Stuffed Delicata Squash - dedicated to my mom

When my mom came to visit last month, it seemed like every stall at the Farmer's Market was loaded with delicata squash, which neither of us had ever tried before.  She commented that I'd have to figure out what to make with them, and let her know.  A few weeks later, I got two of them from my CSA, and looked up some recipes for inspiration.

Divisive Crock Pot Curry

Nov 3: Clearly I'm terrible at posting every day, since the only thing I posted yesterday was the one I attributed to Monday.  So this post is technically posted yesterday, ok?  (Speaking of time travel...)

Last week I made a beef curry dish in the crock pot that came out NOTHING like I planned it, but I still found it delicious.  My husband, on the other hand, couldn't even eat it, and used the words "burnt rubber" at one point in his description.  *shrug*  The measurements probably aren't perfect, since I didn't think I'd be posting it, but it's close.

Ingredients:

• Beef chuck roast (about 2lb)
• 3.5 cups chopped winter squash
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1-2 cups stock (mine was chicken because that's all I had)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp thai red curry paste
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (I find it turns out better in the slow cooker than real garlic)
• 5 oz frozen spinach (half a bag)

Put vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker, top with meat, throw all other ingredients over top.  Cook for about 8 hours on low.  Add the spinach at the end, and cook until heated through.

If your slow cooker runs at a lower temperature than mine, maybe you will end up with the result I expected: chunks of squash, and meat that can be broken into pieces.

If you've got one of these lovely new Rivals that boils on the "keep warm" setting, your squash will have disintegrated, and the meat will shred apart, giving you a very thick, almost chili-like consistency.

I'm gonna post every day in November!

I just learned about NaBloPoMo, and I've decided to sign up and post every day in November.  Except, of course, that I failed on day 1.  My excuse is that it was my birthday...and as a birthday gift, I'm postdating this so that it LOOKS like I posted every day in November.  Muahahahaha.

I've got a few old food experiences to post about, but chances are, I won't be cooking or buying enough interesting things to fill a whole month - so be prepared for some informative posts about nutrition, random ranting and raving, and maybe a bit of science.

I also wanted to point out that I've joined the Real Food Media blogroll!  You can see the widget in my side bar over there ---> and discover other blogs about cooking/eating quality food.

One more contest!

This one is from Nourishing Days.  They're giving away a $25 gift certificate to Actual Organics.

I've never tried any of their products, but they have a lot of health & beauty stuff.  Skin care, toothpaste, hair care, perfumes... anything you could want, really.  All made from organic, natural ingredients.  I personally use all sorts of chemicals on my hair and skin, but I know going natural is important to a lot of people.  Also, they have lots of travel/sample size products, so that $25 could go a long way!

Click here to go to the blog, and enter the giveaway!

A gift to apologize for my laziness.

I've been a pretty lazy cook lately... even when I make something really awesome, I haven't taken pictures of it.  For example, I made these "Sloppy Ottos" (a German-inspired ground beef recipe) and it was a total keeper, but I didn't take a picture.

Anyway, to make up for not posting anything, I'm letting you in on a few giveaways from one of my favorite blogs, JoyfulAbode.

1. Sanuk Footwear

Click here to find out how you can enter to win a product of your choice from Sanuk footwear!

I hadn't heard of this company until now, but they make some really cute stuff.  They have LOTS of sandals, and slip-on "surfer" shoes with fairly minimalist soles.  They look so comfortable.

Click here to check out the Sanuk web site!

Assuming I don't win the giveaway, I might just ask for the Scurvy in purple for Christmas.



2. Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate

Click here to find out how you can win a jar of Coconut Cream Concentrate!

This I have a little more experience with.  I eat a lot of coconut products - coconut oil for cooking, coconut milk in place of dairy like cream or milk, coconut flour for baking, shredded dried coconut in just about every dessert I make.  I even tried coconut water (that liquid in the middle of the coconut), which some people drink as a workout recovery drink, but I'm not a fan.

My latest coconut purchase was "creamed coconut" although I haven't really figured out how to use it yet.  It seems to be basically the same stuff as JA is giving away, just a different brand.  My one hint to you - don't put it in the fridge if you ever hope to be able to get it out of the container - that stuff is ROCK SOLID once it's cold.  I moved it back to room temperature until I can decide on a recipe.

Go to Tropical Traiditions and look at their products!

There are lots of ways to get entries for this giveaway, and they include "liking" TT on facebook, and subscribing to their newsletter, which are things you should do anyway because you'll get recipes, tips, and alerts about sales.  Yes, they have a ton of coconut products, but they also sell things like oils, vinegars, honey, snack foods, condiments... all made from quality ingredients.

Turkey, Leek and Potato Soup

I've had a few turkey necks and turkey wings in the freezer for a while.  I bought them because of the price - they were marked down because they were about to expire.  I decided it was finally chilly and autumnal enough to make a big pot of soup with them.  =]  I made this a two-day project, but you can definitely shorten it to one day.

Planning ahead and freezing food

I think it started when I read Diana's latest post, about Mabon.  I don't celebrate any pagan holidays... heck, I barely celebrate secular ones.  And I was a little surprised when I realized her post was about acting like a squirrel and not about eating one.  The idea of putting away food now, and being grateful for my foresight later, really touched me.  I don't can or dehydrate, but I do have plenty of freezer space.  I have cooked and frozen some meat recently, but I've been slacking on the vegetables.

So here's what I made last night:

Herbed Squash and Fennel

• 4 bulbs fennel
• 1 red kuri squash (also known as a hokkaido or potimarron)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• sage
• thyme
• rosemary

Peel and chop the squash.   Slice the fennel crosswise into about 1 inch slices.  Put in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs, and mix.  Roast at 375 for about 45 minutes, until the squash is tender.

I liked it.  The fennel stays rather firm when roasted (it was my first time cooking it that way) but it's sort of a nice contrast to the softness of the cooked squash.  It tasted very autumn-y.  =]  I'm not sure how the squash will turn out after freezing... I've seen mention of it being frozen in chunks, but I've only ever frozen mashed/pureed squash before.

I didn't get a photo until after we had eaten.

Closeup!

And here it is ready to go in the freezer for later.

I also roasted the rest of my tomatoes to turn into tomato sauce, since some of them were getting a little soft.  I've got plans to blanch some green beans and freeze those, too.  My bag of veggie scraps is getting awfully full, so I need to make some stock.  And tomorrow when I pick up my share from the CSA, you better believe I'll be thinking, "which of these things do I want to freeze for later?"

Pretty multicolored tray of tomatoes.

I also just wanted to share this picture because it makes me laugh every time I walk in the kitchen and see it.  We had a visitor last weekend and decided to restock our liquor collection, since we were down to one tiny bottle of rum.  (I say "we" but my husband really doesn't drink.)  I think we bought enough to last us about 5 years.  We then took a wine tour, where I bought a few bottles along the way, including two of my favorite Bellwether ciders.  Now I can't figure out where to store it all.  =P  It looks pretty, for now, anyway! (Thanks to Kia and Toyota - we paid for all of this using the cards they send to my husband for selling cars.)

Shiny!

I've got a plan in the works to photograph and post an entire weeks worth of meals.  And I mean EVERYTHING I eat, which has been 3 meals a day recently.  I'm not sure if I'll start tomorrow (Saturday), Sunday, or Monday.  But stay tuned.