Butternut Squash Mashup

I love the flavor of squash and sage. It's just such a classic flavor combination and it really goes well together. I served this side with my Pan Seared Sage Chicken. The smooth creamy texture of butternut squash makes it a great dish to serve in place of mashed potatoes. Lola totally loved it and was even asking for seconds. But then again, she's not a normal 2 year old... haha

Butternut Squash Mashup
Makes: 6 servings

1 large butternut squash
1/2 large yellow onion, diced into 1/2" dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 tbsp butter or butter substitute
pinch of salt

• Cut the butternut squash in half length-wise. You should be very careful during this step. Butternut squash is a very hard vegetable and you need a very sharp knife to be able to cut it. See my post about Knife Skills if you haven't already.
• Scoop out the seeds with a spoon, making sure that you've removed all of the stringy pulp as well.
• Place the two cut pieces on a baking sheet, cut side down.
• Bake at 400° F for 30 minutes.
• Take out of the oven, flip the pieces over so that they are now cut side up, and bake for another 20 - 30 minutes until the squash is very tender and a fork is easily inserted into the thickest part. The squash will be a nice caramelized dark brown color around the edges.

  

• While the squash is baking in the oven, cook the onions and garlic. Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic to a skillet over medium-medium low heat. Cook until the onions are tender and translucent, about 12 - 15 minutes.
• Remove the onions and garlic from the heat and stir in the rubbed sage. Set aside.
• Once the squash is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes until it is easier to handle.
• Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and transfer to a bowl*. The squash will still be a bit hot so it may help to wear an oven mitt to make it easier to scoop out.
• Once all of the flesh has been scooped out and placed into the bowl, add the onion mixture. Then mash with a potato masher.
• Once the squash has been mashed to the desired texture, add the butter and salt and stir until the butter is completely melted.
• Serve as a vegetable side or in place of mashed potatoes.

*Most fruits and vegetables store a lot of nutrients in their skin. By cooking the squash in its skin, it enables us to capture some of those great nutrients. When you're scooping the flesh out of the squash, be sure to really scrape the skin with your spoon to get as close to the skin as you can, extracting as much nutrients as you can.

Peanut Butter Munchies

Matt got a little box set for Lola a while back that contained Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond's If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, If You Take a Mouse to School, and a couple of activity books. The books are really cute and they're some of Lola's favorites. I haven't really paid much attention to the activity books though because Lola is a little too young for them still. But, tonight I decided to try the recipe for Pop's Peanut Butter Munchies. They were so good!

When I first looked at the recipe I thought, "uhhh something is missing here! Where is the flour?" But they actually turned out perfect! They are super sweet though. Just one is more than plenty to cure your sweet tooth!

Here is the recipe, exactly as it appears in the book:
Pop's Peanut Butter Munchies
1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 egg

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.
• Using your hands, roll the dough into one-inch balls and drop onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350° F for 10 - 12 minutes until golden brown. Press the tines of a fork into each cookie while still soft.

Some of my own notes: I used parchment paper which works a lot better than greasing the cookie sheet. Also, the cookies stay together better if you allow them to cool for about 2 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack.

Pear Berry Sauce

This is another baby food recipe. But, like most of my baby food recipes, you can turn it into an adult treat with a few additions. When I first started feeding Lola solid food, she absolutely loved pureed pears - as I'm sure most babies do. I still make her a pear sauce for lunches (similar to my apple sauce recipe, except with pears). This one is extra yummy because I add berries to it.

Pear Berry Sauce

6 - 8 Pears - I used bosc because those were on sale but you can use any kind really

14 oz frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, & blackberries) or fresh if in season

2 Tbsp lemon juice

• Peel and core the pears.
• Cut the pears into about a ½” dice, making sure they're all similar in size to ensure even cooking.
• Combine the pears, berries, and lemon juice in a large sauce pan or crockpot.
• Simmer, covered over low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours until the pears are very soft and fall apart when stirred.
• Allow to cool for about 20 minutes.
• Mash with a potato masher for a chunky sauce. For a smooth sauce, ladle into a food processor and puree.
• Freeze in portion sizes.

Note: If your little one is under a year, omit the lemon juice. You're supposed to wait until one year to introduce citrus. I'm not exactly sure why but I'm guessing it must have something to do with food allergies.

Ok, to make this a grown-up treat, all you need to do is sprinkle on some streusel and top with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Here's my recipe for streusel (you can also use this to top apple crisp or an apple crumb pie):

1 ½ Cups flour

1/3 Cup granulated sugar

1/3 Cup brown sugar

½ Tsp salt

1 Cup old fashioned oats

1 Stick unsalted butter, softened

• Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and oats.
• In a stand mixer on low, mix the softened butter into the oat mixture. Or you can do this by hand but that's no fun!
• Spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet.
• Bake at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent burning.
• Allow to cool then sprinkle over pear berry sauce and serve with ice cream!

Cinnamon Applesauce

Although this is technically filed under baby food, you'll probably be sneaking some for yourself too! This is another of Lola's favorites. The best part is that it's made in the crock-pot. But there are three different ways to make it, so if you don't have a crock-pot don't worry (but you should probably run out and get one - they're awesome!).

Applesauce
3-4 Granny Smith apples
3-4 Golden Delicious apples
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 Cup water

• Peel and core the apples, then dice into 1/2" pieces.
• Toss the apples into the crock-pot, along with the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and water.
• Cook on low for 2 hours until the apples are very soft and fall apart when you stir it with a spoon.
• You can also bake this, covered, at 325° F for 2 hours or simmer on the stovetop, covered, over low also for 2 hours.
• Once cooked, allow the apples to cool.
• If you want your applesauce to be smooth, you can transfer to a food processor and puree it. I like mine chunky so I mash it with a potato masher.

On a side note, when Lola was younger, I would omit the brown sugar and butter. It was still plenty sweet.

Also, because this is homemade it doesn't have a very long shelf life. I like to freeze portion sizes for Lola.

Parmesan Pasta with Zucchini & Turkey

One thing I can say for sure is that having Lola has completely changed my life.  When I started feeding Lola solid food, I decided I wanted to make her baby food homemade.  It made sense to me to cook for her in the same way that I cook for Matt and me.  For the most part, I try to make my food as homemade as possible (with a few processed foods here and there for those nights when I need an "easy" dinner).  I believe in balance.  Everything in moderation.

This is one of Lola's favorite dishes.  It's nice because she can eat it with her hands - she's not that great at using utensils yet.  You'll want to make sure that everything is pea sized or smaller to avoid choking.

Parmesan Pasta with Zucchini & Turkey
2 Large Zucchini, finely diced
1 Clove garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp thyme
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/4 lb Ditalini pasta
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

• Cook the pasta for 12 - 13 minutes.  You do want to cook this a little beyond al dente but not too much.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic about 1 - 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add the zucchini and cook until softened.  Transfer the cooked zucchini to a bowl and set aside.
• Brown the turkey over medium high heat until completely cooked and no longer pink.  Make sure to break up any large pieces to avoid a choking hazard.  Drain off any excess liquid.
• Strain the pasta.  Add it to the ground turkey along with the zucchini, thyme, and Parmesan cheese.  Allow to cool then serve to that hungry baby!

This will make quite a few baby-sized servings.  You can freeze individual portion sizes, then reheat.  I've even packed some of the left-overs for myself for lunch!