Roasted and Mashed Acorn Squash with Fried Shallots, Gorgonzola Dolce, and Honey

Ingredients:

• 2 acorn squash
• gorgonzola dolce
• butter and olive oil
• honey
• shallot
• sage
• S & P

Method:

Cut acorn squash in half and drizzle with honey and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper. Roast acorn squash at 400 degrees until soft.

Finely dice shallot and saute  in butter and olive oil until crispy.  Season with salt and pepper, sage, and a drizzle of honey.

When acorn squash is done, mash and season to taste. Top with caramelized shallots and gorgonzola.

Valentine’s Day Dinner

Sauteed asparagus

Chili and brown sugar roasted acorn squash

Steak with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and gorgonzola

Oh, Sunday…

Here I am: 1:30 pm.  Buried under piles of lesson planning materials.  Fretting over administering state testing over the next several weeks.   Just the thought of reading hundreds of pages of training materials and manuals makes me heart beat fast–panic is setting in.  Not enough time to get done everything I need to get done.  Such is a teacher’s life.

On a more positive note…

Yesterday, the husband and I took a much needed break from responsibilities and went the KLCC Brewfest with friends.  The same friends also cooked us dinner:  a ridiculously good pizza, topped with ricotta, pear, broccoli, artichokes…

Pear?  Yes, pear.  It was phenomenal.  The beer at the event was phenomenal as well.  Highlights?  Block 15’s Love Potion Number 9 and Steelhead’s Barley Wine. Lowlights?  Just one:  Gilgamesh’s Mambo–tasted like tangerine perfume.

Trying to shake off the stress of work, and inspired by our friends’ company and the KLCC event last night, I think I will head into the kitchen and get to cooking.

Today’s menu:

Acorn Squash with Chili Lime Vinaigrette

Spicy Citrusy Black Beans

Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes

Chicken Sausages and Bacon…

It is so strange to be eating meat again.  I don’t find myself craving it or even particularly liking it when I eat it or cook it these days–but I do find the familiarity comforting.  And I really need the comfort.

(My husband is making me add this caveat: I really do like bacon.  It cannot be defamed.)

So, with wine in hand and indie singer-songwriter stuff that makes my husband groan playing on my laptop, I set out to make some comfort food on this peaceful Sunday evening.

On the menu tonight:

Potato soup (red potatoes, milk, flour, bacon and its grease, celery, old bay seasoning, s and p, onion, garlic, vegetable stock)

Tomato sauce with chicken sausage and oyster mushrooms

(crushed and diced tomatoes, red wine, chicken sausage, basil, s and p, oyster mushrooms)

Roasted acorn squash with brown sugar and chili powder

The squash will be for dinner tonight–along with a salad and porkchops.

The sauce will go with either polenta or noodles during the week for dinner or lunches.  The potato soup will reheat nicely for the same purposes.