Chicken, butternut squash, and spinach skillet pasta bake

We had the hugest butternut squash I have even seen. It came from my father-in-law's garden and was just really massive. We used 1/3 of it to make a side dish for Thanksgiving (that produced leftovers) - that's how big it was. 

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So, needless to say, we've been eating a lot of butternut squash. I threw this pasta dish together using a lot of leftovers -- more of the squash, some chicken, a hunk of mozzarella, etc. It was a really satisfying and tasty pasta dish and was a perfect meal for a cold and snowy evening. 

This dish will feed about 4-6 people, so we had a lot of lunch leftovers (my favorite).

Sauerkraut two ways

Homemade sauerkraut can be made in small batches using a Mason jar and a few other items.

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I tried a couple batches of sauerkraut this fall and recently pulled them out of the back of the fridge to give them a smell and taste. They are good, and definitely have a funk that you expect from ferments and sauerkraut. I think that I still have a way to go before "perfecting" my ferments though. 

I'm finding that so much depends on the temperature when you start the ferment. You need to check it to make sure it's still bubbling and that it's not getting too warm (should be room temperature). I have used the recipes in Nourishing Traditions as a baseline for making my sauerkraut. These recipes make one quart and use 1 medium head of cabbage to two tablespoons of sea salt. 

It can come out a bit salty and I'm hoping to find ways to use less -- you definitely don't want to use a super fine grain salt, it will be too much. I discovered that you can use reCAP Mason jar lids to turn a Mason jar into a fermenting crock (find instructions here). 

It's great! Plus when you finish the fermenting process, you can use them to cover the jars in your fridge, or replace them with a regular Mason jar lid and use the reCAPs to make more ferments. They are also great for using your jars to make salad dressing, syrups, etc. that you can easily pour and store.

The two sauerkraut recipes I made are for jalapeno kraut and caraway kraut. Both make 1 quart of sauerkraut. I'm hoping that these recipes will inspire more people to try fermenting and preserving foods.

Concord grape tart with cinnamon crumble

I've never really liked "grape flavored" foods, but I've always loved eating fresh grapes. As I've gotten older, I've started to really enjoy foods made from real grapes like jelly or juice (or wine), but I still can't stand anything grape flavored (e.g., fake grape flavors in candy).

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For the past couple of years I have been wanting to make a concord grape pie. We live in an area surrounded by grape growing and wine making, and I guess grape pie is pretty common (although I had not seen or tasted it in real life before I made this tart). 

But, I was intrigued by the idea of it and during the peak of concord grape season, I prepared the filling and froze it to make a different pie for Thanksgiving this year. It ended up being a tart because I had less grapes than I needed to make a pie -- but it worked out well because the grapes are so sweet, that the layer was thick enough for me! 

Everyone enjoyed this tart and the grape flavor was so bright and pronounced. I highly recommend saving this recipe for next fall and giving it a try! If you want to have it at your next Thanksgiving dinner, you can freeze the grapes after they cool and then just stir in the remaining ingredients after they thaw. 

This recipe will make one 9-inch tart.

Persimmon cranberry sauce

 

 

Sweet seasonal persimmon is mixed into homemade cranberry sauce for a delicious twist on the holiday side dish. 

Creamy jalapeno spaghetti squash and chicken bake

A creamy, cheesy, and a bit spicy, this spaghetti squash dish is perfect for a chilly evening.

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This week I created a recipe that combines spaghetti squash and chicken with a creamy and spicy jalapeno sauce. Now that the snow has arrived, I've been craving casseroles, soups, stews, and all those stick-to-your-ribs type of meals. 

Plus, I have been looking for ways to make more frugal dishes, and that includes finding ways to stretch meat in our meals. It also helps that the spaghetti squash and peppers I used in this recipe were from my father-in-law's garden. I have been making a big effort lately to create meals around what we have at home. While there are still some things that I want to make that involve a big shopping trip, I'm trying to limit those and be creative with what we have on hand. 

This dish allowed me to stretch one large chicken breast into four servings. We ate this along with a green salad tossed with oil and vinegar for a full meal. 

Don't be afraid of using the jalapenos (even some seeds), pepper jack, and potentially some cayenne - the spaghetti squash, chicken, and milk are bland on their own and need these bold flavors!