Fall, Pumpkins, and Squash

Colorado's summer growing season has said goodbye.  The days, at times, are still warm, yet many nights are chilly.  With Halloween season upon us, children dress up in their favorite fictitious characters; begin trick or treating, bobbing for apples and even finding themselves enjoying the challenges of wandering through corn mazes.  Pumpkin patches are found everywhere with children, young and old alike, strategically seeking the perfect pumpkin; soon to be carved into the well know jack-o-lantern.

Among the pumpkin patches are other 'gourd' type produce growing on vines near by.  These various 'gourds' are known as winter squashes.  There are a large variety winter squashes; Acorn, Amber Cup, Carnival, Hubbard, Spaghetti, and Patty Pan Squashes just to name a few.  My favorite of the winter squash is the Butternut Squash.

There are many ways to fix a butternut squash; soups and butternut squash mixed with stuffing and grain dishes to name a couple.  A favorite of mine is to saute the butternut squash in a little bit of olive oil with spices (pumpkin spice and nutmeg), then add a little bit of brown sugar for a dinner side dish.  YUMMY!  Another favorite is homemade Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  AMAZING~ These cupcakes will be a hit with everyone every time!  (Even those that say they don't like squash).

I have included recipes for your cooking and eating pleasure, Sauteed Butternut Squash and Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.  Enjoy!  I know we have!

                  Pictured:  Mini Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Seasoned Sauteed Butternut Squash
***1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled and seeded
       (microwaving the squash whole for 2 minutes makes the skin easier to peel)
3 T. olive oil
2 T. butter, unsalted
1 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 T. brown sugar

Cut peeled and seeded butternut squash into 1/2 cubes.  On stove-top heat saute or frying pan on medium heat adding olive oil.  Once olive oil is hot, but not smoking, add butternut squash.  Stir occasionally as butternut squash cooks, approximately 4 minutes.  Add pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and salt.  Continue stirring butternut squash occasionally as to not burn.
Once butternut squash is done cooking, approximately 8-10 minutes, until butternut squash is tender (check with a fork), turn oven top to medium-low and stir in butter and brown sugar.  Stir for 1 minutes longer.  Turn stove top off and serve.  Yields 2-3 cups of cooked squash.

Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

(Butternut Squash Cupcake Mixture)
1 1/2 c. pureed seasoned butternut squash (use food processor or blender to puree)
       ****see above recipe for sauteed butternut squash
       ****any left over squash mixture can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months
3/4 c. oil (canola or corn oil)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg-lightly beaten
***3/4 c. buttermilk or sour milk
              (adding 1/4 tsp. vinegar to regular milk and stirring creates sour milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

In large bowl combine pureed butternut squash, oil, sugar, and egg.  Mix well until ingredients are incorporated together.  Add buttermilk/sour milk and vanilla, stirring well until all ingredients are blended.
Add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Once all ingredients are blended well, a batter will form.  Spoon batter into 12 cupcake holders with liners.  Spoon each cupcake holder approximately 3/4+ full.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until done.  Turn oven off.  Let cool on wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove each cupcake from the cupcake holder and let stand 5-10 minutes more minutes.  Ice each cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting.  Yields 12 cupcakes

Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 c. cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbls.buttermilk or milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 c. powdered sugar

In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese using hand mixer.  When butter and cream cheese are incorporated together, add buttermilk/milk and vanilla.  Continue to blend ingredients well.
Mix in one cup powdered sugar at a time into butter/cream cheese mixture until mixture is the desired consistency; making icing firm, but not too firm to spread on baked cupcakes.
Spread icing on cupcakes using knife or pipe onto cupcakes using a storage bag.
To use storage bag as a piping bag, put icing in bag, then cut a small opening in the bottom of the bag, squeeze desired amount of icing onto each cupcake. 

These cupcakes are great as a or for dessert at any event or dinner party.  I guarantee they will be a great hit!

Chili Peppers

Did someone say,  "Oh Hot Mama?!"

(Yes, talking about Chili Peppers)

(Included is a recipe for Roasted Chili Pepper Casserole~A family favorite)

It's the beginning of the Fall Season.  Farmers and gardeners eagerly collect from gardens a vegetable that is considered an American West favorite~Chili Peppers

A few weeks ago, September 23-25, 2011, was the famous 'Chili and Frijoles Festival'  in Pueblo Colorado.  Farmers, along with cooks and people who love to eat, come from all over Colorado and New Mexico to participate in one of the biggest events of the festival, the Fire-Roasting of Chili Peppers.  This is done with HUGE circular iron cages that are rotated over an open-flamed fire.  An aroma of sweetness and spiciness fills the air as the smells of roasted chili peppers teases noses and arouses taste buds.  A wonderful experience:  Many vendors wrap the roasted chili peppers in a tortilla with cheese for a quick chili pepper Quesadilla, while others vendors tempt the on-lookers with freshly stuffed roasted chili peppers.

Chili peppers can vary not only size and flavor, but also spiciness (heat).  Chili peppers can range anywhere from 1/2 inch in length to 6-8 inches in length.  Depending on the variety of chili peppers, some are extremely spicy and have a 'smoky' flavor, while others have a more 'fruity and nutty' flavor.  The heat, or how hot a chili pepper can be, is determined by the **Scoville Scale.  The Scoville Scale is used to determine how spicy hot or pungency a chili pepper can be.  The pungency is determined by how much Capsaicin Oil a chili peppers contains .
This scale was devised in 1912 by an American Pharmacist, Wilbur Scoville.  Scoville created the scale determining the Capsaisin, or heat pungency, of the chili pepper.  For example, one of the hottest chili peppers, is the Naga Viper Chili, or Ghost Chili having 1,382,315 Scoville Units; as compared to the well known Green Bell Pepper, having NO significant heat, or zero (0) Scoville units.  To put this scale in perspective, Law Enforcement Spray on the Scoville Unit chart ranges from 500,000 Scoville units to 5,300,000 Scoville units.  Now That's Hot!

Chili Peppers are used by many cultures for cooking, including Latin, Thai, Korean, and Mid-Eastern to name a few.  Some of my favorite chili peppers for cooking includes Anaheim Chili, New Mexico Chili, Slim Jim, and Poblano Chili peppers.  Chili peppers are often used in huge variety of dishes including casseroles, stews, soups, salsas, and meat dishes.
After roasting individual chili peppers, my mom, Linda, would stuff them with meat and cheese, them bake the stuffed chili peppers in the oven.  Not only was this time consuming, but tedious work.  To make things a little easier, she came up with a Roasted Chili Casserole.  Check out the yummy recipe.  Thanks mom for sharing!

Roasted Chili Pepper Casserole

Preheat oven 350 degress F.  Spray a medium sized round or square oven proof cooking dish with cooking spray.

***8-10 roasted chili peppers, seeded and deveined
1 lb. lean ground beef or bison (using a lean meat will prevent unwanted excess fat)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 Tbls. oil (olive, canola, or corn oil will work)
1/2-3/4 tsp. garlic powder (depending if you like lots of garlic flavor)
1-1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste (use as much or as little as you like)
1-8oz can tomato sauce
2 c. or  1-15 oz can of cooked pinto beans (drained)
2 c. cooked corn (cut off of cob) or 1-15 oz can of corn (drained)
       (see my blog Farmers Markets and Local Gardens for corn on the cob)
2 c. grated cheddar cheese

In a large frying/sauce pan on medium heat on stove top, add oil and onion.  Saute onion until transparent about 2 minutes.
Add lean ground beef or bison and spices (garlic powder through salt and pepper).  Cook meat and onion mixture 4-5 minutes or until meat is completely done, stirring occasionally.
Turn stove top down to medium low and add tomato sauce.  Cover pan.  Let meat/tomato sauce mixture simmer for approximately 10 minutes (add a few more spices if needed). Remove meat/tomato mixture from stove top, turning off stove top.
Using the prepared casserole dish, evenly spread a large spoon full of meat mixture in bottom of casserole dish.  Next place a layer of roasted chili peppers over meat mixture.  Then add a layer of cooked pinto beans.  On top of the layer of cooked pinto beans, add a layer of corn.  Repeat the layers of meat, roasted chili peppers, cooked pinto beans, and corn until all ingredients are used.
Last sprinkle top of casserole with grated cheddar cheese.  Cover casserole with lid or aluminum foil and cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Remove lid or aluminum foil and cook casserole for 5 more minutes or until cheddar cheese is melted, but not burned.
Remove casserole from oven and turn off oven.  Let casserole cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with a side of warmed tortillas.  Enjoy.  Yields 6-8 large servings.

***How to Roast Chili Peppers at Home

Preheat oven on HI Broil.
One of the most important things to remember when roasting chili peppers is to wear plastic cooking gloves.
Wash chili peppers with warm water and dry with a clean dish towel.  Cut off the tops of the chili peppers and slit down one side of each chili pepper.  Open the chili peppers and remove seeds and veins (the inner white part of the chili peppers).  Removing the seeds and veins will take away some of the heat of the pepper, but will not take away the flavor.
Next, on a cookie sheet, flatten chili peppers with skin side up, spacing approximately 1/2 inch apart.  Place cookie sheet on the second rack of the oven. 
During the roasting period, after about 2 minutes, the skins of the chili peppers will blacken and start to blister.  Be sure to watch the chili peppers closely as to not burn them. Once chili peppers start to roast, rotate the cookie sheet in the oven to evenly cook the chili peppers.  Continue roasting chili peppers for about 2 minutes longer until chili peppers are completely (or mostly) blackened and skins are blistered.
Remove cookie sheet from oven (turning oven off) and wrap roasted chili peppers in the clean dish towel or a couple of paper towels.  Let stand for approximately 5 minutes to let cool.
Once roasted chili peppers are cooled, using your fingers (protected by the gloves) or a crinkled paper towel, remove the blackened, blistered skins of the chili peppers.  Use immediately or store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.  Chili peppers can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months by placing them in a freezer zip-lock bag.


**The Scoville Scale can be viewed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale