Butternut Squash Fries

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 2-lb butternut squash, halved, peeled and seeded
salt

Preheat oven to 425. Peel the squash. Cut the squash into sticks like French fries, making sure it's seeded. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through baking. They are done with they are browning on the edges and crispy.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I drizzled them with a bit of olive oil, and then used Kosher salt and pepper on them. I also baked them in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (I was cooking something else at the same time) and then broiled them about 2 minutes to get them crispy.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! Mmmm, so good!! I only made one squash because I wasn't sure if we'd like them. When the whole plate was gone, Brianna was saying, "More fries??", Hunter was grunting, "Mmm! Mmm!" (i.e. "Feed me more!") and I was wishing I had another butternut squash sitting around. Yummy side dish that I'll be making more of in the future!

Butternut Squash Soup

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 2-3 lb butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper

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.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Butternut squash is very sweet so this is a great sweet soup. Great when served just with crackers. Sorry no pictures but trust me, this is a great fall soup to try! And so easy!

Pumpkin Roll

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
2 3-oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Garnishes: powdered sugar, chocolate coated pecan halves

Coat bottom and sides of a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan with cooking spray, and line with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; set aside. Beat eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored; gradually add granulated sugar, beating until well combined. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients. Gradually add to egg mixture, beating well. Combine pumpkin, pecans, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and gradually add to mixture, beating well. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Sift 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a 15x10-inch rectangle on a clean, dry dish towel. Run a knife around edges of pan to loosen cake, and turn cake out onto prepared towel. Peel wax paper off cake. Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; place, seam side down, on a wire rack to cool completely.

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Stir in vanilla and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture on cake, leaving a 1-inch border around edges.


Re-roll cake without towel, and place, seam side down, on a serving platter. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Garnish, if desired.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I used my own pumpkin puree and left out the nuts. I ran out of wax paper so I used nonstick aluminum foil and it worked perfectly.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I always wondered why I saved this recipe to try many years ago. Now I'm so glad I did. What a yummy recipe, and perfect for fall get-togethers! Although there are many ingredients it's probably mostly stuff you already have in your pantry. The only thing I needed to buy was the cream cheese and that was less than $2.00. Lots of steps to this recipe but nothing difficult. I highly recommend this yummy dessert/breakfast to anyone!!

French Toast - Overnight Baked

From: My friend Portia

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
¾ c. melted butter
¼ c. + 2 TBS. light corn syrup
French bread loaf, appx. 17” long (cut into 15 – 1.5” slices)
4 large eggs
2 1/2 c. milk
1 TBS. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
5 TBS. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter melted (for topping)

Stir together 1st three ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly approximately 5 minutes or until very bubbly. Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Immediately arrange 10 bread slices over mixture. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla & salt, gradually pour over bread slices. Cover & refrigerate at least 8 hours. Stir together sugar & cinnamon, sprinkle evenly over bread. Drizzle ¼ c. melted butter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden & bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes & serve.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I just used regular bread instead of french loaf bread.

What I'll do differently next time:
Not sure...

Verdict:
Neutral. I have to say, the tops were delicious. We love french toast. But there was like an inch of liquid on the bottom that never evaporated, so by the time the bread had soaked for 8 hours and then cooked for almost another hour, the bread was just mushy on the bottom layer. We like our french toast crispy, so this wasn't very appetizing to us. Not sure how I can fix this issue, or if I can. It might just be that some people like mushy french toast! Feel free to test this recipe and figure out the liquid part - like I said, the top part was very tasty!!

Nacho Potato Soup

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package au gratin potatoes
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 cups cubed process American cheese
Dash hot pepper sauce, optional
Minced fresh parsley, optional

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine the contents of the potato package, corn, tomatoes and water; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add milk, cheese, and hot pepper sauce if desired; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley if desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I couldn't find cubed process American cheese to save my life (only to find out later it is Velveeta) so I used a block of cheddar cheese and sliced it into the soup.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! A little spicy but a great taste! I knew I'd like it because my mom made it before and I got the recipe from her. I would definitely make this again in the future! Sorry, no pictures.

Chicken Pot Pie

From: My Mom

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chicken broth
1 can mixed vegetables, drained
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick melted margarine
1 cup milk

Boil the chicken breasts until done. Shred or cut into small pieces and place in a 13x9 dish. In a bowl, mix the soups, broth and vegetables. Stir and pour over chicken. Mix together the flour, baking powder, margarine and milk. Pour over the chicken and soup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.


What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! (I assume.) I had actually never made this recipe and made it for a church member who is sick. I assume it turned out great because I have never had Mom's chicken pot pie that wasn't incredible. It is one of those comfort foods for me and I highly recommend it!!

Slow-Cooked Mac and Cheese

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package (16 oz) elbow macaroni
1/2 cup stick margarine, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in a slow cooker; add margarine. In a bowl, combine the eggs, evaporated milk, soup, milk and 3 cups cheese. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cook 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with paprika.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I just realized I only used 8 oz of elbow macaroni and didn't change anything else about the recipe. Look at that cheesy goodness!!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was such a good recipe. ALMOST as good as my Granny's homemade macaroni and cheese! Stephen didn't like it as much as this macaroni and cheese but he said it was because baking it makes it a little crisper on top and he likes that. I do too, but this is just so convenient to make ahead of time and so delicious! I wonder if I could put bread crumbs on top in the last few minutes to make it a little crispy? Highly recommend this recipe!

Zucchini Fritters

From: An old email recipe newsletter

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. Bisquick
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. zucchini, grated
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter (or more if needed)

Blend Bisquick, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Add eggs. Mix zucchini into batter. Grease hot pan or griddle with butter. Pour batter into pan and fry 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I accidentally shredded my zucchini instead of grating it. I think if I had grated it, Brianna would have eaten it, but the big shreds of zucchini really didn't look appetizing. Didn't bother me though!

What I'll do differently next time:
Grate it!

Verdict:
Thumbs up. Only Hunter and I really ate these and I thought they were good (although they did have a very strong salty flavor for some reason) but I probably won't make them again if half my family doesn't like them. I do strongly recommend them for people who like zucchini and things like potato pancakes, as they are a lot like those.

Chicken and Biscuits

From: Kraft Foods magazine

Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream, divided
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 16-oz package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup baking mix
3 Tbsp milk

Heat oven to 375. Mix soup and 1/2 cup sour cream in 8-inch square baking dish. Add chicken, vegetables and cheese; mix. Place baking mix in medium bowl. Add remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and milk; stir until stiff dough forms. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls into 6 mounds over chicken mixture. Bake 35 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is hot and bubbly.



What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't use the whole bag of vegetables - maybe half the bag or a little more. My baking dish filled up really quickly after I put the chicken in! I only needed to cook mine about 30 minutes until it was done.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Such an easy recipe and I love chicken pie like this. I'm not even sure Stephen has ever eaten chicken pot pie in his life and he enjoyed this recipe. In my opinion this is a kid pleaser too, if your kids love vegetables as much as mine do. They don't really care for the chicken but I'm okay with that!! Will definitely make this again in future and highly recommend it to other people.

My apologies for the picture of leftovers - that's how quickly it went!

Honey Garlic Chicken

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey

Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if using a 6-quart, this will cook faster. Check after 3 hours on high, 5 hours on low). Put the chicken into your cooker. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour evenly over the top. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4. Serve with basmati rice and steamed or roasted vegetables.


What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was a delicious flavor, and personally, I loved it poured over the rice. Three chicken breasts cooked perfectly in about three hours. This is an awesome crockpot recipe that I would highly recommend you trying!