Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Walnuts

I was organizing Christmas decorations in the basement yesterday afternoon and uncovered a butternut squash. Apparently, while unpacking cookie tins last month, I tossed an empty plastic bag over the squash (which was sitting innocently on a shelf in the cool basement). This, I decided, was a “sign”. Butternut squash for dinner.

Since butternut squash goes so well with sage, I picked some leaves from my (outdoor) still-alive-but-looking-straggly sage plant this afternoon. Then I noticed a small amount of baby spinach leaves in a bag in the refrigerator, and a package of potato gnocchi that I had bought yesterday that was still on the kitchen table.

Jack wandered into the kitchen asked what I was planning for dinner. I told him gnocchi, butternut squash, spinach… and he then suggested that I add toasted walnuts. Brilliant.

I’ve made similar recipes before, but this time I actually wrote down what I did. This was so good! Little pillows of potato-ey gnocchi, cubes of sweet butternut squash, spinach and parmesan, and the crunchy toasted walnuts were an excellent final touch. And it came together very quickly.

Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Walnuts

16 ounces potato gnocchi

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

12 ounces (about 2 ½ cups) peeled and seeded butternut squash (cut into ½” pieces)

1 ½ ounces (about ¼ cup) diced onion (1/2” pieces)

1 large clove garlic, smashed and minced

3 ounces baby spinach leaves (if large, run a knife through them a couple of times)

1 ½ tablespoons fresh, minced sage

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the gnocchi.

Toast walnuts, if necessary.

Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add squash and cook, stirring frequently, until pieces are just softened (about 5 minutes).

Add gnocchi to boiling water.

Add the onion and garlic to the squash and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for another minute. Scoop 1/3 cup of water from the cooking gnocchi and stir into the vegetables. Drain the gnocchi and add to the pan along with the sage leaves and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring gently.

Season with salt and pepper. Divide between 2 plates, sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts.

An additional comment: This recipe, if you are to go by the gnocchi package, should have made 4 servings. Right. It probably made close to 3—Jack ate two! And, afterward, he said that he could have had another two servings. :) So much for portion control. We love our carbs!

Gnocchi is our downfall. I once saw the photo of a recipe that showed a serving as being 8 measly gnocchi. We laughed. I suppose that if you follow the “recommended servings”, if you are making the above recipe for 4, perhaps you should double all of the other ingredients.

And, after roasting the other half of this butternut squash in the oven to accompany our lunch today, I think that instead of sautéing the squash I would prefer to roast it for in this recipe.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

This morning we woke to snow. I looked out of the window and saw a scene worthy of any of those glass snowball decorations (after being shaken furiously). So far there hasn’t been a lot of accumulation, maybe a couple of inches, but it finally looks Christmas-ey out. Over a week later. Oh well, too many icy, cold, snowy Decembers have been complained about, so why not also complain about a warm, rainy December as well? If I lived in a more temperate climate I probably would not get to complain about the weather at all (and where, anyway, is that Vicci-perfect climate?).

The flotsam and jetsam of Christmas are littered about the house. Due to work on the house and barn, I finally got around to decorating too little, too late; and then with becoming sick over Christmas and the week-plus thereafter, very little straightening-up was accomplished. I’ve been sitting around, eating the leftover seasonal goodies, and feeling like a blob. Jack is finally feeling better (a more miserable patient there could never be), and my breathing is improving, but I have learned that the process cannot be rushed or there will be an inevitable backward slide. I will try to put up with taking it easy for the next few days. I cannot promise that my husband, however, will do the same.

To help us both in our recoveries, and also to try and offset the delicious cookies and candies which neither of us can seem to ignore, I am preparing healthy meals. I had a single pumpkin from my garden this year (which, actually, was a surprise because I forgot to plant pumpkin), and it has been sitting on the kitchen counter for weeks. I used half for dinner last night.

I really don’t know what I did before Trader Joe came into my life. Well, I do. I never had the option to buy the variety of items which are available at that store. If I wanted a curry, I made a curry from (almost) scratch. Having TJ’s bottled curry sauces on hand, in both the Indian and the Thai varieties, is a great convenience.

Although I do feel better these days, I’m rather tired and breathless by the day’s end and looking for something relatively quick to make for dinner. Yesterday I was craving a nice, warming, coconut-scented Thai curry. I pulled a bottle of Trader Joe’s Thai Yellow Curry sauce from the pantry, sautéed chicken and onions, added the sauce, added chunks of fresh pumpkin, and simmered until the pumpkin softened. Just before serving I stirred in chopped fresh spinach. Served over jasmine rice, with a sprinkling of cashews on top, it was thoroughly enjoyable and almost too easy. :)

Tonight, I am going to use the other half of that pumpkin for Turkey Pumpkin Chili, which I wrote about last January.

http://victoriasdays.blogspot.com/2011/01/turkey-pumpkin-chili.html

(after-dinner note: great chili recipe! To save time, I sauteed the ground turkey, then added the onions through garlic, and then the canned tomatoes, etc. Very delicious and warming.)

Hoppin' John!

Happy New Year!

My Mom makes pork and sauerkraut for New Year’s Day, and I never could learn to like either the taste or the smell of that fermented cabbage! So for the past 25+ years, I have made our own NYD food tradition of black-eyed peas and greens in various forms. I can never remember exactly what recipe I have used from year to year, but today’s lunch from Vegetarian Times has already been printed out, noted, and saved in both my binder and computer file. Jack’s comment after the first bite: “Now this is excellent!” :)

Hoppin' John With Collard Greens

Ingredient List

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, divided
• 2 Tbs. agave nectar (I used honey)
• 3 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. chili powder, divided
• 1 tsp. salt, divided
• 1 large bunch collard greens, chopped (I used 10 ounces)
• 4 slices meatless low-fat bacon strips, chopped (I used 6 ounces of smoked turkey sausage)
• 1 small onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
• 3 ribs celery, chopped (3/4 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain white rice (I used ¾ cup uncooked and then, of course, cooked it)
• 1 15.5-oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed (I used 10 ounces frozen, thawed)

Directions

1. Whisk together 2 Tbs. vinegar, agave nectar, 1 tsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt; set aside.

2. Cook collard greens in pot of boiling salted water 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup liquid.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, onion, celery, garlic, and remaining 1/2 tsp. chili powder. Cook 8 minutes, or until translucent. Add collard greens, vinegar-agave nectar mixture, 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, 2 Tbs. vinegar, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until greens are tender. Transfer to serving platter.

4. Add rice and beans to skillet. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup cooking liquid, and cook 3 minutes, or until heated through. Serve rice and beans over greens.

Note: I stirred the peas, rice, and sausage into the collard greens and served all in one big bowl.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving: Calories: 291, Protein: 12g, Total fat: 6g, Saturated fat: 0.5g, Carbs: 51g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 723mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugars: 12g

Because I didn’t feel like making the accompanying cornbread, this recipe made 2 servings. :)

I have to wonder, why do I only think of making this on New Year’s Day? It is very good, healthy, easy to make… I’m keeping the printed version in my current recipe binder and hope to put it into regular rotation over this winter.

Skillet Chicken with Cranberries and Apples

December 30th---and what a month it has been! Does any time go as fast as during those thirty-one days of December?

I am sitting at the computer, looking outside on a lovely, late-December day. The sun has already begun to dip behind trees covering the hills to the west even though it’s barely 4pm, and the thermometer read 54 degrees when I walked by the window last. We’re in southwestern Pennsylvania, so this cannot last. But it is a nice gift.

That’s what my Mom called it this morning. She phoned and told me that she took “this gift of a day” and went for a nice, long walk. Having broken her ankle last summer, and become increasingly frustrated with limping and pain throughout the fall, this past month she finally got back into her walking routine. When the weather is decent, about two miles a day (as far as I can figure out) and I applaud her. Although I cringe at the thought of her out on country lanes, walking on the edge of the road, and I only wish that she would get her act together and locate some of the flashing devices I have bought her in the past few years to wear so that she can be safe. Are you listening, Mummy????

I am being forced to sit and be quiet and wait out the last days of a fairly nasty asthma attack that began on Christmas Eve day. I have spent several hours combing through my cooking and baking notes (dating from September!) and realize how hopelessly behind I am. There just isn’t enough time in the day for everything.

I have a photo, and nailed the recipe, for a wonderful linguine with white clam sauce. I’ve seen the scribbled recipe floating around the kitchen for a couple of months now and, of course, since I have the time to post I cannot seem to locate it. Perhaps next time.

Next up, a photo from several weeks ago and I know where that recipe is. Online. Safe in the Eating Well website.

Skillet Chicken with Cranberries and Apples was, as I recall, my attempt at trying to cook a quick dinner but to also make something new and different. It fit the bill perfectly.

Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_cranberries_app

From EatingWell: September/October 2011

Celebrate the flavors of fall with chicken cooked in a fast apple-cranberry sauce. If you prefer a less tart flavor, try dried cranberries instead of fresh. Serve with quick-cooking wild rice and roasted Brussels sprouts.

4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each | Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken tenders, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 crisp red apples, such as Braeburn, Fuji or Gala, thinly sliced
• 1 large red onion, quartered and sliced
• 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, divided
• 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preparation

1. Sprinkle both sides of chicken tenders with 1/4 teaspoon each thyme, salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a clean plate.
2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add apples, onion, 2 tablespoons cider (or juice) and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and salt. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the apples and onion are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cranberries and sprinkle flour over everything in the pan; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the remaining cider (or juice). Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Nutrition

Per serving : 287 Calories; 10 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 63 mg Cholesterol; 26 g Carbohydrates; 24 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 496 mg Sodium; 415 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 fruit, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

I cut boneless skinless chicken breasts in pieces instead of using chicken tenders, but otherwise prepared the original recipe as written. It took so little time to make that I had to hold it in the pan for several minutes while the pilaf finished cooking. The chicken was tender, the tart cranberries a very nice contrast to the sweet apple, and there were a lot of pan juices which soaked into the multigrain pilaf wonderfully. I also served mashed sweet potatoes, and the dinner was a hit. Very warming, and flavorful, and healthy. In fact, this will probably be our dinner this evening.

Triple Ginger Bars

I spent the day in the kitchen today, my favorite way to spend time. :)

I made cornbread, then cornbread dressing; also vanilla mashed sweet potatoes, and a pumpkin pie. The Brussels sprouts are trimmed and ready to roast, the hazelnuts toasted and chopped to be sprinkled on top before serving. Pumpkin scones, for Friday's breakfast, are in the freezer. We're all ready to take our part of the feast to our friend's house tomorrow.

At the last minute, I decided to make Triple Ginger Bars which are featured in the November 2011 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Even though loaded with butter, I made the recipe according to the directions because it's a holiday! Anyway, for some reason the cake sunk quite badly in the center. Then the glaze was poured over. It cascaded down the edges and puddled in the center. As the glaze cooled, I tried to pull it up over to the edges and was only moderately successful. At a last desperate attempt to cover the wrinkled glaze and salvage the bars, I covered the surface with ground, toasted hazelnuts.

It worked, somewhat. After cutting, some of the bars had the distinct contours of a beginner ski-slope.







Oh well, I shall serve them with the best side facing outward.



Despite their appearance, these were really good. You have to like ginger a lot to appreciate them, though, because they are just filled with that nippy spice. I didn't have any fresh ginger, so I subbed 3 Tablespoons of finely-chopped crystallized ginger. Very good. I just don't know what I did wrong that would cause them fall in the center, and because of that I probably will not make them again.

Reynolds Wrap Pan Lining Paper

Yesterday my friend Jenni joined me in our Holiday Baking Day and we cranked out several dozen of each of 7 varieties of cookies. :) I hope to get them all posted in the next week or so.


But this post is a warning.


I bought Reynolds Wrap Pan Liner Paper because I couldn't find plain ol' parchment and it was horrible. The edges of the paper curled up and over and embedded themselves in the baked goods on the edges of the cookie sheet.





For another recipe, the parchment was to go over the edge of the pan to facilitate removal of the bars. The "pan lining paper" curled up and over and into the bars on two sides. Note the ridges on the bottom pan after removing the paper:




My husband didn't mind because he then got to eat the imperfect cookies/ bars. I minded because these are for gift trays/ baskets and I couldn't use them since they were not pretty.


Just a warning! I'll be returning the amount not used. :(

Restoring old wood windows, and not cooking...

Somehow, cooking has become lost for me lately since our autumn has been so very busy. Poor Jack has had so many dinners of grilled chicken breasts with whatever sauce I had in the refrigerator, some veggies, and a baked potato that I do not need to write about my cooking. Yes, there are a few times in the past several weeks where I actually had the time to make a decent dinner, but these were few and also were already-tried recipes that I have previously posted.

We don’t eat much prepared food and I was at a loss as to what to buy to make meals easier. I did purchase a veggie lasagna at TJs but have yet to try it. I can only thank Trader Joe and his barbeque sauces, Indian simmer sauces, and items like butternut squash ravioli, frozen roasted corn and frozen roasted bell pepper & onion combos. At least I wasn’t opening a can of corn.

I shall blog today about windows, because that is what has consumed my time over the past weeks. We live in a 144-year-old home that is constructed of brick and has the original wooden windows. Can anyone think of a more energy-inefficient type of window, other than a single sheet of plastic wrap? No? I didn’t think so. But Jack is an architect, and he is very preservation-minded, so replacing the original wooden windows with nice, tight, energy-efficient ones was not even considered. Yes, we would rather freeze than compromise on our historical home!

Well, no, not me but I had to go along with it. And build up a nice collection of heavy sweaters and thick blankets.

Many years ago, when I was much younger and full of energy (*sigh*), I worked my way around this large house, repairing windows, replacing broken or cracked glass, scraping and painting, and caulking the he** out of each window. They are as energy-efficient as they can be under the circumstances (and those are the circumstances of historical preservation).

Alas, even though I bought the “best” paint and the “best” of the other materials, I will never be done with keeping these windows looking decent. Every fall, depending on time available, I get to work on the windows.

This year, another job had been added. We have a huge barn (this used to be a dairy farm, even after 30 years the inside of the barn smells faintly of cows. Not a bad thing at all.), and a contractor arrived to replace part of the roof that was damaged in a storm last winter. The barn is set away from the house, and not very visible from the house because of the trees, so I’ve not paid much attention to it in the last few years because it’s basically a grossly oversized storage unit. But once the roof was replaced (and looking very nice) and new windows are going to be installed in the very-high dormers, I looked critically at the windows on the barn ground level and was dismayed at the shape they were in. Window panes were missing and boarded over, sills rotting, a couple of the windows were literally falling out of the clay tile blocks which surrounded them. So we asked the contractor to price replacing all of the windows. He could not find an inexpensive replacement window that Jack approved of, and the best he could come up with were vinyl windows that would have cost us $8000. For the barn. The storage barn!

I don’t know why I didn’t expect this, but Jack then suggested that perhaps I restore the barn windows.

Initially, as we stood in the barnyard looking at the worst side of windows, I considered throwing something at him; perhaps a chunk of tile that had fallen from underneath a rotting windowsill. But I resisted the urge and considered the cost savings. In addition to my very valuable time, a couple of gallons of paint, a case or two of caulk, a huge bottle of wood-glue would be all that would be necessary to preserve these windows for a little while longer. And we could use that $8000 for more visible restoration work around our home. So I began.

Three weeks later I have completed 6 of the very worst of the windows. Because I worked though our lovely Indian summer, even though we will have a couple of days here and there in the next few weeks that will be warm-ish and dry, I have quit until Spring. There is holiday stuff to plan and do!

Here is a closeup of one of the worst windows, a day or two into the process (I didn’t start taking photos right away). The broken panes had been removed, the muntins repaired or replaced, the loose paint scraped off:

And several days afterward replacing and glazing the glass panes, caulking, priming and painting with the resulting "new" window. I should have cleaned the glass but that was extra work, not necessary, and it is a barn. ;)

I’m obviously not a carpenter. Rebuilding those little “muntins” between the glass panes was, well, a pain. But they look nice, and I can only hope that they will not deteriorate too much before we are able to sell this place to a nice, historically-sensitive person who will use the barn for more than storage and will love the farm as we do. Then Jack and I can move to the retirement condo where I will have a large kitchen with brand-spanking new appliances and a small yard. There are some days where I feel as though this cannot happen soon enough!