The Mamboni and I currently live about 12 hours apart, so when my little brother chose to pursue his graduate degree at Penn State, he provided us with a lovely rendezvous point--his apartment.
(squash love)
Last weekend, I drove south and Mamalamadingdong drove north and we met in State College, PA. It was quality family time and there was good eating to be done. We had moist, homemade banana bread...
...and really smooth and creamy ice cream from Meyer Dairy:
(I had coconut chocolate chip...)
I came back with loads of peppers...
...and squash...
(in the midst of a lovers' spat, apparently...)
...as well as some homemade hot pepper jelly, apple cinnamon jelly (heck yeah!), and spicy salsa. Quite the haul, wouldn't you say?
Apparently, the little red peppers are unbearably hot (I haven't tried them out myself...), so does anyone have any suggestions for how I can use them? While you're at it, what should I do with this lovely butternut squash puree?
I value your input. Really.
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52 comments:
OK, first? The photos are lovely as always (though I have no thoughts about your wonderful puree, will come back to read other commenters' thoughts for sure). But second, mamboni, mamalamadingdong, HA! That's so great. My middle daughter likes to appropriate the affectionate endings from other cultures: mamaji (from India and Pakistan) and mamala (from Tibet). They always feel so very sweet to me. But your versions feel so light and hilarious! I love those, too.
That haul is awesome, & family days are wonderful!! And... we're on the same brainwave w/butternut squash for sure! I pureed mine too & used it in a filling for ravioli's, soon to be posted.. ;-)
Aw, squash love is so sweet :) Maybe you should trying stuffing and baking the peppers. Cut off the tops, scoop out the seeds, and fill the interior with cooked rice, ground turkey, and some tasty seasonings. Actually, I made a vegetarian version with bell peppers a few months ago:
http://fritterblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/chiles-rellenos.html
Those squash photos (and your captions) made me laugh so hard I just spit tea onto my keyboard! I love making butternut squash soup with cream swirled in and fried sage leaves on top - simple but delicious.
Aww, it's cool that you and lil' Beaver are getting along swell.
I love the pic of the cherry peppers..hot or sweet?
How about a nice sweet bread with a puree? If sweet potato works, I'd bet butternut squash would be delicious as well!
I live to far away from my family that we don't spend much time together. I miss that. Enjoy while you can.
I bought some butternut squash yesterday and will be making Butternut Squash Soup, a big favorite of mine! That is neat that you and your mommalammadingdong can meet in PA. I just call my mom Ma! I'm lazy.
Grace, your squash comics are hilarious. I second Lucy on using the squash puree for ravioli filling. I've been wanting to make that myself and haven't gotten around to it...maybe you could inspire me.
I would take the butternut squash puree and make lasagna with it, it is wonderful! Your photos are amazing..
Make soup!
Butternut squash ravioli with sage butter. Yummmm. Hot peppers? I don't do those. I'm too much of a wimp when it comes to heat. But nice haul just the same :)
"Mamalamadingdong"..you crack me up!!
What a lovely conundrum! I vote either soup or ravioli filling. Either way you come up a winner.
My mother in law used to bake squash pies, using a recipe like pumpkin pie, and my dearly beloved just loved it! So there's my suggestion. And I'm so glad for you that there's a midway meeting point for the whole family, although bro may tire of it if it happens too often!
Great haul! Butternut is my favorite squash. Cut it up in about 2inch chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and some parmesan cheese and roast ... yum!
Or make Lucy's great soup :)
Sounds like a fun time... and wow, what a great take away. You're loaded up. I'm having fun reading some of the tips given.. really don't know myself. It all looks great!
Awww that pic of Squash Love is so cute! I'd give him that picture framed-from big squash to little squash hehe
Slap that butternut between some bread and eat it as a sandwich. I would.
It is so nice that you spent some time with your mom and your brother. Makes me miss those carefree days of being a student and being able to go wherever, whenever! I'm sure you could make some sort of spicy risotto with both the butternut squash puree and the peppers. :)
OH MY GOSH Grace I live about an hour away from State College! I have know idea what to do with the peppers and squash, maybe fire roast the peppers?
Omigod did you just say Meyer Dairy? Oh the pangs of heartbroken nostalgia! I have no real interest in raw milk and I cannot find anything like the Meyer Diary (local, glass bottled milk that has been pasteurized) since moving from State College to SW Ohio. *SIGH*
I like winter squash as a chili base, and that would use hot peppers.
Ah, the squash is so cute.
What about a butternut squash pie, Grace? It might be even better than pumpkin pie and I'm sure you're the right person to try it. Maybe you could even put a little cinnamon into the mix. . .
Food tastes so much better in the company of friends and family!
You're hysterical - gotta love the affectionate mother names. I usually get the stern "mother, you're crossing the imaginary line", which, btw, I also find hilarious since the imaginary line has me already boxed into a corner.
I noticed a really interesting recipe for scones made with squash - kill me, I don't remember which blog - shoulda tagged it.
I roasted my mini red peppers & added them to a tomato sauce, yum!
I think do some deep-fried squash fritters and dust them with cinnamon sugar.
And pickle the peppers in a fairly sweet pickle, then serve them as an appetiser stuffed with cream cheese.
It's always lovely to get treats from family visits! That apple jelly sounds great!
Have butternut squash puree? Make butternut squash ravioli, of course... with a sage-butter sauce. YUMMMM!
Red peppers are not hot, they in fact have a slight sweet taste to them. I would rate them lower on the "hot" scale among all the other peppers. If you are still apprehensive about it, then you could remove the seeds and use them.
Glad you enjoyed some family time.
I agree on the ravioli for the butternut squash, sounds good to me. But since you have such a sweet tooth why not make it into a sweet/savory bake? Add some butter, walnuts, or dried fruit put lots of brown suger and your fav cinnamon on top and bake away! Yummy - we have this for Thanksgiving all the time. delish!
As for hot peppers, I'd roast them with some tomatoes and make a spicy little condiment to use on all sorts of things. Isn't improvisation grand? I'll look forward to seeing what you do.
Hey, you hit the jackpot!
Can't wait to see what you do with everything especially after seeing what you did with "Pop, Snap and Crackle"! LOL, he-he!
~ingrid
so many great suggestions above. i say go with soup or ravioli. i'll be curious to see what you end up deciding :)
I say...soup with maple creme fraiche and mushroom croutons...or the ravioli. Or maybe even some kind of buttercream icing for cupcakes. The texture lends itself to fitting right in with butter and shortening. Hmm...some waffles or pancakes...an addition to risotto with blue cheese crumbles...sliced and paired with other veg for a galette, tart, or turnover? Ok, I'm fresh out of ideas.
That is too hilarious that you call your brother Mamalamadingdong!
You could bake the chilies into a savory bread or dice them and add a modest amount to Mexican rice. As for the puree, why not make muffins? Apple and butternut squash go together remarkably well.
It's always nice to spend time with family and eating great food. Great pictures! Looking forward to seeing what you do with the butternut squash.
I want every one of those pictures. In my mouth. Now.
What a fabulous bounty! Good for your brother for being an academic like his sister. For those hot peppers-if they are really really too hot to enjoy, I'll put the whole uncut pepper with a little slit in the side into my soups or chilies and then pull it out before eating. You get some of the heat but not enough to burn the house dowh.
I vote for butternut squash lasagna and red hot chili for the peppers. That ice cream is making me want to visit PA again!
I don't know about the peppers, but first thought with the squash was soup. Oooh, and I also made a butternut squash bread last year that was sooo good. Let me know if this link doesn't work...
http://dineanddish.squarespace.com/dine-and-dish-blog/2007/8/1/the-secret.html
Sounds like a ton of fun! What a cool idea to meet halfway -- easy on everybody. Hmmm...*scratches self* I've had squash on the brain, too and have already done soup (so many variations out there...) and also just finished it w/past but in chunks (the ravioli sounds yum!) and I was wondering about bread myself...Why not? Maybe a savory bread, but not sure. As far as the peppers go, roast, then make flavored oil. YUM. Goes farther that way.
I vote for Southwestern Butternut Soup with Chicken & Black beans. Yum!
http://carascravings.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-think-i-may-turn-orange.html
I like to make soup out of the Squash... the pictures are wonderful family days, mmm waiting for that ahhhh...
Thank you so very much for the fabulous things you had to say about my Harvest Caramel Apple Cake. You really put a smile on my face.
It sounds like you had a great time!
The photo of the squash in love is so cute :)
Ohhhh the for the love of fresh produce! :) Spicy peppers? Throw em in some noodles/stirfry/chili/burritos/eggs...I eat those suckers like candy. lol And the lovely pumpkin pure? Well, there's pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin risotto...
You can pickle the hot peppers with olive oil and vinegar. They are so good.
I will be doing a post about them later this week, I cant wait. I am sorry I dont want to spoil my post but it is really a great idea for those cherry peppers.
As for the butternut squash, I will also be doing a post about the soup I make with it. So you could do a soup.
I like to do mine chunked and roasted with a balsamic reduction. More ont hat later too. Sorry that I am so not timely here. I have been zucchini focused lately.
aww yeah that picture of the squash buddies is really cute and do you really call your mom that? those peppers look like they'd be hot to me...
Cute squashes! I don't think those peppers are meant to be hot. I've tried similar ones before, and they've got a regular pepper taste, only they're mini versions and are great stuffed with things like couscous.
Aw I love the first picture of the squash!! Totally squash love.
What a haul! God bless family. If there's any butternut puree left, try my friend Paul's famous butternut soup - the recipe is on my blog under exactly that title. Love the squashes having a lovers' tiff!
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