Things I love about winter:

[haloradio]

What you missed last time: I love squash. I love this time of year because we get three things: candy, apple cider, and squash. Our organic vegetable box was half full of a different variety of winter squashes that I've never heard of (+ acorn squash, I'm hoping for a butternut squash this week [another + of squash is that it's not that many calories, unless you're like me and uh, smother it in brown sugar]). After searching for a recipe for the sweet dumpling squash, I think I'm close to ending my journey.

Apple Cider and Wild Rice Pilaf Treasure

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup wild rice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 cup dried cranberries, halved
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 cup apple cider, fresh
• 1 apple, ida red, peeled, cored & sliced
• 1/4 cup pecans, sliced or sliced almonds
• 1 large shallot, french, thinly sliced
• 1/8 cup currants
• 2 tbsps candied ginger

Step #1 Wash rice three times, drain well. Step #2 Combine rice, cider & water in pan. Step #3 Bring rice mixture to boil, reduce heat to low & cover & let simmer 30 - 40 mins. Step #4 In a large frying pan, & cranberries, ginger & shallots, add pecans, raisins, currants, melt butter on low, stirring for 5 mins. Step #5 Next add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh apple & wild rice. Step #6 Cook on low for 2 mins until heated, serve warm-enjoy. Enjoy the Apple Cider & Wild Rice Pilaf Treasure recipe.

I figure that we can eat this by itself without even bothering with the sweet squash for a bowl. Putting it in the squash requires another hour and a half of baking in the squash. The recipe I found was for acorn squash, but I figure that all squash probably needs the same preparation time (about an hour, hour and a half). The sweet dumpling squash that I'm going to use are smaller, and have less flesh on the inside then the other acorn squash. So I also found this, so instead of rice pilaf ...

Apple Raisin or Apple Cranberry Filled Squash

• 4 acorn squash
• 3 apples-cored and chopped (about 1-1/2 cup chopped apples)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Place the halves, cut side down in a shallow baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the chopped apples, nuts, brown sugar and raisins or cranberries together in a large bowl. Turn squash halves cut side up and fill the squash halves with the fruit mixture. Top each filled squash with 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Also, if I could send smells over the internet, I'd send the smell of this baking pumpkin baking. We now have pumpkin seeds to add to my wheat-free mix, as well as a sweet baking pumpkin being drained for pumpkin pie.

So one of the above will be eaten with salmon and white wine on Friday. Given it'll take me at least two hours of baking (which isn't so bad, because there's only about a half an hour of preparation). I think I may just bread the salmon in cornflake crumbs; or I may pull it out tomorrow night and marinate it in something that I haven't decided yet. The wonderful thing about fish is that it only takes about eight minutes on the grill.

On the down side of looking for recipes, I also found this one, and it makes me rather sad that I'm using my sweet dumpling squash for stuffing and my acorn squash for baking with brown sugar and then eating.

Applesauce-Squash Muffins

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup cooked butternut squash puree
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
• 3-1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup soft, plump raisins
• 1 cup finely chopped dates
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Generously grease 2 muffin tins or line the tins with paper muffin cups.; set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, oil, eggs, squash puree, applesauce, vanilla, and grated lemon rind. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt together. Add the dry ingredients to the other mixture and mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the raisins, dates, and walnuts and stir to mix well. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° for 20 minutes or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the baked muffins from the tins to cool on wire racks.

So, what to do with the butternut squash? Muffins, or pie? Do I really need another pie? I should've made pumpkin muffins and butternut squash pie. D: Oh well, squash is plentiful, and my tummy will be happy.

Also, I've started making handfuls of icons from both the YuuYuu Hakusho manga as well as the FLCL manga that will be posted soon, perhaps? I know there's some more textures that I also want to make. On top of finishing this book (by Friday!) and this website (soon!!) I've also made myself a new layout. I figure that I'm superwoman or something. It's not finished yet, but.



The problem I'm having is where, oh where, to put the text? I'm not happy with the fonts themselves, I love univers, but I think I'm really going to have to find something either: more sketchy, or actually write out the saying myself and scan it in. I tried to do it with the mouse, but it doesn't have the same effect. It makes me miss my tablet, really. I'm going to fuss with it a little more before I put it up.

Also, Adagio needs to send me my new tea of the month. It says September/October, but I'm whiny and want it now.