Butternut Squash Pierogi

I had the idea to make butternut squash pierogi while driving to work. It's funny, that's where a lot of my ideas come from. I just hadn't made pierogi in a while and wanted to do something different. Then I remembered I had 15 butternut squash in my garage that were freshly picked from the garden, so I figured butternut squash pierogi would work out pretty well!

I have to say, I absolutely loved these. They are full of fresh, autumnal flavors. The sage comes through delightfully, but the delicate butternut squash is the star. Sauté these in some butter and onions, and the outside of the pierogi becomes perfectly crisp which lends itself to the tender center perfectly.
For the Pierogi Dough

Ingredients
Source: Martha Stewart

1 large egg
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup milk
1 cup water
4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Directions

Make the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk egg. Add sour cream, and whisk until smooth. Add milk and 1 cup water, and whisk until combined. Slowly add about 3 cups flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and work in about 1 cup flour as you knead. Use a plastic scraper to lift dough as it will stick to the counter before flour is worked in. Continue kneading for 8 to 10 minutes, working in another 1/2 cup flour. The dough should be elastic in texture and no longer sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour, as this will toughen dough. Place dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rest while you prepare filling.

Butternut Squash Filling
(Note - this will make about 30 or so pierogi, which is about half of the pierogi from the recipe above. I made 1/2 butternut squash and 1/2 potato, but if you want to make all butternut squash, I'd recommend doubling this recipe)

Ingredients
1 medium to large Butternut squash
4-6 large, fresh sage leaves
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger
1/8 - 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and discard. Place on the prepared baking sheet, cut side down, and bake until very soft with pierced with he top of a knife, about 35-45 minutes. Let cool to the touch. Peel the squash and place the flesh into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl, and stir well until very smooth.

To assemble pierogi:
On a floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Using a glass or cookie cutter measuring 2 1/2 inches in diameter, cut out as many circles as possible. Gather dough scraps together, rolling them out again, and continue cutting.

Scoop a teaspoon of filling and place a ball in the center of each dough circle. Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together with a fork to seal. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough.

You can now freeze your Pierogi if you choose to do so. I put them on wax paper on a baking sheet and freeze for about 20 minutes or so. Then I put them in a larger air-tight container and layer them between wax paper. They freeze very well.

To cook pierogi (frozen or not) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add perogies and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until pierogi float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon. In a separate pan, melt about 1/2 stick of butter. Add about 1/2-1 cup of chopped onions and cook until translucent. Add boiled pierogi to pan and fry until golden brown on each side.

Candy "Eyeballs"

It's been far too long since I made peanut butter balls (I think the last time I made them was Christmas! The very idea sends shivers down my spine!) So when I saw the idea for peanut butter eyeballs on Allrecipes.com I was so excited to break out the jar of peanut butter and make little eyeballs for work. I'm actually not very "into" Halloween to be honest. The only thing that appeals to me are the cute treats that I get to make. But besides that, my husband and I really don't do anything to celebrate. Not to mention we live in a very rural area and haven't gotten a trick or treater, well, ever.

But everyone at work certainly appreciates my treats so I knew they'd get a kick out of these little eye balls. And not only did I make Peanut butter eyeballs, but cake eyeballs as well! These went over so well. Not only did they taste great, everyone thought they were hysterical! These would be so great for a kid OR Adult Halloween party!

Happy Halloween!

Oh yeah - and since I probably won't be posting on Sunday, happy 2 year bloggiversary to Le Petit Pierogi! Thanks to everyone who still reads, despite the fact that I don't get to post as often as I'd like to anymore!!!

Peanut Butter Eyeballs

Ingredients
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 lb confectioners sugar
White candy melts
Aprox 1 tbsp. shortening

Directions
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add peanut butter and stir until mixture is very smooth. Add vanilla. Slowly stir in confectioners sugar until desired consistancy is reached. When mixture is cooled, form into balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in refrigerator at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile over a double boiler, melt white chocolate candy melts with a small dollop of shortening and stir until white chocolate is melted. Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. To make the "iris" and "pupil," add some white chocolate into small, separate bowls. Add a bit of gel food coloring (in desired color) to the white chocolate and stir to combine. With a small paintbrush, glob on colored white chocolate to complete the "eye!"

Cake Eyeballs

Ingredients
Cakeball Recipe from Bakerella

1 box cake mix
1 can frosting
white chocolate candy melts
1 tbsp shortening

Directions
Cook cake according to package directions in a 13 x 9 pan. After the cake is done baking, allow it to cool completely. Then crumble it into a large bowl (I use my kitchen aid stand mixer - it makes combining the cake and frosting SO much easier). Add the entire can of frosting and stir by hand, or using the paddle attachment of you mixer. Form into balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator. Meanwhile over a double boiler, melt white chocolate candy melts with a small dollop of shortening and stir until white chocolate is melted. Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate and place back on cookie sheet. To make the "iris" and "pupil," add some white chocolate into small, separate bowls. Add a bit of gel food coloring (in desired color) to the white chocolate and stir to combine. With a small paintbrush, glob on colored white chocolate to complete the "eye!"

Spooky Sugar Cookies

I made these cute little cookies in honor of Halloween. They are simply sugar cookies (my favorite recipe) cut with a round biscuit cutter, and iced in royal icing. Making black icing is a bit tough (because you have to use so much coloring) so a tip I learned is to first 'dye' your icing with cocoa powder. Then add in as much black gel food color as you need.

Happy Halloween!

Grandma's Molasses Cookies

First let me preface this by saying this is not my grandma's recipe. I have no idea who's grandma's recipe this is to be honest. I found this recipe in a local church cookbook that my mom gave me, and all this recipe said was "Grandma's Molasses Cookies." This is just a simple cookbook, so there were no photos or descriptions. Just a compilation of some good ole' tried and true recipes.

I have to admit, halfway during the mixing process I had serious trepidations about the recipe. When you add the water to the batter, everything just starts looking weird. The shortening separates from everything else and it just looks, well, not normal. But I kept on with the recipe because I was sure that grandma wouldn't steer me wrong.

And I was right! These cookies came out great! They were wonderfully spiced, big, thick, soft cookies. My husband and I really enjoyed these - and they'd be great on a Christmas cookie tray!

Ingredients
Source: Local Church Cookbook

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 cup cold water
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
5 cups flour

Directions
Cream sugar and shortening together. Add eggs, molasses, baking soda and water (this is when the mixture got weird). Mix together. Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and flour and mix. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

I decided to make this for dinner last week because my husband had a cold. You know, the change of weather sniffles, sneezing, sore throat, etc. Don't worry, he's doing better now. Maybe it was this casserole that helped him out!

This was a really comforting meal that tasted like chicken noodle soup in a casserole! It was easy to make with ingredients that you probably have on hand. Although my husband said he couldn't really taste it (poor thing!) he said he liked the texture. But I'll vouch on the taste - it was great!

Ingredients
Source: www.Allrecipes.com

2/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
3 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/2 sleeve crushed Ritz crackers (I added this)

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink. (I cooked the chicken first, then added the onions and garlic). Add the broth, carrots, celery and savory. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Pour over chicken mixture. Add noodles; mix well.

Transfer to a 3-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle crushed crackers over entire casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

Caramel Apples

Back in high school my two worst subjects were math and science. But today we're going to talk about science. Not like I hated it (math was far worse), but all those symbols and equations and yeah....it was just too complicated for me.

But as I age, I'm finding that I love making things that are, well, science-ey (Don't worry, I was an English major in college so I'm allowed to make up words). I love when one thing transforms into another, I LOVE my candy thermometer, and I love making big sticky messes. And since I have an influx of apples from the orchard, I decided to make caramel apples for my coworkers (and myself. And my husband.)

These came out SO cute! I loved making the caramel and decorating the sweet little apples. Some toppings I did were: Chocolate, Chocolate with Peanuts, Toffee bits, Halloween Sprinkles, and pecans (my personal favorite is the chocolate with peanuts)! These are impressive, adorable and a huge hit with kids and adults alike!!!

Ingredients
Source: Martha Stewart

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 to 12 small apples, stems removed (I only got 9-10 out of the recipe)
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
Round wooden skewers

Directions

Heat sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until butter has melted. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan, and continue to cook until mixture reaches 240 degrees. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and coat with cooking spray. Insert a skewer into stem end of each apple. Dip apples in caramel, and place on sheet. Let stand until set, at least 1 hour. Apples can be stored airtight for up to 1 day.

Veal Patties with Chives

The other day when I was at the store and ground veal was on sale, so I picked up a pound. Then I got home and I realized I had no idea what to make with it.

So I searched online a bit and found this recipe which I thought looked pretty interesting. So I decided to give it a whirl, with some changes of course (aka did NOT use mushrooms)!

My husband and I both had the same word to describe this meal - different. Not BAD different- just different! We both really enjoyed it very much and it was a great diversion from the normal chicken or beef dinner.
Ingredients
Adapted from Epicurious.com, originally from Gourmet, February 2006

2 slices firm white sandwich bread, coarsely crumbled
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 1/4 lb ground veal
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs - not seasoned (I used Panko Breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and cut into sixths (I omitted)

Directions

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

Soak bread in cream in a large bowl 5 minutes. Stir in egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon chives until blended well. Add veal and mix with your hands until combined well. Form veal mixture into 4 (4-inch) patties. Spread dry bread crumbs on a sheet of wax paper and coat patties all over.

Heat oil with 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then cook patties, carefully turning over once, until golden brown, firm to the touch, and thermometer inserted into center of each registers 148°F, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer patties to an ovenproof platter and keep warm, covered with foil, in oven. Do not clean skillet.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushrooms (I actually used onions), stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chives and salt and pepper to taste. (I also added 2-3 tablespoons of cream to thicken it up a bit.)

Serve veal patties topped with mushrooms (or onions!)