November 2014 – Page 2 – The Pajama Chef

Parmesan Butternut Squash Au Gratin

November 17, 2014November 15, 2014 Sarah

An easy, cheesy butternut squash side dish… with an impressive presentation! The best new Thanksgiving side dish. 🙂

If you make ONE new Thanksgiving side dish this year, this totally should be the one! It is absolutely perfect, and a great way to introduce butternut squash to squash skeptics. I mean, isn’t it gorgeous… golden and beautiful?!? One of the fun things about butternut squash is it’s shape. It’s just so BIG for a vegetable! It’s always a shame to take the fun shape and puree it up into soup, mac and cheese, etc. Don’t get me wrong, those are delicious ways to enjoy this sweet ‘n nutty squash. But I always like to do something different! And this au gratin starring butternut squash is definitely different. Ben looked a picture and asked if it was potatoes. No, no, it’s not. But that doesn’t mean it’s not amazing!

With this Parmesan Butternut Squash Au Gratin you’ve got SO many layers of flavor. Sweet squash, garlic butter, crisp bread crumbs, Parmesan, and fresh herbs. Ohhh yum. It’s just so good. I’m not sure how anyone could resist. I couldn’t keep my fork outta the serving dish!

It’s the kind of side that’s perfect on its own–hearty, cheesy, and delicious with the perfect balance of flavors. However, I’m sitting here on my couch dreaming of ways to, shall we say, enhance the amazingness for Thanksgiving day. Isn’t Thanksgiving about going all over the top? Adding some chopped bacon to the topping, layering butternut squash with sliced apples, or even drizzling the whole dish with some pesto just sounds wonderful to me! But even without those enhancements, this butternut squash dish is such a winner! Hope it brings joy to your table this year. So sorry, so cheesy. 🙂

one year ago: Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad
two years ago: Pork, Apple, and Ginger Stir Fry
three years ago: Thai Seared Shrimp with Tomato, Basil, and Coconut
four years ago: Stovetop Mac & Cheese with Broccoli

Parmesan-Butternut Squash Au Gratin

Servings: 6
Time: 75 minutes
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from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash [about 2 1/2 pounds]
1/4 cup butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped herbs – like oregano or parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large baking dish [9×13 inch pan, or a 10 inch round baking dish] with cooking spray.

Poke butternut squash all over with a fork, then microwave for about 2 minutes. Remove and cool for a few minutes before peeling. This makes it much easier to peel and slice the squash. Peel butternut squash, then halve and deseed. Slice squash into 1/2 inch thick slices, then arrange in bottom of baking dish, overlapping as necessary.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Turn to low and add garlic. Stir constantly as butter cooks for 2-3 minutes. Don’t brown the butter, just cook until garlic softens.

In a small bowl, stir together panko, Parmesan, pepper, and 1 tablespoon garlic butter. Brush remaining garlic butter over squash, then sprinkle with panko mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until squash is cooked through. Turn oven up to 425 degrees F and cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until topping turns golden brown. Top with herbs before serving.

Fruit, Recipes, Sides

Cranberry Mint Relish + What To Do With All That Mint

November 12, 2014December 14, 2015 Sarah

A refreshing take on a traditional cranberry relish!

My favorite part of any holiday meal is the cranberry sauce. I’m picky about it though–it can’t be canned, and it can’t have nuts. I used to be a purist and only liked the traditional cranberry orange relish. But these gingered cranberry-apricot sauce and cranberry-pineapple sauce have opened up the doors for some experimentation. So this weekend, when I had a bag of cranberries in one hand and a ginormously huge mint plant in the other that had to be used up before the weather goes whacko this week, I thought, what the heck, and threw some mint in the mix. And you know what? It was pretty awesome. Adding mint to traditional cranberry relish seems pretty novel [but I’m sure others have done it] and it lends a little pop to this sweet-tart side dish. You should totally try it this fall! And it only takes a few minutes to make so you’ve got nothing to lose. 🙂

As for all the rest of that mint plant… quite a bit went into that jar of mint sugar on the left and those jars of mint extract on the right. There are tons of tutorials online for both delicacies, but I just layered fresh mint with sugar in one jar and have been shaking it once a day since Sunday. In about a week it’s supposed to be ready to enjoy. I can’t wait! And to make the mint extract I added vodka [eeeekkkkk] to mint that had been gently mashed in a mason jar. There’s a technical term for “mashed” but it’s escaping me at the moment. 🙂 Easy easy! My husband looked at me like I was crazy when I told him I needed some cheap alcohol for cooking. Hahaha. COOKING not drinking, haha don’t worry. That’s how you do things in homemade-everything-land. We’ll see how they turn out. I’ll have to give you guys an update, k? In the meantime, this cranberry mint relish is FAB so don’t wait til Thanksgiving to enjoy. I can’t wait to taste it on turkey!

one year ago: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce
two years ago: Carnitas
three years ago: Best Pancakes Ever
four years ago: Pumpkin French Toast Sandwich

Cranberry Mint Relish

Servings: 6
Time: 5 minutes
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Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries, washed and dried
1 orange, scrubbed clean and cut into eighths
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

Place cranberries, orange, mint, and 1/4 cup sugar in food processor. Pulse until processed to desired consistency. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to set flavors.

Main Dishes, Other, Recipes

Sriracha Fried Rice

November 10, 2014November 9, 2014 Sarah

A unique, spicy fried rice with the egg on top! If spice isn’t your thing, just use a little Sriracha for flavor!

Ohhh yeah. This dinner is my new BFF. I’ve made it more times in the last few months than I can count. It’s full of flavor, is super simple, and uses one of my favorite under-appreciated vegetables–cabbage! It’s rare for us not have have some leftover rice in the fridge because Ben lives on that stuff. And lucky for me–rice is cheap, and it lasts in the fridge or freezer for awhile. But that “lasting’ sometimes means there’s more leftover rice than I know what to do with. Enter fried rice. You can make a normal fried rice like this one or a kale fried rice or a pineapple fried rice, or you can make a kicked up vegetarian version. Like this one! Sriracha is everyone’s favorite spicy condiment so now you have another use for it!

This dinner hits the spot when you want something homey and comforting but don’t want to wait or take the time to cook a big meal. Sriracha Fried Rice takes a bunch of leftovers [like that cabbage you bought for slaw or to add to salad] and turns them into something amazing! I love the nuttiness of the sesame oil and sesame seeds that are added at the end. They give it another dimension of flavor…. and the leftovers are even better the next day! Just don’t forget the fried egg on top. Drippy yolk + spicy rice = amazing. I bet this would be great for breakfast too! Enjoy!

two years ago: Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese
three years ago: Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
four years ago: Pumpkin Ginger Bread

Sriracha Fried Rice

Servings: 2-3
Time: 30 minutes
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from Jenna’s Everything Blog

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons oil, divided
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup cabbage, chopped or shredded [I usually use at least 2-3 cups cabbage, and sometimes even add in mustard greens too]
1 splash Shaoxing wine [or dry sherry or Mirin]
1 pinch sugar [omit if using Mirin since it’s already sweet]
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-3 tablespoons Sriracha depending on your spice preferences
4 cups cold, cooked rice
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 green onions, diced
4 eggs

Directions:

Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons oil and heat, then cook garlic for 30 seconds. Add onion, stirring to coat with oil, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add cabbage, wine/sherry/Mirin, and sugar and cook for another 4-5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add soy sauce and Sriracha, stirring well, then cook for another minute or so. Add rice, breaking up larger pieces with a wooden spoon, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook rice for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lastly, stir in sesame oil and green onions.

In another pan, heat remaining tablespoon of oil to fry your eggs to desired doneness.

Serve eggs on top of fried rice. Enjoy!

Menu Plans, Reviews

Menu Plan + Old Factory Candles Review

November 9, 2014November 9, 2014 Sarah

Week of November 9

Sunday: beef stroganoff with egg noodles
Monday: mexican rice & black beans
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: salad & baked potatoes
Thursday: out to eat
Friday: roast chicken
Saturday: some kind of pasta

—

A few weeks ago I received an email from Old Factory Candles asking if I’d like to try their candle gift set for review. Ben is obsessed with candles so of course I said yes! They have a bunch of different scents–all sold in sets of three complementary scents on Amazon. They seemed like a great company, committed to natural ingredients and quality products. Their candles are made of soy wax and are hand poured. After much deliberation we chose the fall harvest gift set and quickly received three flavors in the mail: Pumpkin Spice, Cranberry, and Autumn Leaves. They arrived neatly packaged and they smelled wonderful! Nothing fake or headache-inducing. Just like fall in a box. 🙂

So, what did I think? Overall these were great candles. They claim to burn for 20 hours each–quite an accomplishment since each is only 2 ounces. I haven’t burned any of them for quite that long, but I’m guessing that’s fairly accurate based on the amount of wax left after burning for about 5 hours in one stretch. I have heard that candles in general burn better if you can let them go for a long stretch as opposed to short bursts [no idea if that’s true or not] and I could see that may be true here. The scents were perfect for fall and smelled good without being overpowering. Pumpkin spice seemed the strongest of the ones I tried, and that’s a-okay with me! The packaging is simple and attractive and would match any decor. I liked that the candles were just white instead of being some crazy color. No need to coordinate with decor. Now, the cost. Would I pay $25 for three small candles, even if they did burn 20 hours each? Well, that’s a toss up. Depends on the day, honestly, and how spendy I’m feeling. Most of the large jar candles are sold for over $20 so it may be a good deal after all. They giftwrap and are sold through Amazon so that’s a win right there! I’m glad I was able to try these candles. I think they’d be a great Christmas gift. Thanks for the opportunity!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary gift set of Old Factory Candles to try and review on my blog and on Amazon. I was not compensated for my time or to publish positive comments. My opinions are my own.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

November 7, 2014December 4, 2014 Sarah

A creamy, veggie-filled pasta dish that comes together quickly with lots of pantry ingredients.

Does anyone else watch Guy’s Grocery Games on Food Network? Ever since we moved to Nashville and got a DVR [yes, I know these have been around forever but we didn’t get one til a year ago. We are way behind technology-wise.] I have been obsessed with recording episodes of cooking and HGTV shows. Because I can, and because they’re good tv shows to watch while blogging or reading magazines or something. I never watch and only watch tv. I need to be doing something else in the process, so I need somewhat mindless shows that aren’t totally trashy. Does that make sense? This one, if you haven’t seen it, requires chefs to dash around a grocery store in search of ingredients for an assigned meal/category of food, and then COOK their meal… but there’s always a twist or challenge. I never in a million years would want to be on Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, or any of those other cooking shows… but if I had to choose a cooking competition show to be on, this would be it. It’s relatively tame, Guy seems nice, and hello! Grocery stores are my favorite place to browse. Is that weird? Ha. Anyways, on a recent episode of triple G, one of the judges said that pasta dishes aren’t supposed to be light. She thought they needed to be heavy, or at least, hearty to be a true pasta dish. I have to say I disagree with that. There’s a place for heavy, hearty dishes like baked pasta or lasagna [take a look in my archives, I have tons of recipes like that!] but sometimes lighter pasta dishes totally hit the spot. Maybe they aren’t traditional but I love ’em.

This pasta dish is exactly the kind I love–full of flavor and interesting things, but still relatively light. It uses cream cheese and Parmesan cheese but also a lot of tomatoes, onions, and spinach to balance everything out. You can make this pasta in a pretty short amount of time, using mostly pantry ingredients, so it’s great for weeknights. The sauce can be made while the pasta cooks, so it really doesn’t take more time to make than a box of mac ‘n cheese. So what if it’s not this big, hearty meal? Isn’t that what sides are for? 🙂 To make this more of a one dish meal, I think some sliced grilled chicken, shrimp, or even some canned white beans would be great additions. I’ll have to try that next time! Enjoy!

one year ago: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Sauce
two years ago: Pumpkin Cornbread
three years ago: Honey Whole Wheat English Muffins
four years ago: Pumpkin Pasta Sauce, aka “Pumpfredo”

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes
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from Budget Bytes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound small pasta like penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounces diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
pinch red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4-5 ounces fresh spinach [frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained should also work too]

Directions:

Prepare pasta [al dente] according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened about 7 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant. Add tomatoes [undrained], oregano, basil, red pepper, and black pepper and stir to combine. Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup water to skillet, stirring until tomato paste has dissolved. Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese cubes one by one, stirring until incorporated. Then add the Parmesan cheese gradually, stirring until it is creamy.

When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Top with spinach, cover, and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes until spinach wilts. Stir in and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve immediately.