Key Lime Cheesecake Bites with Raspberry Drizzle

I, Sheri love Key Lime! I love it almost as much as I love lemon! But the flavor is so fabulously intense that "less is more." I choose to serve this cheesecake as mini-bites because the single bite demands that you stand up and take notice of it's marvelous flavor. If you had an entire slice on your plate you would be thinking of the next bite and the next.........but this way, each and every sinful bite gets the oo's and ahh's it deserves! And remember, you can eat as many bites as you want!

The whipped cream and raspberry drizzle not only adds beauty to this cake, but it's the delicate sweetness that soothes the wickedly, wonderful sour of the key lime.

Are you feeling wicked today?!!

Key Lime Cheesecake Bites with Raspberry Sauce

Crust:
1-1/4 Cups Fine Crumbs Graham Crackers
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) Cream Cheese, room temperature

One Cup and 2 Tablespoons Sugar
3/4 Cup Fresh Key Lime Juice (about 1-1/2 lb Key limes) or bottled (we use Nellie and Joe’s)
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
One Teaspoon Vanilla
2 -1/2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs

Whipped Cream:
One Cup Whipping Cream
One Envelope Whip It
One Teaspoon Vanilla
Sugar to sweeten to your liking

Raspberry Drizzle:
One Bag Frozen Raspberries
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
4 Tablespoons Sugar
One Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Making the crust: Preheat oven to 350°F and butter bottom of springform pan.

Stir together crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined well or just use a food processor, then press evenly onto the bottom of pan. Bake crust in the middle of the oven for 8 minutes and cool in pan on a rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Making the Filling: Beat cream cheese at medium speed until fluffy, then beat in sugar. Add lime juice, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix in flour and salt at low speed, scraping down the sides as needed, until just incorporated. Then add eggs all at once and mix just until incorporated.

Pour filling into crust and set springform pan in a shallow baking pan. Bake cake in middle of oven until set in center, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool completely in springform pan on rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.)

From here you could treat this as a normal cheesecake - running a knife around edge of the cake and removing the sides of the pan - OR you could let it cool in fridge over night, then remove the sides of the pan and cut cheesecake into little square, bite-size pieces and place on a serving plate.

Then in a mixing bowl, beat one cup whipping cream, an envelope of Whip It, and some sugar and vanilla extract to taste. Using an icing doohickey thing or just a sandwich bag with a hole cut in the bottom, give each "bite" a generous dollop of cream.

Yesterday: Make a raspberry sauce by placing a frozen bag of raspberries in a pan. Take a glass with about 1/4 cup of water, add 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and 4 tablespoons sugar - mix until mixed and add to raspberries. Cover and heat over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until raspberries break down and sauce thickens.

Then remove from heat and push sauce through a sieve to remove all the seeds. You are left with a beautiful, tasty, and smooth raspberry sauce.

Let cool overnight!

Take the raspberry sauce from yesterday and place in plastic sandwich bag. Cut a teeny tiny hole in the bottom corner. Squeeze the bag, letting the sauce drizzle over the dollop of cream.

Ta-Da!

Taco and Salsa Dip

Everybody has a 'recipe' for Taco Dip, don't they?

But we believe that this is the Best Taco Dip there is and that's why we want to share it with you!

This recipe came together one day when I wanted to make a taco dip for a party in December, and unfortunately, tomatoes are completely tasteless during winter in Ohio. So, I decided to use Salsa as a tomato substitute - but not just any salsa - raspberry salsa.

I chose raspberry because this dip has the 'Oh' so wonderful, but strong flavors of taco seasoning and sharp cheddar cheese and I wanted something hot and sweet to bounce off the intensity and spice of the cheese and seasonings.

My favorite salsa brand is Jose Madrid and it used to only be sold at the North Market downtown, but now Whole Foods and Andersons carries it also - wahoo! Choose your own favorite brand, but know that using a sweeter salsa, even if you don't typically like the fruit salsas, is a huge part of the fabulous contrast that makes this taco dip the best!

One of the other key ingredients used is the beloved herb, cilantro. Nothing smells more like summer than cilantro. The cilantro adds the sunshine!


Taco Dip with Raspberry Salsa

8 Ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 Envelope Taco Seasoning
One Tablespoon Mayonnaise

Beat cheese, seasoning, and mayo until smooth. Spread evenly over one large plate or platter or two regular sized plates.


Generously layer the following ingredients in the order given:

2 Green Onions, cut into tiny pieces
Cilantro, cut into tiny pieces
(I place these two items on top of the cream cheese to help it to stick. If there's too many items layered on the lettuce it just falls off the chip - and that's a crime!)
Raspberry Salsa
1/2-3/4 Cup Sharp Cheddar, shredded - then shredded even smaller
(I place the first layer of cheese over the salsa to keep it from wilting the lettuce)
Finely Shredded Lettuce, preferably field greens with radicchio
One Red Pepper, chopped tiny
One Cup Taco Cheese, shredded - then shredded even further

Serve with Blue Corn Chips

Note: Did you happen to notice the terms and phrases, "tiny" "shred smaller" and "finely shredded"? If you want your guests to swoon all over this dip, you've got to shred and dice and chop everything tiny because there's nothing better than every ingredient that you've stacked on this dip to be collected on each and every chip and each and every bite!

Nothing worse than scooping some dip onto your chip and big pieces of lettuce and friends falling by the wayside and leaving you with half the dip in your mouth and half still on the plate for the next lucky dipper. Chop everything small and your guests will get to enjoy all the dynamite flavor you've created for them.

Note: You may have also noticed that some of the ingredients are missing their recommended quantities - that is not an oversight. We would hate to limit your creativity in the kitchen by giving you precise measurements on this one. Feel your way to the dynamite flavor and make it your own!

White Chocolate Cookies with Pomegranate Jam

Cookie, cookie, cookie! Everybody loves cookies! It's the number one thing baking in ovens all around the world at Christmas time. Let's see.....there's chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and probably the most popular - the decorated sugar cookie. But if you're one of those plucky bakers always in search of something unique and exciting that will raise a few eyebrows and please a few palates, then you're in luck, because we have the perfect cookie for you!

BUT! If we're going to think outside the cookie box, we want to do it in style, which means cutting no corners. This festive cookie will undoubtedly please the eye, but in the end, it's the palate we most want to impress.

This is a white chocolate cookie...and we know there's no such thing as "white" chocolate, but yet there is such a thing as white chocolate. We've tasted some lousy ones and we've tasted some outstanding ones. We suggest you choose the best one for this cookie. And one of our favorite white chocolates, that in our book, achieves stellar status is Callebaut. We normally find it at Whole Foods, sold in big chunks. It's not cheap, but remember, it's worth it! Just take a walk on over to the cheese counter and kindly request that they cut it down to your size. No problem!

You may have your own favorite brand of white chocolate, but we ask that you don't assume they're all the same - they're not! Choose a delicious white chocolate and you will have a delicious new cookie that kids and adults will love!


White Chocolate Cookies with Pomegranate Jam

1/2 Cup Butter
One Cup Sugar
One Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
8 Ounces and 3 Ounces White Chocolate, Chopped
2 Eggs
2-3/4 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Pomegranate Jam

Melt just 4 ounces of the white chocolate over a double boiler. In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt. When combined, beat in eggs and melted white chocolate.

Beat in flour and add remaining 4 ounces of chopped white chocolate.

Drop 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake in 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes. Let cookies cool.

Over stove, melt the jam. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon jam on top of each cookie.

Over stove, melt 3 ounces white chocolate. Drizzle over each cookie.

Enjoy!

Note: Any jam of your liking can be substituted in this recipe....raspberry, strawberry, blueberry......In fact, you could arrange a variety of different colors of "jammed" cookies and have yourself a dazzling display of flavors.

Note: Once the jam and white chocolate is set, these cookies freeze very well. When removed from the freezer, they can stack on top of one another without sticking to each other.

Bragging Note: Recently, when served at a party alongside five other magnificent desserts, such as Tiramisu, Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Mousse Cups with Raspberries, Pecan Pie, and Key Lime Cheesecake, these little White Chocolate Cookies were the only dessert that completely disappeared. I brought home an empty plate!

Ta-da!

Mission Accomplished!

Penne with Gorgonzola & Walnuts

Do you go ga-ga over gorgonzola?

Just this morning, did you say to yourself, "Screw dieting!"?

If you answered "Yes!" and "Yes!" then we have just the dish for you!

This pasta tastes best when served in a super-sized soup bowl while it's still steaming hot with a few apple slices on the side for contrast, while you curl up in a blanket in front of a roaring fire, sipping on a fine glass of wine. Are you seeing the picture we're drawing here? Of course, eating it on a simple plate at the kitchen table is perfectly acceptable too - this dish will impress however it's dressed.

So, if you have gorgonzola and brandy in your house right now, this mouth-watering pasta can be yours for the low, low prep-time of fifteen minutes!

And just so we're clear......Mr. Gorgo and Mr. Brandy are the superstars of this show.

Enjoy!!!


Penne with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

14 Ounces Penne (or Rigatoni)
4 Tablespoons Butter
One Cup Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons Brandy
One Cup Heavy Cream
2/3 Cup Walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
One Tablespoon Freshly Chopped Basil
One Cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook Pasta - we all know how to do that, right? Well, while that's cooking......

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Add the gorgonzola cheese and stir until melted. Add the Brandy and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in the cream and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring until the sauce is smooth.

Stir in the walnut pieces, basil, and half the Parmesan Cheese, then add the pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return to heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Divide the pasta among 4 warmed bowls, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan Cheese.

Take your seat in front of the fire. Smile! Enjoy! Worry about where this delicious bowl of heaven is going to take up residence on your body... tomorrow!

Stay in THIS moment!

Ahhhhhhh....that's goooood....

Minestrone!!!

Minestrone is ALL about "hodgepodge". In fact, there's no specific recipe for minestrone and barely any rules that need to be followed when making it - and that is music to our ears! Minestrone is all about throwing things together - chunky things, like hearty vegetables - and creating a wonderful flavor one might slurp up with a large spoon on a cold, blustery, winter day.

Sometimes though, in our attempt to create the best flavor we can, we may be tempted to use substances, like MSG, that enhance the flavor of certain foods. The jury is still out on exactly how unhealthy MSG is, but we'll let you google the word and decide for yourself.

We personally prefer to avoid it whenever possible because of the controversy surrounding it's effect on one's body, but even more than that, it feels like cheating when you use it in the kitchen. With today's fancy additives you can make food taste like anything...ANY THING! (Don't even get us started on that subject..) but taking vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, seeds, spices, etc. and combining them to create a delicious cuisine is the best kind of art there is!

We like to create flavors in the kitchen that come from the actual food themselves - after all, there are thousands of different foods and spices just waiting to show off their "talent". Don't deny them their time in the spotlight!

So, when it came time to serve up some Minestrone, we discovered a very tasty recipe, and it's flavor was off the charts, but three of the ingredients suggested contained high levels of MSG. What?! We felt duped. Anybody can create monstrous flavor with flavor enhancers, but can it be done with real food?

And the answer is YES!

Our soup gets much of it's pizazz from the Italian sausage and crushed red pepper, so choose your sausage carefully, or make your own - just make it super flavorful. As far as beans go, I hate beans - I really hate beans - so the first time I made this soup I did add them, but only because I wanted to feel like a grown-up. I do not, however, find them a necessary ingredient in this soup, but if you're a bean lover, go crazy, bean it up! Add pasta if you want more carbs, but we're pretty wild about the idea of meat and vegetables going it alone.

Our favorite way to make this soup is in the crockpot because you can make it in the morning and it will be ready to eat by dinner, but the stovetop works just as well. As with most soups, this minestrone tastes best on day two and three. Make it tonight, and you'll have a hearty bowl of heaven by tomorrow!


Minestrone!!!

One Pound Italian Sausage
4-5 Strips Bacon, cooked (Oink or Gobble)
One Medium Onion, Diced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
4 Cups Water
One Medium-Large Zucchini, chopped
2 Stalks Celery, diced
2 Large Carrots, diced
2 Cups Beef Broth
One Can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed (OPTIONAL)
One 28-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
One Tablespoon Sugar
One Teaspoon Oregano
One Teaspoon Italian Seasonings
One Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/8 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

In a skillet cook sausage with garlic and onion. Drain if necessary, then place in crockpot. Add all other ingredients and let the crockpot do it's thing.

Return hours and hours later to taste your new favorite Minestrone!

~~~~~

As you can see in the photo above, we like to eat our Minestrone with blue corn chips - soooo good together!

Note: In case you were wondering what the 3 ingredients were that contained the unwanted MSG, it was Campbells Bean and Bacon Soup, Bob Evans Italian Sausage, and Swanson's Beef Broth. You can find organic beef broth in the health food section at your local grocery store.

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

Are you really searching blogs on Thanksgiving morning looking for ideas on what to serve your guests today? Seriously?!

That's okay, we're procrastinators too! We love the thrill, the rush, and the panic of making something totally new, last minute, and hoping it turns out fabulous the first time out of the kitchen. It makes us feel ALIVE!

Well, in case you need a stellar dessert this Thanksgiving weekend, we have a great idea for you - one we came up with at the last minute too. Not long ago, we shared with you our Pumpkin and Spice Muffins that we think taste just like pumpkin roll. BUT, muffins can't be your dessert on a holiday as big and wonderful as Thanksgiving, so this is our idea.......wait for it..........

Little Pumpkin Cakes!

Make a single batch of Pumpkin Muffin batter. Pour half the batter- about 2-1/2 cups worth - into a greased and lightly floured 9x13 pan. Pour the other half into another 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for........um......gee, I don't remember. I know I set the timer for 10 minutes, then a couple more......wow! I can't tell you exactly how long I baked it, but I know I kept a close eye on it. I was thinking it didn't take as long as the muffins did. Sorry! But I'm making these the night before Thanksgiving for Pete's sake - I'm under a lot of pressure here!

Moving on......When they are perfectly baked, remove from the oven and let cool. Using a 79 cent circular cookie cutter, 3 inches in diameter, cut out 12 circles from each pan.

Set one circle on a plate. Top with cream cheese frosting. Lay another circle on top and smear with more cream cheese frosting. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top for fun. Repeat 12 times!

How fantastic is that?!

Happy Thanksgiving from our kitchens to yours!!!

Maple Roasted Pumpkin Salad

When's the last time you put pumpkin in your salad?

Yesterday? Really?

Wow! Until we ate it at the Squash Tasting, we never thought about adding pumpkin to our salad before, but that's exactly what makes this salad unique. There are a lot of wonderful flavors in this salad that makes it superb, but pumpkin is definitely the most unusual ingredient of them all!

Even though the pumpkin appears to take the spotlight in this salad, ALL the other flavors blend together beautifully to create the most peculiar, yet spectacular rainbow of flavors.

Not convinced? You don't like pumpkin??! Here's a crazy idea - leave out the pumpkin altogether and substitute apple instead...fresh cut apples. Apples would mingle perfectly with the feta, arugula, toasted pumpkin seeds and toasted garlic and lime dressing. AND... leaving out the whole "roasting the pumpkin" step would make this a quickie in the kitchen. Of course, you may have to rename the salad, but we don't want you missing out on this salad altogether if you have an issue with pumpkins - the dressing is soooo good!

Whichever way you go, go to the kitchen and create this salad for your next dinner - you'll fall in love with the rainbow!


Maple Roasted Pumpkin Salad

1/4 Cup Pumpkins Seeds
One Pumpkin (3-4 pounds) peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, unpeeled
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Course Ground Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoon plus one teaspoon Pure Maple Syrup
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
One Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1-1/2 Pounds Arugula
6 Ounces Feta Cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread pumpkin seeds on rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until fragrant and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

On that same baking sheet (lined with foil - trust us!) toss the pumpkin with 2 tablespoons olive oil, unpeeled garlic, red pepper, salt, and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender - about 30-40 minutes.

Remove garlic cloves from sheet pan. Set aside. Drizzle pumpkin with 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup; toss to coat. Return to oven and roast, tossing occasionally until glazed, about 5-10 minutes more. Let cool.

Squeeze out roasted garlic and mash to a paste. Transfer to large bowl. Add lime juice, mustard, and remaining one teaspoon maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk constantly as you add remaining oil. Set dressing aside.

Add arugula and pumpkin and toss to combine to combine. Serve salad sprinkled with toasted pumpkin seeds and crumbled feta.

Serve it up and eat it up and be prepared to be impressed!

Buckeye Candy - The Good Stuff!

For those of you living under a rock, or outside the state of Ohio or Michigan, tomorrow is the BIG game between the OSU Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines. Of course, OSU will crush Michigan and as they do that, we'll all be cheering them on while wearing our Buckeye shirts, hats, and of course, our buckeye necklaces.

We wear the buckeyes around our neck because we can't eat them, due to the fact that they're mildly toxic. Instead, we take peanut butter and chocolate and create a candy that we can eat that looks just like a buckeye - smart, eh?

This is the thing, though....these Buckeye candies are super sweet and super horrible for you! It's never stopped us from making them or eating them, but we thought to ourselves, "There has to be a better way...."

And there is!

We posted a recipe not long ago of a family favorite called Peanut Butter Balls - remember them? They're a huge hit among kids and adults alike. As I ate one the other day, I thought to myself, "Wow, these are so good!" And then it happened....the light bulb moment...dipped in chocolate, these could pass as Buckeyes, easy!

Check out the difference in ingredients - but beware - the difference will shock you. This may be our greatest discovery yet!

ORIGINAL Buckeyes: 10 tablespoons butter, 3-1/4 cups powdered sugar, one cup peanut butter, and one tablespoon vanilla.

OUR Buckeyes: 4 tablespoons butter, one cup honey, one cup peanut butter, two cups dry milk powder, and one tablespoon vanilla.

The difference in butter and sugar alone is astounding!


Okay, here it is, the New recipe.....



Buckeye Candy - The Good Stuff!

4 Tablespoons Butter
One Cup Honey (no substitutes, please)
One Cup Peanut Butter
Two Cups Dry Milk Powder
One Tablespoon Vanilla
1-1/2 Cups Cherrios, mildly crushed
(in this recipe we crush the cereal a little because we don't want the O's sticking out and destroying the illusion of the Buckeye, but we don't want to leave them out either, because they add texture and fiber - and we could all use a little more fiber, wouldn't you agree?)

Melt butter and honey over low heat until hot and thinned. Remove from heat. Add powdered milk, peanut butter, and vanilla - mix well. This works the best with a big ol' Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add cereal and mix well.

Roll into any size ball you want - think of a Buckeye, here......

Place in fridge to let them harden a bit. Melt chocolate in double boiler. Take 5-6 peanut butter balls from the fridge at a time so they don't get soft, and puncture them one at a time, dipping them into the chocolate, leaving a bare spot on top - like a Buckeye - and place on a piece of parchment paper to allow the chocolate to set.

Once set, EAT!

Note: The recipe given above is a doubled recipe of the original Peanut Butter Ball recipe. This recipe will make approximately 60 small-medium Buckeyes.


Go Buckeyes!

Beat Michigan!

Butternut Squash Polenta

Doesn't look like much, does it? A simple bowl of polenta with a splash of butternut squash? True, it doesn't grab your eye or incite the ever-embarrassing drooling process like a four-layered chocolate cake shamelessly dripping in rich, fudge-like icing does, but this humble side dish promises to warm your belly and soothe your soul with it's very first bite. Don't misunderstand, drooling is a good thing - embarrassing or not, but a soothed soul - now that's something to write about!

When this Polenta was served at the party, it came on the heels of the Maple Pumpkin Salad and the Chile-Roasted Acorn Squash. Both of these fantastic wonders had touches of sweetness and fire, which is what made them ROCK, but it's also what made this charming little polenta number so well-received at the table. It was like a warm, soothing, bubble bath after a night of sassy salsa dancing. Ahhhhhhh.......

So, warm that belly tonight and soothe your soul with this quick and easy Squash Polenta - your family will love you for it. And Hey, no one's stopping you from serving a rich, four-tiered, double chocolate, fudge cake, dripping in icing for dessert - certainly not us! NEVER US!


Butternut Squash Polenta

3/4 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1-1/2 Cups Cooked, Pureed, Winter Squash
2-1/2 Cups Water
2 Cups Milk
1-1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
3/4 Cup Instant Polenta
1/2 Cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cook onion in 3 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat until very soft. Stir in squash and stir occasionally for 2 minutes.

Bring water, milk, salt and pepper to a boil in a heavy 4 quart-pot. Add polenta in a thin stream, whisking. Cook at a bare simmer, stirring with a long handled whisk. Turn down heat as needed to avoid spatter. Cook 5 minutes.

Stir in squash mixture and cook another 3 minutes, stirring now and again.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

Eat immediately and SMILE, because it's deliciously fabulous!

It's A Squash Party!!!

So, does that photo get you in the mood for a squash tasting or what? Totally part of Teri's plan, I'm sure. She sent this as a postcard all the way from Carmel, CA to remind us that squash was the superstar flavor of the month...and YES, that is her in the photo.

And THEN, she emailed us this beautiful fall-like photo of her loaded cart at Lynd's Fruit Farms just to raise the level of excitement!

Mission Accomplished!

With these Food Tasting Parties we have, each food we taste presents a different set of challenges. How one decides to go about setting up their party is completely the hostess's choice. Apples were easy because you just slice them up and take a bite - same with tomatoes - but squash wasn't going to be as cut and dry.

Why?

Because none of us were prepared to bring our own chainsaws and cut up each squash and eat it raw, which meant Teri had to roast them, steam them, or bake them. Of course, had men been invited to this swanky affair, they would have been more than happy to drop pumpkins off Teri's roof and eat the pulp with their bare hands - which is exactly why we leave them at home.

To be certain that each squash's unique flavor was tasted fairly from one squash to the next, Teri added just a teeny tiny pad of butter and a simple sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg to each bowl, so we could get a true taste of each one. With that said, let's get tasting, shall we?

The bowl taking center stage in the photo below, is the ever-popular Spaghetti Squash. As much as we all love using Spaghetti squash as a pasta impersonator, it most definitely got the least amount attention on this day - "Spaghetti who?" It's flavor is mucho-mild and brutally bland, which is how it disguises itself so well as pasta. Pasta's not bursting with flavor - it simply serves as a backdrop to whatever you're serving with it, on it, or tossed all up in it.

Today, the rich, earthy flavor of the other squashes overshadowed this simple, yet normally stellar vegetable. It's okay, Spaghetti, we still love you!!!

Then there was the Butternut Squash, which was a big winner among us girls - especially Teri, who blushed every time she even spoke of the fiery, orange mush - she had it bad. That's okay, we all loved the Butternut too - it was unanimous! We loved it even more, when Teri used it in a Polenta dish she served up later - YUM. MEE!

And then there was the Hubbard. Yeah, we've never heard of it either! But let me tell you this, Miss Carrie's world will never be the same after tasting this funky squash. We thought Teri loved the Butternut with enthusiasm, but our Carrie found True, True Love with the Hubbard. I've never seen her so happy about food....except for when she's eating cheese....we all look happy when we eat cheese though, right?

So, the deal with the Hubbard seemed to be that it kind of tasted like a sweet potato, which right away threatened to eliminate Jen and I as supporters, because we do NOT like sweet potatoes, (so don't go looking for any recipes for them on this blog...), but the taste was considerably milder than the sweet potato, and it actually, kind of, sort of tasted like an everyday white potato too. It was somewhat confusing, really. It had this gentle sweetness with a dense and starchy punch.

Anyway, we liked it. In fact, Teri put it in a pie, and made it face off against the All-American Pumpkin Pie.....we'll get to the results of that "pie-off" later.

And then there was my surprise favorite - the Delicata. I'm not a squash lover by nature - it's a texture thing...I can't help it - but I liked this squash. It had a mild, yet very pleasing flavor. I was very excited to discover the Delicata, and even more excited about it's supercool name, "Delicata". We all seriously liked this 'delicate' wonder!

Last but not least, was the Golden Acorn Squash, which Teri, being the hostess had already tasted and given it the two thumbs down, but Jen liked it. She doesn't like sweet vegetables, so she appreciated the mild flavor of the Golden Acorn, as did Patty. I don't know that any of us fell in love with the Acorn, but we most definitely respect him.

So, the squashes have been tasted so party over, right?

WRONG!!!

The party was just getting started. After all, there was more great wine to be sipped and slurped and we were going to stay until we were all slurped out!

So, now we move on AND start with a salad. I think it's safe to say, no one in the room had ever had a salad like this one. All I'll say is, roasted maple pumpkin bites, roasted pumpkin seeds, and feta on arugula, with lime dressing. Go ahead, take a peak - feta not included - and yes, the recipe will be coming.

OH! And then the Butternut Polenta was served and "Oh my!" heaven in a bowl! That first taste took us back to the best dressed Cream of Wheat we ever had! Can you say, "comfort food?" Jen knew for sure that her kids would inhale this in seconds, which makes it a double winner. And yes, the recipe will be coming.....

It was Patty's birthday the day before our party- I can't remember which one...probably because she paid me to forget, but she did NOT pay me to NOT post the pictures of us surprising her with a goofy birthday hat, bubbles, and banners, but I chose not to post them because she is my friend and the pictures were taken at less than flattering angles with a multitude of oddball expressions, so they'll be for her enjoyment only.

Anyway, Teri decided there must be Birthday Pie, which was a perfect opportunity to have a bake-off. The pie on the left is Pumpkin and the pie on the right is Hubbard. I would love to tell you there was a clear winner, but there was not. We know which pie Carrie chose - Hubba, Hubba! - and Jen liked the Pumpkin, but after that, it was pretty even. Personal taste is what this Pie bake-off came down to...personal taste.

Sidenote: Teri advises eating the Hubbard pie pronto, because if it sits a day or two, it tends to dry out a little bit, and no one likes dried up Hubbard. Just be prepared to eat the whole pie!

And of course, there was wine. Teri wowed us with her substantial wine collection, and being the friends we are, we offered to drink some of it. Jen and I started with a swig of the Azur, until Teri assured us the Hawley was a much better choice...and she was right.

Each wine we tasted was better than the last and each had it's own distinct flavor, so it was fantastic to enjoy all the squashes and entrees with the compliments of each new wine.

Sooooooo, Thank you Teri for a fabulous party, and Happy Birthday Patty!


Until next time!..........

Before we go though, I must tell you that when Jen went to this party, she thought she disliked squash - except for the spaghetti variety - but she happily went with hopeful optimism, as did I. ( I don't love squash myself) When the party was over and we got in the car to leave, the first thing Jen said to me was, "I am so excited. I thought I didn't like squash, but I really liked them all!"


"I. Like. Squash!"



And THAT is why we have these parties....... :)