~Happy Thanksgiving!~

Have a Happy
and
a Safe Thanksgiving!!!

 Enjoy the day!

Butternut Squash Pancakes

Butternut Squash Pancakes
only need the Butter/ Margarine and Maple Syrup on top
(File Photo)

It's the season of the delicious orange colored vegetable- Butternut Squash!  Whenever we enjoy this veggie at dinner I save out about 1 Cup of the mashed Butternut Squash to prepare a very tasty pancake for breakfast the next morning.  Butternut Squash Pancakes!  They are so good!  

While each pancake is cooking on the griddle, the aroma of Cinnamon, of Nutmeg and of Ground Ginger gives you a hint of how great they will taste.  Top them with Butter/ Margarine and Maple Syrup! Yum! 

The price of Eggs is a bit more since I originally posted my recipe, so these days while preparing these pancakes I use a combination of 2 Egg Whites and 1 Whole Egg instead of 4 Egg Whites. 

**Remember the formula while cooking/ baking: 1 Whole Egg = 2 Egg Whites.

Click here for my recipe for Butternut Squash Pancakes!  Plan on preparing a batch during this month of November!  Freeze the extra pancakes for an easy breakfast on busy mornings!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

       

Butternut Squash Bread!

Butternut Squash Bread
(File Photo)

Butternut Squash Bread! What a delicious dessert!  Yes, I did write Butternut Squash. For years- that has led to decades- I have been using this veggie instead of pumpkin when preparing this dessert bread.  It is so yummy that you may just want to enjoy a half slice as a snack! 

Lately, the amount of Butternuts in the bushel container in our garage has been reduced.

The Bushel of Butternut Squash

Many of the squash have been cooked/ mashed.  Labeled freezer bags of this orange veggie are on their designated freezer shelf.  This weekend the remaining squash will be prepared and more bags will be frozen.   

One delicious treat that is made using the mashed Butternut Squash is Butternut Squash Bread.  Usually I bake 2 breads at once, so I double the recipe and stagger the pans in the oven before/ when baking.  This weekend I will be using the freshly mashed Butternut Squash when baking these breads.  

During the year I defrost a bag containing 2 cups to bake 2 breads.  The Butternut Squash will defrost overnight in the fridge.    

This dessert bread is very easy to prepare!  While it is baking the aroma of Cinnamon and Nutmeg will float from your kitchen to other rooms in your home.  A small amount of Ground Cloves can be added to the batter, too.  It is also at this time of year that one of the 2 breads that I bake will be placed in our freezer to enjoy over Thanksgiving.  If you will also be doing this, after the bread cools, wrap in heavy duty foil, label and freeze.

I use Egg Whites in this recipe. 
Remember- when baking:

***2 Egg Whites = 1 Whole Egg

With the current price of Eggs, you may want to use  2 Egg Whites + 1 Whole Egg for 1 bread. 
When baking that would equal or be the same as using 4 Egg Whites.     

Click here for my recipe for Butternut Squash Bread!  It is a family favorite in my home and it just may become a favorite for you and your family, too!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

                

Freezing Butternut Squash!

Preparing Butternut Squash
for the freezer!
(File Photo)

It's that time of year!  The new "buy local" crop of Butternut Squash is available in October!  This yummy orange veggie is a great side dish at dinner and we have always enjoyed it!  For that reason we purchase a bushel of Butternut Squash at one of the local farms and prep the squash to freeze.  Yes, they can be purchased individually and sold by the pound at roadside stands and grocery stores, but we purchase a bushel and store it in our garage.  Then, a new project is added to our "to do" list.  Preparing the squash for the freezer.  

In addition to enjoying this vegetable as a delicious side dish at dinner, I use the prepared/ cooked/ mashed Butternut Squash in recipes by replacing it for canned pumpkin.  It works so well!  More on that later.   

The process for prepping and freezing the squash is quite simple.  After the individual squash are washed under cool running water, dry them.  Then, remove the stem, seeds and skin.  Cut into chunks and steam.  There is more to the process, so click here for my process/ recipe.  It works very well and before you know it you will have this tasty vegetable in your freezer, too!

Freezing Butternut Squash 

It will be in your freezer ready to take out whenever you want this tasty veggie to be included with your dinner or you will be using it in baking a treat.  The frozen Butternut Squash is defrosted in the microwave very easily!  Or it can be defrosted overnight in your fridge!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

 

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp

Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp
(File Photo)
My dessert is currently baking in my oven.

Today was the day! The day to bake a Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp!  The dessert that has fresh apple slices that are baked with an oat topping that also contains Cinnamon and Nutmeg.  Nothing beats enjoying this dessert when it is prepared with fresh apples.  In Autumn I use McIntosh or Cortland apples or a combination of the two.  Craisins (dried cranberries) and raisins are placed in the baking dish along with the apple slices.  

When this dessert is baking the wonderful aroma of apples, Cinnamon and Nutmeg float through our home.  It is a teaser of how great it will taste- later.  

You are one click away from my recipe.  Click here!

Bake a Craisin Raisin Apple Crisp soon.  Do not forget to purchase the vanilla ice cream.  A small scoop tastes so good on top.

Enjoy!
Yummy!

   

 

~Saving Zinnia Seeds!~

Beautiful Zinnias!

Do you have beautiful colorful Zinnias growing in your garden(s)?  Are you interested in enjoying the flowers again next summer?  You can next year without purchasing new seed packets or small plants from your garden center!  Save the seeds from this year's pretty flowers and plant the seeds in the Spring after any possibility of frost in your area is gone.  

Saving the seeds is not difficult!  It's at this time of year that I snip the colorful flowers from the plants growing outdoors and save them in cut down Kleenex boxes, so the flowers can dry out. 

Colorful Zinnia blossoms drying out!

After the flowers dry out, harvest the seeds by pulling them away from the stems of the plant.  The seeds are "tear" shaped.

Blue arrows point
to the dried out Zinnia seeds!

After harvesting the seeds place them in large labeled envelopes and seal.  You are on your way to enjoying beautiful colorful Zinnias again next year.

Enjoy!
Happy Gardening!

 

Freezing Green Pepper Strips

Green Peppers ready to prepare!
(File Photo)

These past two weeks I've been freezing Green Pepper strips.  The local Green Peppers are still available at roadside stands and also at Farmers' Markets.  In the colder months I defrost a package whenever needed and use them in many entrees.  They are very easy to freeze!    

Sauteed Green Pepper strips are a great addition to a Meatball Grinder!  Quite often a batch of my Meatballs are found in our freezer.  After preparing them I divide them into portion sizes to freeze.  Whenever we have a craving for Meatball Grinders it is easy to defrost the Meatballs for a quick dinner.  It is also very easy to take out a package of frozen Green Pepper strips to defrost/ saute and add to the tomato sauce that I will be using.  You may ask," What about the grinder rolls??"  Oh, I freeze grinder rolls, too.  Defrost them when needed!  It is one of the meals that we enjoy when I never snap a photo, because we are hungry and the aroma of the Meatball Grinders invites us to begin eating. 

Green Pepper strips also work well on homemade Pizza and in Chili!  Plan on purchasing a few Green Peppers this weekend to cut into strips and freeze.

Click here for my method for Freezing Green Peppers!

This winter just reach into your freezer to take out a portion size to use.  You will not need to purchase a Green Pepper in the grocery store either in the produce section or in the frozen food aisle.

Enjoy!
Yummy!