Butternut Squash Spoon Bread

I would describe spoon bread as cornbread and pudding’s frequently overlooked love child. The sweetness of the cornmeal pairs well with the velvety pudding-like texture of the spoon bread, and creates the perfect canvas for a range of autumn starches from squash to sweet potatoes.  In fact, I adapted this recipe from a Sweet Potato…

Pickled Beets

This is another wonderful canning recipe adapted from Liana Krissoff’s Canning for a New Generation.   As you might be able to tell, I was on a canning kick last week: two different kinds of pickled pears, cranberry and pear chutney, and now some pickled beets.  This is all part of the Thanksgiving prep.  I was invited…

Spiced Cranberry and Pear Chutney

Spiced Cranberry and Pear Chutney: A sweet and tangy dressing that will brighten up any meal – be it a holiday feast or your slap-dab midweek lunch.  This chutney cans beautifully, and makes a wonderful holiday housewarming gift. This recipe makes 3 pint sized jars. In a large sauce pan on the stovetop combine:  3/4 cups…

Spiced Pears

I have never been crazy about pears; too sweet, too bland, too boring, too hard, too mushy.  Until a few years ago pears were those unappetizing fruits that cropped up for a short period of time each Fall only to be overshadowed by a vast variety of apples, pumpkins, and cranberries.  While pears always appealed…