• About WordPress
    • WordPress.org
    • Documentation
    • Support
    • Feedback
  • Log In
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Sides

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onions and Pine Nuts

November 13, 2017 by

My experience with winter squash has often-times just been split in half and baked in the oven. It’s a classic preparation but a bit boring. I’ve also made Butternut Soup once in a while which is delicious but I decided to try out a new recipe and it’s quickly become a new fall favorite. The roasting gives the squash pieces a crispy edge that adds wonderful texture to this dish. One could easily serve this as a main course because it is very hearty.

Tools

  • peeler
  • cutting board
  • large sharp knife
  • paring knife
  • half sheet pan
  • Aluminum foil
  • small omelet pan
  • serving bowl or platter

Ingredients                                                                                                             

  • butternut squash

    Butternut Squash

  • one onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs
  • One tablespoon finely minced fresh basil and sage*
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper

Recipe

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees, depending on your oven.

Cut the top off your squash and peel it. Split in half and scoop out the seeds* and cut the squash into 2-inch cubes*. Pour the olive oil onto the half sheet pan and toss the squash until it’s well coated. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Roast for 15 minutes remove from oven and use the spatula to loosen and turn the squash cubes over to evenly brown. This is when I add the chopped onion to the tray. Roast for 15 minutes and check cubes for doneness by sticking your paring knife into the center.  If it goes in easily the squash is ready. If it’s not quite done roast for 10 more minutes tossing the cubes and onions around on the tray. While the squash is finishing, toast the pine nuts in a small dry pan. Toast on medium heat shaking the pan around. Pine nuts have A Lot of oil in them and will BURN quickly so don’t walk away from them. Take them off the heat and add them to the squash and onions. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the squash and top with the minced fresh herbs.

DELISH TIP 1:  I like squash seeds even better than pumpkin seeds! I soak the “guts” in water and separate the seeds. I put them on a tray and lightly salt them and bake them for 20  minutes or until I hear them popping in the oven. YUM!!

DELISH TIP 2: I don’t measure the cubes when I make this dish, just make sure they are all relatively the same size so they cook evenly.

DELISH TIP 3: Fresh sage is really strong so it’s important to chop it up really well. I would NOT suggest using dried sage as a sprinkle at the end.

 

butternut squash with onions and pimenuts

Yummmm Roasted Butternut Squash with Pinenuts

Filed Under: Sides, Vegetables

Baked Beans

August 18, 2017 by

I have many friends that are great cooks! They are kind enough to let me share this recipe! My friends Erin and Maryann are sisters. They come from a large family and I learned this recipe from them. They both have helped me with their recipe when I’ve wanted to make it for my family. This baked bean recipe is delicious, and easy to make too. You can make half the recipe for a small crowd of five, or double for a large crowd of 20 which I have often done when I cater. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Tools

  • 9×13″ foil pan
  • saute’ pan
  • spatula
  • cutting board
  • container to drain grease
  • 1/2 cup measure

Ingredients

  • Three (3) 28 oz Bush’s Original Baked Beans (yes, try to use Bush’s they are the best!) 🙂
  • 1 cup of diced white onion
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 1 pound of mild italian sausage*
  • 1/4 cup of ketchup
  • 1/4 cup of yellow mustard

Instructions                                                                                                               

Brown your ground beef and sausage over medium high heat until no longer pink.
Drain your meat and cool slightly. I like to break up the the meat into small crumbles.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add your cooked meat and your chopped onions into the foil pan.
Add your cans of beans, ketchup, mustard and stir to combine well.
Sprinkle the top with the brown sugar and bake uncovered until bubbly and the top is browned. Usually takes 45 minutes.

*DELISH TIP 1: If you like spicy then use a hot sausage instead of plain sausage.

*DELISH TIP 2: If you don’t eat pork then use Turkey Sausage instead It’s still Delish! You can make it Vegan by using Vegetarian Beans and Seiten too!

Filed Under: Sides, Vegetables

Roasted New Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

April 12, 2017 by

This dish has all the textures and flavors you could want. Crispy, sweet, nutty, crunchy, smooth and satisfying. I made this dish again the other other night with some broiled pork chops and my daughter ate it has her main dish! It’s very easy to make and you could double or triple the amounts to serve a crowd. This dish serves 4.

Tools

  • half sheet tray
  • Spatula
  • saute pan
  • paring knife
  • parchment paper (optional)

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of redskin potatoes
  • 1 pound of Brussel sprouts
  • 8 ounces of bacon** frozen and diced.
  • 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
  • 1.5 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of dried herbs

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each potato in half. Toss with 2 teaspoons of olive oil spread out onto your half sheet tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the ends off of the Brussel sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. When the 15 minutes is up, use your spatula and move the potatoes around they should be starting to brown a bit. Add the Brussel sprouts with the potatoes adding the rest of the olive oil. Retoss the vegetables on the pan coating all the vegetables. Bake for 15 more minutes. While the vegetables are cooking dice up your frozen bacon and sauté in the pan. Check your veggies. Add the bacon and tossed it all together. Cook 5 minutes more if the Brussel sprouts are not browning yet. Serve while hot.

 

Filed Under: Sides, Vegetables

Farro

March 25, 2016 by

My family and I have changed our diets over the last year to include more healthy grains and veggies. We’ve been trying all types of new foods and it’s been fun! My favorite grain right now is Farro. I love Farro, I really do!

It’s a nutty, chewy grain that’s lower in carbohydrates and higher in Fiber than white rice or pasta.  1/2 cup of cooked faro has 37 carbs and 7 grams of fiber (30 net carbs). It tastes good either warm or cold. Tonight I simply cooked it for 30 minutes and stirred in a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles because I didn’t feel like eating it plain. I made a double batch because I’ll add octopus (another love of mine) and crunchy veggies and salad dressing to it and eat it for lunch the rest of the week.  It is very filling

It tastes good either warm or cold. Tonight I simply cooked it for 30 minutes and stirred in a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles because I didn’t feel like eating it plain. I made a double batch because I’ll add octopus (another love of mine) and crunchy veggies and salad dressing to it and eat it for lunch the rest of the week.  It is very filling.

DELISH TIP: I don’t salt the farro until after it’s mostly cooked. I’ve found it to be tough when I add salt to the water like you would rice or pasta. It’s sold at all major grocery stores now.

Today when I got home I repurposed our Farro from last night’s dinner.  This is a loose recipe because I change it ALL the time depending on the veggies, proteins, and dressings that I feel like using (or that I have in the house)

Recipe:

  • 1 1/2 cups of cooked Farro
  • 1/2 cup of diced onion
  • 1/2 cup of diced celery
  • 1/2 cup of diced summer squash
  • 1/2 cup of diced cauliflower
  • 12 oz of cooked sliced octopus (or chicken), drained
  • 1/4 cup of Italian dressing
  • S&P

I tossed all the ingredients and it’s ready to eat!

photo-145

Filed Under: Sides

Beef Lentil Soup

March 25, 2016 by

I really love lentils but I often forget that I do. A humble little legume that I often overlook when I go to the store. I promise to make up some more recipes soon using the lentil! Stay tuned!!

This Recipe Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 3 slices of frozen bacon- dicedphoto-260
  • 1/2 cup shallot- diced
  • 1/2 cup celery- diced
  • 1 cup of carrots -chopped
  • 1 garlic clove- minced
  • 1 TBS olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp of dried herbs
  • 1/2 cup of beer
  • 8 cups of Beef or Bison Broth (I like low sodium)
  • 2 cups of dried brown lentils
  • 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves

 

Using a stockpot, sauté the diced bacon with a little olive oil until almost crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel to drain. Remove all but a 2 TBS of the oil. Saute all the veggies, garlic, herbs and S&P  in the oil until softened at least 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the beer, broth, lentils and the bacon into the pot, cover and simmer until lentils are soft.

The directions said the lentils would only take 20 minutes to cook but it was more like 45 minutes. I topped my soup with a little chopped fresh basil but parsley would be nice too.

photo-271

Delish TIP #1 If you want to add flavor to soup ADD BEER or WINE! It gives a wonderful depth of flavor as it cooks. The only soup I don’t really add alcohol too is my Chicken noodle because I often make it for us when we are sick and it seems weird to me. Soups simmer for awhile and most of the alcohol will cook out.

Delish TIP #2 I like to use organic veggies if I can get them. I love rainbow carrots and the purple ones look like meat when you cut them. You could TOTALLY make this a vegetarian soup. Just omit the bacon and use veggie stock!

 

Filed Under: Sides, Soup

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Welcome to my site!

Follow Me On Twitter

Read More…

Sign Up For Updates

Categories

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Make Dinner Rolls From Pizza Dough
  • Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast
  • Gravy 101
  • Oreo Truffles
  • Basil Pesto

Copyright © 2022 · by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress