Acorn Squash Salad, Pumpkin Rigatoni and Spiked Cider

Lance went to Pittsburgh for a guys' weekend to see a Steelers game (they won!) So while he was out, I had a girls' pumpkin carving/decorating night.  

Most of us ended up painting our pumpkins rather than carving (in Florida, it's way too humid for a carved pumpkin to last the whole month...) Everyone came up with really creative designs - I think it's the best group of pumpkins I've ever seen.  You can scroll to the bottom to see the individual pumpkins, but here we are with our creations: 

I tried to get a pumpkin from the Hyde Park pumpkin patch, but it was insanely packed!  There was a huge line, so I ended up getting mine from the grocery store instead.  It wasn't the prettiest of pumpkins, but since it was painted anyways, it didn't matter.  Thao got hers from Hyde Park and it was the most stereotypical perfect pumpkin.  

For dinner, I tried out a few new Pinterest recipes and they all turned out amazing!  I love all fall ingredients - squash, pumpkin, figs, pears, pomegranates, apples, etc.  I go crazy buying everything at Trader Joe's this time of year since it's all pumpkin flavored.  

Hillary also brought over this amazing popcorn coated in marshmallows and drizzled with chocolate (it had candy corn for decoration which I'm not a fan of, but I just ate around them...)  It was seriously addicting - like Rice Krispie treats made of popcorn.  If I get the recipe I'll post it on here too.  

I would definitely make any of these recipes again: 

Acorn Squash Salad (adapted from How Sweet Eats)

Salad Ingredients:

• 2 T coconut oil (I was out so I used olive oil)
• 1 acorn squash, sliced in 1/2" rounds and seeds removed
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 t brown sugar
• 1/2 c Trader Joe's sweet & spicy pecans
• 6 c spinach (or arugula) 
• 1 avocado, sliced 
• 1 pomegranate, arils removed (if you need instructions, check out this post)  
• 1 cucumber, sliced

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 t freshly grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, freshly grated
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil 

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil.  Cover the squash slices with salt, pepper, and brown sugar and add to the skillet.  Cook until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes on each side.  

2. Add spinach/arugula to a large bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add the avocado, pomegranate arils, cucumber, pecans, and squash pieces.  

3. Combine all the dressing ingredients and toss with the salad. 

Pumpkin Rigatoni Pasta with Sage (adapted from Joanne Eats Well With Others)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb rigatoni
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1 T minced sage
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1-1/2 cups Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk (I completely forgot to add this since I was too busy chatting with friends - it turned out fine without it, but may be a bit creamier with it) 
• 1 bunch kale leaves, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups ricotta
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 oz mozzarella, grated 
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. 

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Add the onion, sage red pepper flakes, and pinch of salt.  Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until onions become translucent.  

4. Stir in the pumpkin and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add in the cashew milk and bring to a simmer.  Stir in th ekale and simmer for 4-5 more minutes or until slightly thickened.  Stir in the ricotta and season to taste with salt & pepper.  

5. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Toss the pasta with the pumpkin mixture and spread half of it in the pan.  Sprinkle half the cheese, top with the other half of the pasta, then sprinkle with more cheese.  Top with bread crumbs. 

6. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and sauce is bubbling.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.   

Spiked Cider (a combination of several cider recipes)

Ingredients:

• 1 jug Trader Joe's spiced cider 
• 2 T lemon juice
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 4-5 whole star anise seeds
• 2 liters ginger ale
• 6-10 oz vodka, depending on how strong you want it

Directions:

1. Combine the cider, lemon juice, cinnamon, and anise and let them sit for a few hours so the spices soak in. 

2. When you are ready to serve, add in the ginger ale and vodka.  Stir to blend it together.  

I'm sure this drink would be great warm if it was cold outside (you could try it with rum as well).  

I had such a great time with this group of girls - check out the closeups of all the amazing pumpkins:  

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I’m lucky that my fiancé is so supportive of my food blog…although it does mean that he gets a lot of exciting meals and we have an excuse to try out new restaurants!  Lance cooks for us pretty regularly but he rarely follows a recipe.  I like to joke that most meals he makes have never been made with those exact ingredients in the history of mankind.  But his crazy concoctions made from whatever he finds in our fridge usually turn out great. 

So I was surprised when he found a recipe in the newspaper and decided to make it for us one night (and actually follow the instructions!)  He even photo-documented his steps for me so I can share it with you here on the blog.   

Some of my favorite foods are the ones you find in the fall – pumpkin, squash, apples, pears, sweet potatoes, kale, pomegranates...and anything that incorporates these ingredients I’m guaranteed to like.  This recipe was for roasted butternut squash soup.  It took a bit of time, but it was actually pretty simple.

And I’m sure for all of you up north, this would be a nice way to keep warm during the cool months!  (Not that we know much about that in Florida…)

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from Chowhound)

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds whole butternut squash (about 2 medium), halved lengthwise and seeds removed (you can bake the seeds with some salt, pepper & olive oil if you want to snack on them!)

·         2 T unsalted butter

• 1 medium Granny Smith apple
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Place the squash pieces cut-side up on the baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and brush all of it over the tops and insides of the squash halves. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until knife tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut the apple into medium dice. Cut the onion into medium dice.

4. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the apple, onion, and sage, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

5. When the squash is ready, set the baking sheet on a wire rack until the squash is cool enough to handle. Using a large spoon, scoop the flesh into the saucepan with the sautéed apples and onions; discard the skins.

6. Add the broth, water, and measured salt and pepper, stir to combine, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces of squash, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream.

8. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth, removing the small cap (the pour lid) from the blender lid and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape).

9. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with the pumpkin seeds.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Even though it’s still 90 degrees outside, I love fall flavors, so this week we had an autumn inspired pasta dish – butternut squash stuffed shells with lemon sage brown butter sauce.  

I’ve actually made this recipe a few other times in the past – but the other times I actually made it with manicotti shells instead.  I actually think I prefer the manicotti since it seems to hold the filling better – the shells are a bit messier.  But either way, it tastes great. 

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells with Lemon Sage Brown Butter Sauce

 (adapted from Proud Italian Cook)

Shells & Filling:

• 12 jumbo pasta shells
• 2 cups butternut squash (I used prepared pre-cut squash which is easier, but you could peel & chop it yourself)
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup fresh spinach (or ¼ cup frozen chopped spinach thawed & squeezed dry)
• 1 egg
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 lemon – zest and juice
• Salt & pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 10 sage leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.  

2. Toss squash in olive oil and arrange on baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta shells according to the directions on the package.   

4. Remove the squash from the oven and allow to cool.  Reset the oven to 400ºF.

5. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, garlic, spinach, egg, cooled squash, and zest of 1 lemon.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

6. Stuff the cooked shells with the cheese & squash mixture and arrange on a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. 

7. For the sauce, melt butter in a sauté pan until golden brown and bubbly. Add sage leaves and fry until slightly crispy. 

8. Remove from heat and squeeze in juice of 1 lemon. 

9. Remove the baked shells from the oven and spoon the sauce evenly over the pasta.  Top with grated parmesan cheese.  We enjoyed ours with red wine & caprese salad! 

Fall is almost here…and that means Pumpkin Everything!

We stopped by ABC last night to pick up some beers.  By the way, if you haven’t been to the ABC on Kennedy just east of MacDill you need to check it out!  Its exterior has been updated with a beautiful stone facade, and the interior feels more like a Whole Foods than a liquor store.  They also have a “Brew Stop” station where you can fill up growlers with a constantly changing selection of craft beers.  

I got overly excited yesterday because while browsing the beers, I noticed that they had already set up a whole section for fall themed beers!  Autumn is my favorite time of year – the start of the holiday season and pumpkin flavored everything! 

We picked up a variety pack of the Sam Adam’s Harvest Collection – which includes their October Fest, Harvest Pumpkin, Harvest Saison, and traditional Boston Lager.  So last night we escaped the summer heat and enjoyed some fall flavors (and we lit fall candles too!)

I really do enjoy Sam Adam’s Beers of Summer variety pack (especially Porch Rocker), but if I do have to trade in my fruity summer beers, I’m glad it’s for beers spiced with cinnamon & caramel.  

It seems that I’m not the only one anxious for fall to start – Starbucks recently announced they will be releasing their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte August 25^th this year – a month earlier than normal. 

This probably just means that retailers will start abusing the holiday season even more and start selling Christmas decorations before Halloween is even over. Crazy…

Anyways, to prepare for the months ahead, here are some pumpkin recipes to try out.  I’ve made all of these in the past so I know they’re quality recipes!  

Pumpkin 7 Layer Magic Bars (from Bakers Royale).  OMG these are one of the best desserts you will ever eat!  So many yummy ingredients in each bite – I’ve made these a few times and they always turn out super moist and delicious: 

Sweet Pumpkin Butter (from Oh She Glows).  I made this a few years ago and it was great to dip apples or pretzels, or to spread on toast: 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake (from Sprinkle Bakes).  I made this for Easter in 2013 (more on my tradition of making cheesecakes for Easter another time…) If you plan to top it with powdered sugar stripes, make sure to do it right before you serve it, otherwise it will just soak into the cheesecake and disappear: 

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Ribbon (from Crafter Baker Says…)  I made this for Thanksgiving in 2012:

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal (from Undressed Skeleton).  This is a healthy way to get your pumpkin fix:

Happy fall everyone! (a month early…)