Butternut squash lasagna

I thought it would be fun to designate Sunday to be my day to take on a cooking project. A day to try a new recipe that involved a new ingredient or a new technique. Over the fall, I had noticed a lot of butternut squash dishes on the menu at restaurants. But I had never thought to tackle a butternut squash dish on my own. The vegetable is somewhat intimidating.

I was pretty unsure how to peel this thing, but found some directions on the internet. I started by cutting off the top and the bottom, so it could stand on a flat surface. My vegetable peeler did not work, so I attempted to peel it with a paring knife. The tip that helped me tremendously was to put the squash in the microwave for about 3 minutes to soften it a bit. It was still a bit of an arm workout, but eventually I got my squash peeled.

Then I had to cut it into chunks...
At this point I was beginning to wonder if all this work was worth it. But a vegetable would not defeat me, and I had a lasagna to make! It came out really good, and and I will definitely make this recipe in the future.



Butternut Squash Lasagna
Based on Giada De Laurentiis recipe


Ingredients


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (2 & 1/2 to 3 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup water
3 almond flavored cookies, crumbled (the recipe called for amaretti cookies which I could not find)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
12 no boil lasagna noodles
2 & 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese


Directions


Heat the oil in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet, cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender- approximately 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then place squash into a food processor. Add the crumbled cookies and a pinch of nutmeg and blend until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking often, until sauce slightly thickens- approximately 5 minutes. Whisk in pinch of nutmeg. Cool slightly and transfer half of the sauce into blender. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray or grease with butter. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange 3 of the noodles on top of the sauce. Pour 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the basil sauce over the cheese.








Repeat layering the noodles, squash puree, and cheese 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Drizzle with remaining basil sauce.


Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover the lasagna and sprinkle with remaining mozarella cheese and the parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden-- approximately 15 minutes more. Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.


I was really happy with how this recipe came out. I find the addition of the cookies a bit odd, and next time may just add a touch of almond extract and nutmeg to the squash puree. It was also my first time using no bake lasagna noodles, and wow, that was a nice step to get to skip! Especially with all that extra work cutting up that squash. And thankfully, all that work led to a really nice dish that I will be sure to use in the future.

Happy New Year!

It is so hard to believe another year has passed... time just goes by faster and faster. I am really looking forward to making 2012 amazing. Step one in my major goal has occurred, and step two will occur this month. I also am looking forward to playing softball this year! I have never, ever, played a team sport before, but there is a first time for everything and I can't wait! First practice is next Sunday. I wonder if I'll be any good.

I am also excited to commit to Sunday baking/cooking. I have decided to make Sunday the day that I try a new recipe... not a simple 20 minute dinner, but something that I have never made before that involves maybe a new technique or a new ingredient that I have never used. I will do my best to do this every Sunday, although I know work will occasionally get in the way. Next weekend I am planning on making butternut squash lasagna. Come back to see how it goes!

Step one

Christmas is over... time to move on to other things. Step one starts today. Who knows what the step will bring. Joy, sorrow, happiness, pain... all of the above. You can't predict what life holds for you. You can only accept what you are given and keep moving forward. Here we go...

Winter Wonderland Cakes

Since I enjoy cooking and baking so much, I often receive gifts related to these hobbies for Christmas. And last year I received this cute little cake pan from my husband...

What a great way to make a winter wonderland cake centerpiece! I pulled out this pan today and got a box of cake mix out of the pantry. Yes, today was more about the prettiness of the dessert, not the actual baking. I made the mix according to the box directions, but I only baked the cakes for about 30 minutes. I made sure to grease and flour the molds to try and prevent the cakes from sticking. When they came out they looked like this...

I had enough batter to make two batches. In my two batches I only lost one chimney. Success! I cut of the bottoms of the cakes, so they could sit flat. The bottoms also make for a delicious snack. 

Next step was to top with powdered sugar. I decided sifting the sugar would be the best way to make it look like the houses were dusted with snow.

This is what it looked like when I put it on the table...

It still seemed like something was missing, so I removed the middle house and added a Christmas tree candle.

Pretty cute! And I got to use my cake stand again!

Puppy!

Have I mentioned I have a thing for pugs? I love their squished in faces and foldy skin. They slobber, snort, and snore. Our six year old pug can lick the air for hours at a time. And yesterday, we brought home our newest addition... Rocky!

We had been planning on adding a pug puppy to the family for quite a few months, but had a hard time finding one. But it seems as though the time we put in looking for one paid off... I mean look at that sweet little face. PJ, our six year old pug, is getting used to the puppy... he mainly wants to lick him. Rocky is a bit timid around our big oaf of a pug, but he doesn't seem to mind him too much.

Pugs and Kisses!

Hopefully these two puggys will become best friends.

Holiday thoughts

It's December! I love so many things about the holidays... the Christmas tree, the decorations, the music, the desserts... I could go on and on. But it seems lately as though there is so much more focus on the shopping. I love to give gifts, and yes, I definitely also enjoy receiving them. But I must say sometimes it just feels like it is getting out of hand. Some of the holiday commercials have gotten so obnoxious. There is a TJMaxx commercial that I just can't stand!! People dancing around the mall telling everyone to go buy their sweaters somewhere else. Yuck. And the latest Lexus car commercials are just ridiculous. Because we are surrounded by the commercialism of the season, it is pretty easy to become cynical. All this running around to get everything done can make it very easy to miss all the wonderful,  small things that the holiday season can bring!

My favorite things that my husband and I have started this year is our simple advent calendar. I made it thinking it would just be a cute decoration, but it has become my favorite thing of the season. We decided to fill it with fun little holiday events to enjoy together. He fills the even days and I fill the odds. It is quite fun to to open the little door and see what each other has come up with for the day. Our ideas so far have included watching a holiday movie together by Christmas tree lights, enjoying peppermint hot chocolate in front of the fireplace, and my favorite so far... perform a random act of kindness for someone. Just a simple way to remember what the season is actually about. Remember to slow down and enjoy the little things.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Starbucks is part of my life... I admit it. Quite a few of my friends and family members could tell you that I am a grande non fat no whip mocha girl, except in the summer when I get the iced version. Stopping at Starbucks before I head off to work is part of my daily routine. I have tried to break the habit, or cut back, but I always find myself reverting back to my old ways. I am a huge fan of their red holiday cups and I also enjoy a pumpkin spice latte from time to time.

However, I have never tried their famous cranberry bliss bars. They have never called out to me, even though, I know they are a popular holiday treat. This past weekend we hosted our traditional tree decorating dinner, and I thought it might be fun to attempt to make my own bliss bars. (I'm very grateful that my family doesn't mind trying out my initial attempts at recipes!) So I found a recipe online and they came out really well... although I can't compare them to the original. I'm tempted to buy one from Starbucks this weekend just to compare. 

Ingredients


For the cake

1 cup butter, softnened

1 cup packed brown sugar
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs
1 & 1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips


For the frosting
8oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp butter, softened
zest of one orange
1 tsp vanilla


Toppings
dried cranberries
chopped pistacio nuts
chopped white chocolate bar


Directions
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and orange zest and mix until well combined.








In separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add this to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.

Fold in the chopped dried cranberries and white chocolate chips... or as I like to call them, the bliss.








Spread the batter into the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The batter will be very thick. After removing from the oven, allow the cake to cool.


(When I pulled the cake out of the oven the batter was, for lack of a better word, boiling. I have no idea why, and after a couple of minutes it was fine, and looked like a normal cake. I will be making this again soon to see if that happens again.)

To make the frosting mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and softned butter until well combined. Fold in the orange zest and vanilla. Frost the cake, and then top with more bliss!

Enjoy the bliss! These really did come out delicious. Thank you to my baking addiction.com for sharing the recipe!