Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout & Apple Stuffing

Posted on October 23, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy Friday! Today is a very special day- not just because its Friday and the weekend is just a few hours away. Today is Ski Boots in the Kitchen’s 2nd Birthday!! Happy Birthday blog! I made you some delicious stuffing to celebrate! Thank you to everyone that has followed me, made my recipes and enjoy this journey with me, it’s been so much fun! In celebration of our 2nd birthday we have a super awesome, shiny and new Ski Boots in the Kitchen logo created by my amazing sista Anabelle McLean! I don’t know about you but I am excited for some fall activities this weekend! I went out and bought a couple pumpkins to carve and I am planning on making my favorite Stew in a Pumpkin which was my very first post on the blog two years ago! If you have not tried this stew, please stop what you are doing and get your yourself to a grocery store STAT and start cooking. It is the best fall recipe… possibly ever!

I thought you’d enjoy some of the wildlife I’ve been seeing around Park City lately. All the deer and moose are out trying to fatten up before winter and I am doing the same in my kitchen! I have already started to think about the holidays and delicious recipes to share with your family and friends this Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah! This recipe for stuffing is an awesome way to get all your veggies- butternut squash, apples and cranberries add the perfect sweetness, while the pecans give the stuffing a lovely crunch! This recipe is so tasty, it will definitely become a new family favorite! Hope you have a great weekend! Cheers!

Lasagna-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout and Apple Stuffing (Click for printer friendly version)

(Serves 6-8)

Recipe from Food52

1 pound butternut squash, cubed
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
1 medium gala apple, cut into a 1/2 inch dice
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 2 tbsp and 1 tbsp
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
10 slices bread of choice: crusty sourdough, dry cornbread, whole grain, or, if you are gluten free, millet bread will work nicely. Prior to preparing the recipe, leave bread out for a day to become slightly dry, then cut into cubes.
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (plus extra as needed)
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash, brussels sprouts, apples, and shallots in 2 tbsp oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast till vegetables are very tender and remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 350.
Heat other tbsp oil in a large pot. Saute the onion and celery till translucent (about 5-8 min). Add the bread cubes and allow them to get golden brown with the veggies in the oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
Add the roasted vegetables, cranberries, pecans, and seasonings, gently toss to combine. Add the vegetable broth and stir the mix till the broth has almost entirely absorbed in the toasted bread. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Sauteed Cauliflower and Apples with Toasted Pecans

Posted on October 22, 2013 by skibootsinthekitchen

I’ve come to the conclusion lately that cauliflower is an underrated vegetable. Mostly, I used to think it was just plain boring- and yes, when you steam it and serve it plain, I think there is nothing worse.

Its lack of color is another one of its pitfalls- a white veggie on a white plate – need I say again… boring! But its all about how you cook it and fix it up that makes you realize, cauliflower is far from boring. This cauliflower recipe would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving or Holiday meal- the brightness of the apple is pleasing to the eye and gives the dish a hint of sweetness. The nutty taste from the browned butter and toasted pecans give it that holiday essence and amazing flavor that is sure to please even the picky eaters!

Sauteed Cauliflower and Apples with Toasted Pecans (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into florets (about 5 cups)
1 small shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 red apple (such as Fuji or Gala), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup pecans

Directions

Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then roughly chop.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cauliflower and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the thyme and ½ cup water. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add the apple, cover and continue cooking until the cauliflower is tender, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl.
In a small sauce pan melt butter on low heat until its completely melted. Once it is fully melted raise the heat to medium-high stirring constantly. The butter will begin to foam and brown. Once the butter has reached a medium caramel brown color remove from heat. Pour browned butter over Cauliflower and toss and sprinkle with the pecans.

Recipe adapted from Real Simple October 2013

Cornbread, Sausage and Pecan Stuffing

Posted on November 15, 2012 by skibootsinthekitchen

Another very important part of Thanksgiving day… Stuffing. For years I have subscribed to the ultimate food lovers guide (food porn) magazine… Bon Appetit. Nothing compares to opening my mail box and finding it waiting with wonderful recipes, restaurants and ideas. But I am guilty… after drooling over every amazing (and complicated) recipe, I revert back to my collection of familiar cook books and my unused Bon Appetit stack grows. So I’ve vowed not to be intimidated by the long lists of ingredients or seemingly complicated recipes and try to cook at least ONE (I know its not a lot but its better than NONE) recipe each month. So in honor of my commitment… this stuffing recipe is from the November Bon Appetit Thankgiving Issue, it turned out not to be as complicated as I though and its absolutely delicious! This can be made 1 day ahead too, which makes it even better. Enjoy!

Cornbread, Sausage and Pecan ‘Dressing’

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish
1 lb. day-old cornbread, Broken into 1 1/2″-2″ Pieces (two boxes of Jiffy Mix)
1 lb. breakfast sausage links, casings removed (I used maple sausage)
2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups slices celery
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1/4 cups chopped toasted pecans (optional)
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
(I added 2 leeks because I love them! roots and green stems removed, white part cut into thin rounds)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Butter a 13x9x2″ baking dish; set aside. Scatter cornbread in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until dried out, about 1 hour, stirring often. Transfer to very large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up into 1″ pieces with a wooden spoon until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Drain fat and transfer to bowl with cornbread but do not stir.

Heat 3/4 cup butter in same skillet; add onions and celery (and leeks if you choose to add them) and saute for 10 minutes or until soft and they begin to brown. Add to bowl with cornbread.

Return skillet to heat. Add vinegar and cook for 1 minute scraping up browned bits from the pan. Add to cornbread mixture. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups broth, pecans, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Let cool.

Turn oven up to 350 degrees. In a small bowl whisk 1 1/2 cups broth and eggs together. Fold gently into cornbread until thoroughly combined taking care not to mash cornbread (mixture will look wet). Transfer to buttered baking dish, cover with foil, and bake about 40 minutes or when a thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing reads 160 degrees. If making a day ahead, remove foil after baking and let cool. Cover and chill. Reheat for 15-20 minutes or until stuffing is warm all the way through.

Turns out stuffing is really difficult to photograph and still look appealing (Even though the magazines picture is perfect, go figure). While this looks like a bowl of mush…It tasted AMAZING and looks much prettier in person.