Down Home Country Cooking

Disclaimer! I did not roast that chicken! But I did make the stuffing (stove top) and the squash.

Well, I've been meditating a little about the simple life lately. For some reason I have been yearning to visit the country, explore the wilderness and eat some wholesome, stick to your ribs types of fare. This may have to do with my new found fondness for country music and my new interest in snow shoeing. Anyhoo, the weather was getting colder and acorn squash and stuffing started sounding really good.

Growing up, my dad would make acorn squash, and though I wasn't a very adventurous eater back then, I really enjoyed the sweet simplicity of it. Getting my own half of tender, buttery sweetness. And it was cool because it came in it's own bowl. ;)

I've been telling my husband and sister a lot lately that "I'm getting back to my country roots." My dad grew up on a farm in North Dakota and my mom is from Texas. Though I grew up in Washington my whole life, I am clinging to the idea that part of my heart belongs in the rugged, open wilderness. And despite my addiction to shopping (and my need to be close to at least one major shopping area), deep in my heart, I just want to live a simple country life. With a vegetable garden, and perhaps a chicken or two.

Ok, on to the cooking. So, just when I was having a craving for acorn squash, Paula Dean just happened to be on the television with her acorn squash recipe. And who is more country than Paula Dean? I followed it almost completely, except I cut the top and bottom off the squash so it would sit evenly. As you can tell from the picture, I must have cut it too close because the butter, syrup and brown sugar leaked out of the bottom and burned. Not appetizing. Though the squash still turned out okay. With the chicken and stuffing, it was perfect. And to finish it all off, some of Brian's pumpkin bread and ice cream. What a satisfying meal!

Lessons learned: Get bigger squashes and don't cut too much off the ends. Also, my dad told me that he doesn't add the butter, etc till the end. And he'll cook the squash in a tray of water that comes up about half-way. (I am going to use a pyrex dish next time.) This makes it cook faster too. Oh, and just in case, foil your pan too.

Well, if you too have a hankering for some good country cooking, please try this recipe. And if you find yourself dreaming about open landscapes and clear blue skies, please imagine me there too, perhaps riding a horse beside you, (I've always wanted to learn how to ride a horse). And together, we can talk about the simple things in life.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-acorn-squash-with-brown-sugar-and-butter-recipe/index.html

Halloween Cookies

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I guess the kid inside me comes out because I love dressing up in costumes and baking and decorating in the Halloween theme. Here are some sugar cookies some friends and I decorated.

Being short on time, instead of using my complicated Martha Stewart recipe, I found a much simpler one on allrecipes.com. I was pretty skeptical that the recipe wouldn't turn out. It seemed too easy. But like magic, the dough turned out well. It was easy to roll out, and it baked up smoothly too. A simple and fast sugar cookie recipe does exist! Why do I live in Martha Stewart Land?

Note: There are cute Halloween sprinkles for sale this time of year. Beware! I've had the same sprinkles for years. They never run out! Or go stale....Phew! But as long as they exist, I do foresee more fun and creativity in my future.

Chocolate Madeleines

What happened to September? It's almost the end of October and I realized I haven't blogged in awhile.

Well in tribute to my trip to Paris, I wanted to make something French. While overseas, I had a wonderful time exploring with my husband. We ate lots of food (I finally got a crepe!) and visited a bunch of touristy sites. And took time to picnic by the Seine and stroll through the gardens of Versailles. I think the food was definitely a highlight of our trip. Not so great when we were first in London, but drastically improved once we arrived in Paris. After returning, I was inspired to bake.

For my birthday, my sister Amie had gotten me a couple tea party recipe books. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE tea parties? One of the books in particular was really neat because it had recipes from various tea houses in Europe. The recipe I used is from the Ritz Hotel in Paris. They are called "Madeleines de Proust" on the menu there, after Proust who mentioned this cookie in his Remembrances of Things Past. I used the chocolate variation of the recipe.

I have mixed feelings about how they turned out. Generally I like a moist, slightly cakey cookie, but these turned out a little too dense. And not as chocolately as I had hoped. I really thought they would come out tasting like brownies or devil's food. (I added plenty of dutch processed cocoa and also an ounce of melted bittersweet chocolate.) But alas, it was not meant to be. I personally blame it on the honey, an ingredient that I've never associated with madeleines. But maybe that is the French way...

All in all, the recipe was a nice way for me to reminisce about my trip and ease back into baking with something simple. And, like my trip, after awhile, the cookies improved with each bite.