I don’t know where the past month has gone.  One minute I was waxing poetic about Oreo Stuffed Cupcakes and the next I was wondering how I managed to not blog for a month.

September was busy.  One of my 19 year old twin brothers deployed to Iraq for a year so we spent some extra time Skyping before he left.  Samuel’s social calendar was packed with playgroups and activities.  Oh, and September kicks off the busiest time of year for Nathan at work.  Plus I was deep in recipe development projects for other people.  PHEW.

It didn’t help that I couldn’t find the camera battery charger so I went the entire month without photographing a single recipe.  Photographing each step of a recipe is daunting.  I’m still learning so it takes me 4-5 pictures for each step to even come up with something decent.  A 20 minute meal can take up to an hour to make if I’m photographing it for the blog.  While it wasn’t planned the September break was refreshing.

This recipe is from September.  In fact, I never planned to photograph it in the first place.  It isn’t anything special on paper, but it tastes so good.  So you’re stuck with one photo taken with my phone {which has a horrible camera}.

Spiced Veggie Stuffed Squash {adapted from the Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook: Bridal Edition}

Ingredients:

• 2 medium acorn squash
• 2 small turnips
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 medium apple
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Remove and discard seeds.

3.  In a 3 qt rectangular baking dish place the squash halves cut side down.

4.  Bake the squash for 45 minutes.

5.  While the squash are cooking, chop the turnips and carrots.

6.  In a covered saucepan, boil about 2 cups water.

7.  Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the turnips and carrots.  Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat or until they can be easily pierced with a fork.

8.  Flip the squash so the cut side is up and cook for another 25 minutes in the oven.

9.  When the carrots and turnips are done, drain them well.

10.  Place the turnips and carrots in a medium bowl and set aside.

11.  When the squash is done carefully scoop out as much of the pulp as you can without tearing the skin.

12.  Add the squash pulp to the bowl with the carrots and turnips.

13.  Mash the vegetables with a fork.  Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the vegetables.  Mix thoroughly.

14.  Peel and shred the apple.  Mix into the vegetable mixture.

15.  Transfer the vegetable mixture to the acorn squash.  Top with cheddar cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.

16.  Serve.

Grade: B+

Comments:  I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this.  Acorn squash is probably my least favorite of the fall vegetables, but I was willing to try it since there was so much else mixed in there.  This was listed as a side dish in my cookbook, but it is filling enough that you can definitely serve it solo.  The only change I wish I had made was to add some milk.  The mashed vegetables could stand to be a little smoother.  It was a great recipe for early fall, and I can definitely see it making an appearance with some modifications in our menu again.

{this week’s menu is posted}

Corn on the cob is a summer staple, but it is just as delicious off the cob as it is on.  Fresh corn has the perfect crunch that can’t be found in its frozen or canned counterparts.  It is so sweet, and it just tastes like summer.

Over a week ago I was putting together dinner.  My originally plan had been to just remove the corn from the cob and cook it, but I decided it needed something more.  Something that screamed summer dinners on the deck.  I think I found it.  I can see myself making this over and over again this year.

Corn off the Cob Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 corn cobs
• 4 campari tomatoes
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 1/2 tbs lime juice
• 2 tbs BBQ sauce
• 1/4 tsp paparika
• 1/2 tsp cilantro

Directions:

1.  Peel the corn.

2.  Using a knife, remove the corn from the cobs.  Leave in the bowl.

3.  Cut the tomatoes into medium size slices.

4.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat.

5.  Once the olive oil is hot, add the mushrooms.  Cook alone for 3-4 minutes.

6.  While the mushrooms are cooking, chop the celery.

7.  Add the celery to the skillet.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

8.  In the bowl with the corn, add the tomatoes, BBQ sauce, paparika, and cilantro.  Mix well.

9.  Add the corn mixture to the skillet.  Cook for 5-6 minutes mixing often.

10.  Serve!

Grade: B+

Comments:  This is the perfect blend of summer flavors.  It would be a great side dish at a picnic event or large function.  While we ate it warm, it would definitely be good cold, and that is how I ate the leftovers the next day.  If you are looking for more vegetables I would add bell peppers, carrots, onions, squash, or anything else that is heavenly in the summer.  This side dish would go great with any hamburger or hot dog!

Back in November, Ethan posted a recipe for homemade ketchup.  I filed it away and decided I would make it eventually.  It sounded good, but leeks aren’t something I typically keep around so I couldn’t just make it on a whim.

Fast forward to this past weekend.  I was making fried potatoes when I realized we had no ketchup.  I flipped over to Ethan’s recipe, and I realized I didn’t have most of the ingredients to make it.  So I decided to just try to make my own up as I went along, and so I did.

This turned out to be a pretty good first run.  I definitely think it will take a few more times to get the recipe perfected, but it is a good start.

Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tbs oregano
• 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:

1.  In a medium saucepan, mix the tomatoes and water.  Bring to a boil then return to a simmer until liquid is half gone.

2.  When the tomatoes are done simmering add the spices and olive oil.  Mix until well blended.

3.  Transfer the mixture to the blender.

4.  Puree until smooth.  About 3 minutes.

5.  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.  Simmer for about 5 minutes on medium – low heat.

6.  Place a paper towel over a strainer.

7.  Push the mixture against the paper towel to remove the excess liquid. {I used another paper towel so that my hands weren’t covered in tomato.}

8.  Use the ketchup for dipping or topping!

Grade: B

Comments: Like I said, this is definitely a good base for a homemade ketchup.  It needs more flavor, and I probably should have added some sugar.  That said, it was so easy to make that I don’t know if I’ll ever buy store ketchup again.  I was able to make it while dinner was cooking, and it was done at the exact same time.  If you are going to make a large batch of homemade ketchup I recommend keeping it in a glass jar in the fridge, but for no more than 7-10 days.

Okay.  So they’re really pureed sweet potatoes, but that word invokes images of my {brief} tenure working as a waitress in an assisted living community at the tender age of 15.

So we’re going to call them mashed.  Thank you.

Sometimes I get these ideas in my head, but I never really fully form them.  Like this little side dish for instance.  I totally knew I wanted to do something with sweet potatoes, but I’m sick of eating them whole and fries didn’t seem right.  So I decided to throw caution to the wind and throw them in the blender.

But I didn’t really think past the two “buy 2 sweet potatoes” thing.  At first I think I planned on mashing them like regular potatoes, but when I was prepping this dish I decided I didn’t want to do that.  It happens, right?  So I winged it, and I must say I did a good job.  These are easy.  Really really easy.

“Mashed” Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tbs 2% milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon sugar
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Line a cookie sheet with some aluminum foil & spray with olive oil.  Using a fork, stab some holes into the sweet potatoes so they don’t explode.

3.  Cook for approximately 45 minutes or until a fork easily pierces them.

4.  Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1″-ish pieces.

5.  In a blender, add the milk and spices.  Toss the potatoes in too.

6.  Mix on puree until they are still pretty thick.

7.  Serve with dinner, and top with butter and salt if you’re into that sort of thing.  {I’m not.}

Grade: A-

Comments: Shockingly delicious.  I’m not sure what possessed me to throw in cinnamon sugar and nutmeg, but it was a fabulous decision.  These potatoes are the perfect side dish to close out the winter months.  “Mashing” them was a nice change, and this is one of those recipes you could easily multiply for larger crowds.  My only suggestion would be maybe to use less milk – it depends on what consistency of potatoes you prefer.

Generally I do not like vegetables covered in butter.  Growing up we ate steamed vegetables without salt and butter, so as I’ve come to live on my own I have always eaten my veggies the same way.  I like to taste the vegetable not the toppings as I usually say.  Which is hilarious, because we go through more butter than any two people should.

However, there are always exceptions to my no butter on vegetables rule.  When I saw this recipe I wasn’t sure this would be one of them.  In fact I almost edited the butter out, but I’m glad I didn’t.

Something tells me this is supposed to be a side dish, but it is filling enough to eat on its own.

Spinach Souffle {from Junior League of Atlanta Cooknotes}

Ingredients:

• 20 oz frozen spinach
• 2 lbs small curd cottage cheese
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cook the spinach according to the package directions.

3.  Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl.

4.  In a 2.5 qt casserole dish, mix the cottage cheese and beaten eggs.

5.  Melt the butter & add to the casserole dish.

6.  Grate the cheese.  Add to the casserole dish.

7.  Finally, drain the spinach & add to the casserole dish.  Mix the ingredients well.

8.  Cook for 45 minutes or until set.

Grade: B+

Comments: Oh this was good.  Creamy and spinach-y and just a big bowl of comfort food.  My biggest recommendation is to cook these as individual souffles rather than as one big one, because I think it would cook better.  I found that the center wasn’t as cooked as I had thought.  This recipe would be perfect for a potluck meal or to take to a friend.  You can also freeze it in individual servings and pop out for lunches.

{this week’s menu is posted}

Grits.

It’s the one Southern food I’ve struggled to love…or even tolerate.  When I moved here in May 2006, I had never had grits that I can remember.  I’d heard of them, but only when people would come back from Southern vacations talking about this mysterious breakfast food that you ate with cheese!  In theory they sounded awesome.

Then I moved to Atlanta, and I was grossed out.  I can’t put my finger on why, because if you take one look at my menu plans you can clearly see I’m an oatmeal fanatic…and grits aren’t that far off.  Maybe it is a texture thing.  Or maybe it is because without adding a slew of ingredients they are gross.

I’ve tried everything: grits with cheese, grits with shrimp, grits with butter, grits with salsa.  Nada.  I want to like them the same way I love Southern BBQ or fried chicken, because listen: I love Southern cooking.

So about two weeks ago on Twitter, Jess, a fellow Northerner who still lives up there, Miranda, a native Georgian, and Beth Anne, who lives in the Carolinas, were discussing grits after Jess asked what they were.  I jumped in and said they were gross.  After Miranda and Beth Anne telling me I just hadn’t had them RIGHT yet, I agreed to make a grits dish for dinner before the end of December.

After a quick glance at my cookbook collection I knew I had two that were going to be my best source for all things grits: Junior League of Atlanta Cooknotes and Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook.  After looking at all of the recipes I went with Cooknotes, because I found one that had grits but wasn’t grits heavy.

I’ll admit: if you like grits, you are going to love this dish.  In fact, it would make a great breakfast casserole.  I served it with a whole roasted chicken {I’m on a kick, but they are so inexpensive for how much meat you get!} and some corn.  A nice little Southern meal.

Grits Casserole {slightly adapted & halved from JLA Cooknotes}

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs uncooked grits
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/2 tbs margarine
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Cook the grits using the directions on the box.  3 tbs uncooked grits yields 1 cup cooked.

2.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3.  Separate the eggs.  The yolks should go in a medium mixing bowl, and the whites in a small bowl.  Beat the egg whites until stiff.

4.  In the medium mixing bowl with the yolks, add the milk, grits, and margarine.  Mix well.  {Add a little salt if you wish}.

5.  Pour the grits mixture into a 1.5 qt casserole dish.

6.  Fold the egg whites into the grits mixture.

7.  Cook for 55 minutes.  Pull the casserole out of the oven and add 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.

8.  Serve!

Grade: C+

Comments: Like I said if you like grits you will love this.  I wasn’t a fan.  Neither was Nathan.  Here’s the thing: it isn’t grits heavy.  It was, however, just enough for me not to enjoy it.  I think I realized by making this that grits may be the only food with which I have a texture issue.  Usually texture with food doesn’t bother me, but grits do have a funny texture {like sand I think}.  It was a very light and fluffy dish that would be perfect for brunch or even for breakfast.  It can be easily multiplied {I halved it} and adjusted.  You could add ingredients to make it more filling if you wished.

Back on November 5th I had a dinner party for Nathan’s birthday the day prior.

{Yes, I realize I am WAY behind on posts.  You should see my Word document reminding me of all of the recipes I haven’t posted yet.}

I was really excited for Nathan’s birthday this year.  This was the first time since we’ve been married he has actually been home for it.  Usually he is traveling for work most of November.  Even though he had been gone early in the month, he was back in time for his birthday!  We had some friends over, and I worked on gathering up some of Nathan’s favorite foods.  It explains the lack of cohesiveness in the menu.

To see the recipes, click on the dish.  It will take you to a Google Docs page.

MENU

Beverages

Sweetwater Brewery Festive Ale

Champagne

Soup

Vegetable Barley Soup

Main Course

Italian Pork Tenderloin

NY Strip Steak

{totally forgot to take a picture of this}

Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Dessert

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Homemade Thin Mints

Before we talk about this delectable little side dish, I have to show you something.

Last night we gave Samuel some cabbage to taste.  He didn’t even taste it.  Just licked it, and this was the face he made immediately after:

Someone is clearly not a fan.  Clearly.

Unlike Samuel here who doesn’t seem to smitten with vegetables, Nathan and I are.  Especially fall vegetables.  They are so hearty and filling.  I can eat a sweet potato with some butter and call it a meal.

When I was making the salmon in foil, I realized we needed a good side dish.  A quick scan of my kitchen made me realize I was a little low on a lot of things.  Oops.  However, I did have some great fall vegetables.

Sauteed Fall Vegetables {my recipe}

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 Japanese zucchini
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground basil
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small pieces.  Set aside.

2.  Cut the zucchini into small pieces.  Set aside.

3.  In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium.  Once warm, add the potatoes and zucchini.

4.  Make sure the olive oil coats the vegetables.  Then add all of the spices.  Mix again.

5.  Cover with the lid and cook for 15 minutes, mixing every 2-3 minutes {or until the sweet potato is soft}.

Grade: A

Comments: I wasn’t sure how the sweet potato and Japanese zucchini would taste together, but the answer is surprisingly delicious.  This is such an easy and healthy side dish, and it could really go with anything.  I’m considering using it for a party in a few weeks, because it is such an easy recipe to multiply.  I could definitely see adding some squash or onions to this recipe if you were looking for even more flavor.

Sometimes I just want something simple.  I don’t want to spend an hour in front of the stove.  Other times it just sounds good when I’m putting together the menu.

Red beans and rice is easy, but really tasty.  I’m not sure which of the above situations led to its place on my menu, but I’m grateful it did.  It was the perfect meal that Sunday.  The weather had been cold and comfort food seemed like the perfect solution.

Red Beans and Rice {adapted from Publix Apron’s}

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 cans red kidney beans, undrained
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 1 package of Uncle Ben’s 90 second brown rice

Directions:

1.  In a pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.

2.  Chop green pepper.  Add to the pan.  Sautee until tender {about 5 mintues}.

3.  When the peppers are about halfway done add in the diced tomatoes.  Sautee for about 5 more minutes on low.

4.  In a saucepan, boil the water.  Once boiled mix in the beans.  Do not drain first.

5.  When the beans are soft add to the green pepper mixture.  Top with red wine vinegar, oregano, and chili powder.  Mix well.  Cook for about 5 minutes on low.

6.  Cook rice according to package directions.

7.  To serve, put rice in a bowl and top with the bean mixture.

Grade: B

Comments: Red beans and rice is just one of those good old standby meals that are filling, tasty enough, and comfort food.  I had to seriously adapt this recipe, because it called for onions and garlic which I still can’t eat.  It definitely would have been WAY better if I had kept those two items.  I was also thinking it would have been great with some shredded pork too.  Either way, this is a great, inexpensive family meal for busy days!

Macaroni & cheese is one of those foods that takes me back to my childhood.  I love that it hasn’t lost its charm after all of these years.  There is something incredibly comforting about a bowl of mac & cheese, laughing at dinner, and talking about our days.

A few months ago, however, I had a huge mac & cheese mess up.  I bought cheap shredded cheese, because I thought it would work.  It didn’t, and it was quite possibly the most disgusting dinner I’ve made.  We ended up throwing it out and eating sandwiches.  I thought Nathan would ban me from ever putting mac & cheese on the table again {lest it be from a certain iconic blue box}, but I convinced him to let me take another swing at it.  Armed with a new recipe and better cheese, I just knew I could pull it off.

I did.

We all know that I aspire to be Martha Stewart {minus the jail time}, so it is only natural I would turn to her website to find the recipe that would make my prior mac & cheese sins forgiven.  This recipe is awesome.

Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese {from MarthaStewart.com}

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt
• 4 cups whole milk {don’t skimp on this…go for the whole.  It is going to make a difference}
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 pound small shell pasta or elbow macaroni
• 4 cups coarsely grated sharp yellow cheddar (3/4 pound)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium.
2. Chop the onion and add it to the butter.  Cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma, and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 5 minutes.
4. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk; add 2 more cups milk and cayenne and whisk until smooth.
5. Cook mixture, stirring constantly along bottom of pan, until boiling, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and does not feel grainy when a small amount is rubbed between two fingers, about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain thoroughly and put in a bowl.
7. Remove sauce from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Quickly whisk in cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to coat.
   

Grade: A

Comments: At first I was worried that I had screwed up my cheese sauce, because the consistency didn’t seem right.  However, it was perfect!  This was SO good.  The recipe says it is for 6 servings, but it made almost 10 {at least for us}.  This would be so good with hot dogs or at a picnic.  The cheese flavor isn’t too super strong, but it is just enough to be absolutely delicious.  I definitely recommend not skimping on the milk and cheese to go for lower fat – just accept that this recipe isn’t healthy and move on.