Recipes

I stumbled upon a few delicious recipes lately and thought I would share them!  I also found a new website (new to me anyway!) called Ziplist where I can save recipes to my recipe box.  I haven't organized it or really explored it yet and if someone has a better way to organize recipes online, please let me know!  I was using Delicious, but we switched back to Internet Explorer and it doesn't work with IE as well as it did with Firefox. 

Anyway, on to the recipes:

Carmalized Butternut Squash (I also used sweet potatoes instead one time and it turned out delicious!)

Serves: 6

2	butternut squash (4 to 5 pounds total)
6-8 tbsp	unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
14 cup	light brown sugar (packed)
112 tsp	kosher salt
12-1 tsp	black pepper (fresh ground)

Method

1	Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2	Cut off the ends of each butternut squash and discard.
3	Peel the squash and cut in half lengthwise.
4	Using a spoon, remove the seeds.
5	Cut the squash into 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" cubes (large and uniform is best), and place them on a baking sheet.
6	Add the melted butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
7	With clean hands, toss all of the ingredients together and spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet.
8	Roast for 45 minutes to 55 minutes, until the squash is tender and the glaze begins to caramelize.
9	Turn the squash while roasting a few times with a spatula to be sure it browns evenly.
10	Adjust seasonings if needed.
11	Serve hot.
12	Enjoy!

Ham and Cheddar Chowder

6-8 ServingsPrep: 20 min. Cook: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 can (15-3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

Directions

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, potatoes, carrots, celery,
• onion, salt and pepper to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for
• 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Remove from the
• heat; do not drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in flour until
• smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2
• minutes or until thickened.
• Add cheese and stir until melted. Stir into the undrained vegetables;
• return large saucepan to the heat. Add corn and ham; heat through,

Overnight Pumpkin French Toast Casserole (This was yummy, and will be going on our favorites list, but next time I plan to add some chopped apples into it to add some flavor!)
1/2 C Butter
12 slices White Bread
1/2 C Brown Sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 – 1/2 c.  pumpkin
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
5 eggs
1 1/2 c Milk
Melt the margarine and pour into a 9×13 pan. Mix the brown sugar and the pumpkin spice seasoning. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk & vanilla together.
Spread a thin layer of pumpkin (as if you were buttering a piece of bread) on six of the slices of bread. Layer the bottom of the 9×13 pan with all six pieces. Next, sprinkle half of the brown sugar and pumpkin spice mixture over the top of the pumpkin that is spread on the bread. Spread a thin layer of the pumpkin over the next six pieces of bread the same way. Pour the egg mixture over the top of all of it and then sprinkle the remaining brown sugar/pumpkin spice mixture over the top.
Cover & refrigerate overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Honestly, the longer the better. In the morning, cover the dish with tinfoil and bake in a 350 degree over for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover the dish and bake an additional 15 more minutes. It should be golden and set.
Remove from oven and serve hot. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar if you want. This can also be served with syrup, butter, whipped cream or just eaten plain. It is delicious!
P.S. We are going to try it with some other “flavors” and I will let you know what we come up with, that actually works and tastes good.