Roasted Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Ham

Cubes of butternut squash tossed with shredded Brussels sprouts roasted together with leftover ham. Serve this as a colorful side dish, or on top of a grain for a main dish.

A little leftover ham goes a long way to adding flavor in a variety of recipes, so when the Ohio Pork Council hired me to share a recipe using leftover ham, the cogs in my brain were spinning with inspiration to play in the kitchen.

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Finding new ways to repurpose leftovers and keep our family meals interesting is one of my jams.

[Speaking of jam, if you make or are given a jar of Tomato Jam, there's nothing better on a simple leftover ham sandwich--or make it fancy like this Grilled Cheese, Country Ham, Leek & Tomato Jam Sandwich.]

I like using leftover ham to enhance the flavor of dishes and coax my kids to try new vegetables so much that I even had a Leftover Ham Week my first year of blogging. My most popular recipe from that week, {No Salt Added} Ham & Bean Soup, remains a family favorite. Other favorites include Ham & Banana Pizza (I am NOT kidding, it's yummy),  Deep Dish Easter Leftovers Pizza, and my mom's Sweet & Sour Ham Balls. We love to make the Ham Balls using Thanksgiving ham and then serve them as an appetizer during the Christmas/New Years party period.

Sausage Pasty Meat Pie

A savory meat pie stuffed with seasoned pork sausage and vegetables.

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With Pi day (March 14, or 3.14) coming up, how about a meat pie? Meat pies make a wonderful dinner and a great leftover lunch. You can combine Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share vegetables with meat into a simple and satisfying vehicle for nourishment.

I did not grow up eating meat pies. My spouse did--in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where the pasty reigns supreme. Last summer we took the kids on a Lake Michigan Loop (up one side and down the other). We ate pasties in multiple places. Each was different (pasty sliders?!) and nearly all were amazing. [At one tourist place I had a merely 'good' pasty, but the brown gravy served alongside it was a new twist for me, so I considered that visit not a total loss.

This pasty uses pork sausage. It was inspired by my visit to the Runyan family of Oak View Farm Meats where I received a basket of pork products to play with at home, including the pound of pork sage sausage I used in this recipe, and loads of ideas on how to use them. You can take a virtual tour of Oak View Farm Meats with me here. I wanted to make a colorful filling to stand out from the paleness of the sausage, so I grabbed what I had handy--some potatoes from the basement Strategic Winter Squash Reserve--and a package of marked down chopped vegetables from the store. The key is to use finely chopped vegetables so that you have a cohesive filling.

Sriracha Butternut Squash & Portobello Pizza

Spicy sriracha-seasoned grilled butternut squash and portobello mushrooms make a winter vegetarian pizza with a kick. You can break out the grill for this one if you dare.

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I'm pulling out another long-storing butternut squash from the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve for today's pizza. Friday nights are pizza nights around here, and I like to change it up to keep things spicy. Sriracha-spicy, that is.

The Sriracha I use is locally produced, House Made Sriracha. Until I started eating locally grown fruits and vegetables, and then eggs and beef, I never really thought about locally made sauces. It's neat how your horizons get expanded just by the simple act of choosing where to source your salad greens.

Shrimp Taco Bowls with Roasted Butternut Squash

A fresh way to spice up a winter salad, these taco bowls are filled with spicy shrimp and taco-seasoned roasted butternut squash cubes. The components can be made ahead and assembled when you're ready to eat.

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Winter squash are one of the gems of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. These long-storing vegetables (mine hang out in the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve for 3 to 4 months) can be roasted and pureed and added to anything from muffins [Herbed Butternut Squash and Cottage Cheese Muffins] to soup  [Stupefyingly Simple Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Rice Soup] to waffles [Butternut Squash Waffles]. They can be peeled and cubed or sliced for a colorful side dish [Colorful Roasted Squash & Potatoes] or main dish [Roasted Winter Squash Tacos]. While I am not usually in the mood for peeling acorn squash, it's a dream to cube up a butternut squash. Alanna has an excellent tutorial here. Heck, you can even buy it peeled, cubed, and ready to go if you need.

I was envisioning a seafood version of taco night, and looking to my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve for inspiration, when I decided to toss butternut squash cubes with taco seasoning and add them to a taco salad. The chunks added a nice flavor and texture contrast to our bowls, which is always appreciated in a winter salad. The shrimp kept things interesting, and with the color palette you can tell this is not your typical taco salad.

I'd like to point out that, by spending some time putting up produce when it's ripe, we can eat locally-grown produce year round. In this recipe I've use home-canned salsa verde, tomato salsa, and pickled peppers. If you've never tried canning, Food In Jars is a terrific book, and website, to help take the intimidation factor out of trying a new technique. Pick Your Own is another terrific resource.

For more recipes using butternut squash, please see my Buttercup/Butternut Squash Recipe Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. This index is for folks like me looking for something a little different to do with the piles of squash stockpiled in the basement, or wherever you find yourself hoarding these terrific keepers. I've got a Pinterest board devoted to the squash recipes I find around the web, and I contribute to Laura's Winter Squash Lovin' board. Follow me on Pinterest for more recipe ideas.  Want to see what's up in my day? Follow me on Instagram. Want to read something that I thought worthy to share? Follow and Like my Facebook page. Want to know How To Use This Blog?

Easy Butternut Squash & Burrata Pasta, a 5 Ingredient Farm Share Meal

Cubes of butternut squash, Italian sausage crumbles, hot pasta and creamy burrata cheese. An easy, simple, and satisfying Fall supper using 5 main ingredients (plus oil, water, salt and pepper).

There's rice on this plate. Yes, rice with a pasta dish. It was my daughter's desire to have pasta with a side of rice for her lunch, and ever since we did child-led weaning I've supported her food choices.

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I have been sitting impatiently on this recipe until I could declare "Happy Fall, Ya'll" and stay true to my seasonal eating roots. No matter that winter squash is long-storing, and that I used the last of the butternuts from the 2014 Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in April and May of this year. [Yes, one of the ways I feed my family from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share 12 months out of the year when we get farm fresh produce 5 months out of the year is the SWSR.]

Sometimes we add freshly grated Parm on top.

It is so good. It is so easy. It is so not vegetarian. [Please see my Easy Artichoke Arugula Pesto and Burrata Pasta for a similar but vegetarian option.] Carnivores--grab 5 items from your favorite local purveyors: a pound of pasta, a pound of Italian sausage (sweet, hot, your choice), an onion, a butternut squash, and a tub of burrata cheese.

Ripping up burrata cheese and adding to the tossed pasta.

The fancy cheese counter of my local Kroger sells burrata for $10 a tub. I am sure it is worth it. However, I am a cheap so and so. That means every time I make a milk run to Kroger I'll cruise for magical markdown stickers in the fancy cheese area. Five dollars a tub is well worth the splurge to me.

I would also like to comment that, while I am highlighting the paucity of ingredients, good food usually takes time and longer ingredient lists. You are worth putting some effort into your food. Anyone else you feed is worth putting some effort into the food. Don't shortchange yourself by seeking out meals based solely on a tiny number of ingredients. You're missing out on flavor over convenience.

Instead of sharing ten photos of the exact same plate of food taken during the exact same photo shoot, I'm sharing a variety of photos because I kept on making this dish and for some reason my spouse happened to be taking pictures. I think we had company at least one of those times. It is so yummy, so cheesy, and such a nice balance of sweet creamy roasted squash with savory sausage all wrapped up with gooey cheese.

This version used leftover grilled vegetables reheated on top of the sausage. Note the saved pasta water.

This pasta is also simple to make. Grill or roast a butternut squash (heck, I've used leftover grilled zucchini in this as well). Alanna's directions on how to efficiently turn a butternut squash into cubes can be found here. You can even cook the vegetables a day ahead while cooking another meal. They'll keep in the fridge, then simply toss the cooled cooked veggies onto the cooked sausage to warm up while you're working on the pasta. Combine everything in a big bowl, crack open a burrata on top, and toss it all together.

This pasta reheats well for a midday lunch, if you're lucky enough to come home for lunch.

For other recipes using butternut squash, please see my Buttercup/Butternut Squash Recipe Collection. This is part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks who eat from the farm share and farmer's market. I've got more squash recipes and plenty more pasta recipes on my Pinterest boards. Want to know How to Use this Blog? Click here.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna {Small Family Size}

A hearty meatless lasagna with butternut squash and spinach filling in between layers of uncooked noodles. This meal is a great way to enjoy farm share produce year round.

I did not get good photos of this lasagna for you. My spouse thinks that means I merely need to make it again. While I do have some community supported agriculture (CSA) farm share butternut squash left in the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve, I have other ideas for them. Moving forward, always often, to new recipe ideas, and it seems silly to avoid this tasty recipe just because I don't have the food stylist's knack for making a piece of lasagna look good.

I like lasagna filling more than I like noodles, and I hate trying to keep track of all the boiled noodles without losing the little ruffled edges. Therefore I make lasagna that has a higher filling to noodle ratio--and use oven ready noodles so I don't have to stress about separating cooked noodles or having them tear off their petticoats or go diving out of the colander into the sink.

Plan to assemble the lasagna earlier in the day and chill it until you're ready to bake. It could probably be assembled the night before, but I didn't try it that way. This make ahead dish makes a 'small family' size pan (9 inch square) of lasagna, great for a couple of leftovers but not weeks of leftovers. 

For other recipes using butternut squash, please see my Butternut Squash Recipe Collection. For other recipes using spinach, please see my Spinach Recipe Collection. They are part of the recently-updated Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

Herbed Butternut Squash and Cottage Cheese Muffins

Creamy cottage cheese blended with roasted butternut squash puree for a savory muffin great with soups and stews.

What is cottage cheese to you? A diet food? A comfort food? To me, it's the base of the most wonderful potato chip dip. I haven't shared the old family recipe [can you have an old family recipe for chip dip? We do] but one of these days I'll measure the "pinch of this, shake of that" that's involved and share with the rest of the class. The key is great cottage cheese.

While living around the US (and enjoying the terrific Danish and German dairy products while stationed in Germany) I've come to realize that it is possible to find an equivalent to the amazing cottage cheese I grew up with, Nordica (purchased at High's Dairy Stores in the mid atlantic region). I've found one here in Ohio, oddly branded Michigan cottage cheese. I don't care what the name is, it is a small curd and relatively dry cottage cheese that rocks. [I'm not being paid to say that. They don't know me. I buy it--and in mass quantities when I find it marked down--on my own.]
What happens if you only have access to national brands? No worries--you're mixing it up in a muffin after all, not scooping it up with a chip. [Note to self seen by anyone else reading this blog--consider putting up the Olson Family Chip Dip recipe either the Friday before the Super Bowl or in the summer for cookouts.]

This savory muffin is excellent with soup or stew. Often I'll make a big pot of soup which we will eat over multiple meals. To keep it enticing the second or third go round, I'll serve hot muffins alongside. They are easy to throw together and bake while the soup is reheating gently on the stove.
For other recipes using butternut squash, please see my Buttercup/Butternut Squash Recipe Collection or my Winter Squash Recipe Collection, part of my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

Colorful Roasted Butternut Squash with Potato, Pepper and Leeks

Cubes of butternut squash and potato roasted with pieces of pepper and seasoned with leeks. A colorful side dish for a holiday meal or for a simple family supper.

The other day I talked about my Appetizer recipes, tooting my own horn about my ever-growing list of vegetable (and now meat and fruit) appetizers. Today I'm focused on side dishes. I can could make meals out of side dishes. Back when we lived near a Boston Market restaurant I was happy to skip the chicken or meatloaf and instead feast on greens, squash, stuffing, potatoes, corn, beans . . . whatever looked good and could be plentiful on my plate.

The suck part of desiring a variety of colorful side dishes is having to make them all. For this recipe I decided to combine a few veggies--the most colorful ones on hand--and roast them together. One cooking session that would result in a plentiful pile of color on my plate. It not only looked good--it tasted terrific, especially alongside a roasted chicken.

Over the past few weeks I've been gathering all the ingredients for a repeat of this side dish (first made--and photos shot last winter). Fall crops from our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share generally keep well over a long period. In a cool dark place you can store winter squash, potatoes, and onions for months. Peppers and leeks hang out in the crisper for a few weeks--and can be frozen to use in soups and stews as well. So even if you're getting the fresh local produce in October [and you celebrate Thanksgiving in the US in November--I won't rant this time] with proper storage your produce will be ready when you're ready to cook.

I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

Grilled Butternut Squash & Peppers--a side, a main, or a meal.

Chunks of grilled butternut squash and bell peppers as a side dish, tossed with grilled sausage for a main dish, and/or combined with pasta for a complete meal.

Just because school is back in session and the leaves are turning it's no time to put away the grill. In fact, grilling winter squash when it looks like Fall and the calendar says it's still summer seems like a good idea. If you want to get all-season about it, I even made this recipe in the Spring, using the tail end of my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve.

What's a Strategic Winter Squash Reserve? I'm glad you asked. It's one of the ways I feed my family from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share all year long. During the season (approximately late May-ish to early October-ish) we eat some of the share and put up the rest for later. One of the easiest vegetables to put up is winter squash. Winter squashes (acorn, buttercup, butternut, pumpkin and spaghetti are most common) are terrific long-storing vegetables. In a cool dark place (the cold corner of my breakfast nook once it stops hitting 90 outside) the squash will keep for months. Many months. Just be sure to look over your squash every few days and use them in a timely manner.

I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

This recipe follows the Bus Stop method of cooking I've used in previous posts, such as the Potato, Beet and Leek Soup (and How to Make Vegetable Stock). Depending on how far you take this 'bus', you'll make a vegan side dish, a paleo/grain free main dish, or a complete meal for omnivores. Or all three--with a single cooking session.*

Sriracha Butternut Squash Hummus

Spicy and creamy, this make ahead vegetable appetizer perks up any occasion.

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I was trying to describe to a friend what a shake of sriracha brings to a dish.

"Well, it's heat.  But with flavor . . .  It doesn't burn your mouth like a really hot pepper, it doesn't numb your mouth like Szechuan peppercorns . . . it's just . . . heat.  But with flavor . . ."

[Clearly I suck at the whole food writing thing. Let me feed you instead.]  When I add a shake of sriracha chili sauce to vegetables, like my Soy Sriracha Roasted Mushrooms, happy things happen.  When Laura adds sriracha to vegetable muffins, StrangeButGood things happen.  I was in an experimental mood when I whipped up this batch of Sriracha Butternut Hummus for #AppetizerWeek.  I'd roasted one of the butternut squash in my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (link to a photo on my FB page) and used half in Buffalo Butternut Hummus . . . but I had the second half beckoning me to play.

I like playing with the vegetables from my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share.  Getting a weekly box of fresh local vegetables means my family is more likely to eat vegetables.  It sounds silly, but just getting the produce into my kitchen is half the battle sometimes.  Figuring out what to do with them?  Well, that's why I created a Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient--so when I've got beets, kale, or peppers I can see several recipes for how to use them and pick which one suits my fancy.  Other folks who enjoy eating from a farm share agree, so I think I'm on the right track.
I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

If you are serving vegetarians or vegans I recommend checking your sriracha sauce to make sure it does not contain fish extract, or making Buffalo Butternut Hummus and creating a layered dip to suit your eaters.

Visit all the other Appetizer Week Blogs for more Snack Time Deliciousness:

• Meatball Bites by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Gluten Free Onion Butter Pretzels by Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Crawfish Dip by Call Me PMc
• Low-Carb Shrimp Guacamole by Yours and Mine Are Ours
• Bourbon Pulled Pork Sliders by Cooking in Stilettos
• Sun-dried Tomato Dip by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sriracha Butternut Hummus by Farm Fresh Feasts
• Margherita Pizza Sticks by Makobi Scribe
• Chicken Parmesan Meatballs by Flavor Mosaic
• Feta-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes with Shrimp by Food Lust People Love
• Ham and Sauerkraut Balls by From Gate to Plate
• Cheddar Cayenne Crackers by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Baked Pickle Chips by Lemons for Lulu
• Cheddar Cheese Olive Puffs by Life Off the Clock
• Manchego and Roasted Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Restaurant-Style Chipotle Salsa by Home Cooking Memories
• Mango Jalapeno Sausage Rolls by Food Done Light
• Ham & Cheese Mini Cracker Sandwiches by Mom's Test Kitchen
• Spicy Cheese Rounds by Try Anything Once Culinary
• Low Sodium Chicken Stuffed jalapeno Poppersby Cookerati

Buffalo Butternut Squash Hummus

Buffalo sauce-seasoned roasted butternut squash hummus makes a spicy vegetable addition to an appetizer spread.

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When I think about game day snacks, Buffalo Chicken Dip is high on the list of essentials.  I've made 2 kinds of Buffalo Chicken pizzas (here and here). (My son will even cobble together a dip out of whatever he can find in fridge if I say 'No, I'm blogging about Corn and Black Bean Salsa in Avocado Cups and not making Buffalo dip!').  That's how much we like the flavor.

But what if your guests include vegans or vegetarians?  What if your guests include folks trying to rein in the tendency to overindulge and want more vegetable options?

I try to have something for a variety of eating styles on my appetizer spread, and I find I can't go wrong with vegetables.  For #AppetizerWeek I'll be sharing a variety of savory appetizers using seasonal vegetables, starting today with Buffalo Butternut Squash Hummus. Tomorrow I'll share a Harvest Sweet Potato salsa, coming on Wednesday I've got a Sriracha twist on this hummus, then I'll round out the week with a pair of puff pastry pizza appetizers--Pickled Pepper and Pepperoni Puff Pastry Pizza Pinwheels (say that 3x fast) on Thursday and Very Veggie Puff Pastry Pizza Bites on Friday. Whew, what a week!

This Buffalo Butternut Squash Hummus provides the spicy heat from cayenne pepper sauce coupled with the mellow smoothness of roasted butternut squash hummus.  It also makes a terrific base for a layered veggie appetizer in the style of my Five Layer Mediterranean Chicken Dip or Layered Summer Vegetable Appetizer. Customize this hummus any way you like.  Top it with sliced celery, crumbled blue cheese, and even chunks of chicken. Scoop it up with pita chips or celery sticks or pretzels or chicken fries.

The inspiration for this recipe came from my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (link to the photo on my FB page)  As the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share season draws to a close, I begin to stockpile winter squash, sweet and white potatoes, onions, and garlic in a cold corner of my breakfast nook.  After all the fresh greens are consumed--and before I turn to the vegetables I've canned or frozen--my SWSR is our source for farm fresh food in the dead of winter.  I started with the hummus recipe from Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables (Amazon affiliate link) and added my twists based on what I thought my family would enjoy and what we had on hand.

I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here. To learn How to Use This Blog, click here. To see what other vegetable happy recipes I've found to pin, follow me on Pinterest. To see behind the scenes of my day, follow me on Instagram. For articles and other things that catch my eye, follow me on Facebook.

Visit all the other Appetizer Week participants for more Football Munching Temptations:

• Pizza Pull Apart Bread by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Grilled Guacamole by Kiss My Smoke
• Crab Layer Dip by Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Easy Individual Pizzas by Call Me Pmc
• Chocolate Malta Wings by Food Done Light
• Mom's Famous Chicken Ball by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cheddar Bacon Dip by Yours and Mine Are Ours
• Tamari Roasted Chickpeas by Je suis alimentageuse
• Spinach Artichoke Dip by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chicken Wing Dip by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Microwave BBQ Meatballs by From Gate to Plate
• Pulled Pork Sliders by The NY Melrose Family
• Cheese Bean Dip by Wonky Wonderful
• Chipotle Cheese Dip by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• Roasted Vegetables and Romesco Crostini by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Buffalo Ranch Cheese Ball by What's Cooking, Love?
• Buffalo Butternut Hummus by Farm Fresh Feasts
• Mini Maryland Crabcakes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sesame Pecan Chicken Wings by Makobi Scribe
• Pina Colada Cheese Ball by Home Cooking Memories
• Roasted Tomatillo Salsaby Clarks Condensed
• Sweetly Spicy Southern Meatballs by Cooking In Stilettos
• Butternut Squash, Pomegranate & Goat Cheese Crostini by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Tex-Mex Chicken Salad Bites by Mom's Test Kitchen
• Caesar Mini Muffins by Food Lust People Love
• Four Cheese Garlic Flat Bread by Try Anything Once Culinary

Butternut Squash and Prosciutto Pizza

Cubes of roasted butternut squash and strips of salty prosciutto turn a simple cheese-and-red-sauce pie into a warming winter pizza

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I'm finally starting to work on the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in the cold corner of my breakfast nook (down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the recent Polar Vortex).  This is where I stash the more shelf stable of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share vegetables during my weekly Vegetable Triage, and I appreciate how a cool, dark place can store fresh local vegetables for me to enjoy when I've run out of fresh greens and the more perishable farm share produce.
I've had some winter squash last as long as 3-4 months, but I prefer not to play fast and loose with my SWSR.  The vegetables I've canned (tomatoes, tomatillos, tomato salsa, tomato sauce, salsa verde, green tomatoes, tomato jam . . . did I mention I canned a whole bunch of tomatoes?) and frozen (corn, carrots, leeks, zucchini, yellow squash, roasted peppers, Hatch chiles, celery, . . . and I am sure something else) will stay in good condition longer than the winter squash, so winter squash is next on the chopping block.  Literally!

This pizza is a subtle way of including winter squash into our meals, and though my kids picked the squash off their slices, my spouse and I enjoyed it.  [In fact, instead of saving the extra roasted squash that didn't make it onto the pizza, I stood over the stove with a fork and snarfed up squash while chatting with my spouse.]  Yum!  There's something about roasting that brings out the sweetness of vegetables--be they mushrooms or squash or potatoes. Coming up in the next few weeks I've got roasted squash in hummus and roasted sweet potatoes in salsa . . . but for today, because my family likes our Friday Night Pizza Nights, please enjoy a pizza!

For other ideas on how to use butternut squash, please see my Butternut/Buttercup Squash Recipes Collection and my Winter Squash Recipe Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. For other pizza ideas please see my Friday Night Pizza Night board in Pinterest, and my Visual Pizza Recipe Index. For how to Use This Blog, please click here.

Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Fig Jam on an Eggnog/Butternut Crust (Pizza Night!)

An eggnog/butternut squash pizza crust topped with prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig jam

I wish I had some sort of clever little story about how this pizza came to be.  The plain fact is that my son found half gallons of eggnog for 50 cents after Christmas last year and I figured I'd get one and play around with it.  I also had the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve staring at me balefully, wanting to be included in everything.  So, since I had my 'shred a butternut squash' epiphany, I decided I'd put some in pizza crusts.  That worked out just fine, so I cast a wider net.  I figured the color of the butternut squash would only enhance an eggnog crust (whereas beets or kale in an eggnog crust would be . . . . just wrong).  I knew the eggnog would make a slightly sweet crust, and I love sweet and salty blends, so perhaps this is the right time to try my favorite combo:  prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig jam. [That combo comes directly from a George Foreman grill cookbook--put that in a panini and smash it and you are in for a real treat.]  

This crust is a marvel.  It's pillowy and soft thanks to the dairy, yet it bakes up firm enough to stand up like a regular slice of pizza.  It's very slightly sweet.  [If you're wanting a dessert pizza crust using eggnog, add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the crust, and sweet toppings.] My topping combo totally works with this crust--perhaps even better than on a plain crust.  It is delicious and if you find yourself with some butternut squash (leftover roasted mashed would also work fine) and a spare half cup of eggnog, give this a try. It's a StrangeButGood combination!

I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

Stupefyingly Simple Chicken, Rice, and Butternut Squash Soup

One taste of this soup, and you too will be stupefied.  And your body slammed with enough beta carotene to . . . . well to do something astounding.  Maybe even run or something crazy.

For me, making soup is not a quick or easy thing.  I think it's a Production.  I have my Soup Packs.  There's lots of chopping involved.  I plan to spend hours over my pretty purple pot.  And I generally end up with something good that my family eats happily the first time but the soup leftovers don't usually get fought over like other things.

The day I made this, I had 2 kids home sick with colds, and I was busy with baking.  I didn't have time to devote to soup, but I thought the kids would benefit from a warm bowl for lunch.  The oven was on anyway, so I selected a small butternut squash from the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in the corner of the breakfast nook, split it, scooped out the guts, and roasted it upside down on a rimmed baking sheet with a cup of water for 45 minutes until it was tender.  That part was easy.  I kept going.

Since I wasn't Making A Production out of the soup, I grabbed a large saucepan, preheated oil in it over medium heat, and dropped in about half a cup of carrots and celery from a freezer bag of pre-chopped veggies.  After they had started to soften I tossed in some Onion Onion and minced garlic.  I also tossed in 4 bullion cubes because I didn't have any soup stock on hand.  After my electric kettle had come to a boil I added about 4-5 cups of water to the pan.  Then a can of chicken, half of a squash, and let it simmer gently until lunchtime (give it at least 30 minutes, could go up to 2 hrs).  When it was time to serve, I scooped out the remaining rice from the rice cooker (last night's dinner leftovers), added it to the pot, and dished up bowls of warm soup.

Stupefyingly easy and surprisingly tasty, especially given the utter lack of effort on my part.

Savory Butternut Squash Soaked Oat Muffins

As the weather turns colder and my farm share starts including butternut squashes, I tend to do one of two things:  I roast them or I pile them up in a cold corner of my breakfast nook to make my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (link to my FB page photo of SWSR 2013).  With the roasted squash, I make different main dishes or side dishes.

Late last winter, however, when the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve was the only source of 'fresh' CSA farm share vegetables [still had stuff put up in the freezer and pantry], I got creative.  I shredded the squash.  Shredding a vegetable that you normally use in a mashed form gives you all sorts of options (like Chicken Saltimbocca).  I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

Since I'm crazy flexible enough to add vegetables to oatmeal and buttermilk and make muffins, I thought I'd throw a cup of shredded butternut squash in the bowl and see what happened.  The lovely thing about this soaked oat muffin recipe is that you toss the first few ingredients together, then have plenty of time to figure out just what you're going to make in the hour before you finish the muffin batter and start baking.  Plenty of time to dither between sweet and savory muffins.

In the end, I veered into the savory muffin direction (oh come on, the title of today's post gave it away). I had a bit of leftover dribs and drabs from a ham, and figured I'd chop them up and add them to the batter.  I added a bit of cornmeal for crunch, and a bit of thyme because I could, and honey in place of sugar for a hint of sweetness--not too much.   For a rather virtuous muffin (whole grain, no processed sugar) they are delicious.  Come see!

Roasted Acorn and Butternut Squash with Corn and Smoked Sausage

A savory late summer or early fall supper of roasted cubes of simply seasoned winter squash, topped with corn and optional bits of smoked sausage.

My friend Heather, of garlic oil on a pizza fame, knows her way around good food.  No, she doesn't cook it much--her spouse does--but she sure has great ideas for what goes well together.  She was raving about her leftovers for lunch and the combination sounded so good I had to try it.  Heather's lunch was loosely patterned after Ina Garten's Caramelized Butternut Squash, but her spouse added canned corn to pump up the veggies.  Heather combined another leftover and cheese on top for her leftover remix.

I'm a gardener who has helped teach elementary school aged kids about gardening, so when I hear "squash and corn" I immediately think of a Three Sisters garden.  Native Americans would companion plant squash, beans, and corn together--known as the Three Sisters.  The Three Sisters helped each other:  the corn would provide the scaffolding for the beans to climb and the squash would spread around the base, shading the soil, holding in the moisture, and preventing weeds.  When it works, it's a thing of beauty.

I had both acorn and butternut squash, as well as some corn I'd put up [boil briefly aka blanch, cut off the cob, spread on a tray to freeze, and store in a bag], so I figured 2 out of 3 I'll call it Two Sisters.  I wanted to add bit more protein, however, so I chopped up a piece of smoked sausage.  Now it's more like Two Sisters--and a Brother?  I've been busy canning lately (you can see the results on my FB page) so an easy filling recipe like this is wonderful for cool nights.  And Heather's right--the leftovers are terrific!
I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

(Leftover) Ham and Sweet Potatoes on a Butternut Squash Crust (Pizza Night!)

I was really torn as to when to put this pizza post up.  Yes, on a Friday, of course, because around here we eat pizza on Fridays.

But when?  Easter ham leftovers?  Fall sweet potato season?  I looked at my calendars . . .

Is it weird that I print out a calendar, a month per 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, and jot down all the recipes that I'm planning on putting up here?  It helps me see what I'm doing easier  than the long list on Blogger, and helps me see if I'm getting a good balance of vegetable-centric vs more meat-oriented pizzas, entrees, etc.  Perhaps living with my spouse the Planner for so long has rubbed off on me.

and decided to just make this entire week Leftover Ham Week on Farm Fresh Feasts.  There are other uses for leftover ham that I recommend (like fried rice or yakisoba).  If you do not have ham in your fridge, check back next week for Taco Farro, My Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich, and something else that's also good--maybe a Sunset Mango pizza.

Since I made 2 crusts worth of this shredded butternut squash crust, I figured I'd play around with the second pie.  My mother-in-law serves ham paired with sweet potatoes (when she's not being treated to someone else cooking her dinner in her own home).  The combination is so pretty--and tasty--on my plate that I thought it would transfer well to a pizza.  I was right.  It did.
Thanks, yet again, to my friend Heather for turning me on to the garlic-oil-as-a-pizza-sauce because that's what I used as the base.
Ok, technically the shredded butternut squash crust is in the base, then the garlic oil on top.  Even though I get a head of garlic nearly each week in my farm share, I'm so glad I roasted my own garlic crop and put it up in the freezer.  A thawed clove just smushed down into warmed oil and makes a simply delicious sauce.

Five Cheese Pizza with Indigo Rose Tomato and Almond Pesto on a Butternut Squash Crust (Pizza Night!)

Did you get roses for Valentine's Day?  After reading about this pizza sauce, I bet you wish you'd gotten Indigo Rose tomatoes from your local Community Supported Agriculture farm share instead.  

One of the reasons I love my CSA is the variety of colorful produce that shows up in the box each week.  It's like my own personal Iron Chef challenge to figure out what to make with each week's box full of secret ingredients.  And the taste--fresh produce just tastes so much better.

If you've never heard of a CSA farm share, check out Local Harvest. There you can use your zip code (in the US) to search for CSA farms that deliver to locations near you.  Late winter is the time to join a CSA.  By paying in advance you enable your farmer to purchase seeds and repair equipment at the beginning of the growing season.  In return, you get a share of the farm fresh produce all season long.  You're supporting a local business and you get to taste delicious veggies like these Indigo Rose tomatoes!

And now for something completely different.

Not really.  When I made the spinach dough I knew that I was going to continue to explore adding veggies from my CSA farm share into my family's pizza crust--not just on top of it.

But where to start?  To not quote a Monty Python film involving a lecture in a British boys' school, I can't go leaping into, for example, mustard green pizza crust.  Though the idea is intriguing . . . I wonder what I'd top it with?  More greens?  Bacon?

Ahem.  Move your coat to the lower peg and let's move on.

Instead of going to the freezer stash for slow-roasted tomatoes, or pesto, or pumpkin to try in a crust, I turned right and looked at the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve.  Specifically, because they stand head and shoulders above the rest (get it? above?) the Larch the butternut squash.  I'd had my epiphany-while-showering about shredding a butternut squash, so I had some shredded butternut squash on hand to play around with.

And play I did!  If you're on my Farm Fresh Feasts Facebook page, you've seen the golden and pillowy eggnog and butternut squash crust.  The recipe will be up here during eggnog season, because I'm all about eating seasonally with my CSA vegetables (and good deals on eggnog after the holidays).

To start us off here though, I also made a plain cheese pizza with a shredded butternut--nog free--crust. If you are going meatless on Fridays, keep in mind this pizza!  Using one of the packages of Fresh Tomato Pesto I'd put up in the fall, from Heather at In Her Chucks' wonderful Cherry Tomato Pesto recipe, this pizza is another not-so-simple cheese pizza.  Sure, it was simple enough for me to truthfully tell my daughter:

It's a cheese pizza.

But in reality it is a Five Cheese Pizza with Funky Orange Purple Indigo Rose Tomato and Almond Pesto on a Butternut Squash Crust.

And with that lofty name, let's get to it--shall we?