Butternut Squash Shakshuka

This has become a weeknight favorite for Nathan and i. One of the few meals that I want again and again, even if we've had it recently. and even better, it only takes about 20 min. to prep and 20 min. to bake. We get about 6 hearty servings out of this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes with juices (we usually just get diced tomatoes)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces. (you could probably use 1 pkg of the costco pre-cubed butternut. We use fresh and freeze the other half of the squash and it turns out just as well from frozen though I think it's best to thaw before adding)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons chile powder
• 2 tablespoons sambal oelek (sounds scary but it isn't. They sell this stuff at the regular grocery store.)
• 
• 8+ large eggs (the original recipe calls for four eggs but that definitely is not enough. We just get in as many as we can fit in the pan...you need at least one per person for a big family!)
• Cilantro leaves with tender stems (for serving)
• Nathan served over pearler couscous. We get the brand Rice Select tri-color pearl coucous. 
• 

• Real Talk: Butternut squash can be a royal pain to peel. If you have a crappy peeler or don’t feel like spending your time hunched over a garbage can, try this. First: Make sure you have a sharp knife. Cut your squash in half crosswise, at the curve where the neck meets the rounded base. Set it upright on your cutting board, then shave off the thick skin long, bold strokes with your knife.
• Note: If you don't have an ovenproof skillet (dutch oven would work well too), you can transfer from your stovetop pan to an ovenproof dish before baking.)

• Preheat oven to 375°. Crush tomatoes by hand (or smash with a fork or potato masher) in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Cook squash, onion, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10–15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in chile powder, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add sambal oelek and reserved tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and tomatoes are brick red, 5–10 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Using the back of a spoon, make depressions in tomato mixture and crack an egg into each. Transfer to oven and bake shakshuka until egg whites are set and yolks slightly wobble when pan is shaken (your clue that the yolk is still runny), 10–12 minutes.
• Top shakshuka with cilantro and serve.

Romesco Pasta Salad with Basil and Parmesan

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/romesco-pasta-salad-with-basil-and-parmesan

Nathan made this for us last week and it was seriously delicious. Get this into your dinner plans before the delicious summer tomatoes run out!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 3 oz. country-style bread, crust removed, cut into 1" pieces (about 1½ cups)
• 4 whole roasted red peppers from a jar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, divided
• ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 lb. fusilli giganti (large spiral-shaped pasta), fusilli, or medium shell pasta
• 1 lb. mixed ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)
• 4 oz. Parmesan, finely chopped
• 1 cup basil leaves, torn if large (Nathan and I felt like it could have used more basil)

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, process bread in long pulses in a food processor until coarse crumbs form (you should have about 1 cup). Transfer to a small bowl.
• Purée roasted red peppers, lemon juice, garlic, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, and about one-quarter of the cooled walnuts in food processor (no need to clean) until smooth. With the motor running, very gradually stream in ½ cup oil. Process until thick; season romesco dressing generously with salt.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water (this stops cooking and removes surface starch so the pasta will be less gummy). Shake off excess water and transfer to a large bowl. Toss pasta with half of the romesco to coat; set aside. Finely chop remaining walnuts; set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium and cook breadcrumbs, lemon zest, and remaining ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, stirring often, until breadcrumbs are golden, 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Toss reserved pasta with remaining dressing, then fold in tomatoes, Parmesan, and reserved walnuts just to distribute. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta and top with basil.

Caramel Apples the Aunt Janel Way, Yum!

From the Kitchen of Aunt Janel who does caramel candy apples every fall:

• Wash apples with soap & water, and make sure the apples are completely dry. The caramel sticks better if the apples are room temp.
• 3-4 bags of kraft caramels, add 2 TBS milk. Microwave a minute at a time until the caramel starts melting if it gets hard to remelt.
• Scrap the bottoms of the apple before putting on the pan so you don't get a pool of caramel at the bottom. 
• Put apples on parchment paper that has been sprayed with pam. 
• Let caramel on the apples set while melting the chocolate. 
• Use almond bark and milk chocolate, and do a double boiler. (Skillet little water, and put saucepan to melt chocolate)
• Roll caramel apple in chocolate and scrape the bottom. 
• Have toppings ready to go. Sprinkle toppings on is easier (our favorite toppings are brown sugar & cinnamon, and crushed oreo)
• The caramel apples keep in the fridge for at least a week. Enjoy!

Yummy Caramel Apple combos:

caramel dipped in melted white chocolate and rolled in a cinnamon brown sugar mix

caramel dipped in melted milk chocolate rolled in m&m's or toffee Skor bars

Easy Way:

If you decide on just buying the kraft Carmel’s from the store I usually buy 3-4 bags. Melt the Carmel’s in a large glass measuring cup (great size for dipping the apple), and put a T spoon of milk or cream with the Carmel’s. Put the microwave on 50% power, and check when  the Carmel’s start to soft and watch it and check and stir often until you get the consistency you need. If this doesn’t make sense just call me.

The Homemade Way:

Homemade Caramel for Apples

from Bon Appetit, slightly adapted by ourbestbites.com

1 pound brown sugar (about 2 cups packed)
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup dark corn syrup
⅓ cup maple syrup (homemade is fine)
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. molasses
¼ tsp. salt

12-medium sized apples
popsicle sticks
assorted toppings for dipping (toffee bits, chopped nuts, crushed cookies/candy
bars, etc.)
Melted chocolate in zip-top bags

Wash and dry apples, place sticks in cores and place on a baking sheet in the fridge to chill. Prepare all toppings in bowls and have them ready to go.

To prepare caramel, combine first 8 ingredients in heavy 2 ½ quart saucepan (at least 3-4 inches deep). Stir with wooden or silicone spatula over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves (no crystals are felt when caramel is rubbed between fingers), occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush or scraping with spatula, about 15 minutes.

Attach a clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium-high; cook caramel at rolling boil until thermometer registers 236°F, stirring constantly but slowly with clean spatula and occasionally brushing/scraping down sides of pan, about 12 minutes. Pour caramel into a bowl. Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel. Cool to 200°F, about 20 minutes. If it cools too much just heat it up a little.

While caramel cools, line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or buttered foil. (I used parchment paper). Holding stick, dip 1 apple into caramel, submerging all but the very top of apple. Lift apple out, allowing excess caramel to drip back into bowl. Turn apple caramel side up and hold for several seconds to help set caramel around apple. If needed, gently scrape the bottom of the apple to remove excess caramel. Place coated apple on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples, spacing apples apart on parchment paper.

By the time you have dipped all the apples, the first ones should be ready to add toppings. Lift one apple from paper and press decorations into the caramel and return to the baking sheet.

If desired dip caramel-coated apples into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then roll in nuts or candy. Or drizzle melted chocolate over caramel-coated apples and sprinkle with decorations. Chill until decorations are set, about one hour. Chill up to one week or wrap in cellophane bags for gift giving.

Yummy. Better and less expensive than Peter's caramel.