Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup

I lost my favorite recipe for butternut and parsnip soup!😬 So I winged it and came up with this! This version is slightly sweet. I plan to attempt a more savory one as well.

Ingredients

1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled and cubed

4 peeled and cubed parsnips
½ a Vidalia onion, large dice
Salt
White pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Ground thyme
4 Tbs butter
1 honey crisp apple, peeled and cubed
1 can coconut milk
Olive oil, about 2 Tbs
2-4 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Ground Cardamom
1 Tbs Maple Syrup

Roasted Pepitas (or clean and roast the squash seeds!)

Directions

Coat squash and parsnips in olive oil. Add salt and pepper over top and sprinkle about ¼ tsp ground thyme over, then toss to coat. Roast in preheated 350° F oven for 30 minutes.

In large pot, melt and brown butter over low heat, stirring, until it smells caramelized and is a brown color. Add onions and apples and stir. Cook over medium low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or until soft.

Check that the squash and parsnip are soft from roasting by poking with a fork. Once easily pierced, remove from oven and add to pot with apples and onions. Blend with an immersion blender, or carefully add to blender or food processor in parts, until everything is blended smooth. Add up to 2 cups of stock to help the blending process. If you did not use an immersion blender, transfer the soup back to the pot.

Add ⅔ a cup of coconut milk to pot. At this point you can add up to 2 more cups of stock, or a bit more milk to reach a consistency that you enjoy (or both, I like to add a bit more coconut milk, and usually use all but 1/4 of the can). Bring the soup to a simmer.

Add 1 Tbs maple syrup, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp cumin and more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 10 to 20 more minutes, until warmed through.

Ladle out, and top with some pepitas to serve.

Italian Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

6 sweet or mild Italian sausages

2 red bell peppers, sliced

1 vidalia onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, finely diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Olive Oil

White, cooked rice to serve (or large fresh rolls)

Directions

Heat olive oil in large skillet that comes with a lid. Add sausage links. Pour 1/2 cup water into skillet. Cover with lid. When water begins to boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 12 minutes. Remove the lid and turn heat up to medium. Brown sausages on all sides, then remove to rest, at least 5 minutes. Slice sausages into rounds after resting. Do not drain skillet.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute 3 minutes. Add peppers and seasonings. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, then add wine and sausage. Cook until wine reduces and taste for seasoning. Adjust as needed. Serve over hot white rice, or on rolls.

Larpmom’s Hamburger Rolls

Ingredients:

2 envelopes rapid rise yeast
1 cup ap flour, plus 1/2 cup reserved
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole milk, plus 1 Tbs reserved
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter
2 eggs, beaten, plus 1 egg reserved

Instructions:

Scald milk over medium heat in saucepan. Melt butter in milk. Remove from heat. Slowly whisk teaspoonfuls of hot milk mixture into eggs to temper, then add eggs into pot. Cool to warm to touch, not hot, then add sugar and yeast. Whisk and let bloom for 10 minutes. Combine flour in large bowl of stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add milk mixture and combine with hook. Scrape down the bowl and add the salt. Knead on medium high for 8 minutes, add flour as needed until dough begins to pull from the sides of the bowl. Remove from stand mixer, flour hands and manually knead into a soft ball. Add about a tsp of vegetable oil over top and smooth around the dough. Cover and let rise 40 minutes to 1 hour. Turn out onto floured surface, roll and knead gently into a ball, then cut in quarters with a sharp knife. Cut each forth in half, then roll gently into bun shapes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and preheat oven to 425°F. Combine reserved milk and egg and brush tops of rolls with this wash. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through baking time.

LarpMom’s Baked Mac n Cheese

Ingredients:

3/4 box cavapatti noodles cooked in salted water for 7 minutes
4 oz cream cheese block, cubed
8oz velveeta cheese block, cubed
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more to dust on top
4 Tbs butter, plus 3 more Tbs reserved
1/4 cup ap flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprkia
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground dry mustard
1/8 to 1/4 cup pinot gregio
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F. Add spices to flour and stir to mix. Melt 4 Tbs of butter in large pot, then add flour and whisk until smooth and cooked about 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups milk slowly, and continue to whisk to avoid clumping. Cook 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat, until thickened. Add cream cheese and velveeta, and stir until melted and smooth. Turn off burner, and 2 cups cheddar and 1 cup of parmesan. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Stir until melted and smooth. Pour wine into sauce and stir until mixed well. Add noodles and fold to coat. Transfer noodles to a 9×13 baking dish and smooth down until even in the dish. In the empty pot you used to cook the noodles, melt remaining butter and add the bread crumbs. Stir until fully moistened with butter and slightly toasted. Remove from heat. Grate more parmesan cheese over the macaroni and cheese, then top with bread crumbs.

Cover with tin foil or a lid and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 additional minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes, then serve.