Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

 As I try to get better familiarized with gourds, I come across all sorts of ideas.  This one was a combination of wanting to try out acorn squash and having lots of leftovers in the fridge.  The stuffing has quinoa, corn, beans, and mushrooms in it.  I added cinnamon to the seasoning to make it seem sweeter.

The outcome was a lot of food that was very filling.  I could only finish maybe half my portion.  I decided this one was a success when the Guinea Pig ate whatever I had left on my plate after finishing up his own portion.

Thanksgiving Meal

Thanksgiving Meal Menu

This year the Guinea Pig and I celebrated Thanksgiving by ourselves for the first time.  This meant that I had to cook the meal for the first time.  Lots of pressure!  I decided that if I were to make the meal, I would make it my own.  So I took traditional Thanksgiving foods and made them in a new for us way.

I started off with brainstorming the menu.  Then I did a few trial runs of different foods to make sure I didn't ruin it for the Guinea Pig.  I figured out that a sweet potato hash would work better than mash and string beans were perfect on first try.

Kabocha Squash Soup

I had originally wanted to make a pumpkin soup, but when the time came to go grocery shopping, there were no pumpkins to be found.  I had made the same recipe with a butternut squash, but didn't want to repeat it no matter how good it turned out.  I wanted something new.  So I turned to the Kabocha Squash that the grocery store had.  It was a nice change and came out great as expected.

Corn Bread Casserole

I tried making a cranberry corn bread in advance using a fancy box mix, but it came out a bit dry.  I think the only saving grace of the experiment was the addition of cranberries.  Not settling for mediocre, I found a casserole recipe that promised to be moist.  It took a standard box mix and added a whole bunch of stuff to it.  Not having enough time to try this recipe with cranberries before making the big meal, I opted to stick to the recipe as is and was rewarded for my efforts.  The casserole was not the least bit dry like the first attempt.  Even when reheated the corn bread stayed moist and full of corn goodness.  I would feel comfortable adding cranberries the second time around.

Turkey Leg, Sweet Potato Hash,
and String Bean Stir Fry

As for the star of any Thanksgiving meal, the turkey, I had a very specific vision in mind.  I wanted to cook just the turkey legs.  The Guinea Pig loves dark meat.  The legs came out amazing!  Even better than I could have hoped.  Crispy sticky skin and juicy meat.  The sticky sauce was a combination of honey, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.  I see making this combination again and again.

I had originally planned to make the dessert to order.  It would have given the food a little time to settle in our bellies before adding more deliciousness to the mix.  Unfortunately, as we set and the food settled, we quickly realized that we were beyond full and the dessert never came to be.  Nevertheless, I would call my first Thanksgiving meal a huge success.

Roasted Sweet Potato Mash

Roasted Sweet Potato Mash

Another attempt at finding a different way to eat traditional Thanksgiving sides.  In addition to sweet potatoes, this mash has golden beets, carrots, and gala apples.  The combination was tasty, but the consistency wasn't as silky as I would have liked.  The next attempt at combining these flavors will be in a form of a hash with the addition of onions.

Stir Fried Green Beans

Stir Fried Green Beans

The Guinea Pig is a fan of green beans.  I, generally, am not.  Take bacon, shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and add them to green beans and all of that changes.  I couldn't get enough of this dish.

Roasted Figs

Roasted Figs

 I can't remember if I've ever had figs in my life before now.  I've had fig newtons, but that's not the same thing.  I came upon them in the store while shopping for other food and decided that it was time to give figs a shot.

First impression was definitely wanting.  The Guinea Pig refused to try it until I did.  I guess the best way to describe their taste is interesting.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but definitely unusual.

So now I have these figs sitting on my counter and I can't see myself wanting to eat one again.  What am I to do?  Roast them like I would apples and hope that turns out better than eating them raw.  Figs get cup up and go into ramekins.  There they are covered in cinnamon, cardamom, and all spice, butter, and honey and go into the oven to bake.

For the next half hour I sit wondering how they would turn out and if I just wasted my time.  Turns out they came out not too bad at all.  I think I needed just a bit more honey in the mixture, but overall I improved our fig experience and we demolished them while they were still bubbling hot.