Butternut Squash Cookies

Did you have fun on your Black Friday shopping?
I didn't go out today, but I did yesterday. A lot of store open their black Friday deals on Thursday evening. Honey and I enjoyed our roasted duck with all the side dishes like sweet potato, bread stuffing, pecan pie and greens. He did all the cooking. Around 15 minutes before 8 pm yesterday, I lined up in front of the Bonton store. I've got my black ankle length boot for my daily use. The boot I have, had some hole in the sole. The puddle of water had wetted my sock. It is time to say goodbye to the old boots.

Butternut squash cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked butternut squash
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Adjustment: i am using almond instead of pecans. Original recipe yields 5 dozen

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and squash.
 Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices; add to mixture, stirring until well blended.
Stir in raisins and nuts.
 Spoon onto cookie sheets spacing cookies 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are golden.

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Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup

Fall is a harvest season for pumpkin, butternut, and acorn squash. They are also known as winter squashes. Although the produce section in the store will sell butternut squash all year round, at this time, the farmer's market will sell it at a good deal. I love the meaty and nutty yet sweet flavors of the butternut squash. I usually roast the butternut and eat it with some brown sugar and butter. Delicious!

Today, I decided to cook butternut squash mix with apple in a soup.
Ingredients:
 4 cups of butternut squash (roasted)
 1 large apple (core, peel and cube)
 ¼ cup of olive oil
 2 cubes of chicken bouillon
 ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon powdered dry onion
 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage, thyme and rosemary
 2 cups of water

 Instructions:
 Preheat oven to 450 degree F.
Wash and cut the butternut into half, lengthwise.
Put cut-side down and roast the butternut for 40 minutes.
Once cooked and cool, remove the skin and the seeds.
Cut the butternut into cube.
In a big pot, add butternut and apple.
Add ground black pepper, onion, chicken bouillon, water and fresh thyme, rosemary and sage.
Add olive oil.
Cook on medium low until bubbly.
Using handheld blender, puree until smooth.
Serve warm or chill.

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Giant Winter Squash

Roasted Giant WInter Squash.

Winter Squash cut half.

I went to the produce market on Veteran's Day and found this winter squash for $2. This squash is really huge and heavy. I roasted this squash. And a few pieces of it I cook with coconut milk and red hot chili padi. This winter squash or pumpkin is light in texture and not as delicious as the kabochi pumpkin.

How to roast pumpkin

This pumpkin is not only pretty as decoration but really super sweet and delicious in cooking.

Cut the pumpkin into half. Turn the cut side down and roast this at 450F about 30 minutes. Let it cool down a bit before scoop out the seeds and the flesh. I throw away the seeds and just keep the flesh.

To make delicious pumpkin soup, use a cup of chicken broth or any vegetables cube and boil it on medium heat in a pot. Stir in the roasted pumpkin flesh. Season with salt. Serve warm or cold. Adjust the chicken broth to get the right consistency.

Roasting Winter Squash

Kabocha is a Japanese variety of winter squash. Some people might call this a buttercup squash. This squash is popular for its strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture, which is like chestnuts or sweet potato when roasted. Wash and cut half the winter squash. I am roasting the Acorn squash (little squash from the picture) and the kabocha squash (The bigger squash).
Sprinkle with lots of black pepper and tiny bit of salt on the cut side.
Then turn it cut side down. Bake in the oven on 450F for about 40 minutes.
This winter squash is very sweet and tender and super delicious.
I can eat it just like that or use it to make squash soup.
The roasted seeds is edible too and very tasty.