make these nuts

I have no good reason to blog about pecans, except I can't stop thinking about them and maybe writing it out will get them off my mind enough so that I can go to bed in peace. :)

And I have no pictures, because I already ate them all (the pecans, not the pictures). (I do wish I were one of those slick food blogs with gorgeous pictures of everything. Sorry.)

Today I came home from school absolutely exhausted (blame that on being up til 3 a.m. last night working), and sat on the couch for a while debating nap or work, nap or work (the nap won eventually), and went to the kitchen to get something to eat because I hadn't eaten much all day. And unfortunately saw the pecans. The pecans which I'd almost forgotten about. The pecans which I made a couple weeks ago to go on a really yummy salad with fresh strawberries and feta. At the time I couldn't stop eating them so I put them in a jar on a high shelf and told myself I was only going to get them down to use on another salad. In moderation.

So today in a moment of very bad judgment I decided to eat just a couple, and before I knew it I had taken the little jar up and down off the top shelf 3 different times, and it was empty. This is why not to eat when you're really tired. And also why not to keep these things on hand. I don't usually scarf down treats-- I mean, I can keep chocolate or ice cream around and not touch it for weeks. But these are somehow a whole different level of addictive.

But if you want fantastic nuts for ice cream, on a sweet/savory salad, or just as a really to-die-for snack, you should try these. I'm sure it would work with any nut, although I really love pecans.

There are a lot of recipes for candied nuts. Lots call for corn syrup, or butter, or boiling syrup to this or that temperature, and various complications. And then there's sweet-savory nuts: nuts roasted with olive oil, some sugar, salt, and rosemary or other herbs are pretty heavenly as well. But the day I was making the strawberry salad I just wanted something dead quick and simple, and decided to just go with melted sugar. Once you bring sugar almost to the edge of burning it develops incredible flavor-- and that's all you need for killer nuts.

Candied Pecans
This is less of a recipe than a very loose set of instructions. I didn't measure so I'm just guessing at proportions here.

1 c. pecans (chopped or whole, up to you)
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt

Before you start get ready whatever you are going to put the candied pecans onto. They will stick to whatever it is. I just used a regular plate but it was a bit hard to pry some of them off, so I wish I'd greased it, or used my Silpat, or a piece of waxed paper.

Stir pecans around over medium heat in a pan until they begin to toast-- that will give them a lot more flavor. When you start to smell them or they start to look like they are getting some color, add the sugar.

Once you add the sugar you want to stir constantly (use a heat resistant spatula), and the rest of the process will only take a couple minutes. The sugar will start to melt (turn to liquid, crazy!) Keep stirring and it will coat the pecans. How dark you let it get is up to you. I like it just one shade shy of burnt. Don't take them off too soon or you will end up with pecans that taste like sugar, without any of the delicious complexity of almost-burned sugar.

As soon as they are done enough for you, scoop or pour out of the pan onto whatever you're going to put them on. Sprinkle with salt and spread them apart with a couple forks. The sugar will harden really quickly and then you'll have to break them apart, so better to separate them a little first.

Try not to eat them all at once.

on the cusp of Lent: Crepes with kale and melty cheese

The last day before Lent is Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. There is no good spiritual reason for making pancakes on Fat Tuesday, but it is traditional, and last year it struck me as a fun thing to do. (The tradition comes from using up eggs and milk before Lent starts.) So last year I made crepes for dinner and Irish pancakes (which were basically like sweet crepes) for dessert.

And this year there were certainly a number of good reasons not to spend my time making crepes (dirty house + so much work + aunt coming tomorrow + the fact that I am sleep deprived after we were up way too late last night at our choirmaster's house where he served us a wonderful 3 course meal and we say around and talked about music and the fall of the Roman Empire and P.J. Wodehouse til past midnight)... but I also think that I most need fun traditions when life is busy and stressed out and flying apart into too many little pieces.

So I skipped the dessert pancakes, but I did make crepes tonight.


And I was obviously inspired enough to take a picture, and I am also inspired enough to tell you how I made them because they were really good.

A word on crepes. My mother made wonderful crepes when I was growing up. She brought back a recipe from France when she was in her early 20s, and by the time I came along she could expertly flip them in and out of the pan, and she rolled them up with yummy fillings (ham and cheese or even PB&J) in her long white china dish with the blue flowers.

But I have always been convinced that crepe-making (although my mother made it look easy) was something of a rarified talent, and so never tried it myself until last Fat Tuesday. And lo and behold, I discovered that my mother was right and that it wasn't that hard. And it's totally fun and gratifying. Not to mention that crepes are one of those unbelievably delicious foods that we should all have the pleasure of eating once in a while, like every Fat Tuesday.

This Fat Tuesday I was facing a nearly empty fridge, but I did have some kale. I don't know why I never really discovered kale before this year, but it is my new favorite vegetable. It's like spinach (which I also love), but it holds its bite just a little when cooked, so doesn't have that tendency to go limp and soggy, and doesn't go rotten after a few days in your vegetable drawer. In winter, when there isn't much else in the veg section that isn't imported from the other side of the country, there are (at least in New England) huge bunches of gorgeous kale that are cheap, cheap, cheap. After trying a couple different versions of sauteed kale (plus putting it in a whole lot of soup), I have to say that my favorite way to eat it is southern chef John Besh's super simple version, here. It's just the basic garlic and olive oil treatment with some chicken broth, but so good that I seriously find myself craving it for days after.

So tonight I sauteed some kale, added some cottage cheese, cheddar, and Parmesan, and had myself a stellar crepe filling. Here it is:

Crepe batter (Mom, is this similar to yours? this one is from Alton Brown-- who hasn't let me down yet)
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. water
2 large eggs
1 c. flour
3 T. melted butter

Blend in a blender and let sit at least 1 hour before using.

Kale and melty cheese filling
1 bunch kale, big ribs removed, and chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
3/4 c. chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
2 c. cottage cheese
1 c. sharp cheddar, shredded (I used low-fat)
1/4- 1/2 c. Parmesan, grated (use the real stuff)
a pinch or two of nutmeg

Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute garlic until it begins to brown. Add chicken broth and kale and stir until kale is tender, about 5 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix kale, cheeses, and nutmeg. Season again with salt and pepper.

To make crepes:
Heat a large non-stick pan over high heat. (If the finish is good you don't need to use butter.) Pour about 3 T. of batter into the middle of the pan and quickly tip the pan so that the batter flows all around the bottom of the pan and covers it. You'll be able to tell when the crepe is done-- it will start to curl up from the pan, and be nicely browned. Flip it and cook the other side for a few seconds until it turns brown. Flip onto a plate and put a line of filling down the middle, roll up, and put into a platter that you keep in a 350 oven (to keep them warm and melt the filling). I don't find it that difficult to fill one crepe while I'm cooking the next one-- it really doesn't take that long.

This recipe will make 12 heavenly crepes.

Foodie Saturday: My New Favorite Banana Bread

J has spent the last several days rebuilding a car engine with a seminary friend whose car just died and was facing a huge bill from the garage to fix it. (Further evidence that men and women are fundamentally different species: both guys seem to be having a blast spending days doing the dirty and tedious work of rebuilding an engine. J: "I feel like I'm slaying a dragon." Friend: "Or doing open heart surgery. It's awesome.") They decided to try to wrap it up last night, starting at 10 p.m. (they are working in a large and heated garage, don't worry), and they got home at 9 a.m. this morning. The engine is back together but something seems to be wrong with the timing, because it isn't working.

I meanwhile was gone yesterday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. for a whirlwind trip to DC in which I didn't even leave the airport (the city is still clogged with snow, my meeting moved to the airport)... after a night in which I got very little sleep... and waking up today I also just wanted to head back to bed.

So we have postponed the daytime part of our Valentine's Day date (a surprise for me, I don't know what it was) to another day, and are headed back to bed. But first, I made us a great breakfast. And while I am waiting for the final loaves to come out of the oven, let me share a recent find, the most amazing banana bread ever.

Banana Bread with Coconut
This is a Martha Stewart recipe, lightened by me. Martha's original recipe was fantastic, but after healthifying it a little it is still fantastic-- I don't think anything was lost. It is the coconut and pecans (and tons of vanilla) that make it. If you want Martha's original version, replace the applesauce with oil, up the sugar by 1/2 c., and use all white flour. If you don't have white whole wheat flour I would use 1 c. whole wheat flour and 2 c. white flour. But try to find white whole wheat flour-- it substitutes for white flour so well without being too heavy. I buy unsweetened coconut in the bulk section of an organic market, so I don't know how hard it is to find in a regular grocery store. It is finer than sweetened coconut-- more of a powder than strings of coconut.

3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. applesauce
2 T. vanilla

Beat together.

2 c. white whole wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt

Whisk together and add to the egg mixture, beating just til combined.

1 1/3 c. mashed ripe banana (about 4)
1 c. unsweetened coconut
1 c. pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt

Add to flour mixture and beat til combined.

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for one hour.

Foodie Saturday: Low-Fat Apple Muffins

I am bowing to the inevitable and admitting that I am never actually going to have time to write up a recipe on Friday, though Foodie Saturday (sadly) doesn't have quite the same ring.

After a fabulous 3-week cross country odyssey, we are back in Boston (I am still in the habit of saying Boston, but really it's the North Shore)-- and trying to sort out our new apartment. When I walked in the door on Thurs afternoon I had a mild panic attack (and I'd like to think I'm not that prone to panic attacks)-- the apartment was so full of boxes and piles of our stuff that you could hardly walk through it, and all my plans of ignoring the piles of boxes while I finished my book (by Sept 30) went right out the window. I guess I could deal with nice neat piles of boxes, but this was not neat. We moved most of our stuff before I left Boston on Aug 1 (as in hours before!) but it didn't all fit into the van and we ran out of time so J ended up moving the rest by pick-up truck load after I left, and he was short on time so just dumped a lot of it. The result was pure chaos, and though I don't mind a little mess living in the midst of chaos (e.g. having no idea where the bath towels or pillows are) just won't work.

So Priority #1 is to get this place liveable. I always start with the kitchen-- if my kitchen is more or less in order the rest of life's chaos seems a lot less dire. Cooking, for me, is also incredibly grounding and therapeutic at such train-wreckish points in life. Plus after weeks of visiting family and being on the road, all of which involved far too much rich food and dessert, I am dying to cook and get back to healthy eating. The lentil soup I made our first night tasted like one of the best things ever, and this morning I could hardly wait to bake something. Something somewhat healthy.

I found this recipe on the food network site (here)- courtesy of Ellie Krieger, who does healthy food. I made so many substitutions it was ridiculous-- realized about a cup of whole wheat flour was all the flour I had (substituted corn flour for the white flour), couldn't find my baking soda (followed the suggestion of a random website and subsituted twice the amount of baking powder), used vanilla yogurt for the buttermilk (and reduced the sugar 1/4 c.), walnuts for pecans, and I am way too lazy to peel an apple in such a recipe (and why get rid of that fiber?) so used an unpeeled Macintosh. Those people who review recipes and tell you how good it was with the 15 changes they made always make me crazy (I think to evaluate a recipe you should really make it more or less as written)-- but today I am going to do just that, and tell you how good it was, somewhat to my surprise! Now I can't wait to make them as written-- I am sure they will be even better. Though I think I'll leave the sugar at 1/2 c. (plus the 2 T.) -- they were plenty sweet for me.

So here, voila, the best lowfat/fairly healthy muffin recipe I have yet found (with nutrition info at the end):

Apple Muffins

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup natural applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, the pecans and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.

Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pecan mixture. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Nutrition Facts (per muffin)

• Calories: 219
• Total Fat: 8 grams
• Saturated Fat: 1 gram
• Protein: 4 grams
• Carbohydrates: 35 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams

Foodie Friday: Curried Zucchini Soup

I got this wonderful recipe from my mom, but have tweaked it to make it a little lighter. The original recipe called for 1/3 c. of butter and shallots, which I'm sure make a more elegant and rich soup, but my goal is to get a healthy soup that I can make with the ingredients in my fridge and eat for lunch. This has been my go-to lunch the last couple weeks-- it takes virtually no time to make, and I don't even have to heat it up. Plus it's about a hundred calories a cup but tastes totally rich and satisfying.

Curried Zucchini Soup

2 lbs zucchini, sliced
about 1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 T. butter
2-3 t. cumin
2-3 t. curry powder
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

Saute zucchini and onion in butter for a minute or two (you don't want them to brown), then cover and "sweat" for about 20 minutes until tender, stirring once in a while. Basically you want them to steam in their own juices.

Add cumin and curry powder and stir for another minute or two. The amount depends on how strong your spices are, how spicy you want your soup, and if you are going to serve it warm or cold (you need more if serving it cold since flavors are deadened a little).

Add chicken broth (more or less depending on how thick you want the final soup). Puree. (I use a hand blender, which is super easy as you leave the soup in the pot. You could also pour it into a regular blender though you would probably have to do it in a couple batches.)

Whisk in yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot or cold. Makes about 6 cups.

Foodie Friday: Alton Brown's Granola Bars

(I know it isn't quite Friday yet but I never actually seem to find time to blog on Friday)

We're going camping next weekend and tonight I was desperate for something to do other than pound away at my computer (which I've done every night this week). Homemade granola bars seemed like a good idea. And ever since I made Alton Brown's fruitcake last Christmas he has provided me with a string of hits. This one included.

A few notes: I'm writing down the recipe the way I made it, but he actually called for almonds instead of peanuts, and dried blueberries or cherries or some other exotic dried fruits I did not have. I don't think it much matters what you throw in. I also threw in some flax seed. I thought that they were a bit too sweet (though totally yummy and addictive), so I might try cutting out the brown sugar entirely next time? Alton's recipe was half of what I give below and he said to bake in a 9x9 pan. be warned: the quantities below will make 4 dozen (though I am guessing they will keep a long time.) So if you don't want so many cut in half.

4 c. rolled oats
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. honey (a 12-oz honey bear)
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. butter
4 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
3 c. dried fruit (I used golden raisins and chopped dates)
2 c. dry roasted peanuts

Toast rolled oats, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until they get a little color and smell fragrant.

Meanwhile, combine honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in pan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Turn off heat.

Mix everything together. (I boiled the honey mixture in a big pot so then I could just pour everything into the pot-- only one pot to clean up!)

Spread in large greased pan. (I used a large rimmed cookie sheet-- I'm sure you could also use a 9x13 pan, they would just be thicker. I also put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom, as parchment paper just makes everything easier.) Use your hands to pat the mixture down until it's packed and even. (Get your hands wet so they won't stick as much.)

Bake in a 300 oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. (As I said I got 4 dozen.)

Note to self: If you're sensitive to sugar like I am, try not to eat too many at a go or you'll get a sugar headache. (I only ate 2... but it was hard to stop.)

Note to self #2: Don't throw them all into a big tupperware container willy-nilly right before going to bed. They will be stuck together in a big mass by the next morning and require tedious un-sticking. Store flat with plastic wrap or waxed paper in between layers.

Recipe: Vietnamese Fried Rice

I'm mourning the demise of West Wing. Five years or so late, I know. I've always heard from fellow WW devotees that the series took a serious dive in Season 5, when Aaron Sorkin left. But I had no idea. The writing stinks, it's full of cheesy dramatics and soap operatic moments, and the characters keep doing things that are so out of character (like constantly being at each others throats) that I just want to do something angry. I can hardly stand to watch it anymore. But J and I have been working on this show for a year and a half and we're not going to quit now.

Also, we're kind of a sickie couple at the moment-- J has been sick with some kind of flu for a couple days and I am now feeling kind of rotten myself.

But on the bright side at least it wasn't 96 degrees today (like yesterday!) and I made some awesome fried rice tonight that I thought I would blog about before I forgot what I did.

This started with a package of Chinese sausage that was in the meat mark-downs a month or two ago. I can't resist anything that is half price and a potentially exciting new ingredient, so I bought the package and threw it in the freezer. Ever since I have wondered what to do with it. What is Chinese sausage, anyway? Now I know-- it's kind of sweet, like the barbecued pork they use in Chinese fried rice sometimes. But I actually couldn't find it mentioned anywhere in my cookbooks or recipe websites, so for a while it languished in my freezer.

Then today I was struck with inspiration-- fried rice! What doesn't go in fried rice? Let me just digress here to say that there is a lot of really bad fried rice in the world, and I was never much of a fan until I discovered SE Asian food (primarily Thai and Vietnamese) here in Boston. SE Asian fried rice is not the soggy, oily, bland stuff you get in Chinese restaurants, with a few benighted vegetables and rubbery shrimp. Vietnamese fried rice, like all good SE Asian food, has that magical mixture of salty, sweet, savory, and sour-- it's a total revelation if all you've ever had is the bad Chinese stuff (or at least it was for me).

Anyway, I'm not sure I've nailed it yet, but this is what I threw together, and it was pretty good. (I guess fried rice is like soup-- just throw in what you have, and it's pretty hard to ruin.)

Vietnamese Fried Rice

I've discovered the secret to any kind of stir fry is to have everything ready to go, because it goes so quickly once you start cooking, Also, cook ingredients that cook differently separately, remove when almost cooked, and combine everything with the sauce at the end. This both keeps anything from being overcooked, and gives you as much heat as possible for your ingredients (rather than dumping in a whole bunch of stuff at once). And have the wok as hot as possible. (Even with my real wok over a full gas flame a lot of stuff ends up getting more steamed than stir-fried-- I've heard if you want to really wok something you've got to do it over a real flame in a barbecue!)

Also, the secret of good fried rice is to cook the rice a day or more ahead of time and use it when it's cold and a bit dried out from being in the fridge

• 2 c. short-grain rice (I use brown), cooked (about 6 c. cooked)

Sauce

• 1/4 c. nam pla (Vietnamese fish sauce, kind of like soy sauce, or you could use soy sauce)
  
• 1/4 c. Chinese cooking wine (like fish sauce, it comes in a big bottle and is dirt cheap)
  
• 1 1/2 T. rice vinegar
  
• 1 T. chili oil (bright red, very hot, comes in a small bottle-- use less if you don't want it too spicy or are using fresh chilies in addition)
  
• 1 T. sugar

Stir together so you have it ready to go.

• 4 eggs, lightly scrambled and seasoned with some salt and pepper
  
• 2 T. peanut oil (or other neutral oil)

Pour the oil into the wok, let heat for a few seconds, then pour in the eggs and scramble them. Remove when still a little soft (should take about 1 minute).

• 1 lb. Chinese sausages (chicken, pork, or shrimp would also be delicious-- I would marinate in a little mirin (sweet rice wine), soy sauce or nam pla, ginger, and garlic first)

I just threw them into the wok with a little more peanut oil and cooked over high heat (turning once in a while) until they were somewhat charred on the outside, and cooked inside. Then I removed them and sliced them into thin slices. It's easier to cook and slice them if you cook first, slice later!

• 1-2 T. fresh ginger, grated (or to taste, I didn't have as much as I wish I would have!)
  
• 1-2 T. garlic, minced (again, to taste)

There should be some grease in the wok from the sausages. Use it to stir fry the ginger and garlic, for about 1 minute. Then add (don't remove the ginger/garlic):

• 2 red bell peppers, cut into thin strips, then strips cut in half
  
• (I wish I would have added) sliced onion, sliced fresh hot Thai or jalapeno chilies, fresh mushrooms, bean sprouts-- or any other veg that sounds good (if you have the patience to dice carrots into little dice, more power to you)

Stir fry until crisp tender.

• handful of dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water an hour or until soft, then sliced
  
• 1 c. or so frozen peas

Add to wok with rice and sausages. Stir fry until hot. Then add egg and sauce. At the last minute add:

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (you can use the dark green parts as well)

And all SE Asian food tastes so much better if you top it with:

• lime wedges (squeeze juice on to taste)
  
• chopped fresh cilantro
• fried shallots-- the ne plus ultra and tonight I actually had some, fry in a little oil until beginning to char, salt liberally, yum!

I actually took a picture of it but it isn't a very exciting picture-- it just looks like rice with red peppers, sausage slices, and cilantro lying on top. Food photography is a trick, one I definitely haven't mastered yet! I'll keep trying. But believe me (even if I don't have a picture as evidence), this is delicious stuff!

Foodie Friday: Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken

Yes, this is a day late. Actually, it is weeks late-- that's how long I've been meaning to post it! But this is actually our first weekend at home in over a month. Life has been crazy. And I haven't been cooking much lately. Yesterday I finally sat down to plan recipes for the next several weeks (I do it on Google calendar-- if anyone wants to view it let me know), and added this recipe back to the rotation because I think we could eat it about every day. 

J has been working on ranking his Top 5 recipes since we got married. This recipe was practically a metaphysical experience for him-- it shot to #2 immediately (right behind a basic roast chicken, which I think might be my favorite meal ever too, at least on Sunday afternoon). Lucky for me both #1 and #2 take about 15 minutes of total work. So here it is, a yummy sweet/salty/spicy Vietnamese superstar of a recipe:

Caramelized Black Pepper Chicken (with thanks to Food and Wine, who got it from chef Charles Phan)

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1/4 c. fish sauce (nam pla)-- if you're not familiar with it, this it the SE Asian version of soy sauce, and you can buy a big bottle of it dirt cheap at any Asian market

1/4 c. water

3 T. rice vinegar (another cheap SE Asian staple)

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. freshly grated ginger

1 t. coarsely ground black pepper (preferably freshly ground)

2 fresh Thai chilies (small red or green chilies), halved, or 2 dried red chilies

Stir together.

1 T. oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced (confession: as shallots are typically expensive I hardly ever buy them, and just substitute a small onion)

Heat oil in large skillet and saute shallot or onion over moderate heat until softened, about 4 min.

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces (thighs are so much moister than breasts-- but then J and I don't understand why anyone would choose white meat over dark)

Add chicken and fish sauce mixture to skillet and simmer 10 min, or until chicken is cooked through. 

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve over steamed rice. 

Serves 4.

Foodie Friday: Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash with Chickpeas

Yes, I am joining the ranks of Foodie Friday blog writers. I would love to have enough time and inspiration to do a real food blog (like 101 Cookbooks or La Tartine Gourmande, two beautiful blogs I enjoy), but I don't. But I think sharing a recipe or two on Fridays (or the Fridays I get around to it) will be fun.

I put off trying this recipe for a long time because cutting up butternut squash has always seemed like a bit of a chore. So I was surprised when I looked at the clock this time and found that peeling and cutting one into 1-inch cubes actually took less than 10 minutes. It's really not that much work. The secret is to cut the cylindrical top from the round bottom at the point where the bottom starts to bulge out, and deal with them separately. Cut a thin slice off the very top (stem end) and then you have a nice cylinder that you can stand on its end. Cut long trips of peel off of it, top to bottom, and don't worry too much about cutting off too much flesh. You can more or less do the same with the round bottom, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Voila, a peeled butternut.

The rest of this recipe takes about 5 minutes flat, and the results are delicious. (It's from Food and Wine magazine, always a winner.) It's so sweet I could have sworn there was some honey in there, spicy, chewy, and way more complex than you would think from 5 ingredients. Plus healthy! I've been eating it with plain yogurt and chopped cilantro but I'm sure it would also be good over rice.

Curry-Roasted Butternut Squash with Chickpeas

2 large butternut squash (5-6 pounds total), peeled and cut into small cubes (about 1")

2 19-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or cook your own from dry, about 1/2 lb. dry)

1/4 c. olive oil (I always use extra-virgin but it probably doesn't matter much here)

1 T. mild curry powder (or spicier if you like it spicy!)

1/4 t. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

salt & pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together and spread on large rimmed baking sheet or roasting tray. Bake at 400 degrees about an hour, or until squash is tender. Mix gently once or twice if it seems anything is getting too dark.

How easy is that?