Roasted Butternut Squash

    

The other day it was a beautiful sunny cool and crisp Saturday so my husband and I ventured to the Farmer's Market. It was the second last week before it closes for the winter........I will sadly miss it. Now I'll have to get veggies  and fruit from the large supermarket chains....and their 'stuff' tastse like plastic and has no taste. But what can we do, winter is settling in.

      They had the most beautiful 'Butternut Squash" at this lil' farmer's table........you get 2 large ones for 2 bucks........so I got some. Now I can do a roasted butternut squash and a soup for later.

This recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash is one of the easiest to do...have never met anyone who din't like it.
I often hear people say these are very hard to cut........well firstly you need a good sharp knife and keep the blade not pointing at you....and a good peeler. Usually my husband does the cutting and peeling but he was out so I did it myself....and let me tell you it was a workout, but I kept that blade not pointing at me.

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash 

1 butternut squash (about 2 - 21/2 lbs)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter (or more)
olive oil to grease baking sheet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

With Olive oil lightly brush a baking sheet.

Peel and seed the squash and cut it up into 3/4 - 1" cubes.
Put the cubed butternut squash on the baking sheet and drizzle on the pure maple syrup.

  Sprinkle on the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Toss it all together and lay out the butternut squash cubes so they're in one layer and dot with butter.

Bake for about 30 mins. or til' the butternut squash becomes tender and golden brown, tossing once during baking...........being careful not too mush them up.
 

ENJOY!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.........

Pumpkins

I'm linking to;

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Hershey Chocolate.......

I love chocolate......so today I thought I would show my most favourite spot in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The Hershey Chocolate store, with the biggest Chocolate Bar and Hershey Kisses around.

Today I'm linking to;

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Black Bean Cakes

I got this Black Bean Cake recipe from one of my foodie friends Diane on a foodie board. She always had amazing recipes.

Sometimes we just don't want to eat meat...meat all the time so this is one way of getting some good protein.

I've served these for appetizer's before but had to make them smaller and then had salsa and or guacamole on the side. They have always been a hit and the platter is left clean. For ourselves we just like to have some buttered rice on the side with some veggies for a dinner....or we have even made burgers with them and just use your imagination for fixin's. this is one of my daughter jackie's favourite.......which surprised me because she's a straight chicken and rice eater.



We love Black Bean Cakes at my house..........I usually make a double batch and then freeze some for later. They are packed with tons of protein so if in a hurry and no time to cook they are great defrosted out of the freezer for a nice dinner or lunch. My favourite is that for a party they can be made ahead and then I flash freeze them for the day of the party.

 I use an ice cream scoop..........I have three sizes and it depends on what I need them for I use that size of scoop. It's a lot faster and I might add neater.

 Being crumbed,........sometimes I use Panko Breadcrumbs for a more crispy texture or Italian breadcrumbs. Depends what I have hanging around in my pantry. I've even done a mixture of both which works out well............

 Sauteeing  in canola oil and ready to eat. :-)

Black Bean Cakes

Source; Charlotte street Grill and Pub, Asheville, NC.

3-15 oz. cans Black Beans (divided)

2 large eggs

3 cups Breadcrumbs (divided)

1 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped green onions (4)

1/2 cup cilantro

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cayenne or to taste

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. ground pepper 

4TBSP. veggie oil

Puree 2 cups of the Black Beans with eggs in food processor til' smooth.
Transfer to a large bowl.
Stir in the remaining beans, 1-1/4 cups breadcrumbs, and the next 10 ingredients.

Shape the mixture into patties.
Coat the patties into the remaining breadcrumbs.
Heat 4 TBSP. of oil into a heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the cakes and cook on either side til' golden brown....(about 3 minutes on each side).
Transfer to a plate.

Serve with salsa or guacamole........or your choice of fixin's.

Note*****These can be put on a greased lightly cookie sheet with Olive oil and drizzled......then popped into the oven at 400 deg. F.for 15 minutes til' golden. Can turn them halfway of you want.

Enjoy!!!!!


Today I'm linking to;

deisgnsbygollum.bogspot.com

www.aroundmyfamilytable.com

www.everydaytastes.com

Canadian Thanksgiving

These scarecrow buddies come out every year for Thanksgiving.

My Thanksgiving Table for Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Killer bars........they are so addictive.

Some of Thanksgiving foods at the farmer's market........love when this time of seasons comes around.

Thanks for stopping by.

"Happy Thanksgiving" in Canada!

"HAPPY THANKSGIVING"

To All My Friends and Family.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

Last week I bought a package of skinless boneless chicken thighs and thought what to do with them......had to try something new instead of the old standby recipes that I have. My daughter requested something 'teriyaki' and the first thing I googled I came up wih this on allrecipes.com and decided not to lurk around websites as this looked very delicious. Also I had all the ingredients in my pantry......not something I had to go to Chinatown in Toronto to look for some ingredient that the local supermarkets don't carry. The parking there in Chinatown is horrendous.......very crowded and extremely busy.

Well this recipe is going to be a keeper, it was very tasty and even my husband said it was ....gooood, for someone who doesn't really like chicken.

Teriyaki Chicken

(source; allrecipes)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 skinless chicken thighs

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.            

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

****I just used plain old white vinegar and it turned out fine.

Marinating in the sauce......

Thanks for stopping by!


Today I'm linking to;

www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com

www.itsablogparty.com

Red Pepper Jelly

 This is my all time favourite Red Pepper Jelly........basically I can inhale the whole thing. I love it on toast or crackers with some whipped cream cheese and then slather this Red Pepper Jelly on top....yummm. It's great as an appetizer or I sometimes have it for breakfast or just a snack.

I got this recipe from a lil' friend Anna who has since passed away. She use to be in my Calligraphy class that I took once a week to keep busy with myself. She was such a sweet lil' old lady but managed to come to classes even though she felt under the weather. One day she brought this jelly in for some treats the class was having and wouldn't give this recipe out to nobody...said it was her Mom's. But one day she gave me a sheet with some Calligraphy that she had done and said this was for you.......there it was the Red Pepper Jelly she had written it out for me.

Ever since my Mom, Aunt and I would make it yearly..........now I just make it for my family, and of course a few hand-outs.

  RED PEPPER JELLY

2 cups red peppers (I use red bell or shepherd peppers when in season)
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 packages of liquid fruit pectin (3 oz. each)


Grind peppers to a pulp in food processor.
Measure pulp and juice.

Put peppers, lemon juice, sugar and vinegar in saucepan and rapidly bring to a boil and stir.
Stir constantly or it will stick.

Take away from heat; immediately on reaching the boiling point and let stand 15 minutes.

Put back on heat, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes...stirring.

Remove from heat..........Add pectin.

Skim with a metal spoon the foam and stir occasionally for 5 minutes on a low simmer.

Ladle into sterilized 1 cup jars or 1/2 cup jars and seal tight. Water bath for 10 minutes.

Let stand for 2 weeks and ready to slather on anything. :-)

Makes 8......1 cup jars.

Thanks for stopping by.......appreciate any comments.