Butternut Squash Pasta

This dish is gorgeous. And it tastes good, too. This comes from Diva Barbara. Like me, she doesn't mind whole wheat pasta. I used penne.

Butternut Squash Pasta

1 butternut squash- peeled and cut up (I find the already cut up squash is
not as tasty)

4 shallots sliced (onion ok)

1 tsp. sage

3 tbs. brown sugar

2 tbsp. olive oil plus a bit

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix squash, sage, olive oil and brown sugar in large bowl.
Place on baking sheet and put in the oven
After 15-20 minutes, turn, and cook for another 15 min until soft.
Take out of the oven and put back in the bowl and add a little more olive
oil.
Serve over pasta with fresh grated cheese.

Make it a meal: Serve with side salad.

Wine: Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

Goat Cheese and Smoked Ham Strata

The beauty of this is that it can be made ahead of time. I modified this from an Epicurious recipe. Theirs called for artichoke hearts which might be nice, but I thought had too strong a flavor for a morning dish.

I serve it at our December 24th Open Haus when people stop by for a Bloody Mary at their leisure as they finish up errands.

Goat Cheese and Smoked Ham Strata

1 cup whole milk

2 glugs olive oil

4 cups 1-inch cubes sourdough bread

3/4 cup cream

3 large eggs

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoons salt

dash black pepper

6 oz. soft fresh goat cheese crumbled

a few dashes of sage, thyme, oregano, basil, marjoram

6 oz. smoked ham, chopped or Prosciutto

1 cup grated cheese (I like Gruyere)

1/2 cups grated Parmesan

Butter glass baking dish.
Whisk milk and oil in large bowl; stir in bread.
Let stand until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Whisk cream, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper in another large bowl to blend.
Add goat cheese.
Add herbs.
Place half of bread mixture in prepared dish.
Top with half of ham, herbs, and cheeses.
Pour half of cream mixture over.
Repeat layering with remaining bread, ham, herbs, cheeses, and cream mixture.
At this point, strata can be made 1 day ahead.
Bake at 350 degrees uncovered until firm in center (about 1 hour).

Make it a meal: Serve with Potato Casserole

Wine: Champagne, but a Bloody Mary works nicely, too.

Elegant Turkey Stuffing

I made this for Thanksgiving this year. I used to make stuffing from scratch by chopping sourdough bread for hours. It never came out right. That being said, I did have some day-old slices of sourdough that I chopped and added.

This recipe uses stuffing mix in addition to your own fresh ingredients. It came out great. The extra vegetables and fruit is a nutrition bonus.

Elegant Turkey Stuffing

1/2 cup raisins (I use a combination of golden raisins and craisins)
3/4 cup orange liqueur
1/4 cup butter
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
½ large onion, chopped
½ pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed (I use a big “tube” of Jimmy Dean spicy)
8 ounce package herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
½ cup chopped pecans
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp. sage or thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Place the raisins in a small saucepan, and cover with ½ cup of liqueur.
Bring to boil, remove from heat, and set aside.
In a large skillet, sauté the celery and onion in the butter for about 10 minutes; transfer to a large mixing bowl.
In the same skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until crumbled and evenly brown, then drain.
Combine the sausage and stuffing mix with the celery and onion mixture.
Stir in the raisins and liqueur, pecans, and apples.
Mix in melted butter, chicken broth, the rest of the liqueur.
The stuffing should be moistened.
Season with sage, salt, and pepper.