Happy Birthday Mama - Mashed Butternut Squash

     On January 13, we celebrated my mother’s birthday.  Her birthday fell on a Sunday, so we had a birthday lunch at my parent’s house.  I gave Mama two different menu options.  She chose Herbs de Provence Roasted chicken, Mashed Butternut Squash, and Sautéed Asparagus.  Everything was delicious and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the main dishes.  Her birthday cake is a different story.  I usually make Mama a chocolate cake for her birthday.  Remember these? Double Chocolate Layer Cake & Claire’s Dark Chocolate Cake.  She is not supposed to eat chocolate anymore so we had to come up with a different alternative.  Mama gave me a recipe for an apple cake, which I have made before.  The cake was supposed to bake for an hour, but after an hour and a half the cake tester still came out wet.  I gave it a little more time in the oven but was worried about burning the outside.  The recipe stated that the cake should cool completely in the pan.  I reasoned that it would continue to cook in the pan so I would go ahead and take it out.  This was a bad decision.  The cake also had a glaze that was supposed to be applied as soon as it came out of the oven.  After letting the cake cool for several hours, I decided to remove it from the bundt pan.  Bad decision number 2.  The cake fell apart completely and it wasn’t even cooked!  I stared down at a plate of uncooked, mushy, cake.  My first reaction was to scream but I instead held it together.  I tossed the whole cake, glaze and all, back into the mixer.  Then, I beat it until it held together like dough.  I then mashed it down into a 9- inch round cake pan and baked it for 30 minutes.  This apple cake now became twice-baked apple cake and it was delicious.  The cake was more dense and moist than what the original recipe would have been.  I am sure this is due to the glaze being baked inside the cake.  Astatically speaking, the birthday cake needed help.  I caramelized apples in a skillet with brown sugar and butter and then spread them on top of the cake.  The only reason I am not blogging about my twice-baked apple cake is because I do not have a concrete recipe to share.  Everything was a gamble and it happened to turn out in my favor.  Another birthday cake disaster averted!  Unlike the apple cake recipe, the mashed butternut squash recipe comes from the always reliable Ina Garten.  It was easy to make and tasted great!  Even the men in my life who don’t always care for “sweet” vegetables loved it!

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

·         4 to 5 pounds butternut squash (2 small or 1 large)

·         3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

·         3 tablespoons coconut oil

·         ¼ cup brown sugar

·         2 teaspoons kosher salt

·         ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

·         ¼ cup almond milk

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and cut the butternut squash into ¾ inch cubes.   Toss the squash with olive oil, coconut oil, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.  Spread on a large sheet pan and roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.  The squash should be very tender when pierced with a fork, but not browned.

2.      Transfer the roasted squash and any accumulated juices to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment.  Add the almond milk and beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until thoroughly combined and slightly fluffy.  Keep warm or reheat over a bowl of simmering water.  If reheating, add an additional ¼ cup of almond milk.  Serves 6.  

My mother is probably going to kill me but here are a few pictures from her birthday.  I was told not to publish any because she was "having a bad hair day."  

 

Mama with her birthday cake

 

The hubs and I

 

The whole family minus J.T. and Otis.  J.T. was taking the picture and Otis hates having his picture made.  

 

I told my parents I wanted a good picture made.  

This is what they gave me.  

The birthday girl wanted her picture made with her favorite grandson, Otis.  He wasn't having it.  I told you he was camera shy.  She was pointing at the camera trying to get him to focus.  That never happened.  

Pennywise Steaks

recipe adapted from couponmaximizer.com

  

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
• 3/4 c.GF bread crumbs
• 1 1/8 c. almond milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400′
2. Combine all ingredients except Worcestershire sauce in a medium-sized bowl (mix by hand til well-blended)
3. Shape meat into 6 steaks and place in a baking dish
4. Sprinkle with Worcestershire to taste (6 shakes per steak)
5. Bake 30 minute.  Serves 6.

Squash Pie

recipe adapted from elanaspantry.com

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, cut in half, seeded
• 1 1/2 tbs. EVOO
• 1 tbs. honey
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tbs. vanilla extract
• 1/2  tsp. cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• brown sugar

Directions

1. Bake squash in the oven at 350° for 40 minutes, until soft
2. Scoop squash out of skin, discarding skin
3. Place squash in food processor with oil, honey, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt
4. Puree until smooth and creamy
5. Place 4 ramekins and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and serve.  Serves 4.

Turkey & Wild Mushroom Meatloaf
recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients

Note: clean mushrooms with a damp cloth. Do not run directly under water.

• 2 tbs. EVOO, divided
  
• 1-6oz. package whole mushrooms, diced
  
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/3 pounds ground turkey, the average weight of 1 package
• 3 or 4 sprigs fresh sage, leaves chopped, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup GF bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbs. EVOO
  
• 2 tablespoons brown rice flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

Directions

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tbs. oil. Add chopped mushrooms and onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms 5 or 6 minutes until dark and tender. Remove from heat. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and return pan to stove top to preheat to cook patties.
2. Add turkey to the mushroom mixture. Make a well in the center of the meat. Add sage, Worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs and beaten egg and season with salt and pepper. Mix turkey meat loaf. Divide meat loaf mixture into 4 equal parts by scoring the meat before you form patties. Form 4 equal oval patties 1 inch thick. Add 1 tbs. of EVOO to pan and arrange patties in the skillet. Cook 8 minutes on each side and transfer to a serving plate or individual dinner plates. Return pan to heat and add 1 tbs. EVOO. Once oil has heated through, whisk in flour and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in broth and season gravy with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer gravy until it reaches desired thickness, and pour over patties, reserving a little to pass at the table.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. cubes
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-in. cubes
• 2 tbs. EVOO
• 2 tbs. honey
• 1 tbs. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

1. Whisk together EVOO, honey, and maple syrup. Toss sweet potatoes and squash in mixture. Spread vegetables onto roasting sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of kosher salt.
2. Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, flipping once. Before serving sprinkle with additional kosher salt to taste. Serves 6.