Cheesy Dinner Muffins w/Butternut Squash

So that's a pretty long title for such a small, easy little recipe but, really, it could have been worse. These are actually more like, "Savory, Cheesy, Butternut Squash Muffins with Whole Wheat and Flax" but that length seemed even more ridiculous. The point is, these little guys are not only yummy, they are also pretty healthy.

I made them to go with my favorite Roasted Chicken Soup (more on that another time) on a very snowy night. It had been a loooong day at the T~L~S~E house. My poor little monkey had been snuffly, coughy and weepy all day and I could feel my own nose growing more clogged by the minute. I was *this* close to giving up on making dinner in favor of ordering take-out. Then I realized that the most nurturing thing I could do for both myself and for my family was take the time to craft a hearty, healthy, warming meal to fill our bellies and soothe our sneezes.

The chicken soup is one I've made enough times that I was able to throw it together with one hand while attending to my grumpy girl with the other. And muffins are the perfect quick bread when you don't have time, extra hands or half a brain left after a long day. They don't even require a mixer! After searching my favorite cookbooks for a decent savory muffin recipe and coming up empty-handed I decided to use what I had in the fridge (leftover roasted butternut squash + shredded cheese) and pantry (whole wheat flour, etc.) to create my own.

The basic ingredients for any muffin are few...flour, seasoning, baking soda, liquid, fat and eggs (sugar if you're making them sweet). After that all you need is two bowls, a spoon, some muffin tins and a hot oven and you have fresh bread to dip in your hot soup...or to warm your tummy while you wait for the soup to cool. :)
*Try to eat these lovelies while they are still warm. If you're feeling extra indulgent, split one in half and allow a tiny pat of butter to melt into each side.
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup pureed butternut squash
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 1 cup shredded cheese (gruyere would be amazing but I used sharp cheddar)

DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Sift or whisk first four (dry) ingredients together into a large bowl.
3) Stir in grated cheese.
3) Whisk egg, oil, squash, milk and ground flax.
4) Lightly whisk wet ingredients into dry until just combined. Do not over mix.
5) Divide batter equally into 12 greased (or lined) muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Enjoy warm and store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.

(ridiculously addictive) GingerSnaps

Otherwise known as... "Gingercrack,"
these cookies are insanely addictive. They are even better the day after you bake them, provided you've stored them safely in an airtight container. Ever since I found the recipe in September and tweaked it to my liking, I've baked them no less than once every two weeks. That's a lot of cookies.
They actually played a small role in our annual Loafman 3-day Thanksgiving extravaganza. And let me tell you, it is NOT easy to break into the long list of "must-have" treats at that event. We have some seriously strong, unwavering Loafman traditions and at times it can be hard to be the new kid in town. Many a new dish has gingerly approached the table in years past...ne'er to be spoken of again (sweet potato balls, anyone?).
The dearest honor that these cookies hold, however, is that of being the VERY first sweet to ever enter my sweet baby's mouth, at 10 months, and they are still her favorite treat. As such, they are one thing I've found to distract her from almost any looming tantrum. (Yes, she can be pacified and bribed with baked goods. Cue: "Like mother, like daughter" joke.)
They would make FANTASTIC ice cream sandwiches, if you are so inclined. Pumpkin ice cream would make e a heavenly pairing. A drizzle of melted dark chocolate or a piping of cream cheese buttercream would also be lovely.
Most often we eat them as plain as can be, with just a sprinkle of coarse sugar on top for a bit of sparkle and added crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups A.P. flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves (freshly ground if you can)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp water
• 1/4 cup sugar (for topping)

DIRECTIONS:
1) In a medium bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.
2) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3) Beat in egg.
4) Beat in molasses, vanilla and water.
5) On low speed (or by hand) mix in dry ingredients a little at a time.
6) Cover dough and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
7) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8) Roll dough into balls (about 1 1/2 in. diameter)
9) Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet (I use a silicone mat for easy removal) 2 inches apart.
10) Dip the flat end of a glass into remaining sugar and carefully flatten each ball, slightly, with sugared end of the glass.
11) Optional: Sprinkle tops with coarse sanding sugar or decorating sugar.
12) Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set throughout (the centers should not look "doughy"). If you prefer "snappier" cookies, bake until slightly golden brown.
13) Remove from cookie sheets immediately and let cool on racks.
14) Once cooled completely, store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.

Spanakopita

*Recipe courtesy of my buddy Sophia

Two of my dear friends, for different reasons, have been recently bed/couchridden and therefore have been graciously accepting meals from many of our friends. I've never been much of a fan of the typical lasagna/casserole/enchilada/freezer-meal fare (see my minestrone post) that often accompanies this sort of an occasion. However, that presents a bit of a challenge when attempting to plan a meal that would be easy to transport and reheat without completely ruining it. Thankfully my buddy Sophia came to the rescue!
Sophia's family is entirely, beautifully Greek (you should see the photos from her amazing wedding in Mykonos) and she has this incredible book of authentic recipes to show for it. One of those recipes is this delicious and actually, quite simple spanakopita. I doubled the filling and was able to fill three 8x8 pans (which, thankfully, meant that we got to keep one for our dinner) but the recipe would also generously fill one pan for a family with hearty appetites. Uh...who am I kidding? I ate half of of our pan myself.

This is best eaten fresh out of the oven but is actually quite lovely at room temperature too.

Ingredients:

• one bag frozen spinach or two boxes frozen spinach
• 2 small/medium onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fresh dill
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1.5 - 2 cup crumbled feta
• one package phylo dough
• 1/4 -1 stick butter, melted (+ olive oil to make it healthier! I use 1/4 stick, my relatives use a whole stick)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Saute onions and garlic in oil over med heat. Add salt and spinach. Cook over med heat for 5 min, remove. Allow to cool, then add beaten eggs, dill, and feta. Set aside.
3. Butter 9x13 pan. Place sheet of phylo in pan, butter/oil it, add another sheet, butter/oil it, etc. After approx 5 layers, put spinach mixture on top. Layer phylo again. This time, crumble/scrunch several layers of phylo to trap air and make it lighter/crispier. Josh prefers to use oil for bottom layers and butter for top. I often do an oil/butter blend. You can skimp on all butter except for the topmost layer. Really lather it on there.
4. IMPORTANT: Cut the spanakopita before baking. It will help make the pieces neater and easier to serve afterwards.
   
5. Bake for 45 min, or until golden brown.
   

If you want to make this ahead of time, cover it tightly and refrigerate until it is ready to be baked. Adjust the baking time accordingly (mine took about an hour).

My First Brisket

*This was so tasty that I reheated it the next day with a few tsp of italian herbs and served it over pasta. The picture to the right is my yummy leftovers!

This weekend we hosted our 2nd Hanukkah with my mother-in-law, her husband, my brother-in-law and of course, the rest of my little immediate family (husband + sweet baby). It was a relatively last minute decision to host it here, so I didn't plan a large menu weeks in advance the way I might normally do for such a celebration. My mother-in-law and I quickly agreed on a simple menu that made it easy for both of us to contribute. Obvious by the title of this post, my charge was the traditional Hanukkah brisket.
After a quick internet search I vetoed a number of sweeter roasts (many of which included dried fruit) and settled on this very basic recipe from Martha Stewart (with a few of my own modifications), mostly because I had most of the ingredients on hand and I knew it would be relatively inexpensive. Not to mention the fact that it was the perfect "make-ahead" meal. I cooked it on Saturday evening and then pureed the sauce, sliced the meat and heated it through on Sunday just before dinner.
This recipe is about as simple as they come. Season and brown the meat, caramelize the onions and garlic, add the rest of the holy trinity, pour in a generous amount of decent red wine, throw in a bay leaf, dump in a can of tomatoes, add the meat back to the pot and cook for a long, long time. Then you simply puree the sauce, slice the meat and serve. The result is a fork tender, melt-in-your-mouth dish that belies the humble beginnings of this tough cut of meat. It is accompanied by a rich sauce with an incredible depth of flavor that BEGS to be poured over latkes, bread or anything else that might soak it up.

Ingredients:

• 1 brisket of beef (about 4 pounds), top flap removed and fat trimmed
• salt and pepper
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions (about 2 1/2 pounds), halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 5 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery, including leaves
  
• One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, with juice (I used Muir Glen fire-roasted)
• 1 bay leaf
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Trim any remaining excess fat from brisket. Season both sides of brisket well with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add brisket, and brown very well, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium low, add remaining tablespoon olive oil, onions, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until quite brown and very soft, about 25 minutes. Add red wine, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook about 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add carrots, celery, tomatoes and bay leaf and stir well to combine.
4. Return brisket to the pot, spooning some liquid and vegetables over it. Cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook until very tender, about 3 hours, carefully turning meat after 1 1/2 hours.
5. Let cool slightly, and remove brisket, being careful not to shred it. Puree sauce with stick blender (or in food processor). Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. If preparing the day before, return brisket to pot, with sauce, and refrigerate. If serving right away, slice meat across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and place in sauce. Keep warm over low heat until serving time.
6. If refrigerated overnight, remove brisket from refrigerator, and slice across the grain. Add sliced meat to sauce, and reheat over medium-low heat untill warmed through, about 30 minutes.