Oct 26, 2011

IHCC: Harvest Moon

For the past two I Heart Cooking Clubs themes, I asked The Husband to pick from my narrowed down list of Tessa Kiros recipes.  Six or seven choices hardly seems narrow to a normal person.  But if you're a what-iffer or a how-abouter like me, you get it. 

The Husband picked a winner with the Apple Cake w/ Toffee Topping.  And he did it again with the Baked Chickpeas. 

So can he go for three of a kind?

You know it. 

Ding ding ding.  Jackpot.

I asked him which sounded the most "harvesty?"  Then fired off a list I don't know how he kept up with.  He didn't pick the first on the list.  He didn't pick the last.  So I'm thinking he was really paying attention.  (That's a big ole tip right there, guys)


Honestly, he wins just by not commenting on "harvesty."
(Another tip)


Notes:
My house smelled like Thanksgiving while this baked.  I took Tessa Kiros' suggestion and sprinkled some cinnamon over the squash along with the brown sugar and butter.  


Speaking of brown sugar and butter...they bake together to form a thickened, syrupy sauce that spoons can't wait to dip into.  Since this does bake for a while, I made it ahead of time and reheated in a low oven before serving. 


The beauty of making this earlier in the day when no one else was home: no one but me knows how much sauce the recipe made.  Just puttin' that out there.  Another tip.


If you like sweet potato casserole and candied yams, Baked Butternut Squash w/ Butter & Brown Sugar has similar qualities.  But not as sweet.






The one thing I didn't like about this recipe: the instructions for peeling the squash.  I find butternut squash a pain to prep anyway and should have gone with my usual method.  The method for peeling the squash as described in the recipe...um...more than once I thought my left palm was a goner.


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Baked Butternut Squash w/ Butter & Brown Sugar
from Apples For Jam by Tessa Kiros


3 1/2 Tbsp butter
2 1/4 lb butternut squash
1/4 to 1/3 Cup light brown sugar
salt
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp water
Optional: ground cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 350 and generously butter the bottom of a large, round, ovenproof dish with some of the butter.  Peel the butternut by first cutting it in half, then scooping out the seeds with a spoon (save the seeds to toast in the oven for a snack, or to plant).  Cut the squash into long slices that are about an inch thick.  Using a small sharp knife, carefully cut away the skin, keeping the shape of the squash slices and taking care that you don't cut yourself, as the skin is hard.  You should have about 1 1/2 lbs of squash.

Scatter some of the brown sugar over the bottom of the pan and lay the squash slices flat, in a single layer.  If using, sprinkle ground cinnamon over the squash.  Scatter the rest of the sugar over the top, dot with the rest of the butter, and sprinkle with a little salt.  Pour 4 Tbsp of water around the sides and add the bay leaves.  Put into the oven for about 1 hour, or until the butternut is soft and golden, even dark in places, and there is some thick golden juice bubbling away at the bottom.  Spoon the pan juices over the squash a couple of times during the cooking--if it looks a little too dry, add a dribble more water.  Serve warm.  If you aren't serving immediately, then reheat gently so the butter melts again.  Serves 6.



Part of I Heart Cooking Clubs Harvest Moon week w/ Tessa Kiros
IHCC Tessa Kiros Button


Also linking with:
Tuesdays at the Table @ All The Small Stuff
Tasty Tuesday @ Naptime Creations
Hearth and Soul vol 71 @ Mom's Sunday Cafe
Tuesdays Tasty Tidbits @ Permanent Posies
Let's Do Brunch @ My Sweet & Savory
Bake With Bizzy @ Bizzy Bakes
What's Cooking Thursdays @ Feeding Four
Turning the Table Thursday @ Around My Family Table
Simply Delish @ KB & Whitesnakes Home
Potluck Friday @ EKat's Kitchen
Friday Food @ Mom Trends
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Don't forget: See Ya In the Gumbo Potluck #3 runs until Friday night.

24 comments:

  1. You had me at brown sugar and butter. So much for my October diet where I was going to lose 3 pounds before the holidays.... This looks so good.

    Do you have a tip for your usual method of peeling butternut squash? I have taken to buying it pre-peeled. Don't tell anyone!

    Michelle

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  2. Um 3 pounds? I meant 30....

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  3. Michelle-the problem I found with the method listed above was that she has you peeling each and every piece. Too much potential for cutting myself. I like to cut both ends off the squash for flat bases, cut the squash in half so I have two fat cylinders. Stand the each piece on the largest flat base, then peel, cutting down towards your board. Then I cut each piece in half lengthwise and deseed. Chop, slice, or whatever after that. What it boils down to is fewer pieces to peel means fewer times I get slashed, IMO!

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  4. Excellent point! Maybe I'll pass up the pre peeled and chopped as I'm sure the flavor is better your way.

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  5. I love the terms what-iffer and how-aboutter. Totally stealing both of those. LOL!

    Your husband is quite the guy! He cooks, he buys you cookbooks, he picks great recipes, and he pays attention...SCORE!

    You chose the perfect harvest recipe and it looks delicious!

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  6. Looks fab and I am putting this recipe on my "must try" list! Since peeling veggies is not my favorite thing, I invested in an electric vegetable peeler, which simplifies the process.

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  7. This does look perfect for fall. And I am glad there were no serious injuries that occurred--it does seem like an awkward way to cut the squash. ;-)

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  8. I need to shed some pounds too...vacation indulgences...but you have to live. And desserts are a big deal to us so....must find a way to enjoy some of the yummies you posted here. :-)

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  9. Yum. This one is on my list, too. The thing about butternut squash...once you roast the peel, you can eat it. So I don't even bother with peeling! Sounds delicious :D

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  10. I make something like this and we love it. I am totally inspired by your description.

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  11. That sounds delicious! I do love butternut squash. I never tell secrets of a cook...teehee. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. I've been eyeing this recipe myself. Looks like it would be a great side dish for Thanksgiving!

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  13. I honestly never peel my butternut squash...I just eat the skin. It's pretty innocuous and has saved me quite a few fingers!

    I don't think I can wait until Thanksgiving to eat this. Yum!

    Also, you won my Eggland's best giveaway! Email me (jhbruno87@gmail.com) with your address!

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  14. Delicious, love the smell of baking cinnamon and squash. Thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop.

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  15. Yes peeling butternut squash in any form is not my idea of fun,but...roasted with butter and brown sugar might just be worth the work.Great post!

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  16. The photos and writing draws you in, my goodness this looks so delicious!

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  17. Looks yummy.

    Thanks for sharing with

    Simply Delish Saturday

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  18. Wonderful! This is how I do acorn squash; butter and brown sugar.
    My grandma did it that way and it tastes like love to me. ♥
    I agree, the peeling is awkward. I cut mine in half and peel each half.
    I even remember a recipe for roasted butternut squash chunks that had you leave the peels on. I was surprised how soft they got. (Smaller chunks though)
    I have a butternut squash all ready for this week's IHCC dinner tonight. They really are wonderfully sweet and satisfying.

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  19. So pretty, and I can just taste it now...my mother made it this way and it always felt like I was having dessert instead of vegetables! Marking this one to try soon.

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  20. I don't peel squash either. I cut in half, remove seeds, place bottom down on a baking tray and bake, then the insides just scoop out with out any effort.

    If you want "pretty" cut into a grid pattern, then cut or scoop out of the shell.

    Butternut squash makes a MUCH better "Pumpkin Pie", than a pumpkin does. IMO

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  21. Interesting and really well written! Most blogs on the web are not that simple and good like this one.

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  22. LOL I'm glad he knew better than to comment on "harvesty!" that's cute. I love this recipe and you can't go wrong with baked squash. Yum!

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  23. This recipe sounds wonderful! I love the idea of the butter and brown sugar roasted with the squash and I can imagine how good it smells when it's cooking! I think this would be a perfect holiday side dish. Thank you for sharing this post with Let's Do Brunch.

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  24. Anonymous11/02/2011

    I definitely want to try these. I love baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar on top, thinking these would be a great alternative.

    Thanks for linking up to Momtrends Friday Food!

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments.