Ravioli and Butternut Squash Sauce

Holy tastebuderific dinner I made tonight!  Yeah, I don't know, I was trying to come up with a fun, made-up word for super delicious taste times.  ANYWAYS...

I bought this big ol’ butternut squash the other day totally on a whim.  I love squash, but had nothing in particular in mind that I was going to do with it.  Today I decided I wanted to do something with that squash and some pasta, and then I remembered I had some cheese ravioli…it sounded like a fantastic idea (and it was a really fantastic, that’s why I’m sharing).  I really wish I could tell you that I made the ravioli, and then give you an awesome recipe for it, but I've never made pasta in my life.  So anyhow, I did a quick interwebs search and found this recipe, which was perfect because I also have a shit-ton of 2 different types of basil growing in my garden.  I only very slightly strayed from the recipe I found, and here’s what I did.  This was so delicious, you should go get a squash right now and start cooking.

Yep, that's Beeb, eating squash out
of the food processor.

Ingredients

Your favorite cheese ravioli (in whatever amount you want)

1 medium to large butternut squash, roasted

   (I’ll give roasting instructions, in case you’re not sure about that)

1-2 cups half &half

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp fresh basil, torn
cayenne pepper (optional - use as much as you'd like, I like my food spicy!)

salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1) Cook ravioli according to package instructions. 

2) While your ravioli is cooking, place squash, approximately 1 cup half & half, cheese, basil and cayenne pepper in food processor.  Blend, and add half & half until the sauce reaches a consistency you like (I like it thicker, so I only used about a cup).  Add salt & pepper to taste, if desired (I didn’t add any, I thought it was perfect as is).

3) Drain ravioli and spoon desired amount of sauce over the top.

**My squash was still hot when I put it in the food processor, so I didn’t heat it at all after I blended it…you may want to heat your squash sauce after blending it.

Roasting the squash:  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, place in a 9”x12” baking dish (cut side up), put approximately 1 tbsp butter in each side and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper (I also sprayed a little bit of olive oil all over the squash, but it’s not necessary).  Place the squash in the oven for 30-45 minutes (until the squash is all soft and can be easily scooped out).

Enjoy!

 ~ j

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

I haven't actually made this recipe myself, YET, but this was the winner of the cookie exchange I hosted.  It was a Xmas cookie exchange, but these are definitely way more than just a Xmas cookie.  My friend Maria made these, and they were simply fabulous in all of their gooey, sweet and salty splendor!  So how did we pick a winner?  We sequestered Squatch in the bedroom and had him taste every cookie, we really had to force feed him to make that happen.

Someday I'll try to get a better photo to put here...

Butterscotch Blondie Bars with Peanut-Pretzel Caramel

Yield 40 cookies
Ingredients
BLONDIE
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

PEANUT-PRETZEL CARAMEL
4 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups 1 1/2"-wide thin twisted pretzels, coarsely crushed

Instructions
BLONDIE
1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 9"x13" baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 1" hanging over on long sides of pan.
2)  Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3)  Stir butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned bits form at bottom of pan, 7-8 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl, and add brown sugar.  Using an electric mixer, beat until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2-3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes.  Add dry ingredients; beat until smooth (batter will be thick).  Using a spatula, evenly spread batter in prepared pan.
4)  Bake blondie until golden brown, edges pull away from sides of pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

PEANUT-PRETZEL CARAMEL
1)  Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread peanuts over sheet in an even layer.  Bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 5-7 minutes.  Set aside.
2)  Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat; boil without stirring, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is deep amber, 12-15 minutes.  Add honey; return to a boil, stirring often, about 1 minute longer.  Add butter; stir until blended.  Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk until smooth.  Stir in peanuts and pretzels.
3)  Pour over cooled blondie.  Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
4)  Run a knife around short sides of pan to release blondie.  Using parchment paper overhang, lift from pan.  Cut lengthwise into 4 strips.  Cut each strip crosswise into 10 bars.  Chill for up to 1 week in an airtight container.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

enjoy!
 ~ j

Berry Crisp

YUM. I love love LOVE dessert. Pies, cakes, cookies, ice cream, and anything with fruit. Especially fruit crisps. Crisps are easy to put together, and delicious to eat. It’s a win/win situation for everyone involved. For this particular crisp, I used what fruits I had on hand – blueberries and blackberries (picked last summer at Ichuaway and put into my freezer) but you could use just about any fruit. Some variations may be apple with cranberries, plums and nectarines, peach, pear and blueberry, really the possibilities are endless. Serve this dish with a little whipped cream, ice cream, or by itself.

What you need:
5 cups fruit
1 cup oats
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons flour (separate)
3 tbsp white sugar
optional – ½ cup coconut (adds a lil fiber- everyone needs fiber)
dash nutmeg
dash cinnamon
dash ginger
½ cup butter – cut up into small pieces

What you do:
Combine fruit, 3 tbsp flour and white sugar in a square 9x9 baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix up oats, brown sugar, ½ cup flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and coconut. Mix in butter to the oat mixture with a pastry cutter, 2 forks, or your hands until it looks like a crumbly mess (I have found you can either mix the butter in or you can sprinkle it over the top and it turns out fine). Sprinkle this mixture on top of the fruit. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and the topping is brown.

Enjoy!
-hayden

Note: The sugar and flour mixed in to the fruit in the beginning was to make a bit of a syrup, but its not necessary. If you skip that step, expect your crisp to be more on the runny side when using fruits other than apples.