Carrots and Rutabaga Mash

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robert-irvine/carrots-and-rutabaga-mash-recipe.html

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound rutabaga, peeled and chopped
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)


Directions:

Boil carrots and rutabaga together until soft - about 30 minutes. Drain and add butter. Smash together using either a potato masher or food processor until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with lots of pepper and a little salt, plus a few shakes of italian seasoning.

Buttered Bread Crumb Wax Beans

Ingredients:

3-4 handfuls Yellow Wax Beans

1 onion (optional)

2-3 fresh cloves garlic, minced (optional)

3-4 Tbps Earth balance margarine (or butter)

plain bread crumbs

salt to taste

Directions:

If using, chop the onion and garlic.

Cut the ends off of the beans, and cut into smaller pieces if necessary. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the beans 5-8 minutes, or until desired tenderness is reached.

While beans are cooking, melt a Tbsp of margarine and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is soft. When the beans are done, drain them and add them to the pan along with the rest of the margarine. once it is melted and the beans are coated, pour thin layer of bread crumbs over the beans, mix, and repeat. Once desired amount of breadcrumbs is reached, continue to cook over medium heat to toast the breadcrumbs. Season lightly with salt.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

recipe from: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/sopapilla-cheesecake-bars/65ec128f-2acc-417b-8745-06c182d3134a

Ingredients:

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I used the Stop&Shop brand)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, SOFTENED
1 cup + 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Very lightly grease a 13x9 glass baking dish and roll out one can of crescent rolls so that it covers the bottom and forms a single sheet (push the perforations together). In a bowl combine both (softened) packages of cream cheese along with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla. Mix well until combined. Spread cream cheese mixture over the crescent layer, forming an even layer. Now top the cream cheese layer with the other package of crescent rolls - it should be pushed into an even, smooth layer.
Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Melt the butter, and pour it over the top layer. Then evenly distribute the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until center is set. Cut into bars. After it cools, store in the refrigerator.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Candied Walnuts

These take quite some time to make but are so worth it. Have to make at least once every fall!

INGREDIENTS:

RAVIOLI
1 butternut squash
few pinches salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg
1 package wonton wrappers (I used the nasoya ones which can be found in the produce section of the grocery store near the tofu)
splash of almond milk (or any kind of milk)

BUTTER SAUCE
unsalted butter (amount depends on how much ravioli you are serving - ravioli can be frozen, sauce should be made fresh)
few pinches sage
pinch of brown sugar (optional)
pinch of black pepper
pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter - optional)

CANDIED WALNUTS
walnuts
white granulated sugar (use 1 part sugar for 2 parts of walnuts)
parchment paper

DIRECTIONS
STEP 1 - Preparing the squash
Cutting and roasting the squash can be time consuming and I recommend doing this ahead of time (you can do it the night before and store in the fridge, or even freeze). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To prepare the squash, cut off the top stem. Slice the squash where the skinny part meets the bulbous part. cut the now cylindrical shaped piece lengthwise. cut the bulbous part in half as well and scoop out all the seeds. You should now have 4 pieces of squash - leave the skin on for now. line a sided pan with foil and coat with olive oil. Place squash in pan, flesh-side down and place pan in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes then turn squash over so that it is now skin down. Bake for another 20 minutes or so or until the squash is mushy and easily pierced with a fork. Let cool fully. Once cooled, peel skin off of squash using hands and/or a knife. Put squash pieces in a bowl and use a vegetable masher to mash it (alternatively, use a food processor if you want a finer puree). Add small amount of salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix. Add a few splashes of almond milk until desired consistency is reached - the mixture should be thick but smooth.

STEP 2 - Making the candied walnuts
I chose this as step 2 because you can do it ahead of time, while your squash is roasting. Chop walnuts into small pieces and add to a pan. Add sugar. I used a 2 cup bag of walnuts and 1 cup of sugar, but it can be scaled as you wish. Turn heat to medium and stir constantly. The sugar will melt (all on it's own, no water required!). Keep stirring until all sugar is melted and walnuts are coated, being careful not to burn. when done, spread walnuts on a piece of parchment paper to cool. once cool, store in a tupperware container.

STEP 3 - Making the raviolis
Spread a large piece of wax paper on the (clean) counter. put a bowl of water next to it as well as your bowl of squash mixture and package of wontons. wash hands! Take out 9 wonton wrappers at a time and arrange them on the wax paper. place a small amount (about a tsp) in the middle of each wrapper. dip finger in the water and trace around the edge of the wrapper. Fold into a triangle, pressing to seal the sides. Then, using more water, fold in the sides and top. Make sure they are well sealed and that no squash is coming out. Repeat for each and continue until wonton wrappers are gone (mine made just enough to fill them). As you work and finish a batch of 9, place raviolis in the freezer.

STEP 4 - Making the sauce and plating
To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan. (for 2 people eating, I used a 1/2 stick butter). Using medium heat, wait for butter to bubble. After a few minutes, add a few pinches of sage. Keep allowing butter to bubble until it turns golden brown, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn it. In the end, optionally add a pinch of brown sugar and a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water with a splash of olive oil to a boil. Add ravioli and boil for a few minutes. (If frozen, boil for a few more). Place on plate, and top with browned butter and a handful of candied walnuts.

Cadbury Mini Egg Butterscotch Blondies

from blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/04/12/cadbury-mini-egg-butterscotch-blondies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed (This is approximately 1 whole 1-lb box)
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 8 ounce bag Cadbury mini-eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter or spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.

2. In a double boiler, or glass bowl placed over simmering water, and add the butter and sugar. Allow to melt slowly and whisk until completely blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. While butter mixture is cooling, whisk together flour and baking soda in a small bowl or measuring cup.

4. When the butter mixture has cooled whisk in the eggs, vanilla, corn syrup and salt. Fold in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until completely combined.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Pour the mini eggs over the top and distribute them evenly over the surface. Bake for 40-42 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean and edges of the blondies are slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely, then cut into bars and serve.

before baking