Squashy!

Happy Friday Folks!

My life has been positively 'squashy' over the past couple of weeks. I mean it! Hardly a day goes by without some type of squash being in my diet. SO I thought it would be cool to share some of my kitchen creations :)

Exhibit A:

Butternut Squash Soup

I have this recipe to thank for getting me into cooking with squash in the first place. I've never been a lover of purée'd foods, but after a friend whipped this up one day I simply couldn't resist trying it! 

Doesn't it look yummy??? Or maybe Instagram just has that affect ;)  Personally, I don't have the Instagram app - one of many apps not offered on Blackberry... so annoying. So what's a girl to do???? Well I commandeered my boyfriend's iPhone of course.  

And to throw back to a couple of posts ago - I used the little butternut squashes produced from my lovely garden! T'was very yummy indeed :)

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

- 1 med/lg Butternut Squash peeled and cubed (make sure to scoop the gunk out too)

- 1 onion (chopped)

- 2 - 3 tbls olive oil

- 1 or 2 boxes of chicken stock. About 4-6cups for those who use chicken bullion. 

- 2 Bay Leaves

- 3/4 tsp of nutmeg

- salt

- pepper
- 1/4 cup of milk/cream (optional)

- Chives (optional)

- sour cream (optional)

Add Olive Oil to large saucepan on med-high heat. Add chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft (about 5-8mins). Add the cubed butternut squash, adding additional olive oil if necessary. Let brown for another 5-8mins. Add enough chicken stock to cover the tops of the butternut squash plus some. Add bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil and let cook at medium heat until the butternut squash is soft when pierced with a fork. Add more salt and pepper to your taste.

Using a hand held blender or a food processor purée the soup. Add nutmeg after you've given the soup an initial go with the blender/food processor and then blend until smooth. I usually add some milk or cream as well to make it creamer. I also add more chicken stock than most people because I like my soup like soup and not purée veg. When all's set and done I like to top with freshly chopped chives and a little bit of sour cream as well. 

If you decide to give this recipe a go, please feel free to experiment! Add as little or as much as you want of the ingredients listed. Go by how things taste, that's my method of cooking :)

Exhibit B:

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Squares

Boy were these ever fun to make!!! I had some left over puree pumpkin (from a can) in the fridge after having pumpkin spice pancakes over the weekend and I thought that this would be a great use of my leftovers. Yey for not being wasteful!!!! I brought them to the office and they were GONE in a jiff. 

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Squares - more instagram fun :)

What I liked most about this recipe is that it was only a little cheesecaky if that makes any sense. It was a fun twist on a traditional cheesecake I think. Best part - the crust is NOT gram crumbs. Not that I have anything against gram... it's just so much funner (and yummer) to have a crust made from flour, brown sugar and butter :))))))) 

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Squares (Anna Olson - Foodnetwork Canada recipe):

Crust
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of cool butter, cut into cubes

Pumpkin Cheesecake
- 1/2 package brick cream cheese, at room temp
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling!!!)
- 2 tbls all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp of baking powerder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 whole egg, at room temp
- 1 egg yolk

Cheesecake Swirl
- 1/4 package brick cream cheese, at room temp
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 F. Greease an 8-inch square pan and line it with parchment paper so that the paper comes up the sides of the pan ( this makes it easier to remove after).

For the crust, using a food processor, pulse the flour and brown sugar together, then cut in the butter until evenly blended (the mixture will be dry and crumbly). Alternatively, this base can be made by hand, blending the butter into the flour and sugar using a pastry cutter. Press this into the prepared pan and bake it for about 18mins, until it turns just a little brown at the edges. Cool completely before adding the filling. 

Next for the pumpkin cheesecake filling, beat the cream cheese to soften and then beat the cream cheese to soften and then beat in the sugar. Add the pumpkin and stir until smooth. Switch to a whisk and add in the flour, backing powder and cinnamon. Whisk in the egg and egg yolk and set aside.

For the cheesecake swirl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and then beat in the sugar. Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.

Next, pour the pumpkin cheesecake onto the cooled crust. Either spoon or pipe the cheesecake swirl on top and use a tooth pick or bamboo skewer to create pretty swirls. Bake for about 30 mins until, like a cheesecake, the filling is set at the edges but still has a little jiggle at the centre. Cool the squares to room temp, then chill for at least 2hrs before slicing. The squares will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.


OK enough talking about food for one day - I'm literally drooling here!

I hope everyone has a great halloweeny weekend! Lots planned :)

Cheers,

Melissa