Harvest Salad

This is a Butterkin.  Cute, huh?

It’s a new variety of winter squash that is growing in popularity by leaps and bounds. It is similar to butternut squash, but a Butterkin is slightly sweeter and far less stringy, giving it a lot of appeal in my book. You saw it first in my Five-Minute Centerpiece here, and today it is one of the stars in my Harvest Salad.

This is an easy, attractive, and nutritious salad to put together, perfect for the fall season.  I had everything ready the day before serving, so it was a snap to assemble on a plate and then drizzle with my favorite poppyseed dressing.  If you prefer less sweet and more savory in a salad, a simple vinaigrette would work well, too.

Harvest Salad

1 Butterkin squash

1 pomegranate

1/2 cup Vanilla walnuts

Mixed greens

Cut the Butterkin in half, then carefully cut away the skin, remove seeds, and dice in 1/2” cubes.  Bring a 1-1/2 quart pan of water to a boil over high heat.  Drop the cubed squash in all at once, return the water to a boil, and cook until fork tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cool water.  Allow to cool completely before using, or store in the fridge.

Cut the pomegranate in half and remove seeds.  Rinse seeds thoroughly, removing any pith that may remain.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

To assemble salad simply place greens on a plate, mound cooled, cubed squash on top, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and walnuts.  Drizzle with poppyseed or light vinaigrette dressing.

Thanks to Melissa’s Produce for providing the squash and pomegranates.

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The 5-Minute Centerpiece

I'm not gonna lie, I have a lot of dishes. I’ve had a passion for setting a pretty table ever since college when all I had was a card table with a bum leg, four mismatched place settings, and a piece of cloth.  I managed to turn it into an attractive setting, and with that I was off and running. I would gladly take other people's cast offs, single plates, anything I could find.  I loved the challenge of being able to create order out of chaos, I still do. So, I guess you could say that having a lot of dishes is my one indulgence. And because I indulge myself, I also tend to have a bit of a storage problem.  So, in the spirit of minimalizing (to a degree), I have been thinning out my supply of decorative pieces.  This can sometimes present a bit of a problem when putting a centerpiece together. Solutions for the present are often born from problems of the past.

A number of years ago, during a move, when I lost track of almost every Christmas decoration that I owned, I had no other choice but to get creative with organics - pine rope, cranberries, greenery, etc. Honestly, it was the most peaceful season ever because shopping for decorations in the produce department is just all kinds of easy. It also makes clean up a breeze, and the best part is that there is nothing to store. In addition, doing this kind of decorating every year means that you'll have something fresh and new each season and won't be pulling out the same old dusty pieces, wondering if they have another year of life in them (The answer is 

“no!”). 

This fall centerpiece is an example of what I like to think of as “organic decorating.” The base is the same one that I used last week (and was actually a part of a floral piece that had seen better days years ago, so it was disassembled for parts).  I kept the moss in the bottom, and just piled up some organic seasonal produce from Melissa's. I love the pumpkin-shaped Butterkin squash with its pale color. The two of them provide a nice neutral background for baby pomegranates, quinces, and both real and faux grapes. I had a couple Alstroemeria left over from an arrangement, so tucked them in with the produce. Isn’t it lovely?

The next time you are wondering about what kind of centerpiece to use for your table, linger in the produce section of your local market and see what you can find. Pile things up in a bowl and sit back and wait for the compliments.  

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Show and Tell Friday 

Starting with Soup

I don’t know how you begin your Thanksgiving meal, but I always start with a warming cup of soup.  It gives the turkey a chance to “rest,” and fills guests with anticipation over what comes next. Over the years I have tried many different varieties.  I’m not quite sure which one I like the best, but here, to inspire you in your culinary endeavors, are my top five.  Click on the name of the soup to take you to the recipe.

Harvest Soup

Made with squash, warm spices, and fresh herbs.

Cream of Celery Soup

Flavorful and creamy, a good vegetarian choice.

 Thai-Style Carrot Soup with Chrysanthemum Leaves

Unique, exotic, and delicious.

Monterey Mushroom Soup

Earthy and delicious with a complex taste.

Scallion Soup

Light and delicate, with the added convenience of make ahead.

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Seasonal Sundays

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"Produce-ing" a Great Centerpiece

 

 Decorating a seasonal table or assembling an eye-catching centerpiece need not be difficult nor expensive.  In fact, pretty much all you need is a trip to the produce section of your local market, a fist full of colorful leaves from your neighborhood, and a seasonal decorative piece. 

This owl is really old. My husband acquired it years before I married him, and we hung it from a 100-year-old Redbud tree for 18 years until the tree was taken by a tornado. During the excavation and clean up process, I found the owl, partially embedded in a water-filled hole in the ground created by an uprooted tree. I scrubbed it, dried it, and packed it up to take to the new house where it stared at me from the corner of the garage every time I got into my car. 

It was pretty dusty, so I ran it through the dishwasher (no, I am not kidding) and today it is quite a conversation piece as he watches over the fruits and vegetables that make up my seasonal centerpiece. Originally the owl was black, but the years have weathered it into the most wonderful colors, but then I think the years, wisdom, and "weathering" makes us all more beautiful.  I couldn't be happier with it, and I do believe that it's going to appear every fall in one display or other.

The rest of the centerpiece is made up of a pumpkin platter, that once belonged to my mother, as a base, a variety of unusual fruits, and a grouping of seasonal squashes. Not only can I enjoy the centerpiece, but I can eat it when I'm finished!

The table covering I dearly love. It is fabric by Michael Miller called “Nevermore.”  I've tried to include a different angle in each photograph so that you can see the skulls, bugs, poison bottles, frogs, owls, and other spooky components. I love the neutral colors. So many seasonal fabrics are infused with so much color that it can be hard to decorate. This fabric with black, cream, and light amber is perfect. 

The plates are from Pottery Barn and are also called “Nevermore,” are you beginning to detect a theme?  

The pumpkin mugs are years old and from Starbucks. 

Shiny or colorful flatware would have been wrong for this table, so I pulled out the bamboo flatware from Crate & Barrel that I find more uses for than I ever imagined. 

Pumpkin S & P - Gift
White plates - Old Time Pottery

Wine Glasses – Wine Enthusiast
Orange plates - David Harden

“Freaky Fruits” – Melissa’s Produce
Black napkins - made for me by my dear, and much missed mother

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 Show and Tell Friday

Be Inspired Friday

Seasonal Sundays

Tate's Bakeshop Squash Rolls

Brush tops with melted butter as soon as you pull them out of the oven.

With dire weather predicted Monday through Wednesday of this week, it is time to hunker down with homemade bread, steaming pots of soups and stews, and a stack of good books.  In preparedness I made a batch of Squash Rolls.  Hot from the oven these are so light and delicious that one calls for another.  If the thought of making bread has you shaking in your snow boots, don't despair, I made these in the bread machine!  Both the traditional directions and ABM directions are below, so you can decide for yourself how to proceed.

Shaped and ready for the oven.  When shaping them into rounds, pinch the dough together and place the rolls, pinched-side down into the pan.

You can see the little flecks of butternut squash throughout this delicious roll.

Tate's Bakeshop Squash Rolls

1-1/4 oz. package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup squash*

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoon butter 

2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Traditional directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water, with a temperature between 105-110 degrees F; set aside. Scald milk in a heavy medium saucepan.  Remove from heat and add squash, sugar, salt, and butter.  Stir until butter is melted and fully incorporated into the mixture.  Add yeast and water to the squash mixture. Place 2-1/2 cups flour in a large bowl.  Add the squash mixture to the flour and mix together well.  Turn dough onto a floured board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed.  Oil a medium-sized bowl.  Turn dough into bowl, cover and place it in a warm spot to allow it to rise.  Once it's doubled in size (about 1 to 1-1/2 hours depending upon the temperature of your house), punch it down and move it to a floured board.  Divide the dough into twelve equal portions and shape into rolls.  Place the rolls in a greased 9" x 13" pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden.

ABM directions:

This is not a bread machine recipe, per se, but I have found that a lot of non-ABM recipes work just fine in the bread machine, these rolls included.  I simply put all of the ingredients into the bread machine according to the manufacturer's instructions and set the machine to the "dough" setting.  After the 90-minute cycle was complete. I dumped the dough onto a floured board (the dough is a bit sticky, but don't be alarmed, the rolls will come out fine), punched it down and continued as directed above, by shaping them and putting them into a greased pan and baking.  The rolls pictured here are the result of having been made in the bread machine.

*I emailed Kathleen King, owner of Tate's and editor of the cookbook, and asked her which is better, to roast a fresh butternut squash or use frozen.  She told me that frozen squash may be used equally well in this recipe and saves a lot of time and trouble.  Simply thaw out the package of squash, measure out the 1/2 cup and then cook and enjoy the rest.

For more delicious recipes from Tate's, I strongly recommend this book.

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