Mish Mash!

First off, the butternut squash lasagna. I know you've all been dying to know...it was AMAZING! I cannot wait to make it again.  It was rich and creamy, sweet and savoury, and so unbelievably comforting.  I can't imagine anyone not liking this.  I read some of the reviews for this recipe (it got a 5 star rating from over 300 testers), and it looks like I'm not the only one who thought it was fabulous!  The one thing I would try next time to is to use sage rather than basil as the fresh herb.  Basil was fantastico, but for some reason, I think sage would compliment the squash even better!  I brought several small pieces to my trusty coworker food critics, and all agreed, this one's a keeper!

 

 I haven't been nearly as ambitious this week in my cooking - I've kept it simple and tried to use up most of what I had left from previous deliveries (I've got a new one coming this week!).  I also tried my hand at baking, and since my last carrot cake turned out well, it was almost a guarantee my zucchini bread would be a failure - and that it was!

 

My regular camera was also out of comission this week, so my photos came from my little point and shoot, not a bad little camera, but I miss my baby :( 

I call this one...

 MacMills Refrigerator Crisper Spaghetti

This is a relatively common meal for Rory and I - and it's never the same twice! I love using the jarred tomato puree that contains just tomatoes (no salt even!), and then loading it with my own veg, meat, spices - whatever is on hand.  I'll often do this in the slow cooker too.  For this batch we added...

• 1 jar (500ml ish) of pure tomato puree (I can't remember the brand name off hand)
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped (MEO)
• 1 carrot, grated (MEO)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped finely (MEO)
• 1 large zuchinni, grated (MEO)
• 10 button mushrooms, sliced (MEO)
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef.
• 1 box PC omega 3 pasta (yummy white pasta made with a combo of lentils, ground flax seed, and some whole grain barley and wheat flour - 6g of fibre per serving!)
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• dried basil, oregano, marjoram, red pepper flakes - about 1 tsp of each
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp white sugar (it was just a bit too tangy, needed a little sweetness to round it out)
• s&p to taste

1. Brown ground beef over medium heat, drain excess fat
2. Heat EVOO over med heat, add onions and garlic, saute until translucent
3. Add everything else including beef and simmer on low, covered, for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better!)
4. Cook pasta as directed, and combine noodles and sauce.

Yummer! Even better leftover too - This makes 6 generous portions, and we generally end up freezing a couple of them. 

Sinkhole Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaf

The recipe I used for this loaf is actually tried and true....I've made many delicious loaves from it over the years...that is, if I don't substitute, and if I read the directions clearly.  Details details...this is why me and baking are not bffs.  My biggest faux pas here was using one large loaf pan, rather than two smaller ones.  This resulted in a dry exterior, and uncooked interior core, thus causing a massive sink hole.  I promise, I did the toothpick test! Problem is, with chocolate chips, you get false negatives...you pull the toothpick out, and it's chocolate covered whether the cake is cooked through or not!  Oi...I've got a lot to learn.  If I venture to make zucchini loaves again, and if they turn out - I will be happy to share the recipe :)

Tonight's dinner was a lesson in 'simple is best'. 

Baked rainbow trout, steamed asparagus, leek and sweet potato soup.

First of all - no judging, I know it's not quite asparagus season yet, and these lovely stalks didn't come from my produce box either...they were just calling my name last week in the produce aisle, and I caved ok?! yeesh.  it could've been pizza pockets or something equally as processed!

The trout was brushed with canola oil, and seasoned with s&p, then baked at 400F for 10 minutes.

The asparagus was steamed for about 7 minutes and seasoned with s&p

The soup was made with 2 leeks (MEO), several sweet potatoes (MEO), 1 tbsp EVOO, and my homemade chicken stock, then pureed, and seasoned with s&p.

A wonderfully simple meal, that took 30 minutes to prepare from when I walked into the kitchen to when I took my first bite.

I haven't blogged about this, but I did make a batch of chicken stock last week.  When I made my cabernet chicken a couple of weeks ago, I froze the chicken carcass.  When I had a few hours on my hands last week, I pulled it out and made my stock...

Erin's Chicken Stock

• 1 chicken carcass
• 1 onion, washed and quatered (don't bother peeling it)
• 1-2 carrots washed and cut in to 2-3 large pieces (don't bother peeling)
• 1-2 stalks of celery, washed and cut in to 2-3 large pieces
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 10 whole peppercorns

1. Put chicken carcess in a large stock pot. Pour in cold water, until carcass is just covered.
2. Add everything else
3. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat down to low, and simmer uncovered, for at least 2 hours
4. Strain out solids and put stock in the fridge overnight - the fat will rise to the surface and solidify, making it east to skim off.
5. Use the stock within 5 days or freeze it to use whenever (I usually make about 2 litres)

* keep in mind, I don't add any salt to my stock (otherwise it would be chicken broth).  I prefer to season my foods at the end.  Homemade stock makes a HUGE difference in my opinion.

To finish off this post, I have to share the photos of my nephew's 5th birthday party cake from today.  My soon to by sister-in-law Kathy never ceases to amaze me with her mad baking skills....The party theme was "A Day at the Movies" - She made 'popcorn cupcakes' (cake from scratch too of course!)...ridiculously cute...