Falling In Love With Fall Foods…A Love Story of Edible Proportions

Q: Dear Fall,

I love you. You have plentiful squashes, gorgeous apples, and juicy pears. Aside from counter decoration, what do I do with all of them?

A: Dear Urban Domestic Girl,

Let's take this one step at a time. First up to bat, butternut squash.

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

makes app. 8 servings

I am in love with this twist on butternut squash soup, make a big batch and save some for later. Urban domestic girls know this is a fast way to make a great impression on dinner guests. They will think you slaved over a hot stove for hours!

1 medium butternut squash or four 12 oz packages of frozen winter squash
One 13 oz can of coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp of Thai red curry paste (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
1 tsp sea salt
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 limes
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
toasted cashews, roughly chopped (optional)


In a soup pot, whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, salt and broth. Add the squash and bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer. Cook covered until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.


Lightly grate the lime peel and juice the limes. Add 2 tsps of zest and 4 tbls of juice to the soup pot. Puree the soup in batches in the food processor or use a stick blender.


Top soup with cilantro or cashews and enjoy!




Butternut Squash Couscous (from Food & Wine Mag.)
makes 4 servings

1. 1/4 cup sliced almonds
2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 2 onions, chopped
4. 2 cloves garlic, minced
5. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
6. 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
7. 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
8. 1 cup canned diced tomatoes with their juice (from one 15-ounce can)
9. 1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch dice
10. 1/4 cup raisins
11. 3 cups vegetable broth
12. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
13. 2 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (one 19-ounce can)
14. 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
15. 1 1/2 cups water
16. 1 1/2 cups couscous

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small frying pan toast the almonds over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Or, toast them in a 350° oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, squash, raisins, broth, and 1 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a simmer. Stir in the chickpeas and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes more. Stir in the parsley.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the water and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Cover, remove from the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve the stew over the couscous and top with the toasted almonds.

Tips on deconstructing a squash:
1. Use a sharp (and I mean SHARP) serrated bread knife
2. Chop of the ends first
3. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin
4. Cut it in half longitudinally and use a melon baller to scrape out the seeds
5. DON'T cut off your fingers, be careful.

The Bean That Keeps On Giving...

No, it's not altruistic, but dependable and reliable through and through, our good old friend the vanilla bean. How many bucks have you shelled out for pure vanilla extract (urban domestic girls don't use that imitation extract, it lies and cheats)? Well no more! Rid yourself of expensive vanilla extract and make your own. Hold on to your chair, this is revolutionary.

Vanilla Extract

3 vanilla beans

1 cup of bourbon or vodka

1 Eight ounce glass bottle (purchase from your health food store or reuse an old bottle)

Split the vanilla beans in half, leaving the last 1" intact.

Place all three split vanilla beans in 8 oz bottle. Fill up the bottle with bourbon or vodka (I prefer an eco-friendly or local spirit) and leave for two months to marinate, shaking every so often.

When the bottle gets down to half-way, refill with bourbon or vodka. Use and refill, simple as that. Now don't you feel thrifty?

Nuttin' Honey

Me enjoying my freshly made Cashew Butter. Jealous? Keep reading.

You were going to pay how much for that jar of almond butter?? Don't be ridiculous, Urban Domestic girls use their wits to outsmart the fancy schmancy nut butter prices.

Here is what you need:

A food processor

Unsalted Raw Sunflower seeds, Almonds, Walnuts or Cashews

15 minutes and a small glass jar

That's it! Now let's do a little price comparison.

$5.85 - 1 lb of Bulk Almonds + small glass jar you already own

$8.49 - 1 12 oz jar of MaraNatha Almond Butter

Hmmm….15 minutes and $5.85 (plus control of all sugar, salt and oil) or $8.49 of nut butter riddled with sugar and palm oil (palm oil is not your friend ladies).

Nut Butter Churnin' Time

1 cup of your chosen nut

a pinch or two of sea salt

optional: honey or agave nectar to taste

Directions:

Put nuts in food processor with a pinch of sea salt. Process until nuts stick to the side. Yours should look like this.

Continue processing and scraping down the sides as needed. A 'ball' of butter will form, continue to processes and then AHA! You have a magical creamy nut butter. The whole process should take about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt to taste. If you prefer sweeter nut butter add sweetener little by little to taste. Keep in mind babies should NOT have honey. If you prefer something more spreadable you can add a touch of canola oil. Store in a glass jar (I store mine in a small canning jar with a piece of wax paper in place of the sealing lid). Nut butters will keep for 1 week at room temp. Refrigerate to keep for longer.

What are you waiting for? Go NUTS!!

Pop…pop…pop goes the…Canning Jar!

Thinks it's hard to make amazing pickles, tomato sauce or applesauce? Absolutely not!

This is all it takes:

1. Pint jars or smaller with sealing lids and rings (for jams and jellies).

2. A large boiling pot o' water to sterilize and then heat full jars to seal.

3. 5-6% Vinegar (for pickling) or Pectin (for jams and jellies).

4. Fresh veggies and fruits from your garden, local farmer's market, or grocery store.

So pull on your big girl panties, roll up your sleeves and muster up some gumption. It's time to can!

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Before you start canning get a huge pot of boiling water (one big enough to cover the jars by one inch or at least up to the rims). Set each clean jar including lids and seals in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Grab all the jars with tongs and carefully pour out water, set them upside down on a towel to dry. Next fish out the lids and seals and set out to dry. Move along to your favorite recipe.

Side Note: Always, ALWAYS check the seals on your jars. You have 24 hours to attempt to reseal a jar the has not "popped" down. If you don't reseal it, immediately put the jar in the fridge and eat promptly. We are making food here people, not botulism.

Dill Pickles

app. 2 pickling cucumbers per pint jar

1/2 cup of water per pint jar

1/2 cup of vinegar (5-6%) per pint jar

3 stems of fresh dill per pint jar

1 tsp of dill seeds per jar

1 tsp of kosher salt per pint jar

Optional added ingredients:

Diced jalapenos

Chopped garlic

Sliced cayenne peppers

Directions:

Heat amount needed for number of jars of vinegar, water, and salt together until boiling, reduce to a simmer.

Slice pickles into spears or transversely into "chips" 1/4" wide.

Stuff each jar with above needed dill and cucumbers, etc.. leaving 1/2" of head space.

Pour boiling water, vinegar, salt mixture into each jar covering ingredients leaving 1/2" of head space. Pop on a sealing lid and screw on a ring. You are almost done, just one more step.

When you have finished with your jars, place each one into the boiling water you used to sterilize your jars with, making sure they are covered by one inch or at least up to the top of the rim. Boil for 7 minutes and pull out with tongs, wiping down each jar. As the jars cool down they will "POP" as the vacuum seals in your creation (check for the dimple in the middle of the jar to be inward). Store in a cool, dark place for future noshing.

Spicy Pickled Green Beans

Don't knock it 'til you try it. These are lovely with fresh beans from the market.

1/2 lb of fresh green beans

1/2 cup of water per pint jar

1/2 cup of vinegar (5-6%) per pint jar

1 tsp of kosher salt per pint jar

1 garlic clove smashed and cut in half per pint jar.

1/2 a cayenne pepper chopped or 1 tsp of red pepper flakes per pint jar

3 stems fresh dill per pint jar

Directions:

Heat enough water, vinegar, salt proportions to fill needed pint jars to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Fill each jar with green beans, dill, garlic, and peppers as needed, leaving 1/2" of head space.

Pour enough simmering water/vinegar/salt liquid over ingredients and leave 1/2" head space. Pop on a sealing lid and screw on a ring. You are almost done, just one more step.

When you have finished with your jars, place each one into the boiling water you used to sterilize your jars with, making sure they are covered by one inch or at least up to the top of the rim. Boil for 7 minutes and pull out with tongs, wiping down each jar. As the jars cool down they will "POP" as the vacuum seals in your creation (check for the dimple in the middle of the jar to be inward). Store in a cool, dark place for future spicy green bean ecstasy.

Simple Sassy Pasta Sauce

2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

3 large garlic cloves chopped

3 1/2 lbs vine ripened tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 tbl tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano or 12 large basil leaves shredded

1/2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute onion in olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent (7-10 min) stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, basil or oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Do not over salt, let salt cook for 10 minutes before tasting to add more. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tomatoes have cooked down to a thick mass (45 min-1 hour). If you prefer chunkier sauce take a potato smasher and gently smoosh sauce, this is fun but can be messy. Remember, a proper urban lady always wears a funky apron. If you prefer a smooth sauce, as I do, blend with a hand blender or do batches in a blender taking care not to fill the blender too full.

Ladle your sassy tomato sauce into sterilized jars leaving a 1/4" headspace and pop on a sealing lid and ring. Boil jars in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, pull out with tongs, wipe off and store in a cool, dark place. Enjoy pasta sauce with anything from well, pasta, to tasty eggplant parmesan.

Variations:

Add sliced olives, red pepper flakes, a splash of red wine, or sun-dried tomatoes to mix it up.

Apple/Peach or Apple/Pearsauce

This is so amazingly simple and wonderful, you will wonder why you haven't made it before. I leave the skins on to keep the fiber and nutrients. If you buy non-organic apples, peel them first. This recipe requires 1/2 pint jars but can also be stored in pint jars.

3 1/2 lbs apples such as braeburn, golden delicious, or any sweet/tart local variety

4 Peaches or Pears

1/4 cup water

2 tbls fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Remove all stems and seeds from fruit and chop into chunks. Place fruit and water in a non-reactive (non-steel pan). Increase heat until boiling, reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. When fruit is soft and falling apart, transfer to a blender along with the lemon juice and puree until smooth (you can also use a hand blender). Pour into each 1/2 pint jar leaving 1/4" head room, cover with a sealing lid and ring. Place jars in enough boiling hot water to cover jars for 10 minutes. Take jars out with tongs, dry off, and inspect for sealing dimple once cooled. Store in a dry, cool place for fall apples all through the winter and spring.

Side Note: You can also use 1/4 pint jars for on the go snacks and baby food. Yumm! Who needs to buy overpriced plastic infused applesauce snacks, not you, that's who!

Urban Crafty Girl Ideas:

Label jars with your own nifty logo for gifts.

Put together a jar of pasta sauce and "fun" pasta as a housewarming gift.

Make a gift basket of your expertly made sauces, applesauce, pickles as a Congratulations, Thank You, Welcome or Happy Birthday.

Show off your amazing urban chic skills to dinner guests.

This is the start of something good.

Throw on your apron ladies…

because this is where the good life starts. Yep, right in the kitchen. Think you are too busy to cook delicious, healthy food all year round? I don't think so. Join me on an adventure to restore the lost domestic arts in the kitchen and household. This isn't a project for wussies so throw the thought of Suzy homemaker out the window and get your hands dirty. This is going to be fun.