TheVineyardMom

  3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1 inch cubes 1 large shallot, chopped 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1 ½ cups fresh baby spinach ½ cup dried cranberries ¼ cup sliced almonds for garnish Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil. In a large bowl, mix together the squash, shallot, extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread the mixture in one even layer on the baking sheet. Roast the squash in the oven for 25 minutes or until it’s fork tender and golden brown. Transfer the squash into a serving bowl and toss with the spinach and dried cranberries. Add the additional ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Mix well. Top with sliced almonds and serve immediately. 3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1 inch cubes 1 large shallot, chopped 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1 ½ cups fresh baby spinach ½ cup dried cranberries...

  1 box of triscuit thin crisps 1 box of chicken on a Biskit crackers 8 oz. container of Whipped cream cheese 1 block of cheddar cheese Cut triangles out of the cheddar cheese block that’s the same size as the triscuit thin crisps. Place 3-4 ounces of the cream cheese into a disposable decorating bag or in a sandwich size resealable bag with a small cut off the corner of the bag. Place a dab of the cream cheese on top of the truscuit thin crisp.  Place the triangle cut piece of cheddar cheese on top.  This will help the cheese to adhere to the cracker. Dab a little cream cheese on the bottom half of a chicken in a biskit cracker and attach it to the back of the cheddar cheese to resemble the crust of the pumpkin pie. Place a dollop of cream cheese on the top to resemble whipped cream.

  5.1 ounces vanilla pudding 12 ounces evaporated milk 15 ounces pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus extra for garnish 2 cups whipped cream, divided 1 cup roasted pecans, chopped Place the instant vanilla pudding mix, evaporated milk and pumpkin puree in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric hand mixer until smooth.  Place 1 ¾ cups of whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture along with the pumpkin pie spice. Mix until the cream is just combined. Divide the roasted pecans into the bottom of 4 glasses.  Top the pecans with an equal amount of  the pumpkin pudding between the 4 glasses.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until you are ready to serve. Garnish each glass with a dollop of the remaining whipped cream and sprinkle the top of the cream with some pumpkin pie spice. Serve.

  1 ½ lbs of zucchini  ¼ cup heavy cream 1 large egg ½ cup chopped onion 2 cloves of garlic, minced ½  teaspoon salt , divided ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves ¾ cups crumbled feta cheese ⅓ cup Panko bread crumbs, divided Slice zucchini into ½ inch slices then quarter each slice.  This will yield about 6 cups of quartered zucchini. Place the zucchini in a paper towel lined colander. Sprinkle zucchini pieces with ¼ teaspoon of salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Blot dry after 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2.5 quart baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream and egg together. Stir in the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, feta cheese and 3 tablespoons of panko bread crumbs. Stir in the zucchini.  Spread the mixture in the baking dish and top with the remaining bread crumbs. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and cook for 25 minutes.  Take t...

1 large butternut squash (approximately 3lbs.) 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup half and half or whole milk 2 tablespoons melted butter ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash the squash and pat it dry with paper towels.  Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Rub the cut sides of the squash with the extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes or until the squash is fork tender. Remove the squash from the oven and allow it to cool enough to handle.  Scoop the flesh out of the squash and place into a large mixing bowl. Add milk, butter, smoked paprika, thyme and cayenne pepper if you are using it.  Use an electric hand mixer or potato masher to make the mixture smooth. Serve hot.

  3 medium pears (I use Anjou pears) 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese ¼ cup pecans, chopped 1 tablespoon of honey ¼ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil ¼ teaspoon cinnamon Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Add honey, extra virgin olive oil, goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of the chopped pecans to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Set aside. Cut the pears in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the core and seeds leaving the flesh intact.   Place pears on the baking sheet and fill each pear cavity with about 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese mixture.  Once they are filled, top each pear with the remaining chopped pecans.  Sprinkle each of the pears with the cinnamon. Bake the pears for 25-30 minutes.  Once the pears are done baking, remove them from the oven and drizzle the pears with additional honey if needed.  Serve immediately.

  1 package of store bought pie crust 2 apples, cored and diced 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon Crumble topping: ¼ cup all purpose flour ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup old fashioned oats 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Using a 4 inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the dough into rounds.  Press the rounds into the cavities of a standard muffin pan.  Continue until all the dough is used and the muffin pan has all 12 cavities filled. In a mixing bowl, combine the apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Stir well to combine. Spoon the mixture onto the dough rounds in the muffin pan making sure the mixture is evenly divided. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the crumble.  Using your fingers or a fork, combine the ingredients.  Work the ingredients together until the butter is the size of a peas.  Sprinkle mixture evenly among each apple pie top.   Bake the pies fo...

2 lbs brussel sprouts, halved and thinly sliced ½ cups pomegranate seeds 1 large ripe red pear cored and diced ½ cup chopped toasted almonds ½ cup crumbled goat cheese Viniagrette  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 1 teaspoon honey ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper or shake in a mason jar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shaved brussel sprouts, pomegranate seeds and pears. Pour the dressing over the mixture and mix well.  Top with almonds and goat cheese.  Serve.

  2-2 ½ lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into ¾ inch dice ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley Garlic Aioli ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 garlic clove, grated 1 tablespoon lemon juice Salsa Brava 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 14.5 ounce can of crushed tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic, minced ½ cup chopped yellow onion 2 teaspoons smoked paprika ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ⅛ teaspoon salt Place a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper into a cold oven.  Preheat to 500 degrees. Add baking soda to a pot of boiling water.  Add potatoes, cover and bring back to a boil.  As soon as the water is boiling, cook potatoes for 1 minute.  Drain in a colander. Return the potatoes to the pot and stir for 30 seconds.  Add extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Make sure the potatoes are fully coated. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and pour potatoes onto the hot baking sheet and arrange...

Serves 4 3 red beets 3 golden beets extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 3 ounces of crumbled goat cheese 2 tablespoons thinly chopped chives 3 tablespoons chopped dry roasted pistachios Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the beets and trim all but 1 inch of the greens. Leaving the stem intact will stop them from bleeding color while they cook. Rub the beets with extra virgin olive oil and individually wrap them tightly with foil. Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. Check the tenderness of the beets with the end of a sharp knife. They should be tender but not falling apart. Unwrap the beets and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Using paper towels and kitchen gloves, rub the beets until the skin comes off. Slice the beets into thin circles. In a round or oval dish, alternate the beets by color slightly overlapping each other in a spiral arrangement around the dish. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on the top of the beets. Sprinkle with salt. Top with cr...

Pickled Cauliflower 1 head of cauliflower florets 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup water 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt Distribute cauliflower florets into mason jars. Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir until sugar and salt dissolves. Pour cooled brine over cauliflower.  Allow the cauliflower to pickle for at least 4 hours before eating.  Keep refrigerated.  Good for 3 weeks if refrigerated. Pickled Green Beans 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 4 cups trimmed fresh green beans 4 sprigs of fresh dill 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon sea salt Trim the stems of the green beans.  Cut to fit inside the mason jar. Place a couple of slices of garlic and 2 dill sprigs into the bottom of a mason jar. Add as many green beans that will fit into 2 mason jars. Bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil over medium high heat.  Stir until sugar and salt dissolves. Cool brine and add to the m...