Donut Army

The first baked squash of the season! With one of the first truly cold nights down here in Texas, you feel compelled to make some fall and wintery dishes for dinner. First to my mind was baked squash! I learned a tip tonight that was very helpful; scoring the squash really helped the flavorings (brown sugar, butter, and syrup) get distributed across the vegetable. This is not something I've done before, but a step I will certainly take from now on! Classic Baked Acorn Squash Simply Recipes dot com 1 acorn squash 1 T butter 2 T brown sugar 2 tsp maple syrup dash salt Preheat oven to 400. Cut the acorn squash in half. Scrape out the seeds and stringy pulp. leaving only the firm flesh. Using a small paring knife, score the squash flesh - deep enough so that the fillings can soak in. Set squash in a baking dish, and add water to the pan (I go about half way up the pan -- enough so that it won't boil dry, but not so much that I can't carry the pan across the

I find it difficult to get a good picture of mac and cheese. Especially when you are in a hurry to eat because your mac and cheese just came out of the oven. Instead of my picture trying to convince you to try this dish, I must rely on my words. This is a hearty, yet surprisingly diverse, mac and cheese casserole. There is enough going on with the ingredients and flavor that you do not feel like you have a chore of getting through a plate full of mac and cheese. Not that that is ever too much of a chore. Spinach-Mushroom Mac and Cheese The Heart of the Plate - Molly Katzen 1/2 lb orecchiette 1 T olive oil 1 c milk 1 T unsalted butter 1/2 lb mushrooms, in 1/2" dice 1 tsp salt 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 tsp dijon-style mustard 2 T flour 1 c beer, room temperature (I didn't have any; used chicken stock instead) 1 lb spinach (original recipe calls for chopping - I threw it in whole - worked just fine) 1 1/2 c sharp white cheddar (6 oz) 3/4 c bread crumbs 1/2

I love this dish. Super simple to prepare, but adding a flavor element you wouldn't normally add to broccoli. Broccoli with Rosemary Vegetarian Times , October 2001 1 medium bunch broccoli 3 T butter 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped Cut broccoli into florets. Peel stems and slice crosswise across stems into 1/2" pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook, uncovered, until just tender -- about 6 minutes. Drain well. Transfer to a serving bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until it starts to brown. Immediately add chopped rosemary and 1 tsp salt, swirling to blend. Pour hot butter mixture over broccoli. Season with pepper. Toss to combine. Serve hot.

Seriously one of the best things that has ever come out of my kitchen. Ever. And not really that hard to do. Highly recommended! And, anyone coming to visit at my house in the next year or two, anticipate being served this as an appetizer, because this is going to be my go-to dish for a while! I changed some things in the recipe. The grocery was actually out of shallots, so I used 1/2 half of a white onion. And, I always hate wasting an egg on an egg wash, so I skipped that part.  One thing I would not change is the proportions of the filling. I was tempted to add more chevre and more mint. Uncooked, the filling looked too heavy on mushrooms. But cooked, this balance was perfection. Everything tasted like mushroom and cheese, with just the most fleeting glimpse of mint -- enough for someone to say "What on earth was that?" and then move on.  Perfection. Mu shroom, Goat Cheese, and Mint Hand Pies Savory Pies - Greg Henry pie dough of your choice 2 T unsalte