Recipe Planning

Several of the items that I need to use up in my kitchen are: a bunch of parsley, a quart of buttermilk, and a summer squash and a zucchini. Possible ideas to use these up are:

some form of fried chicken

Buttermilk Pie Crust looks fascinating

Soda Bread of some variety

Buttermilk Curry

Strangely similar Buttermilk Squash soups

Squash Gratin which I've made before and LOVED

Herb Jam which looks intriguing

Some Recipes to Make

Limoncello Cheesecake Bites (I'd probably use REAL cream cheese.)
Turkish Fermented Cabbage
Shaker Squash Bread -- I have a few that need to be eaten NOW...
Sri Lankan Mustard

"Okay, tip for your Recipes to Make Soon post: when making the Sri Lankan, mustard, remember to add salt to the ginger and garlic and mustard seeds when soaking, not after! Mustard seeds ground or pasted without the salt seeping in will turn inedibly bitter.

Also, the turmeric is just for colour, not taste. You can skip if you like. And try to substitute green chilies instead of cayenne powder. Okay, all done :-)" -- R

Tasty Recipes

As I am making this Apple and Squash Galette for dinner tonight, I was browsing Perry's Plate to see what else Natalie had.

Tons! Is the answer.

Amish Baked Oatmeal
Pecan Crusted Chicken with PB & Maple Drizzled Apple Salad <-- the tastiest salad I've ever seen!
Pie crust recipe as well as a tip on incorporating butter into flour -- grate frozen butter! Note: definately don't use a box grater and use a plate, not a bowl for your frozen butter -- it will stick to everything.

So much of her food looks so tasty, and her site is very well organized. I might be making more from her in the future...

Crazy Squash Cookies

So I wanted to make cookies similar to these, but I don't have eggs (the grocery store has been out of my brand for weeks). Not to mention, I wanted to use some of the Carnival Squash puree that was sitting in my fridge. Not to mention, I had an epiphany last night of squash puree + confectioner's sugar = filling for sandwich cookies. So something needed to get made.

After searching the internets for egg-free cookies, and having a pretty good idea of what cookies should look like, I started throwing stuff together. I apologize if you are a specific measurement kind of baker, I am not when it comes to making it up -- so all of these measurements are estimates after the fact.

Ingredients
COOKIES
-- 3/4 c. oil of choice (butter, ghee, shortening, olive oil, etc.)
-- 3/4 c. squash puree
-- 1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar
-- 1/3 - 1/2 c. milk
-- 1 1/3 c. almond meal
-- 1 1/3 c. unbleached white flour
-- cinnamon
-- mace
-- ginger
-- nutmeg
-- allspice
-- chocolate chips

FILLING
-- 1/3 c. squash puree
-- 1/2 - 3/4 c. confectioner's sugar
-- scant 1/4 c. starch (potato, rice, tapioca, etc.)
-- same spices as in cookies

For the cookies, preheat your oven to 350F.

Mix the wet ingredients. Add the sugar. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet little by little, adding more moisture if necessary (either oil or milk). Stir in chocolate chips.

Bake on a greased cookie sheet 15-20 mins (it took mine exactly 18 mins). When done, take the tray out of the oven, take your spatula and smush the cookie a bit on the tray before placing on a cooling rack.

While waiting for them to cool/popping your next batch in the oven, start making the filling. Mix all of the ingredients together in an oven-proof bowl, and let sit in the oven for 30-40 mins. When taken out, it should be the consistency of apple butter.

I think I've invented Squash Butter...

After all components have cooled, assemble them! Makes 60 cookies, or 30 sandwiches.

Cute little cookies!

Saving Some Recipes

This is merely one of three in my freezer

Graham Cracker Chewy Bars
Pumpkin Pie Snickerdoodle Bars
Thanksgiving Twofer Bars
Pumpkin-Pecan Pie Candy
Russian Teacake Cookies
Pumpkin-Pecan Spice Bread
Macaroons Speculoos
Roasted Delicata Squash with Panne Cotta
Butternut Squash Pudding
Praline Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Almond and Polenta Cake

Cooking for Tonight

Mister has invited a coworker back to our place for dinner and cards tonight. We have the Beekeeper's Cabbage that I made yesterday, some kielbasa that we picked up last night (FYI? we need a new source of kielbasa -- this will be the last that I buy from the grocery store... MSG...), and then what to have as another side? The beekeeper's cabbage would be enough for two, but probably not for three. So I poked around my fridge, and we also have green beans leftover from my stirfry, leeks from the farmer's market, potatoes, eggs, lots of options...

After checking in at Heidi Swanson's site, I think that I've decided upon Vibrant Green Beans as my second side. It uses the leeks, uses the beans, and I'll use a spice other than dill (as I apparently don't care for it).

Also, would love to try this recipe for delicata squash, as I have a couple of those around, and am interested in fun and exciting ways to cook them!

Also a recipe!

I made this squash recipe the other day, only I used Carnival Squash. Absolutely fabulous. It is my new favorite squash. Also, they're small and cute, and cut in half is a perfect meal for Mister and me.

Some Recipes to Save

Spicy Squash Soup with Kielbasa and Corn
Mexican Deep Dish Pizza
Garlic Mustard Pesto
Preserved Lemons
Whole Wheat Bread

Also, I have every intention of stopping at the Farmer's Market today after work (I hope I get out in time!). Items to buy: squash, pumpkin, more cabbage after the cabbage-failure (:-(), shallots, carrots, apples, whatever looks good.