Sweet Potato Biscuits

I would normally tell you to keep this recipe on hand for the next time you have leftover sweet potatoes. But really, these biscuits were so good that I think you should cook a sweet potato right now to have one ready. I followed the recipe as written, although I skipped the final brush of butter. Oh, and I didn’t make cute circles, although I will try that next time. The Southern cooks may be laughing right now, but I’ve only made real biscuits from scratch a few times, so I am still on the steep part of the learning curve.

Vegetarian Cassoulet

The first time I had cassoulet years ago, I remember being astounded by the amount of meat, so I was excited to try this vegetarian recipe from Smitten Kitchen. She admitted though, to adding some kielbasa to the pot and liking it. Writing as a non-vegetarian, I have to agree that just a little bit of meat would take this dish to a new level. Does this sound familiar? Yes, I made a similar dish just a couple of months ago. But regardless of what you choose to add meat or not, this is a great meal, actually many meals, since my largest soup pot was just about full!

Roasted Vegetables

I have made many variations of roasted vegetables using this basic recipe from Lipton. This version included onion, butternut squash, zucchini, carrots, green beans, and Japanese eggplant. It was a great mix of colors, but some vegetables cook quickly and others, like the carrots, take more time. While this makes a good side dish, I have also stuffed the vegetables into a pita pocket with a slice of cheese for a quick lunch.

Turkey Dinner in the NuWave Oven

My friend Paula has been raving about her NuWave oven, and invited a few of her food loving friends over for a turkey dinner. The NuWave cooks food quickly, and uses less energy than a conventional oven. The turkey browned beautifully, and stayed very moist. And you can easily keep an eye on things with the clear cover.

But the best advantage for a party is that your oven is free to cook other dishes, like Paula’s amazing roasted potatoes, or maybe even another turkey if your Thanksgiving crowd requires two. I am glad I got to see this machine in action, and dinner was fantastic!

Irish Potato and Cabbage Soup

I figured I would like this soup, but had no idea it would turn out so incredibly well. I used this recipe as a guide, but instead of the brats, I used 2 slices of thick cut bacon which lent plenty of flavor to the whole pot. I also skipped the caraway seeds and the beer, but by all means, put whatever you like into the pot. I kept things simple with salt and pepper.

Please excuse the Tupperware photo, as unfortunately I had to enjoy this soup at my office rather than an Irish pub. I’d definitely recommend you give this soup a try, and if you’re really in the mood to make an Irish meal, bake a loaf of Irish Soda bread too.

Parsnip Fries

I’ve made plenty of fries before with potatoes, sweet potatoes, and even zucchini, but this is the first time for parsnips. I was inspired by this recipe from Gourmet, although I didn’t end up making the roast chicken, just the fries. It was really easy, I tossed the parsnips with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted them for about 25 minutes. In a small frying pan, I heated a teaspoon more of olive oil with a splash of vinegar and a dash of cayenne pepper and drizzled the sauce over the fries when they came out of the oven. I liked the flavor of these a lot, but still couldn’t resist dipping them in ketchup.

Pumpkin Chocolate Squares

My cooking club theme this month was “Fall Foods” so I tried this recipe for Pumpkin Swirl Brownies from Smitten Kitchen. I am really not an expert baker, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, right?

The word brownie evokes a certain amount of chocolate gooeyness which these squares definitely lack, so I renamed the recipe here. I over baked them by at least a few minutes, true, but they have the texture of a snack cake. This doesn’t make them any less pleasant to eat (with a cup of coffee or tea, since they are somewhat dry) but you have to adjust your expectations from a brownie. The comments of the original post discuss a chocolate pumpkin cheesecake version, and I figure, you really can’t go wrong with that combination…..

Cranberry Barley Stuffed Abobora

I was walking through the local produce market, and spotted a squash that was new to me. I had never heard of abobora, but I decided to give it a try. I was also in the mood to use fresh cranberries, and had some barley on hand.

The barley cranberry mixture could actually stand on it’s own as a side dish, but it did complement the squash. I forgot just how tart fresh cranberries are though, and added a touch more brown sugar at the end. The squash itself was similar to butternut squash, with a mild flavor. Overall, a fun experiment, and I’ll pick up another abobora soon.

1 abobora squash, sliced in half and seeds removed
1/2 c. barley
1/2 c. fresh cranberries
1 1/2 c. water
1 T Parmesan
1 T walnuts
1 t brown sugar
Salt
Pepper

In a medium saucepan, mix barley, cranberries, and water. Cover pot, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, or until water is almost absorbed. Stir in Parmesan, walnuts, and brown sugar. Press stuffing into squash halves, and place in a baking dish covered with foil. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 15 more minutes or until squash is soft.