Sweet and Spicy butternut squash

I love butternut squash and was looking for a way to change it up.  I also had feta cheese on hand and this is the recipe I found.  This is powerful good.  I didn't have the fancy asian pepper sauce, I used good ol' Cholula.  It probably didn't have as much kick as it would have.  I will have to try it with the fully loaded pepper sauce next time.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (suggested: Sriracha)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• basil leaves

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Toss squash with olive oil, maple syrup, chili sauce and salt.
3. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, give the squash a stir then bake for another 20-25 minutes until the squash is tender and caramelized.
4. Top squash with feta cheese and basil leaves.

frosting...mmm

Zoe wanted buttercream frosting for her birthday cake.  I tried this recipe out.  I am not usually a frosting fan, but this is mighty tasty.  A keeper.

Ingredients:

Yield:
12
cupcakes Units: US | Metric
1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:

1
In a bowl combine butter, sugar and salt. Beat till blended.
2
Add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/vanilla-buttercream-frosting-from-sprinkles-cupcakes-222188?oc=linkback

Banana Bread

For ever the banana bread recipe I used was cut out from the back of a C&H sugar bag.  I don't know where that one is now, and I don't care.  For me and my rotten bananas this is a better bread.
-full disclosure, this is a recipe from allrecipes.com.  But there are soo many banana bread recipes there.  I wrote this down and didn't want to loose it, so here it is.  *found it, so handy to look up by ingredients!http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-ever-banana-bread/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=banana%20bread%20with%20buttermilk&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

Preheat oven to 375

3 eggs
1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 oil (substituting some apple sauce works, wouldn't get rid of it entirely)
1 1/2 c bananas (about 3)
2 1/4 c sugar
2 1-/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt

mix all the wet ingredients, throw in the dry, bake it up.  Here is the hitch.  I think this makes 2 loaves of bread, but I never actually put it in bread form because, I live in Arizona and it is too crazy hot 80% of the time to fire up my oven for and hour and 20 minutes, so I always make muffins.  And I can't at this time remember how long to cook them for.  Hmmm.  Lets guess 30 min. but don't go too far cause your gonna have to check em.  (next time I make them I will take note)

Tiffany Salad

 This is know at our house as Tiffany Salad because that is where the recipe comes from.  We always think of her when we eat it which makes it twice as nice.

Pasta & Chicken Salad

1 16 oz. Bow Tie pasta

1 cooked chicken shredded (I use 1 rotisserie chicken)

1 bunch green onions chopped

1 C celery chopped

1 can water chestnuts chopped

1 large can pineapple tidbits or chunks drained

3-4 C seedless grapes cut in half (I use purple or green, whatever is sweeter)

1 large bottle Kraft Coleslaw Dressing

1 C Mayo

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook pasta until tender, drain and rinse with cold water until pasta is a room temperature.  Add all ingredients but dressing and mayo in a large bowl.  Mix mayo and coleslaw dressing together until smooth.  Sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper over pasta mixture and add dressing.  Mix carefully until dressing is distributed evenly.  Chill 2-3 hours before serving.

Catch n Cast Brownies

This is a recipe I got from my cousin Laurie when we were roommates at Utah State.  She had to write a paper on a recipe-I think.  So she wrote about these brownies that are ideal for both catching a man and softening the blow when it was time to send them down the river.   We have made them a couple of times the past few weeks, and they are good for what ails you.

2 cubes of butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c flour

Melt butter in sauce pan, turn off heat.  Add sugar, cocoa and vanilla.  Add eggs and mix them in quick so the heat doesn't cook them.  Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Cook in a greased 9x11 pan for 30 min.

This recipe can be cut in half.  just bake in a square 9x9 pan for 25min.

Yum!

pizza dough

I love this pizza dough recipe but always loose it in my chaotic filing system. Here is the link. Semolina flour is usually easy to find if you look in the bulk food section.

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/cheri-s-favorite-pizza-dough