Thursday, August 14, 2014

Squash, squash, and more squash!!

What's a mom to do when her squash garden goes crazy and the kids dispise the taste of it? GET CREATIVE!!!

This post will explore squash recipes both old and new. Some from the interwebs, some will be my own. I will be posting at least one of these a day, complete with pictures and our reviews. Including what I actually got angle baby and monkey man to eat!

How about curry roasted squash soup, roasted squash soup with pesto, tomato basil & squash soup, squash chili, stuffed squash, eggs and squash, squash lasagna, squash fritters, chocolate squash bread, and squash cake.


The first is roasted squash soup with pesto courtesy of the awesome blog "Chocolate & Zucchini!

This is an old stand by and I love it! The kids even love it! It freezes very well and its super easy. I multiple this recipe by about 5 and I am not precise on amounts. Thats the best part about this recipe, its easy to adapt and make it your own.

Overall we all rate this as a 5/5 (even the kiddos)
That is what I call a winning recipe



For the soup:
- 2 shallots (I used walla walla onion)
- 1 pattypan squash, about 23 cm (9″) in diameter
- 1 liter (1 quart) chicken or vegetable stock, homemade if you have it
salt, pepper
olive oil
For the pesto*:
- 50 grams (about 2 1/2 cups) basil leaves
- 50 grams (1 3/4 ounces) ricotta salata (or parmesan, or pecorino)
- 25 grams (3/4 ounce) pine nuts, toasted
salt, pepper
olive oil
Serves 4 to 6.
Peel and mince the shallots. Remove the stem end and bottom button of the pattypan squash (no need to peel it). Quarter it, and cut it in chunks then slices. Put the stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
In a medium pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add the shallots and a sprinkle of salt, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until softened, stirring regularly to avoid coloring.
Add the pattypan squash, sprinkle with salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the simmering stock, plus any boiling water necessary to completely cover the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the squash is very soft.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the pesto. In a blender or food processor (you can also work by hand in a mortar if you prefer), combine the basil, cheese and pine nuts. Add a good pinch of salt, some pepper, and a generous drizzle of olive oil, and pulse until smooth. Add more olive oil if necessary for the pesto to come together.
Remove the soup from the heat, put on an apron, and whizz the soup with a stick blender (or in batches in a regular blender) until completely smooth.
Serve hot, but not too hot, sprinkled with freshly ground pepper, with pesto on the side for each diner to add a spoonful to his bowl.
* The recipe makes more pesto than you’ll need for this soup; I doubt that will be a problem.
Cooking/baking time: 20 min

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

New Businesses!!!

     First and for most I am SUPER EXCITED to share about my new business opportunities. I am now a presenter for Younique cosmetics. I LOVE IT! The women are amazing and it is a relatively new company. I feel completely supported by my team and we are all in it together. Not like other places I have worked for that make you feel like you are competing for customers. I am still pretty new, but have already paid for my own makeup and have started a savings for our up coming Disneyland trip! I have VERY sensitive skin, hence all of the homesteading, but no matter how I try and I can not get excited about my homemade mascara. It does not do anything but make them black and straight. It is horrible when it runs and I do not feel that "sexy back" feeling I look for when I actually take the time to put on makeup... hehe
    With the 3D fiber mascara lashes I FEEL SEXY! I feel flirty, fun, and ready to conquer the world. I know it sounds like a lot for a little tube of black stuff to do, but I promise you it does that and more!








I am finally back!

After yet another long hiatus, I am back in the blogging world with more umph then ever before! I have had a lot of changes around home, like the addition of two part-time jobs, home business, and renting out our room on AirBNB.  I have found that between that, homeschooling, and my own school; there has been very little time for blogging. Well, not anymore.....I AM BACK!