do well when paired with orange, which makes sense considering many cranberry sauce recipes include orange juice and zest. That citrus finish with the tart cranberries just screams winter to me. I like to make sure the tart flavor shines through, so these muffins might have less sugar than you're used to putting in. I finish them off with a sprinkling of sparking sugar on top, just to add a little bit of extra sweetness and a bit of crunch. These cranberry orange muffins are a quick breakfast fix, so as long as you have the ingredients on hand (and cranberries thawed, if you're working from frozen) you can have a whole pan full of warm muffins on the table in under an hour. They're the perfect thing to make while the kids are outside playing or your spouse is shoveling the latest layer of snow. If you have cranberry sauce on hand rather than whole cranberries, try my cranberry breakfast bread instead! Print Save Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe Embed Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup fresh cranberries, frozen or thawed sparkling sugar, optional Directions Preheat oven to 350°F and put paper liners in a 12-cup muffin pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, then stir in milk, orange zest, and vanilla. Pour flour mixture into wet mixture and stir until combined, but do not overmix. Fold in cranberries. Fill muffin pan wells about 3/4 full. Sprinkle sparkling sugar over the tops of the muffins, if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Recommended Cuisinart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls USA Pans 12-cup Muffin Pan KitchenIQ Better Zester via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2io0FtF Food Fanatic