Thursday - Recipes, Cooking and Baking!

I'm having problems with Google again!  I sent a problem report and if it gets fixed soon I will blog else I will have to wait.....so sorry!
Happy Trails....anyway!
Okay..they fixed it fast and I am back in business!  Thank you Google for your fast problem solving!
I made a typical Fall meal this week but I just couldn't wait!  It is one of my favorite Fall meals and it is from the cookbook and essay book by Robin Mather.  "How I lost my job, buried a marriage and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on forty dollars a week)."  I highly recommend this book not only for the beautiful writing and story but for the wonderful recipes which all come with their own unique tale.  The name of the book is The Feast Nearby.................

 

The recipe is Baked Acorn Squash with Sausage and Maple Syrup.......

This recipe makes 4 servings

"This simple dinner is easy and delicious.  My mother usually served Waldorf Salad with baked squash---the crunchy apple-celery-nut salad was a good companion to the baked squash's silky richness, and it's cool-weather flavors seemed to go well, too.  My father especially loved this dish; I can see him rubbing his hands together in gleeful, greedy anticipation of one of his favorite dinners."

I totally understand her father's feelings about this meal!

***BTW, I did not have the sage sausage...mine was just plain so I added some sage on top***) 

2 acorn squash

1 pound bulk sage pork breakfast sausage

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Using a very sharp knife, prepare the squash by cutting them in half from stem end to stern.  Scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers.  Turn the squash over; cut a small flat slice from the bottom of each squash half so it will sit squarely in a baking dish.  Place the squash halves in a baking dish large enough to hold them.

Divide the pork sausage into four portions,  Pack the cavity of each squash half with pork sausage.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup over the pork sausage in each squash half (***I can only ever fit 1 tablespoon of syrup in each squash half***).  Add 1 inch of water to the baking dish around the squash halves.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake for 1 hour (***I always have to cook it for 2 hours***), or until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife.  

Serve immediately.

I take the pork sausage out and cut it up on a plate and scrape the squash out of it's skin and mash it and cover it with butter and a little salt! Yummy!  You could also pour a bit of maple syrup on it too!

I too,  make a Waldorf Salad to go with this dish...........I found a recipe by Penny on All Recipes but I changed it some to suit my tastes........... 

Penny stated "This traditional salad is delicious, and you can vary the ingredients to your preference.  Try adding diced, roasted chicken to make this salad a meal!" 

Sam's Waldorf Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 apples cored and diced (I don't peel them but you can)

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup of craisins (dried cranberries)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.  Stir in the apples, celery, pecans, and craisins (dried cranberries).  Chill until ready to serve.

I hope you enjoy this meal if you make it and the book if you buy it!

Happy Trails!!!