Sorry for the radio silence folks, I didn’t expect my decent back into the world of cubicle dwellers to suck up so much of my time mentally, physically and yes even emotionally. I’m adjusting to my new position at the college fairly well but it’s hard being the new girl, I haven’t had to be the new girl in a long time at least not in that capacity. Getting to the point where I feel comfortable, like I can let my guard down a bit and truly be myself is gonna take some time. And although I’m not working 40 hours a week, thankfully, (at least not yet) when you add-on a 70 minute commute (35 minutes each way) onto a 5 hour work day, five days a week. It can definitely take a toll. I knew how blessed I was before to have the ample of amounts of free time that I did to do the little things around the house but last Wednesday when I was up until after 11 PM trying to get caught up on laundry it really hit me how fortunate I was and for a split second I wondered why I have once again voluntarily turned my life upside down, but everything happens for a reason. And the end results will make all of these new adjustments worth it. For example the contractor came to my house last week to take some measurements of my kitchen (yipee!!!). Kitchen project 2015 will be coming your way soon.
So it would appear that Thanksgiving is upon us, my first without my Mother and Mother in Law. Truth be told I haven’t allowed myself too much time to get all moody and blue about it. I’ve been too preoccupied “adjusting” to my new work schedule. Plus since I’m not doing any cooking, in some ways it will feel like just another day. Christmas will be another story all together, as I do everything for that Holiday. My aunt who happily proclaims that she was the first real Gourmand in the family is doingThanksgiving and insists on making everything herself. All of the traditional dishes plus a few non-traditional ones that she’s perfected over the years. I’ve offered on many occasions to bring something but my advances are always rebuffed, my only job is to bring a hungry husband and my two little ladies and be sure to shower her with praise for all of her hard work. Even though I won’t be cooking this year I still wanted to share a recipe that could happily grace any Thanksgiving table.
Thanksgiving really is all about the pie right? Pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato. Whatever flavor moves you, there is sure to be some sort of homemade pie at the table. I stumbled on this recipe nearly 7 years ago. It’s from the book The Dinner Diaries which chronicles one mother’s journey of trying to get her family on board with a more sustainable eating lifestyle. The book is laugh out loud funny, informative and has more than a few good recipes. I give you, Butternut Squash Pie.
Harvest Squash Pie
adapted from: The Dinner Diaries by Betsy Block
serves 8-12
Ingredients:
- 1 small (2-pound) butternut squash (about 2 cups mashed)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 frozen deep-dish pie crust
- 1/2 cup light cream
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Halve the squash lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Line a baking pan with foil and put the squash onto the pan, cut sides up. Rub the cut sides with oil and bake until very soft, about an hour.
- 30 minutes after you put the squash in the oven, take the pie crust out of the freezer; defrost until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, then bake it next to the squash until the edges just dart to turn brown. About 5 to 8 minutes.
- Take the squash and pie crust out of the oven and set them on a wire rack to cool. Lower the temperature on the oven to 375 degrees F. When the squash has cooled a bit, scoop out the flesh into a blender or food processor. Add the cream, maple syrup, brown sugar, spices and eggs. Pulse until smooth.
- Put the cooled pie crust on a cookie sheet and pour in the squash mixture.
- Bake until the filling is set and the rust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool pie for15 minutes before serving. If you want to save it for later, cool it to room temperature (roughly 2 hours) and then store in the fridge. Bring the pie back to room temperature before serving.
The Art of Sunday Dinner 