Mar. 14, 2008
Verbena Simple Syrup
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
Lemon Verbena has to be my #1 all time favorite. The smell drives me wild. it is so delicious. Here is a good way to use the herb in your kitchen.
Verbena Simple Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
Generous handful fresh lemon verbena leaves
Bring all ingredients to a boil, then let cool to room temperature. Remove lemon verbena leaves - the syrup should be a light yellow-green color and have the definite flavor and odor of lemon verbena. This syrup has an infinite number of uses; here are some of my favorites:
Use it to sweeten your favorite herbal, black or green tea.
Brush it over your favorite white or citrus cake or sweetbreads and muffins; this will add a delicate flavor and help keep your baked goods extra moist.
Gently drizzle over a bowl of freshly sliced strawberries, blueberries, or peaches.
Use as a sweetener on top of crepes, french toast, or pancakes.
Grandma Rosie
Jan. 31, 2008
Cast Iron Cookery
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
I have both traditional cast iron cookware – a Dutch oven and skillets which were my grandmothers’ – and modern porcelain enamel over cast iron cookware made by Le Creuset. My 4 quart Le Creuset round oven is by far the piece of cookware I use the most. The large 10 quart round oven comes in handy for serving a crowd or boiling a whole chicken for broth. When I make pot roast, it is always in my grandmother’s perfectly seasoned 4 quart cast iron Dutch oven.
Lodge Manufacturing Company, the largest producers of cast iron cookware, distinguishes between the two most common types of cast iron ovens. According to Lodge, the “Dutch” oven is the one with the rounded top and flat bottom (no legs). The oven with the flat lid with the lip around it and the legs on the bottom is a “Camp” oven. Obviously, the camp oven is the one you would want to use in coals or over a fire in an outdoor setting.
I use my cast iron every day in my kitchen. The Le Creuset is expensive, yes, but I know I will be able to pass these pieces on to my daughters and their daughters after them. A wise investment. I have collected it piece by piece over the last 20 years and have often asked for a piece for my birthday or Christmas. Lodge also makes porcelain enameled cookware.
Porcelain enameled cast iron would not be appropriate for the outdoor-style cooking – that is what the traditional cast iron camp ovens are for. The ability to cook virtually anything for your family with only a good campfire or hot coals is a useful skill indeed and one I plan to work on this summer. During power outages, I have used my cast iron on top of our wood burning stove to make everything from pancakes to stew. Cast iron is an indispensable part of the homestead kitchen. Here are a few resources from the web to learn more: Lisa
Byron’s Dutch Oven Cooking Page –
Very informative site with lots of resources and recipes.
Lodge Manufacturing
Family owned and operated out of S. Pittsburg, TN they are the largest producer of cast iron cookware in the U.S. for over 100 years. Order their free catalog and get on their “What’s Cooking” email newsletter list for recipes and specials.
International Dutch Oven Society
The premier organization for all Dutch oven enthusiasts.
Perfect Cornbread
Sift together 1 ½ cups cornmeal, 1 ½ cups flour, one tsp. salt, three tsp. baking powder and ¼ cup sugar. Add just enough milk to make a thick batter consistency. Add one egg, and two tsp. warm bacon fat and pour into hot lavishly bacon-greased pan and bake in hot oven until done, ½ to ¾ hour.
The above excerpt is taken from Woodstove Cookery, by Jane Cooper, Garden Way Publishing, 1977. This recipe was originally created for a wood cookstove, but can be made in a regular oven at 400 to 450 degrees.
Old-time temperature equivalents:
Very slow oven 200 - 250°
Slow oven 250 - 325°
Moderately slow oven 325 - 350°
Moderate oven 350 - 375°
Moderately hot oven 375 - 400°
Hot oven 400 - 450°
Very hot oven 450 - 500°
Lisa Vitello
From the January/February 2008 issue of New Harvest Homestead
Jan. 18, 2008
Crockpot Cooking
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
Lately I have using my crockpot a lot and love it! I have had a great sense of freedom throughout my day knowing that my dinner was slowly simmering away in the kitchen. When meal time comes I add a salad, set the table and my family and I sit down to a delicious meal. I do all the prep work and clean up in the morning so after dinner the only mess to clean up is the dinner dishes.
Crockpot cooking does require a little preplanning. I need to know what I am cooking and what preps I need to take care of before morning time arrives. It may be pulling out meat to defrost, soaking some beans or rice, or pulling out other ingredients before going to bed so in the morning I have everything I need ready to go.
Here are some recipes that have been tried by family as of late. They were all given a hearty “thumbs up” from everyone!
Cheesy Chicken and Rice (for the crockpot)
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
3T olive oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup (organic kind such as the brand Amy’s)
1 can evaporated milk
2 to 3 cups grated cheese
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 can green beans, drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a medium sized frying cook onions, mushrooms and chicken in the olive oil until chicken is no longer pink and veggies are soft. Put in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.
Notes: I soak my brown rice before cooking, so with this recipe I soaked it the night before and cooked it in the morning. After the rice had cooked I assembled the rest of the recipe and let simmer all afternoon.
Crockpot Bean Dish
2 cups dry red beans
1 cup dry navy beans
1 T salt
1 onion, chopped
2t dry mustard
½ t smoke flavoring
½ cup Sucanat
½ cup honey
1 cup bbq sauce (homemade preferred)
The night before serving this meal cover beans with water and let soak. The next morning drain beans, cover with more water and salt and cook until beans are tender. When beans have finished cooking, drain, reserving some of the bean broth. Put beans in crockpot and add remaining ingredients. Add some of the reserved bean broth till it is your desired consistency. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
Note: I have 2 crockpots and served these beans with the Cheesy Chicken and Rice dish above.
Crockpot Chili
1 lb hamburger
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped peppers (these can be green or red or yellow peppers or a combo of any of them)
1 cup chopped celery
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
4 to 5 cups cooked red beans – Reserve a couple cups bean broth from cooking the beans
2T chili powder
1T hot pepper sauce (such as the brand Tabasco)
1T minced garlic
1t salt
In a medium sized frying pan cook the hamburger and veggies until the meat is completely cooked and the veggies are tender. Put in crockpot. Add remaining ingredients and enough reserved bean broth to give it your desired consistency. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with tortilla chips and salsa or cornbread and a green salad.
Corned Beef and Cabbage for the Crockpot
2 onions, sliced
2 t minced garlic
3 potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
1 corned beef, 3 to 4lbs
Small head of cabbage or half of a bigger one, cut into slices
1 cup water
In the bottom of a large size crockpot layer onions, garlic and potatoes. Set corned beef on top and lay cabbage slices on to of the meat. Pour in 1 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 11 hours.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 6 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
Jan. 4, 2008
Dried Apple Cakes...From OGH
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
These are wonderful and well worth a try.
SHAKER APPLE CAKE.
******************
1 cup dried apples
1 cup molasses
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour, sifted
2 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
Soak dried apples overnight. In the morning cut them fine
and simmer in the molasses for 20 minutes. Cool. Combine
sour cream, sugar and egg. Beat until smooth. Combine dry
ingredients and sift 2 times. Blend both mixtures and beat
until smooth. Add fruit and molasses and turn into buttered
loaf pan bake at 350 for 1 hour.
DRIED APPLE STACK CAKE
*********************
1 c. butter
3/4 c. white sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 c. molasses
5 c. plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp. soda
1 c. buttermilk
DRIED APPLE FILLING:
3 c. dried apples
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cloves
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, beating well. Sift dry
ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture alternating
with buttermilk. Mix well. Pour batter in round cake pans
that have been greased and floured well. After putting
batter in pan put enough flour or approximately 1 teaspoon
on top of batter. Pat down and spread out to cover pan.
Bake approximately 15-20 minutes in 375 degree oven. Cool cake
layers.
Mash dried apples, spread between layers.
Best to leave set 1-2 days before served.
Dried Apple Cake
****************
Ingredients:
3 cups dried apple
4 eggs beaten
1 cup sugar and 1 cup butter, cream well
1 cup sour milk
3 cups sifted cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
lemon extract or flavoring to taste
Directions:
Soak 3 cups dried apples in as little water as
possible overnight. Chop the apples fine and boil
30 minutes in 2 cups sugar. Cool.
Add rest of ingredients as for any cake mixture.
Oven 350 degrees F. Bake in buttered lightly floured
sheet pan or in 2 deep 9-in. layer tins 40 minutes.
Cover with thick boiled frosting. This cake will keep
moist and delicious.
Grandma Rosie
Jan. 4, 2008
Cranberries..not just for the holidays
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
Cranberries are a bargain right now. You can get the bags of fresh ones
pretty cheap. I love those tart little darlings. So full of flavor and very
good for you. Give these a try, you wil be pleased with the results!
Cranberry Sauce - Jellied
(from the Ball Blue Book)
4 ¼ Cups Cranberries
2 Cups Sugar
1 ¾ Cups Water
Wash cranberries; drain. Combine cranberries and water in a large
saucepot. Boil until skins burst. Press mixture through a sieve or food
mill. Add sugar to cranberry pulp and juice. Boil mixture almost to
gelling point. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving ¼- inch headspace.
Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minute in a boiling water canner.
Yield: about 2 pints
Recipe Variation: Stick cinnamon or whole cloves tied in a spice bag may
be cooked with the sauce to give a spicy flavor. Remove spice bag before
canning sauce.
Note: To serve jellied sauce as a mold, pack sauce in straight-sided
canning jars for easy removal.
If you do not have a sieve or food mill try this , place a small wire
strainer over a mixing bowl or 4 cup measure and working in small batches press pulp along strainer with a wooden spoon. This will release the juices
to the measure cup/bowl while leaving the pulp in the strainer.
Now for my favorite jam recipe. It is called Christmas Jam, but it is a
round the year treat at our house.
Christmas Jam
2 packages frozen whole strawberries - (20 oz ea)
(or 2 1/2 qts fresh strawberries)
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
5 pounds sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin
Grind fruit in a food processor or a grinder and place in a large kettle.
Add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute. Stir in
pectin; return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring
constantly. Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes (skim off foam).
Pour into hot jars leaving 1/4 in head space. Adjust caps. Process for 15
minutes in a boiling water bath.
This recipe yields 14 half-pints.
Canning is an all year project. There is always something to be added to the larder no matter what time of the year it is!
Grandma Rosie
Dec. 29, 2007
What are your favorite Homestead Kitchen Tools?
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
If you are like me you are short on time and long on plans! I have a few tools in the kitchen I really feel like I could not do without. Commen sense tells me I could, but my "Hurrier I Go Behinder I Get " fear says different.
Number one on my list is my crockpot. Put it and let it cook itself. Uses very little electricity so it is cost effective also.
Here are some of my favorites:
Chicken Stew
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 14 1/2 ounce can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
5 carrots, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 4 oz cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2 low sodium chicken bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups cold water
In a 5 quart crockpot, combine the first 12 ingredients. In a small
bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into chicken
mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until vegetables
are tender.
Makes 6 servings.
Then there is my pressure cooker.
If I have unexpected company, I can pull a roast out of the freezer and pop into the cooker, still frozen and it will be done by the time the sides are cooked.
Tell use about your favorites!
Grandma Rosie
POT ROAST WITH GARLIC-SMASHED POTATOES
Recipe source:Cook's Essential 8qt programmable pc owner's manual
(80 minutes, high pressure)
Cook potatoes and whole garlic cloves along with your roast. Smash the
potatoes with the garlic and serve alongside the roast for a hearty one-pot
meal.
You'll need a few metal or bamboo skewers for threading the garlic
cloves--or you can wrap them loosely in a cheesecloth bundle.
5-pound boneless chuck beef chuck roast, tied with string
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
One 14.5-ounce can low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
8 large potatoes, scrubbed (leave whole)
12 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
Garnish: 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1. Season roast well with salt and pepper.
2. Press BROWN and START. Heat oil in cooker and brown roast well on all
sides. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onions, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until
onions begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth and bay leaves. Return roast to cooker. Set potatoes on top and around roast. Thread garlic cloves on skewers and set skewers on top of potatoes or roast.
4. Pull lid handles apart and set lid on cooker. Slide safety lock to LOCK
position. Point pressure regulator knob to PRESSURE.
5. Set pressure mode for HIGH and cook time for 80 MINUTES
Dec. 14, 2007
Goat Milk Fudge
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
2 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup goat’s milk
2 cups mini-marshmallows (or 16 large marshmallows)
¼ cup butter
¼ t. salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
It helps to pre-measure and set out all ingredients for this recipe. Grease a 9x9 pan with butter. In a medium size saucepan combine sugar, goat milk, marshmallows, butter and salt. Cook over low heat until this mixture begins to bubble and make sure you stir constantly. Reduce your heat a little lower and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and as quick as possible stir in the chocolate chips, vanilla and nuts if using. Stir this very well until the chips are melted and the fudge is smooth. Don’t waste any time getting the well mixed fudge into the 9x9 pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until it is firm. Cut and enjoy! You can store it in containers too for gift giving. Put wax paper between the layers of candy.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 6 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
Dec. 2, 2007
Super Easy Drop Sugar Cookies
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
These are easy to make and go great with a cup of hot coffee or tea
1 cup cane juice crystals
1 cup powdered Sucanat (powdered sugar will work if you can’t find the powdered Sucanat)
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup olive oil
2 eggs
4 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 t salt
1 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
Combine very well with a mixer the cane juice crystals, powdered Sucanat, butter and olive oil. Add eggs and beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop dough by small spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little cane juice crystals if desired. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes. This recipe will make approximately 5 dozen cookies.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 6 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
Nov. 29, 2007
Homemade Honeyed Cranberry Jelly
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
Since fresh cranberries abound right now, and the prices are very good as they are in season, I decided to experiment making my own honeyed cranberry jelly. And, I have to say I am absolutely delighted with the results! Here is my recipe:
Honeyed Cranberry Jelly
1 cup water
½ cup honey
10 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries (enough to fill a two cup measuring cup)
1 tsp. Pomona’s Universal Pectin in more honey
1. Bring water and honey to a boil in a heavy saucepan.
2. Add cranberries and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. (If you like whole cranberry jelly, go to step 5 now.)
3. Remove from heat and put cranberries through a sieve. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve, as this sauce is very thick and some will cling to the bottom of the strainer.
4. Put the sauce back into the saucepan. Bring it back to a boil.
5. Stir pectin into another ¼ cup of honey and then stir into the boiling sauce. Boil for five minutes.
6. Pour sauce into a hot pint jar, seal and let cool, then store in the fridge. To can for the pantry, don't allow it to cool and process in a boiling water bath for five minutes. This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.
Lisa Vitello
Lisa publishes the New Harvest Homestead newsletter for women who love the homestead life. Visit her website at www.newharvesthomestead.com.
Nov. 19, 2007
How to Roast a Turkey
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
I am sure a lot of you reading this already know how to cook a turkey. But I also know that many ladies have never done it before. I was in my late 20’s before I cooked my first turkey. My grandma or mom or mother in law had always done that part. When I went to cook my first turkey I was reading lots of cookbooks and talking with my mother to learn. It is not like we have the opportunity to practice turkey roasting too often!
I thought I would just share from my own turkey roasting experience how I have done it. There are lots of ways to do this and tips, etc.. and I am sure I won’t cover them all but will share what has worked for me.
First is the actual buying of the turkey. I typically have purchased frozen turkeys. The week before Thanksgiving you can find turkeys at the best price of the year. In fact I usually take advantage of these great prices and buy another turkey or two for the freezer. A mini Thanksgiving dinner at another time of the year is actually kind of fun. A couple of years ago I bought a fresh turkey from Costco and it was good too.
If you buy your turkey frozen you will need a few days to let it defrost. Do not sit it on the counter to defrost. The outside of the turkey will start to spoil before the center has completely defrosted. This is especially true for bigger birds. I put my turkey in the refrigerator to defrost. Two days ahead of time for a small turkey (say 12lbs or under) and three to four days for a bigger turkey.
The night before Thanksgiving I open the turkey up and wash him and remove the giblets. I put those in a bowl and put them back in the fridge. The next day I boil those with some salt and use the broth for my gravy as well as cutting up the giblets to add to the gravy. I rinse the turkey off in cool water making sure he has defrosted completely. I put him in a large roaster pan, cover him up with plastic wrap and put him back in the fridge until the next day.
I also make up my stuffing the night before. Don’t put the stuffing in the bird the night before to save time. This can once again cause spoilage. After I make the stuffing I store it in the fridge.
On Thanksgiving morning I pull the turkey out, preheat the oven, remove the plastic and stuff my turkey. I find the easiest way to do this is to set the turkey in my clean sink and use a big spoon (or my clean hands) to spoon in the stuffing. Then I set the stuffed turkey on my roasting pan. I melt a cube (we call them cubes here in my parts.. some call them sticks) of butter and if it is a big turkey I melt 2 cubes. I take a brush and brush the top of my turkey with this melted butter. Cover the bird with foil and put him in the oven to start baking.
After he has baked for about an hour I use my trusty turkey baster and baste him with the melted butter that has drizzled to the bottom of my pan along with any other juices that have also accumulated.
I continue to cook and baste for the required amount of time. The closer I get to the finish time the more frequently I baste. I also take the foil off for the last couple of hours so the turkey can brown nicely.
Now for some specifics:
Temperature to Bake a Turkey:
325 is what I have always done
How Long to Cook:
If your turkey is stuffed:
8 to 12lbs about 3 hours
12 to 15lbs about 4 hours
15 to 18lbs about 4 ½ hours
18 to 24lbs about 4 1/2 to 5 hours
If you don’t stuff your turkey you can subtract about anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour off the above times.
However my experience has been that this is a rough estimate. I have had it take longer or shorter.. Your very, very best guide will be your thermometer.
The temperature of the whole turkey, no matter where you put the thermometer (but not touching bone) should read a minimum of 165 (and that includes taking the temp of the stuffing). I actually like it when the temps are a bit higher than that say.. 180.
I also wiggle the drumstick and it should move very easily. When the turkey has finished cooking, take it out of the oven and let is sit for 15 to 20 minutes. This will give you time to make the gravy and mash the potatoes.
I hope you all have a wonderful day of good food, family and much thankfulness.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 5 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap and more!
Nov. 2, 2007
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
I made these yummy cinnamon rolls for my family a few days ago. They were a big hit in my home! I hope you enjoy them too 
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup butter (half of a stick or cube)
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup honey
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 T yeast
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour**
¼ cup gluten flour**
Butter
Sucanat or brown sugar
Cinnamon
**Options: you can use half white flour and half whole wheat flour in place of all whole wheat and gluten flour
In a sauce pan combine milk and butter. Heat until the milk is hot and the butter almost melted. Pour the milk/butter combination in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid or Bosch mixer. Let this cool to lukewarm. Add the pumpkin pure, honey, salt, eggs and yeast. Stir until well mixed. Add flour and mix until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of your bowl but is still soft and pliable. Let this sit and rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
Turn the mixer back on to punch down the dough. Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into 2 pieces. Roll the first piece out in a rectangle approximately 12x15 inches.
Butter the dough and sprinkle Sucanat or brown sugar all over. You can use as much or as little as you desire. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of this. Starting at the long side of the dough roll it up jelly roll style. Pinch the dough to seal. Cut the dough into one inch pieces. I like to use my kitchen scissors for this job.
Repeat this with the other half of the dough.
Lay out the cut cinnamon rolls onto a large jelly roll pan or in 2 9x13 pans. Let them rise until the have doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Glaze with a powdered sugar (or powdered Sucanat) glaze as soon as they come out of the oven, if desired.
Glaze
1 1/2 C powdered Sucanat or powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
2 - 3 Tbs milk
Mix until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 6 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
Oct. 30, 2007
Winter Squash Bake
Posted in Homestead Kitchen
I love winter squash and this is my favorite way to make it! This is one of those recipes that can be easily adjusted depending on the number of people you are serving. Because of that I will give you instructions and amounts are left up to your discretion.
You will need some type of squash; acorn is readily available this time of year in the grocery store. But there are others, and you may want to try a new variety.
Cut the squash in half, length wise, and clean out the seeds. Cut each half into 1 inch slices and then cut these slices into large size chunks.
Spray the bottom of a glass baking pan with a non-stick type spray. Lay the pieces of squash in the pan, they can somewhat lie on top of each other and be squeezed together. Lightly salt and cover the pan with foil. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until fork tender.
Remove from oven and remove foil cover. Dot the top of the squash with butter. Now take maple syrup and lightly drizzle this over the squash.
Leave the foil cover off the pan and return the squash to the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the syrup has baked into the squash and glazed up in the pan somewhat.
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Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 6 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
