Grilling the Haddock

Yes, our outdoor thermometer did read 68°F and the sun shined brightly today!  WooHoo!  Our outdoor grill did its thing with my hubby's guidance and Grilled Haddock tasted so good tonight!  In the spring this particular dinner is always anticipated.  Our local grocery store, Big Y, has a good fish department stocking the fresh "wild caught" Haddock.  We are very fortunate here in Western MA, because fresh fish is available to us. Today was meatless Thursday!

Grilled Haddock is easy to prep.  I have posted about this fave dinner before - the first time in July of 2008.  My family has always enjoyed eating many types of seafood and we all like the flavor of each variety.  I do not serve sauces over servings of fish, because they are not necessary.  Quite often they are loaded with calories.  We save the extra calories for dessert!  :)         

*A grilling basket or container (sprayed with PAM) is needed, because the fish can break apart while grilling. :) The steps are easy and quick.

Grilled Haddock

Ingredients:
Haddock Fillets
Olive Oil
Paprika
Thyme (optional - I use.)

Method:

1. On a large dish pour about 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil.
2. Sprinkle a little Paprika (& Thyme, optional) on top.
3. Rinse Haddock Fillets in cold running water and place on top of Olive Oil & Spices.
4. Turn Fillets over to coat other side.
5. Place Haddock Fillets in grilling container/basket that has been sprayed with PAM.
6. Grill Fillets on preheated grill.
7. A 1 lb. piece requires 5 - 7 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of Fillet.
8. Turn Fillets over one time during grilling process.
9. Enjoy! 

Tonight the 1 lb. of Haddock contained 2 Fillets.  

A Ziploc Freezer bag of Butternut Squash was located in our freezer then heated in the microwave. Corn was served along with the squash, so there was much color in our tasty meal. :)

Do you grill fish?

We enjoyed!
Yummy!

 

Butternut Squash Muffins

After mashing the last batch of the Butternut Squash chunks that were in the large pot, 1 Cup of this tasty, orange veggie was refrigerated.  I had plans ...  Muffins!  Specifically, Butternut Squash Muffins - Yummy! During the month of November (especially before Thanksgiving) one of the ingredients in some of my baked goodies is Butternut Squash.  I learned this habit from my mom.  While growing up my fam had two large gardens.  Oh yes, Butternut Squash was one of our cherished veggies.  My mom did not bake goods with Pumpkin, but always substituted it with the plentiful orange colored tasty Butternut.  To this day, I still prefer using it.  I have used Pumpkin to see how it would taste/work, but discovered my mom knew what she was talking about.  Butternut Squash it is!   

It's a great ingredient in muffins!  The next day my 2 muffins pans were put to work.  One batch of these tasty treats requires only 1/2 Cup of Squash.  However, let me tell you whenever I am happily working in my kitchen, I seem to use many utensils and there are splatters in unusual places.  :)  So whenever I bake muffins, my rule is to make a double batch.  Sometimes, it may take an extra couple of minutes in the oven, but my freezer will be well fed!  It's always great to open the freezer door and locate a package of homemade muffins.  Yummy!  

A few years I started using Egg Whites, Soy Milk & Olive Oil as substitutions for Whole Eggs, Milk & Vegetable Oil/Butter or Margarine (melted/cooled) whenever possible.  Keeping in mind that 2 Egg Whites equals 1 Whole Egg.

These tasty muffins are so good with Raisins!  In my fam it's always all about the Raisins! This time the double batch did not last long nor did many muffins make it into our freezer!  The next day our sons and families had some goodies!  :)   

Butternut Squash Muffins
Oven:  400°F
Yield:  12 Muffins

Ingredients: 

1 and 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Egg Whites (or 1 Whole Egg)
1/2 cup Soy Milk
1/4 cup Olive oil (for Sauteing & Baking)
1/2 cup mashed Butternut Squash
1/2 cup Raisins  

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place muffin liners in muffin pan.
3. Combine first 6 dry ingredients.  Stir to mix.
4. Separate Egg Whites.  Place Egg Whites in small bowl and beat with fork.  (If using 1 Whole Egg, beat with fork.)
5. Add Soy Milk (Milk), Olive Oil & Butternut Squash to Egg Whites, stir.
6. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. 
7. Add Raisins.
8. Mix all ingredients until moistened.  Batter will be lumpy.
9. Fill muffin cups by evenly dividing batter. 
10. Bake 18 - 20 minutes in 400°F oven until muffins are lightly browned on top.  Double batch may take up to 4 additional minutes.
11. Remove muffins from pan immediately.
12. Cool muffins on racks.

Do you bake using Butternut Squash as an ingredient?  When making muffins do you bake a double batch as long as the utensils are being used?  Do you purchase an extra bag of Flour or Sugar if it is on sale during this time period?

My answer is yes to all three questions.  :)

Enjoy!
Yummy!

         

A Batch of Butternut!!!

Steaming, orange, mashed Butternut Squash!  My family's fav fall vegetable! Now, it will be the fav veggie of spring, also, if I start to tackle that bushel of Butternut Squash that has been sitting patiently on our garage floor.  :)  The time has come...  As our temperatures at night have decreased, I realize that it is not wise to let those light orange colored beauties sit on a cold concrete floor.  So, it was time to get moving and prep those veggies for the freezer.  Portions of mashed Butternut Squash were placed in Freezer Ziploc Bags and placed in our freezer to be enjoyed throughout the winter/spring.   

It is one of my fall traditions.  I usually prep 6 squash at once. First, the Butternuts are rinsed/cleaned in cold water.  Then, carefully the skins are removed with the aid of my cutting board and a sharp knife.  Cut off & toss the stem and rounded top.  Then, the long top portion is cut into slices that are circles, and the skin cut off.  After removing the seeds, I do not save them, but do save as much of the orange veggie as possible in the surrounding area.  2" chunks of orange squash are placed in two large pots on my stove top.  (I use my 2 Dutch Ovens.) 

After adding cold water (to reach up about 2" in the pots), the heat is turned up to High.  After a Boil is reached, lower the heat and simmer about 13 - 15 minutes, until pieces can be pierced with a fork.  During the cooking minutes, stir the Squash pieces in the pot, so they soften equally.   After draining the squash using a colander, return the chunks to the large pots and mash.  

I pack about 2 Cups of mashed Squash in Ziploc Freezer Bags.  After labeling, store in freezer.  Whenever desired for dinner a bag is unwrapped and the frozen chunk of squash is placed in a Corning Ware container with a lid.  Reheat in the microwave.  Easy does it! 

Yes, squash can be purchased already mashed and boxed & frozen ready to heat.  I've seen boxes containing a mixture of various winter squashes that need butter/margarine or brown sugar/maple syrup for flavor.  I am really not into adding sweetness to veggies to help make them more tasty, but would rather save any desired sugar for dessert.  We are very fortunate here in Western MA - Butternut Squash is readily available to purchase when the harvest is ready.  I usually purchase them at Meadowbrook Farm.   

In the next couple of days 6 more Butternuts will be prepped and find their spot on my freezer shelf.  The bushel will contain even less.  I always save enough for either dinner or a yummy dessert that contains Butternut Squash.  That will be another post!  :)

Do you enjoy Butternut Squash?  At other times of the year in addition to Thanksgiving Dinner?

Enjoy!
Yummy!

        

              

Raisin Craisin Apple Crisp!!!

What a great sunny Columbus Day Weekend it was!  The chilly mornings and the orange pumpkins went hand in hand along with the yearly ride to Meadowbrook Farm in East Longmeadow to purchase the "bushel of Butternut Squash"!  What a wonderful time of year in Western MA!  

For me it also marks baking the first Apple Crisp of the season with the local crisp Cortland apples.  A slice of homemade Apple Pie always tastes great, but if there is no time to roll out the pie crust, Apple Crisp it is!!!  Raisins & Craisins (dried cranberries) mixed in with the apple slices before the baking dish is placed into the oven.  :)  The aromas of Cinnamon & Nutmeg coming from my oven always linger on... The rose colored Pyrex baking dish is used so often filled with seasonal goodies.  Yummy!

The servings of Apple Crisp above only need the large scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Mmmm! 

 Apple Crisp  

Oven Temperature:  375°
Time:  About 45 Minutes

Ingredients:
6-7 peeled sliced Apples (I use Cortland or Empire & sometimes 8 Apples.)

Topping:
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar (I use a little less.)
1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3/4 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/3 Cup + 1 TBS. softened Butter or Margarine
*  *  *
1/4 Cup Raisins + Craisins (total amount)

Method:

1. Preheat oven.
2. Spray 8"x8" glass pan with PAM.
3. Combine dry Topping Ingredients in small bowl.  
4. Measure Butter/Margarine and place on top of dry ingredients to soften.
5. Peel + slice Apples.  Place in glass pan.
6. Add Raisins & Craisins.  Mix with Apple slices.
7. Mix softened Butter/Margarine with dry ingredients.
8. Sprinkle mixture over Apple slices.  
9. Bake in preheated oven for 45 Minutes or until apples are tender.  
10. After baking, pierce center with a fork to test for "doneness".  Bake additional 5 minutes, if needed, test again.
11. Serve warm or chilled with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream. 
12. Cover & refrigerate any leftovers.

Do you bake desserts containing Apples?  With Oats?   

We did enjoy it!
Yummy!

Happy Easter!

The sun is shining brightly through our bay window. Spring and April have arrived and it is Easter weekend!

Yesterday, my oven was working overtime. The Irish Soda Bread is double wrapped and sitting on the kitchen counter for Breakfast tomorrow morning. My mom’s recipe for Polish Cheesecake was used, so our Easter Dinner dessert is in the fridge.

Mustard Coated Roasted Leg of Lamb, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Butternut Squash are on our menu for Easter Dinner. Will you also be celebrating this holiday at home?

Happy Easter to you and your family!

JG

Butternut Squash Bread – Another Tradition!

The chilly October mornings are here! Maple trees are adding beautiful colors to our neighborhoods. Our local news is filled with stories of visitors enjoying picturesque New England in the autumn. We residents need only to venture outdoors while completing errands to relish the scenery.

With this season comes pumpkins and varieties of squash and cabbages. Yesterday, after preparing the local Butternut Squash for our freezer, I saved two cups of the mashed orange cooked vegetable. Later in the day, the squash was used in making Butternut Squash Bread.

I continue my family’s tradition of using Butternut Squash as an ingredient in bread rather than steaming a pumpkin or using canned pumpkin. The delicious taste of a slice of Butternut Squash Bread is difficult to resist. Click here for recipe card. Now, I substitute Olive Oil for vegetable oil while cooking, so I now use Olive Oil as an ingredient rather than vegetable oil in this yummy bread.

This recipe yields two breads. Cut the ingredients in half if you wish to bake one bread. However, this bread freezes very well, and it is a welcome sight in my freezer when we locate a homemade, made from scratch dessert ready to be thawed and served. And … it makes a great surprise for an out of town guest!

Do you use Butternut Squash rather than pumpkin when baking? Next, I will be baking Butternut Squash Muffins!

Yummy!

A Bushel of Butternut!

While using a recipe that calls for Pumpkin have you ever replaced Butternut Squash for the Pumpkin? I always do. My mom was a great cook and I learned that little tidbit from her. While growing up, my family always had two large gardens. Every year Butternut Squash were harvested in September. Some were stored to eat in the Fall, but most of the squash was steamed, mashed, packed in plastic bags, dated and placed in my family’s large freezer.

When my Hubby & I lived in an apartment we did have a garden and bought an upright freezer. Now, we no longer have a family garden, but we purchase a bushel of Butternut Squash every September from Meadowbrook Farm in East Longmeadow. We prepare the squash and freeze portions in Ziploc Bags that will be enjoyed all year at dinnertime. And… yes, yummy desserts will also be baked in my oven. One family favorite dessert is Butternut Squash Bread.

Butternut Squash Bread is on my agenda this week! I always bake two breads. One is enjoyed after it cools, when it can be sliced. The second bread is cooled, wrapped in foil, labelled and placed in our freezer. For the recipe click here and a printable recipe card awaits. This recipe yields two breads. We also enjoy this bread on Thanksgiving morning. If you wish to bake one bread, use half of the ingredients listed.

Yes, I have replaced some of the Eggs with Egg Whites – it is that “watching cholesterol thing” that I try to do.

When baking One Whole Egg equals Two Egg Whites.

Butternut Squash Bread is absolutely yummy!

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the past few days my oven has been used daily. Quick Breads such as Butternut Squash Bread and Apple Bread have been baked, cooled, wrapped and placed in my freezer ready to be defrosted and eaten during this holiday weekend. Today, pies were prepared. While the Butternut Squash Custard Pie was cooling, the Cherry Pie found its place on the oven shelf. Mincemeat Pie followed. Tomorrow, the Cranberry Breads will be baked.

On Thanksgiving Day it is a tradition in my family, as in your family, to enjoy certain favorite foods along with delicious Roasted Turkey with Stuffing/Gravy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Squash and Cranberry Sauce. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families/friends!

JG