Eating with the seasons

Orange is the color for fall….food, that is. With all the squash that’s coming from the garden and is available at the farmer’s market, it’s easy to make a colorful fall meal.

This year we bought a pumpkin, but never got around to carving it. This is a great link to how to prepare a pumpkin for cooking. Usually, we just carve it, taking out the seeds for roasting. This year, I’m using the whole thing. Never been a big fan of pumpkin, but a friend once made a pumpkin roll that’s to die for, so I asked her for the recipe. Here’s how to make it.

Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Recipe credit: Signe Anderson

3 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

1. Grease a 10 x 15 cookie sheet and line with wax paper.
2. Beat eggs and then add pumpkin, granulated sugar, vanilla
3. Mix all dry ingredients and then fold them into the egg mixture
4. Pour batter into wax-paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
5. Bake @ 375 degrees for 15 minutes
6. Sprinkle powdered sugar on tea towel and turn cake onto towel. Peel off wax paper. Roll cake into towel and cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Filling

8 oz. cream cheese
3/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp soft butter
1 c powdered sugar.

Whip ingredients with beater until smooth. Unroll cake. Spread filling over entire cake and re-roll.

Chill at least 2 hours before cutting. Yummy!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 apple
bit of grated ginger
chicken or veggie stock
salt and pepper
1/2 c. cream or whole milk

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter
2. Add squash, apple and enough stock to cover. Season with salt, pepper and a bit of ginger. Bring to boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or until squash is soft
3. Blend with hand blender and then stir in cream. Serve warm. For added treat top with bacon or fried prosciutto.

No soup for you! (picture that is)