Butternut Squash Soup

Thanks to my friend Nivette for this yummy recipe!

1 (3 pound) butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
8 strips bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
6 carrots, chopped (these may have cooked faster if they were grated)
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme (didn't have this)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored, and cubed (I used a couple gala apples)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup apple cider (didn't have this)
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock (I used 4 or 5 cans)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. place face down on foil lined pan. I would use a pan with sides, since my squash was kind of liquidy when it cooked. Roast for about an hour or until soft enough to scoop the squash out of the skin. (You can do this early in the day to save some time.)


Cook bacon in pot you plan to use for soup until it is done enough to be crumbled. Remove from pan, but leave drippings.

Place the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, curry powder, thyme, and salt and pepper in the pot; cook in reserved bacon drippings until the carrots and celery are soft. (This step seemed to take forever, so I reccommend cutting the vegetables into really small pieces. Maybe use a food processor or something.) Mix in the apples and cooked squash and cook another 5 minutes. Stir the garlic into the mixture and cook another 1 minute. Pour the apple cider over the mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; allow to reduce to about half its original volume.(Okay, I did NOT reduce to half. My mixture was really thick and it was taking too long for my liking, so I just cooked it a few minutes and went on.) Stir in the chicken stock; simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, or use an immersion blender. If using a blender, don't fill the blender more than half-way. Always remove the center lid piece of a stand blender when blending hot liquids so the steam can escape. Cover the hole with a dish towel while blending. Stir the nutmeg into the soup. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some of the bacon pieces.

Makes about 12 cups. I've heard it freezes well.

This soup does take some time to make, but it is really really good! The curry and bacon flavors are what makes it! I ate the leftovers without sour cream or bacon crumbles and it was still yummy.

Italian Bread Salad

4 c. cubed French bread
1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 c. ham, cubed
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cubes
2-3 green onions, chopped

Dressing:
6 TBS olive oil
3 TBS red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced (I know I didn't use this much)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Bake bread cubes at 325 for 15 min or until lightly browned (mine took a little longer to get crisp.) Reserve one cup and scatter remaining bread on a serving platter. Top with lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese. Drizzle with dressing and toss. let stand 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining bread cubes and green onions. (I didn't follow exactly. Used a bag of romaine, one large tomato, 2 green onions, however much ham I wanted and 8 oz. cheese. I just put it all in a big bowl and mixed the dressing in about 15 minutes before we ate.)

Blueberry Bars

1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 c. plain flour
1 c. butter
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pinch cinnamon
splash of vanilla
4 c. blueberries
1/2 c. white sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375. Mix 1/2 c. white and 1/2 c. brown sugars, flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Cut in butter and add egg ( I beat the egg first in a bowl and added a little vanilla.) I ended up using my hands to mix the dough. The original recipe says it will be crumbly, but mine wasn't really. It is quite tasty though! Press half the dough on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix blueberries, 1/2 c. white sugar and cornstarch and layer over dough. Crumble the rest of the dough on top of the blueberries. Bake for 45 minutes or until browned on top. These things are so good! I don't even like blueberries that much and I love these bars. They look pretty on a plate and hold together well if you need to bring them somewhere. They are also yummy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Craisins Salad and dressing

Salad
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 (8oz) package shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (8oz) package craisins

Break red and green lettuce into pieces. Shred iceberg lettuce. Toss together with remaining ingredients just before serving. Pass the dressing with the salad, not recommended to toss with dressing.

Salad Dressing
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 teas salt
2 teas mustard
1 cup salad oil.

Mix everything BUT the oil in a blender. Add oil and then blend again.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour (they also taste really good with whole wheat flour)
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. veg oil (or applesauce)
1/2 c. plain yogurt (I usually use strawberry, yummy! I have also used sour cream)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. mashed bananas
3/4 c. chocolate chips

Combine egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened. fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill muffin tin and bake at 350 for 22 to 25 minutes. The boys love these and I do too!

Super Easy Salisbury Steaks

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1 medium onion finely chopped

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 8-oz jars beef gravy (I like Boston Market brand)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine beef, onions, bread crumbs, egg, and 1/2 jar of gravy. Mix well. Form into 4-6 oval patties and place in baking dish. Pour the remaining gravy over the meat.

Cover the pan with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer.

Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 package cake mix (devils food is our favorite)

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

Combine all ingredients, stirring by hand. Shape into 1" balls and place on un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies to 1/4. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool before moving to cooling rack.

When I make the chocolate ones, I also sprinkle them with powdered sugar.