Menus, October 2, 2012

Hello all, and welcome to October!
In Texas, the temperature hovers in the high seventies; that may not seem like autumn to some of you, and yet.....

these are popping up all over!

It's pumpkin time!
Just check the grocery circulars- pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin cider...
And that's a good thing. Because pumpkin is really just a winter squash, as are butternut and acorn squash. Keep in your pantry for weeks, they're versatile, yummy and packed with antioxidants and vitamins.
Jack-o-lanterns though, aren't good eating pumpkins, and not every eating pumpkin is good for carving into jack-o-lanterns.
My faves for cooking and eating? Butternut, and the mighty Queensland Blue


not exactly blue, but certainly not orange

I expect though, that those are my two favorites only because there are about a bajillion minus three varieties I haven't tried. I'll be using butternut twice this week, and canned and fresh pumpkin throughout the fall.

Wednesday: Ratatouille, rice and chicken.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ratatouille/
 I have an eggplant, two zucchini, some tomatoes and an onion left from last week. What does that sound like to you?

no, not this ratatouille!

            THIS ratatouille!



I'll be spooning this on top of rice and serving it along with pounded chicken breast (on sale at Aldi) that I'll drizzle with lemon juice and cook in a pan with a little olive oil.  I'll cook up an extra chicken breast or two for some lo mein tomorrow.

Thursday: Chicken lo Mein
http://family.go.com/food/recipe-788714-easy-chicken-lo-mein-t/
Last night's leftover chicken gets sliced up and mixed with veggies and an easy sauce. The recipe makes things super easy by using a bag of frozen stirfry veg, and I may do that, or I may use the broccoli, carrots, celery and onions I have on hand. If you use the frozen veg, thaw them first, okay? Throwing icey stuff into hot oil not only tragically brings down the temperature of the oil, it can also tragically spatter said hot oil, causing an irritating and painful pause in dinner prep.
Sigh. The things one learns by doing, right?

Friday: Baked Squash and Salad
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/pauls-baked-squash-dinne_n_1062582.html
Here's the first appearance of butternut, and it looks delicious. I'll be using cranberries instead of cherries, and I won't be paying for radicchio, Though a lettuce with a strong flavor will balance nicely with the squash. I'm pretty sure a spring mix, or butter lettuce or fresh spinach will do the job.
I'll bake an extra squash without filling, to use in butternut soup on Sunday.

Saturday: Flank steak and green beans
http://www.food.com/recipe/broiled-flank-steak-161453
I bought a flank steak on sale last week, and left it cold and lonely  in the freezer while I went off to play at the state fair. Tonight it gets another chance. Actually, two chances. I'll serve it tonight with green beans- just frozen whole green beans, cooked in some  hot olive oil with spoonful of  minced garlic. Then on Monday or Tuesday, the leftovers will turn into fajitas.

Sunday: Butternut Squash soup and salad
  http://localfoods.about.com/od/soups/r/squashsoup.htm
this is a great basic soup recipe, with variations included. Since this is our first pot-o-punkin soup-o-the-season, I'll going for the familiar. I'll saute some onion, add a little chicken broth, and the cooked squash from Friday, and blend it up. Then I'll add enough broth and/or evaporated milk to bring it to the right...thinness? thickness? You know what I'm trying to say, don't you? Broth or half &half  or cream until it arrives somewhere between milk and mashed potatoes.
A nice salad or a grilled cheese sandwich would be lovely alongside.

I hope the cooling temperatures and the smells of roasting winter veggies bring you all a quiet rest and quiet energy this week-
Happy cooking, happy eating, and most of all, happy autumn!