Category Archives: Food

Ooh Aah, Squash It To Me

I was again suckered by the pretty display of squash at Wegmans. Here is my delicata squash and acorn squash. These little guys are about 1 lb each, and of course baby vegetables are so much cuter than adult vegetables. I’m going to take such good care of you cutie pies!!

I am still in my squash stuffing craze, and I wanted to make a lighter filling this time. I first gave the squash a good scrub because their skins are thin and edible. I cut them in half, scooped out the seeds, and seasoned them with an onion and garlic spice mix. Put them flesh side down on a pan into the 400ºF oven. These two squash are small, so it only took about 30 minutes to roast. The smell of the pungent, savory spices and the sweet, nutty squash was really good.

While the squash roasted, I got the filling ready. Here are a little over 2 dozen medium shrimp. I happened to have frozen raw shrimp, but obviously precooked shrimp will cut down on prep and cooking time. I dropped the shrimp into boiling water for a little over a minute, and pulled them out once they turned pink.

I put them in ice water to stop the cooking process. Tough and rubbery shrimp are no good.

Here are the chopped up shrimp, 8 oz of lump crab meat, and about 8 oz of diced up ham. I wanted to use bacon, but I already had ham that needed to be eaten. If you want only seafood, try cooked scallops and fish with the crab and shrimp.

I mixed the seafood and ham with mayo and a blend of 4 cheeses. I seasoned with more of the onion garlic spice mix, and added salt, pepper, dried onion, garlic powder, dried dill, dried parsley. I didn’t measure the amount of spices and herbs, but start with a little, and add more if needed.

Here are the squash ready for stuffing.

I filled the squash up with a nice big heaping pile of the filling, and then topped them with more cheese. Put it back into the 400°F oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese melted.

I had some extra filling left, so I put it in a little ramekin, topped with cheese, and put it in the oven with the squash.

Ready for my mouth!

Seafood Stuffed Squash
Ingredients
– 1 small acorn squash (around 1 lb)
– 1 small delicata squash (around 1 lb)
– 8 oz ham
– 8 oz lump crab meat
– around 2 dozen medium shrimp (raw or cooked)
– 1/2 cup mayo
– 1 cup shredded cheese
– more cheese for topping
– seasoning (I used an onion garlic spice mix, along with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried onion, dried dill, and dried parsley)

Directions
– Scrub, halve, and deseed the squash. Drizzle with oil, season and put flesh side down on a pan. Roast at 400°F for about 30 minutes or until the flesh is easily pierced by a fork.
– If the shrimp is raw, cook it in boiling water for about a minute until it turns pink. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Chop the shrimp up.
– Chop up the ham.
– Mix the shrimp, crab meat, ham, mayo, cheese, and seasoning.
– When the squash is done roasting, fill them up with the mixture and top with more cheese. Put them back into the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.

I Am A Meat Popsicle

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I’ve been experimenting more with pork belly ever since Costco started carrying it. It’s not a cut you normally find at groceries, and I’m too lazy to drive to the Asian stores. I was quite giddy with excitement when I found large packs of the belly o’ the pig at Costco. My husband was giddy too since he gets to eat the results of the experiments, and usually they turn out good.

I wanted to make kabobs, so I got a pack a few weeks ago, but I didn’t have time to cook it. So, I decided to test how well pork belly freezes after marinating. They freeze well by the way.

I got a gallon sized freezer bag and put it in a bowl. I made the marinade directly in the bag. I dumped in finely minced garlic, ginger, gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, and honey. I squished the bag to mix the sauce up. Gochujang is a recent addition to my pantry, and I have been trying it out in my meat dishes. Gochujang is a Korean red chili pepper paste. I got the medium heat paste, since we can’t handle anything too spicy.

Here is my 4 lb tray of sliced pork belly. I used my kitchen shears to cut the pork into 1.5″ chunks.

I dropped the meat nuggets into the bag and squished everything together. I let the bag sit in the fridge overnight, so the flavors can penetrate the meat. Then I stuck the bag in the freezer for a few weeks. When I was ready to cook them, I defrosted the bag in the fridge.

Before I started threading the skewers, I soaked the sticks in water. I’ve always read to soak the sticks for at least 20 minutes to prevent catching on fire. I don’t know how likely dry sticks catch on fire. I only soaked these for about 10 minutes, and they were fine. Shrug.

I got a bag of mini bell peppers, also from Costco. I cut up 2 onions into large skewerable chunks. I didn’t season the vegetables because they were going to get saucy from my hands, and I like their natural sweetness when grilled.

Here are the babies ready for the grill.

Almost ready…

Nom nom nom, meeeeat. Compost the sticks after you finish eating!

Pork Belly Kabobs
Ingredients
– 4 lb tray of sliced pork belly
– 2 tbsp gochujang
– 2 tbsp honey
– 2 tbsp rice wine
– 2 tbsp soy sauce
– 2 tbsp sesame oil
– half head of garlic
– 1.5 inch knob of ginger
– 2 onions
– Costco sized bag of mini bell peppers
-skewers

Directions
– Finely mince the garlic and ginger. Mix it with the other condiments to make a marinade.
– Cut the pork belly into 1.5 inch pieces. Let the pork sit in the marinade overnight.
– Cut the onion into large pieces, leave the mini bell peppers whole.
– Soak the skewers if you don’t want to risk a flaming stick of meat. If you don’t soak them, let me know if they really catch on fire!
– Thread the meat and vegetables onto the skewers.
– Cook them on medium low heat on the grill for about 10 minutes, turning them once. Cook them until the pork fat gets crispy and charred.

Ah, Squash It, Squash It Real Good

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I’ve pretty much faceplanted onto the bandwagon full of fall squash. Get ready for squash experiments galore!

I was browsing at Wegmans, and saw a pretty assortment of fall squash. I impulsively plopped a kabocha squash in my cart. I’ve never tasted kabocha before, but it looked like a cute green pumpkin, and I just had to get it.

I was excited to try kabocha, so I started cutting it before I really thought things through. I had plans to stuff the squash, so in hind sight, I should have just cut the top off and hollowed out the middle, as if I were carving a jack-o-lantern. In my haste, I cut it into quarters. It still worked out, but leaving it whole would have allowed for more meaty filling, and a nicer presentation.

So anyways, I quartered the squash, scooped out the seeds, and hit it with some oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

I turned the squash flesh side down, and popped the tray in a 400°F oven for about 40 minutes until the flesh was easily pierced by a fork. By the way, that nice green skin is edible, and softens after cooking. Be sure to scrub it well so you can get that extra fiber in you.

While the squash roasted, I got the filling ready. I had a tray of Italian sausage, and I used kitchen shears to cut off the sausage casings.

I browned the sausage on medium heat.

I added a chopped up onion, several garlic cloves, about 4 oz of tomato basil feta crumbles, and chopped up the leftover roasted tomatoes I saved from my spaghetti squash dish from a few days ago. If you don’t have roast tomatoes, you can chop up some fresh tomato or use canned tomato. I did not add salt since the sausage, feta, and tomatoes were already seasoned.

I filled the squash quarters with the sausage mixture. Then I topped them with a slice of provolone cheese.

I popped it back into the 400°F oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese melted and browned. YEAH, easy to make, hearty fall meal. The kabocha reminded me of sweet potato. It had that same slightly sweet taste and starchy texture. Mmm, I bet it would taste really good roasted or deep fried into crispy golden wedges. Idea for next time!

Stuffed Kabocha Squash
Ingredients
– 1 kabocha squash
– 6 Italian sausages
– 1 onion
– 6 cloves of garlic
– leftover roasted tomato (or use 4-5 medium fresh tomatoes, or a can of tomatoes, drained)
– about 4 oz of tomato basil feta crumbles
– slices of provolone cheese
– salt
-pepper
– garlic powder

Directions
– Wash, cut, and de-seed the squash. Cut it in quarters, or leave it whole, up to you.
– Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the flesh is easily pierced by a fork.
– Chop the onion, garlic, and tomatoes.
– Cut the sausage casings off and brown the sausage meat.
– Add the onion and garlic to the sausage. After the onion becomes translucent, add the tomatoes. Note: the longer you cook the tomatoes, the more soupy the mixture will get. Mix the feta in after you take the mixture off the heat.
– Fill the squash with the meat mixture, top with the provolone cheese. Put the squash back into the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and browns.

Mochacolate? EspressOhyeah? Choffee?

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I’ll just put it out here right now. My baking skill level and XP are nowhere near as high as my cooking. Baking is not as forgiving with the substituting and making stuff up, so my results are not terribly consistent. But nonetheless, I continue to experiment.

My family had a big birthday celebration, so I had the bright idea to make something fancy. I’ve gotten pretty good with making cheesecakes, so I wanted to try making regular cake cake this time. Of course a party is the best time to experiment with something totally untried.

After some thought, I decided to make a multi-layer mocha cake. I read about different ways to improve boxed cake mix, so I wanted to give those methods a try. You can certainly just follow the cake mix directions, but come on, I had to make it mine. Give it my personal touch. And touch it, I did.

So this was the blueprint in my head. I wanted to make a 4 layer cake using chocolate cake, and a white cake that was flavored and lightly colored with espresso powder. For the filling and frosting, I wanted to make a mocha flavored mascarpone frosting.

I started with the white cake. I substituted milk for the water and butter for the oil. I also added some vanilla to brighten up the flavor. The mayo is supposed to improve the cake’s texture, make it more moist, and make it taste more homemade. The espresso powder is the newest addition to my pantry. It is very intense and concentrated instant coffee that is used more for baking instead of drinking. I also had salted caramel sugar. I read if sugar is sprinkled on the batter before baking, the weight helps reduce how puffy the cake gets.

Here is the batter ready for baking.

Here is the cake right out of the oven. It was still a little puffy when it came out, but it flattened a lot after cooling on a rack.

After the oven and cake pans were vacant, I worked on the chocolate cake. I added some cocoa powder to boost the chocolate flavor. A little espresso powder is also supposed to enhance the chocolate flavor, so I added a little. I didn’t want the coffee to overwhelm the chocolate flavor.

Chocolate cake batter ready for the oven.

Fresh out of the oven. You can see how it’s puffy here.

While the cakes cooled on a rack, I worked on the frosting. I’ve made a mascarpone cream before, and I loved how it was so light and melted in your mouth. I wanted to use that instead of a heavier and sweeter buttercream frosting.

The frosting was made in two parts. First I made whipped cream. I mixed the heavy cream with espresso powder, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until it formed stiff peaks.

Here is the very intensely coffee flavored whipped cream. Put it in the fridge until you are ready for it.

Here is the mascarpone cheese mixed with sugar, and cocoa powder. After that was well combined, I added the whipped cream. Mix it gently until everything is smooth and incorporated.

Yes, I know what this brown blob looks like. But it tasted really delicious, seriously.

Here is the cooled and flatter cake. It was not completely flat, so I still had to trim some of the top off.

I started with a whitish brown, I guess, tan cake. I put it on the plate of my portable cake container. I put two sheets of parchment paper on the plate to reduce the mess left on the plate from my amateur frosting technique. After I finished frosting, I gently pulled the two sheets out. It would have worked well, but I will get to that in a minute. So when frosting the top, put a big blob in the middle first, then work your way out.

I used my angled spatula to frost.

Tadaa! Time to party! Just kidding. I wanted to show you how big of a mess I made. And also to show you my cake layers before covering them with frosting. So here is when I realized my blunder.

The delicious mascarpone cream I was raving about went on the tops of the cakes just fine. But, remember how I said I liked it because it’s light and melt in your mouth? Well it didn’t just melt in my mouth. It was melting everywhere when I tried to frost the sides of the cake. I ended up sticking the whole mess in the fridge overnight in hopes of firming it up. The parchment paper got all soggy, so it still made a chocolately mess on the plate after I pulled it out. And the cream became too hard, so I had to wait until it softened to a spreadable consistency. And even after it was spreadable, it didn’t spread on smooth like a buttercream frosting would have. It ended up with a…rustic look. Yeah, that’s the word.

Lesson learned. The mascarpone cream I made is great as a filling, but not so great for frosting the outside of a cake. I will have to experiment more to make a mascarpone frosting better suited for frosting.

Here is my finished product, after much cursing and melty mess and squished sprinkles everywhere. It doesn’t look too bad, but definitely not as polished as I hoped. My bad.

I am pleased with how the cake tasted. All the additions I put in the cake batters really did make it taste more homemade and flavorful. And that pain in the ass frosting was really really delicious. If you are so inclined to make something similar, be sure to use the mascarpone mixture as a filling for the cake. Use a different frosting for the outside. OR just use the mascarpone for the top of the cake, and leave the sides unfrosted.

Four Layer Mocha Cake with Mascarpone Frosting

White Cake
Ingredients
– 1 box of white cake mix
– However many eggs the box says
– Substitute softened or melted butter for the oil
– Substitute milk for the water
– 1/2 tsp vanilla
– 2 tbsp mayo
– 2 tsp espresso powder
– Sugar for sprinkling

Directions
– Preheat the oven to whatever temperature the box says.
– Dissolve the espresso powder in some milk.
– Mix all the ingredients together except the sugar. Mix for however many minutes the box tells you to.
– Grease your pans, fill with batter. Sprinkle sugar on top of the batter.
– Bake for however long the instructions say, until a toothpick comes out clean.
– After cooling in the pans for 10-15 minutes, turn the cakes out to cool on a cooling rack.
– Trim off the tops of the cakes if they are not flat.

Chocolate cake
Ingredients
– 1 box of chocolate cake mix
– However many eggs the box says
– Substitute milk for the water
– Substitute softened or melted butter for the oil
– 1/2 tsp vanilla
– 2 tbsp mayo
– 1 tbsp cocoa powder
– 1 tsp espresso powder
– Sugar for sprinkling

Directions
– Dissolve the espresso powder in some milk.
– Mix all the ingredients except for the sugar. Mix for however many minutes the box tells you to.
– Grease your pans, fill with batter, sprinkle with sugar on top of the batter.
– Bake for however long the instructions say, until a toothpick comes out clean.
– After cooling in the pans for 10-15 minutes, turn the cakes out to cool on a cooling rack.
– Trim off the tops of the cakes if they are not flat.

Mocha Mascarpone Frosting

Coffee Whipped Cream
Ingredients
– 2 cups heavy cream
– 4 tbsp sugar
– 2 tbsp vanilla
– 2 tbsp espresso powder

Directions
– Dissolve the espresso powder in the heavy cream. Mix all the ingredients until stiff peaks form. Start on low speed and work your way to high to prevent splattering.
– Keep the whipped cream in the fridge until you are ready for it.

Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
– 2 lbs mascarpone cheese (four 8oz containers)
– 1 cup sugar
– 2/3 cup cocoa powder
– Coffee whipped cream

Directions
– Mix the mascarpone cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder until everything is smooth. Gently mix in the whipped cream until everything is incorporated.
– Store in the fridge until ready to use.

To Assemble
– Put 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper on the cake plate. Place the bottom cake layer on top of the paper.
– Put a big blob of frosting in the middle of the cake, and use a spatula to spread it outwards.
– Carefully put the next cake layer on. Frost, repeat with the other layers.
– Good luck with frosting the outside of the cake. If the frosting is too soft to work with, put it in the fridge until it firms more.
– After you finish decorating, gently pull the paper out from under the cake. Clean up the cake plate.
– Cover the cake plate, and keep the cake in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Let it sit out for an hour or so before serving so the flavors pop more.

Roll Out! Roll Out!

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Everyone is busy. Work, kids, school, hobbies, life. I understand making meals and eating healthy can be daunting when you have so much other stuff going on. Don’t be fooled by my blog. I remember many a day when breakfast, lunch, AND snack consisted of one granola bar and some water. I remember many a day when a pack of 10 cent instant noodles was my hot meal of the day.

I get it. But I want to encourage you with this super quick and easy meal and snack idea. Whether you are watching your carb intake, or if you are tired of the same old pbj everyday, try this out. It literally took me about 15 minutes to fix up a container full of these rolls, clean up, AND try to take decent photos of the process on my phone. It’s also an easy cooking project to do with your kids.

These rolls can be made ahead of time, so you can make enough for several meals. They are also a good low carb and gluten free option for party appetizers.

I have some ham and provolone cheese that I picked up at the deli counter. I sliced up an English cucumber (I prefer these because they have thinner skins and smaller seeds, so no need to peel or scoop out seeds). I have a container of chive cream cheese.

Spread a ham slice out, put a piece of cheese on top, spread some cream cheese on it, and top with a piece of cucumber. My provolone is hard to see, but it’s under the cucumber.

Roll it up.

That’s it.

Suggestions:
– Use other deli meats like salami, pepperoni, roast turkey, bologna, etc. Just make sure the slices are thick enough to roll without tearing too much.
– Get several kinds of meat to layer and make the roll extra meaty.
– Try different types of cheese like cheddar, havarti, even feta crumbles.
– Use other vegetables like carrots, bell pepper, and radish. Avoid vegetables that wilt or turn mushy quickly, unless you are eating it immediately.
– Use different spreads like hummus and harissa.

Low Carb Deli Rolls
Ingredients
– English cucumber
– sliced ham
– sliced provolone cheese
– chive cream cheese

Directions
– Cut the cucumber into slices
– Spread the ham out, put a slice of cheese on top, and spread the cream cheese over it. Put a slice of cucumber on top.
– Roll it up.

Come and Gimme Some of That Yum Yum Chocolate…Pumpkin?

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What is it about fall and the urge to put pumpkin in everything? Even my 4 year old daughter has been bugging me everyday to make something with pumpkin ever since the weather got chillier. I guess it’s a good idea to make something with pumpkin anyways. A while back, I ordered a case of canned pumpkin through Amazon’s Subscribe and Save, and I kept forgetting to cancel the order. Needless to say, there is a lot of pumpkin in my house.

Today I decided to make a pumpkin hot chocolate from scratch. That was a freaking awesome idea because it was ridiculously good.

Sure, it’s convenient to go to Starbucks down the street and order the economy size cup of empty calories, sugar, and artificial shit you can’t even pronounce. But if you want to indulge, then you should drink something that is worthy of entering your body.

A small cafe found in Taipei, Taiwan. For all I know, they serve kick ass coffee compared to the mediocre worldwide chain.

This hot chocolate is for savoring, while lounging on the sofa in your cozy flannel pajamas, watching the autumn leaves swirl in the wind. When you sip it, you can taste the dark chocolate, pumpkin, spices, and cream. WIthout further ado, here it is.

I first made whipped cream. If you’ve never tried home made whipped cream, please make it. It is really easy, and so much more wholesome and delicious than Cool Whip. All it takes is 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract. Make sure the cream comes straight out of the fridge. If you can stick the mixing bowl into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes, that would be good too.

Start the mixer on low or else the cream will fly everywhere. Work your way up to high speed, and whip it for a few minutes until the cream thickens. It’s ready once the cream thickens to stiff peaks. Keep the whipped cream in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

What is a pumpkin hot chocolate without the special spice mix? I combined 1 tbsp of cinnamon, 2 tsp of ginger, 1 tsp of allspice, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp of cloves.

Here are the other ingredients. 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of organic pumpkin, 2% milk, vanilla extract, unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 bar of 70% dark chocolate, heavy cream, and pure organic maple syrup.

Mix the entire can of evaporated milk, 2 cups of milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup+1 tbsp of cocoa powder, the entire 3.5 oz bar of chocolate (in pieces), and the 1 tbsp of vanilla in the pot. Heat it on medium low heat while stirring constantly with the whisk. Keep gently heating it until the chocolate melts and the mixture emulsifies. It only takes a few minutes. Be sure to keep the heat low and stir often so a milky film does not form on the top of the mixture.

Add the entire can of pumpkin, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, and 1 tbsp of the spice mix. Keep whisking it on medium low heat for a few more minutes until it becomes the creamy, smooth hot chocolate of your dreams. Give it a taste to check if it is sweet enough.

I thought this dainty little Hello Kitty teacup and saucer were appropriate for this delicious drink. This isn’t a very sweet drink, but it is rich. Less is more.

(Sigh) So delicious. That there is a dollop of the whipped cream and a sprinkling of salted caramel sugar becoming one with the chocolatey goodness.

Whipped Cream
Ingredients
– 1 cup heavy cream
– 2 tbsp sugar
– 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions
Put the ingredients into the mixing bowl. Start the mixer on low speed, and slowly work up to high speed to avoid splatter. Whip on high for a few minutes until the cream thickens to stiff peaks.

Pumpkin Pie Spice
Ingredients
– 1 tbsp cinnamon
– 2 tsp ginger
– 1 tsp allspice
– 1/2 tsp nutmeg
– 1/2 tsp cloves

Directions
Combine everything. Store in a closed container.

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
– 15 oz can organic pumpkin
– 12 oz can evaporated milk
– 2 cups of 2% milk
– 1 cup heavy cream
– 1/4 cup+1 tbsp cocoa powder
– 3.5 oz bar of 70% dark chocolate (broken up or chopped into pieces)
– 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup pure organic maple syrup
– 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions
– Pour the evaporated milk, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, cocoa powder, and chocolate in a pot over medium low heat. Whisk the mixture constantly for a few minutes until the chocolate melts. Do not let the mixture come to a boil.
– Add the pumpkin, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice. Continue to whisk on medium low heat for a few more minutes until the hot chocolate becomes creamy and smooth.
– Top with whipped cream for a delicious treat.

Efficient Like a Boss

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Fresh herbs give your food that special boost in flavor and aroma, whether it is a subtle oomph or a real flavor punch in the face. But too often you find yourself with a big bunch of herbs because that’s how they sell it in the stores, and all you need is a tiny spoonful for that dish you are making. Then you end up forgetting about the leftover herbs, and then guiltily throwing the wilted and slimy remains away.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are two ways to make the most out of your fresh herbs.

I love going to the Asian grocery stores. I don’t live too close to any of them, so I get really excited when I do go to one. When I went last week, I couldn’t resist their 3 bunches of green onions for $1 sale. Compared to how much they cost at the regular grocery stores, that was a great deal. So I bought all 3 bunches. I only ended up cooking 2 bunches of green onions, and I had no plans to use up the last bunch. Green onions are not herbs, but the methods for preserving them are the same.

Here is the last lonely bunch of green onions. I didn’t know if I’d be using them over the week, so I decided to keep them in the fridge for the time being. I put them in a cup with a little water in it.

Then I put the plastic produce bag over the cup, and rolled a rubber band over the bottom of the cup to close the bag. I put the cup of green onions in the fridge.

These are the green onions after a week of sitting in the fridge. Other than some slightly raggedy looking tops, they look good. No wilting or sliminess. How long your herbs will keep fresh using this method will vary depending on the herb, so keep an eye on them after a few days.

I also use this trick with vegetables. Once I bought a 6 pack of romaine lettuce from Costco, because…I don’t know what I was thinking. That last head of lettuce took forever to eat. I ended up keeping it in water for over 3 weeks, and that was after it sat in the vegetable drawer for a while. I did change the water every few days.

Also, if you have sad, limp vegetables, putting them in cold water in the fridge with the bag over them can help revitalize and perk them back up. I’ve done it with various greens and carrots.

I decided that I wouldn’t be using the green onions anytime soon, so instead of letting them rot in the fridge, I decided to freeze them. I got out my silicone ice cube trays.

I washed and chopped up the green onions, and then filled up the trays.

I filled the tray with water. Since the silicone trays are floppy, I put them on a plastic lid to easily carry and place them into the freezer. You can also fill the trays up with oil instead of water.

After the cubes are frozen, pop them out and store them in a freezer bag. Besides herbs and green onion, I also freeze ginger in cubes when I have too much leftover. It’s really convenient to have these cubes on hand when making sauces, stir fries, and soups or stews. Now you can save money and save good food! Huzzah!

If you use silicone ice cube trays, they may smell like whatever was in them. Right now, my trays smell very oniony. For my trays, the smell comes out after a few cycles through the dishwasher and air drying. If your trays still smell, there are various ways to deodorize, like soaking in a solution of water and white vinegar, or water and baking soda, etc. Google has the answer.

What The Fall?!

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Now that it is officially fall, the weather decided to abruptly switch from upper 80’s to a chilly lower 70’s. I decided to make a celebratory changing of the seasons dish. That and I happened to impulsively buy a spaghetti squash last week when I didn’t even remember that fall was starting. No wonder there were only a couple of squash rejects left in the bin. Everyone else wanted to suddenly make fall food. I bet the shelves of canned pumpkin and pumpkin spice were cleaned out too.

My husband and I have been eating low carb for over a year now. He’s been very dedicated with this change in lifestyle and has lost 40 pounds. My willpower has not been as strong, but I have not given up. My cooking for the most part has been low carb, and it isn’t as difficult as people think. Obviously it takes sacrifice and strength if you love your sweets, fruit, pasta, rice, and breads. But in the end, we’re eating healthier and more wholesome foods, and our bodies will thank us in the long run.

Caprese salad is one of our low carb summer staples. I have not met anyone who does not like the refreshing and satisfying combination of creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil, and sweet and tart tomatoes. Since I was making a good bye summer and hello fall dish, I had a vision of a super cheesy spaghetti squash caprese. It turned out really freaking good. I’m actually salivating thinking about the dinner I had hours ago. Reminds me of Pavlov’s dog.

This dish has several components that require their own preparation, but they are pretty simple. Most of the time required for this dish is baking time. You can also make the different components ahead of time and pre-assemble it. Just pop the casserole into the oven to heat it up.

I got this here spaghetti squash. It is not the prettiest specimen, but don’t be superficial. Every squash needs a loving stomach.

They are very tough to cut, so please please please be careful. I ended up getting my chef’s knife stuck, and using it as a wedge for another knife to cut through the middle.

Scoop the seeds out. By the way, you can roast them like pumpkin seeds. I drizzled some olive oil on the halves, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then I turned them flesh side down on the cookie sheet and baked them at 400°F for about 40 minutes until it was easy for a fork to slide into the flesh. Your cooking time may vary based on the size of your squash.

This is what the squash looked like after I shredded it up with a fork.

I had a gorgeous assortment of little tomatoes which I washed and halved.

I put them in a 9×13 baking dish and drizzled on olive oil and strawberry vinegar, and sprinkled on salt and pepper. I put the tomatoes into the oven with the squash. The tomatoes took about 20 minutes to roast, and I stirred them halfway.

These are the roasted tomatoes. I roasted 2 lbs of tomatoes, but I didn’t use all of it for this dish. I reserved about a quarter of it for future use. I also drained most of the tomato juice because it was way too soupy.

After the oven cleared out, I baked a package of bacon. You can cook your bacon however you want, but I like using the oven. Just put them in at 400°F for about 12-14 minutes. There’s a lot less mess and smoke compared to using the stove.

Yeeeah, sizzling bacon straight out of the oven. Most of it made it into the casserole…

This is a cup of homemade pesto. I made a large batch over the summer and froze little containers of it. Go ahead and use store bought pesto if you want a mediocre tasting dish. Just kidding, use whatever you want. By the way, if anyone can recommend a really good store bought pesto, let me know! I have yet to find one that I like.

This mess is the spaghetti squash, roasted tomatoes, torn up bacon (I used my hands to tear them up), cup of pesto, and 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella.

Top the mess with sliced mozzarella, and fill in those crevices with more shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan.

I put the dish back into the 400°F oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese bubbled and browned.

If you make this casserole ahead of time, and use a glass baking dish like Pyrex, I would let it sit out first to warm up. I’ve heard of Pyrex shattering when the temperature changes too suddenly. Heat the casserole at 375°F for about 30-40 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, look for signs of bubbling sauce and cheese. If you want to brown the cheese even more, use the broiler for a couple of minutes.

Sooo freaking good. The spaghetti squash was sweet and savory mixed with the pesto and gooey cheese, and I really liked the sweet and tangy roasted tomatoes, and smoky bacon chunks. This dish is a keeper. The juice from the roasted tomatoes made the squash very soft, so if you are looking for more bite, then perhaps try sun dried tomatoes instead. Also, note that the sliced mozzarella does not brown as well as shredded mozzarella, and the texture after baking is more rubbery. So if you prefer a crustier and stringy cheese topping like on pizza, then forget the sliced mozzarella and stick with shredded mozzarella.

Spaghetti Squash Caprese
Ingredients
– 1 spaghetti squash
– 1-1.5 lb small tomatoes
– 1 pack bacon
– 1 cup pesto sauce
– 2 cups of shredded mozzarella (or more if you want)
– Mozzarella ball, sliced
– 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
– olive oil
– strawberry vinegar (balsamic vinegar will also work)
– salt
– pepper
– garlic powder

Directions
– Wash, cut in half, and de-seed the squash. Be careful of your fingers when cutting. Keep the seeds for roasting. Drizzle the flesh with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Turn the squash flesh side down on a cookie sheet, and bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes or until the flesh is easily pierced. Shred the squash flesh so it resembles spaghetti.
– Wash and cut the tomatoes in half. Put in a 9×13 baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, strawberry vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Drain the tomato juice from the baking dish.
– Bake the bacon at 400°F for 12-14 minutes. Chop into pieces. (I used my hands and tore them into pieces)
– Mix the squash, tomatoes, pesto, bacon, and 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella in the baking dish.
– Top the mixture with the sliced mozarella, 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes until the cheese bubbles and browns.

Them Melons

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Dong gua cha or winter melon tea is one of my favorite Chinese beverages. The sweet, rich, and earthy flavor always gives me a sense of nostalgia. It was a treat to get a can or juice box of winter melon tea at the Asian supermarket when I was little.

My mom gave me half of a winter melon that one of her friends grew. Normally I would make a soup out of it, but I really wasn’t feeling soup right now, especially since it’s still mid-upper 80’s here. I looked up how to make winter melon tea, and it’s so easy! I wish I looked it up earlier!

The recipes I found used brown sugar and rock sugar, but of course I wanted to play with this and make my own version of winter melon tea. I scooped out the seeds, cut the skin off, and cut the melon into chunks. I don’t know how big the melon was, but the chunks filled up my 5 qt pot. I added a cinnamon stick and a 2.5 inch knob of ginger, sliced up. I wanted to give my tea a little spice and kick. I used 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 3/4 cup of pure organic maple syrup. Note, pure organic maple syrup, not the fake me out Log Cabin ish. I added a tiny bit of water to the pot, just to cover the bottom. I let the water come to a boil and then turned the heat down real low. You can adjust the amount of sweetener to suit your taste. My tea was not as sweet as the store bought kind, but I like it better that way.

After about 3 hours of gently simmering on low heat, the melon turned translucent and mushy, and the kitchen smelled pretty good. So you might be wondering how this is tea. I am actually making a winter melon syrup, and it will be diluted with water before drinking. There are no actual tea leaves involved. I don’t know why it is called a tea. I let the mixture cool down enough so I could handle it.

I fished out the cinnamon stick, and crushed the ginger up a bit so I could get some ginger juice too. I dumped the ginger and melon into a piece of cheesecloth so I could wring out the liquid. I was surprised at how little melon was left after it got liquified in my fists.

My pitcher was already being used, so I poured the winter melon syrup into a couple of squeeze bottles for easy pouring. I let them chill because warm winter melon tea is not as good as cold winter melon tea.

Sweet and spicy winter melon tea. I poured about 1 part syrup to 1 part water to make a lightly sweet and refreshing drink.

Sweet and Spicy Winter Melon Tea
Ingredients
– 5 qt winter melon
– 2.5 inch knob of ginger
– 1 cinnamon stick
– 1/4 c brown sugar
– 3/4 c pure organic maple syrup

Directions
– Wash, peel, de-seed, and cut up the winter melon into chunks. Put the winter melon into a pot with the sliced up ginger and cinnamon stick.
– Add the brown sugar and maple syrup, and barely enough water to cover the bottom of the pot.
– Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat to low. Simmer on low heat for about 3 hours. Stir the pot occasionally.
– After the mixture cools down, strain the winter melon through a sieve or cheesecloth. Mash the winter melon up into smithereens to get the most liquid out. You can also crush the ginger if you want extra ginger flavor in your tea.
– Let the syrup chill in the fridge.
– Dilute the syrup with water to drink.

Bigger IS Better

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Bite sized savory bundles of gooey cheese and meat contained in a juicy little fungus cup. Great for appetizers, or eat like 10 of them to make it a meal. They are quite popular, so I usually get a large family pack of mushrooms to stuff. One day, while I was about to pick up a container of little guys, it finally hit me. Instead of going through the trouble of preparing a ton of little mushrooms, I could just get several large portobello mushrooms. Obviously. Of course, these would not work well for your cocktail party, but for a quick and easy meal, BAM. So genius. I like mushrooms stuffed with all sorts of fillings, but my usual go to filling is sausage and cheese.

I picked up 4 portobello mushrooms at the grocery store. I washed them and pulled their stems off. Save those stems and mince them up because they are going into the filling. That red mat they are sitting on is a silicone baking mat on top of the cookie sheet. My friend Luci introduced them to me a few years back, and I really like them. They are nonstick and can be used in temperatures up to 480°F. Unlike aluminum foil or parchment paper, which only have a one time use, these mats can be used thousands of times.

I happened to have some leftover cheese filling from another dish I made last week. If I remember correctly, it was about half a block of cream cheese, a cup of shredded cheese, a small onion minced, and minced shallots and garlic. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with those leftovers, so this worked out well.

I have here a 1 lb sausage roll.

I mixed the sausage, cream cheese filling, and minced mushroom stems up and filled the mushroom caps. The sausage is pretty solid after being squashed into that little roll, so I used my fists to beat it up. There is no need for additional salt since the sausage is already heavily seasoned, and the cheese is salty too. Oh yeah, if you don’t have cream cheese, don’t worry about it. I actually usually don’t add cream cheese, but I happened to have that mixture leftover, so I threw it all in.

You can add some chopped spinach if you want to feel healthier. You should also sprinkle more cheese or put a slice of cheese on top so it melts into a golden crust (highly recommended!) I was in a hurry and didn’t feel like digging around the fridge for more cheese.

Pop the cookie sheet into the oven at 350ºF for about 35-40 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through.

Cheesy, meaty, slightly creamy really good stuff. It’s so good already, but I really wish I took the extra few minutes to get a slice of provolone, cheddar, or monterey jack to melt on top. Please do it, you won’t regret it!!

Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients
– 4 portobello mushrooms
– 1 sausage roll (1 lb)
– 1 small onion
– 4 oz cream cheese (half a block)
– 1 cup shredded cheese
– a few cloves of garlic
– 1 shallot
– more cheese for topping

Directions
– Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Mince the stems up and place in a mixing bowl.
– Mince up the onion, garlic, and shallots. Add them to the mushrooms.
– Mix in the cream cheese, sausage, and shredded cheese. Fill the mushroom with the mixture. Top the mixture with more shredded cheese or slices of cheese.
– Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked through.

Sew Sweet and Salty

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