Can the election be over now?
I read in the commuter paper this morning that a lot of Americans are feeling stress about the election. Obamaniacs think the country will go down in flames under another Republican administration and Republicans think that Obama will destroy the America that they love. I'm not stressed about the election, but I'm worried, and don't like waiting. I'm not the most patient person. Right now, I'm waiting to take possession of my house and waiting to see whether the candidate I support will win the election. It's a little too much, and Tuesday can't come fast enough.
I watched Obama's infomercial, and thought it was very effective. I thought the footage of the wheat field was a little cheesy, but I understand why it was included. Hopefully, undecided voters watched it and paid attention, he was just preaching to the choir with tincow and I.
I made a fabulous vegetarian entree last week! (I'm trying to post my backup of food pics before I pack up the kitchen and computers). tincow is a freak who doesn't like acorn squash, and therefore didn't enjoy this dish. I love acorn squash, and thought it was fabulous. It's a perfect fall dish: the combination of cranberries, nuts, and wild rice really made it smell like fall foods in my apartment. I also added some nutmeg and ground cloves. On a whim, I served it with a side of proscuitto, but the squash half could have been a dinner on its own, or with a small salad.
The recipe is from chow.com. I used one acorn squash and tried to make approximately one third the amount of stuffing. I ended up with a lot of extra stuffing, but it was so good that I ate it out of the bowl while I was waiting for the squash to roast.
Ingredients:
3 medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups cooked wild rice mix (1 cup uncooked) ** I used plain wild rice, not "mix"
2/3 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped ** I used hazelnuts to avoid killing tincow
1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped ** Even though I tried to make 1/3 the amount of stuffing, I added extra dried cranberries
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
** I added 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Then I added a little more after tasting the stuffing, YMMV.
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet, brush 1 tablespoon of the melted butter over the tops and insides of the squash halves, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add the onion, shallots, and celery, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the rice, pecans, cranberries, salt, and pepper.
5. Divide the rice filling among the roasted squash halves (about 1/2 cup for each) and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of butter over top. Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
The proscuitto side dish was from Cooking with Curtis. It's a very simple recipe and was very quick to prepare.
Ingredients:
A 4 oz pack of sliced proscuitto
3 figs
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Arrange the proscuitto on plates. Slice the figs into quarters and arrange them on the plates. Put the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pot and simmer until it forms a glaze. Drizzle it over the proscuitto and figs.
This was my first balsamic glaze, and I got distracted by the TV and let it boil by accident. It still tasted fine, but it was very syrupy and almost solidified after I drizzled it on the plates. Next time, I'll be more careful!
I watched Obama's infomercial, and thought it was very effective. I thought the footage of the wheat field was a little cheesy, but I understand why it was included. Hopefully, undecided voters watched it and paid attention, he was just preaching to the choir with tincow and I.
I made a fabulous vegetarian entree last week! (I'm trying to post my backup of food pics before I pack up the kitchen and computers). tincow is a freak who doesn't like acorn squash, and therefore didn't enjoy this dish. I love acorn squash, and thought it was fabulous. It's a perfect fall dish: the combination of cranberries, nuts, and wild rice really made it smell like fall foods in my apartment. I also added some nutmeg and ground cloves. On a whim, I served it with a side of proscuitto, but the squash half could have been a dinner on its own, or with a small salad.
The recipe is from chow.com. I used one acorn squash and tried to make approximately one third the amount of stuffing. I ended up with a lot of extra stuffing, but it was so good that I ate it out of the bowl while I was waiting for the squash to roast.
Ingredients:
3 medium acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 cups cooked wild rice mix (1 cup uncooked) ** I used plain wild rice, not "mix"
2/3 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped ** I used hazelnuts to avoid killing tincow
1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped ** Even though I tried to make 1/3 the amount of stuffing, I added extra dried cranberries
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
** I added 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves. Then I added a little more after tasting the stuffing, YMMV.
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet, brush 1 tablespoon of the melted butter over the tops and insides of the squash halves, sprinkle with brown sugar, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add the onion, shallots, and celery, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the rice, pecans, cranberries, salt, and pepper.
5. Divide the rice filling among the roasted squash halves (about 1/2 cup for each) and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of butter over top. Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
The proscuitto side dish was from Cooking with Curtis. It's a very simple recipe and was very quick to prepare.
Ingredients:
A 4 oz pack of sliced proscuitto
3 figs
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Arrange the proscuitto on plates. Slice the figs into quarters and arrange them on the plates. Put the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pot and simmer until it forms a glaze. Drizzle it over the proscuitto and figs.
This was my first balsamic glaze, and I got distracted by the TV and let it boil by accident. It still tasted fine, but it was very syrupy and almost solidified after I drizzled it on the plates. Next time, I'll be more careful!