Stuffed Acron Squash

It's Shake n' Bake, and I helped! Well, not really, but it's Acorn squash, and I grew it! It is so rewarding eating food that you grew in your own backyard!

3 medium Acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
9-12 oz sausage ( I like Bob Evan's original, but you can't get that everywhere).
half of an onion, chopped
1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 box stuffing and seasonings (like stovetop) (any variety, 6 oz)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds (spread your almonds out on a cookie sheet or cake pan, cook on 350 until they are just getting "toasted" looking. Watch them carefully, I am notorious for burning these.)

Place your squashes face down in a glass dish and microwave for about 8-10 minutes. While this is happening, brown and crumble your sausage, with onions and celery. When your squash is done, scoop out the pulp (the squash part) onto a cutting board. Leave about a 1/4 inch lining of squash still in the shell. Coarsely chop the squash you scooped out. Add Chicken broth, brown sugar, and cranberries to your sausage mixture. Let this come to a boil. Then, add your stuffing packet, chopped squash and toasted almonds to the pan. Stir it up and then remove from heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Spoon this into your squash shells and cook on a baking sheet 30 minutes at 350.
This dish is yummy served with a green salad and rolls.

Flax Bran Muffins

I have been looking for a good recipe for breakfast muffins with flax seed and bran. I've finally found it! These muffins are tasty. (well, not tasty compared to say chocolate cheesecake, but tasty in a healthy way!)

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups ground flax seeds
3/4 cups oat or wheat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Combine these ingredients and then add to mixture:
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 apples peeled and shredded
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

combine the following and then add to above mixture:
3/4 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Fill your muffin cups 2/3 of the way full, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Cinnamon Syrup

Some of you may not know, but I consider myself a syrup snob. Pure maple is the only way to go. I usually don't even like to think of what that other sticky stuff is made of. I think I posted this on my personal blog, but I once took my own heated syrup in an insulated mug to a church pancake breakfast. Only problem . . . pure maple syrup is incredibly expensive. I recently found out why--you have to boil down 40 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup. That just isn't a ratio that lends itself to good prices. 

Here is a syrup recipe a good friend here in Iowa gave me. I think it is actually the first thing I have ever made with corn syrup. It definitely isn't the liquid gold that is maple syrup, but it is still pretty good and definitely cheap. My kids gobbled it up too. I doubled the recipe so as not to waste most of the can of evaporated milk.

CINNAMON SYRUP
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/4 c. water
1 tsp cinnamon

Boil for 2 min. Let stand 5 min, then add:

1/2 c. evaporated milk

Pam's Granola

So we are now on our second batch of Pam's granola. Love it!! I like to put craisins in it when I eat it. I just saw Max head to his study room with a bowl of it--with added chocolate chips.

Thanks Pam!