Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• Nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Chai Tea

5 Cardamon
1-2 Cinnamon Sticks
7 Peppercorn
10 Cloves
2 inches Ginger (peeled and smashed)

Boil the above ingredients for 10 minutes

Add 2 heaping Tbsp. black tea, steap 5-10 minutes

Add 1/2 as much milk as water, add sugar to taste.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, sliced into rings
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

Savory Chicken Noodle Bake

• 6 ounces thin egg noodles, cooked, drained
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 to 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 2/3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup pimiento, drained, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups cooked diced chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed under hot water
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese , plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish.

In large skillet or saucepan over low heat, melt butter; sauté mushrooms until tender. Blend in flour, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add chicken broth, milk, pimiento, and salt and pepper; stir constantly until sauce is thickened. Stir in chicken, peas, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and the cooked noodles. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over top. Bake chicken noodle casserole 20 to 25 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Serves 8.

Country Corn Bake

1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
1/2 cup butter
1 (8.5 oz) pkg. dry corn muffin mix
1 (8 oz) pkg. prepared French onion dip
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 2 quart casserole.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine corn, butter, corn muffin mix, French onion dip, eggs, salt, celery, salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish.
3. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 40 to 60 minutes.

Apple Pie Filling

• 10 pounds Apples, More Or Less As Needed (Amount Of Apples Depends On How Thickly You Slice Them)
• 4-½ cups Sugar, Divided
• 10 cups Water, Divided
• 1 cup Corn Starch
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• ¼ teaspoons Nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoons Cloves

Combine 3 1/2 cups sugar and 9 cups of water together; bring to a boil and make sure sugar is dissolved.

While it’s heating, combine 1 cup corn starch, remaining 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Stir in a bowl until no longer lumpy.

After sugar and water are boiling, whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Keep whisking to make sure lumps don’t form. Add in remaining ingredients (except apples) and bring to a boil to thicken.

Pack hot jars with peeled and sliced apples. Ladle into jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Remove bubbles and adjust 2-piece caps. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes (additional time may be needed according to your altitude). Makes about 7-8 quarts.

Note: sometimes I do a thick slice of apples for apple crisp.

Carmelized Crock Pot Onions

• 1 pound Onions
• 2 Tablespoons Butter

The measurements for the ingredients are per part. For a 6-quart crock pot, I used 6 pounds of onions and 2 sticks of butter. Next time, I’ll use my 18-quart roaster, and hopefully 18 pounds of onions and 6 (!) sticks of butter.

Use any onion you like. Yellow onions are usually cheapest. They will be very sweet when they are done, so only use sweet onions if you *really* like the sweetness.

Slice onions 1/2-inch thick. Pile them into the crock pot and fill it as much as you can. Top with pats of butter. Turn crock pot on low. Stir after a few hours, and leave overnight.

These can be put into containers to refrigerate, or they can be canned.

To can: sterilize jars and lids. Fill with onions, and replace lids. Process.

The possible uses are endless.