Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

 

1 medium Butternut Squash

7 fl oz Coconut Milk

1-2 Red Onions

2 Carrots

1-2 Bell Peppers

1-2 heads of Garlic

2 Tomatoes or 1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes

1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth

1 tsp Fresh Ginger optional; grated

Olive Oil enough to drizzle over vegetables

Fresh Cilantro for garnish

Seasoning:

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Dried Rosemary

1 tsp Chili Oil

 

Preheat your oven to 390°. Cover and large baking sheet with foil. 

Peel and chop the butternut squash, or simply cut the squash in half. 

Add the seasonings (pepper, cumin, paprika, thyme, rosemary, and chili flakes) to the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. If halving the squash, drizzle olive oil on the exposed flesh. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Roast for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the vegetables are golden and soft inside. If you've chopped the vegetables smaller, the roasting time can be reduced. If you've halved the butternut squash, expect a longer roasting time. For the last 10 minutes, remove the aluminum foil to allow the vegetables to caramelize slightly.

Once roasted, scoop out the flesh of the butternut squash (if halved) and transfer all the vegetables to a blender. Add the vegetable broth and ginger (if using), and blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour the blended mixture into a pot and place it on medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for about 2 minutes, allowing everything to warm through.

Adjust the seasonings to your taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro, a drizzle of coconut milk, and a pinch of chili flakes or some chili oil if desired.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

½ Cup Butter, Softened

½ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 ½ Cups Flaked Coconut

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

½ tspn Baking Soda

½ tspn Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350⁰.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to combine the butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Once that is combined well, slowly add the sifted flour mixture.

When the flour and egg batter are well incorporated, add the flaked coconut.

Once that is combined, drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until browned.

Let cool and serve.

Southwest Chicken Salad

1½ lbs chicken, cooked and shredded

¾ cup black beans, rinsed, drained and dried

¾ cup red bell pepper, diced

¾ cup chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried

¾ cup whole kernel corn, rinsed, drained and dried

¾ cup cucumber, diced small

⅓ cup shallots, finely diced

¼ cup jalapeno, finely diced

¼ cup cilantro, diced small

¼ – ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt, to taste

cracked black pepper, to taste

Chili Lime Yogurt Dressing:

½ cup 0% Greek yogurt

2 T mayonnaise

2 T lime juice

2 T diced green chilis

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Salt, to season

black pepper, to season

1-2 tablespoons water, add more or less based on your preferred thickness

Optional Garnishes:

2 T green onion

½ avocado, thinly sliced

1 lime, cut into wedges

tortilla chips, for scooping

Add beans & veggies to a large mixing bowl. Add chicken. Sprinkle with cheese.

Combine the 0% Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, fresh squeezed lime juice, mild canned diced green chilis (with the juice), garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper and water. Whisk well.

For a thicker dressing add less water, for a thinner dressing add more water. You can adjust based on your preference.

Pour dressing on top of chicken & veggies & stir.

Scoop with tortilla chips 

Beaver Nuggets

1 cup butter

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

⅔ cup light corn syrup

1 tsp baking soda

8 oz puff corn (like Old Dutch puff corn, for best crispiness)

In a two-quart kettle, combine butter, brown sugar & corn syrup.

Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a boil.

Once boiling, stop stirring and reduce the heat slightly.

Let the mixture boil for 3 minutes without stirring to develop a rich caramel consistency.

Turn off the heat and quickly stir baking soda into the caramel mixture.

This will cause the mixture to bubble up, so be sure to stir well until fully combined.

Pour an 8-ounce bag of puff corn into a large roasting pan or a stainless steel bowl that is safe for use in the oven.

Pour the caramel sauce over the puff corn and stir thoroughly to ensure each piece is well-coated with the sauce.

Preheat your oven to 250°.

Place the caramel-coated puff corn in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.

After baking, remove the caramel puff corn from the oven and spread it out on two large sheet pans lined with wax paper.

Allow it to cool completely, which will also help the caramel set.

Once cooled, break apart any large clusters and store the caramel puff corn in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy your delicious treat!

Peanut Butter Fudge

½ cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioners' sugar

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a hard boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove the pot from heat & stir in peanut butter & vanilla.

Place confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl. Pour in peanut butter mixture and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

Pour peanut butter mixture into a parchment lined 8x8-inch dish.

Chill until firm before slicing, about 1 hour.

Christmas Simmer Pot

1 Naval orange (sliced)

2 cups Cranberries

2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

1 Whole clove

1 tablespoon Star Anise

1 Whole nutmeg (grated)

6 cups water

Simmer in a pot on the stove to make your house smell amazing! 

THE Best Chicken Marinade

¾ c olive oil 

¾ c lemon juice 

¼ c minced garlic

¼ c Dijon mustard 

¼ c dried oregano

Mix together & marinate chicken for 24 hrs. 

Ina Garten's Chocolate Brownie Pudding Cake

www.blissfulmeals.com

½ pound (2 sticks) butter, plus extra for buttering the dish

5 large eggs, room temp

2 cups sugar

¾ cup good cocoa powder

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp vanilla 

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 325⁰. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla, cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side should come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Buttercrunch Toffee Bars

9 T butter

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup light brown sugar

⅓ cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup toffee bits, divided

1 pinch flaky sea salt

Melt butter on low/medium heat in a skillet. Once butter is melted and begins to crackle, start stirring; cook and stir until butter has a nutty aroma and begins to turn light brown or amber in color. Remove from heat and transfer browned butter into a large, heatproof bowl; set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk light brown and white sugar into browned butter until smooth, then whisk in egg and vanilla. 

Add flour mixture to butter mixture in increments, and fold together until a shaggy dough forms. Fold in 3/4 cup toffee bits until evenly dispersed.

Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment. Spread dough evenly into the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350⁰. Sprinkle dough evenly with remaining toffee bits, and press them lightly into the dough.

Bake bars in the preheated oven until edges begin to turn golden brown and the middle looks set, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with flaky salt. Cool for 30 minutes before serving.