Mashed Butternut Squash

We grow our own butternuts and often we buy them in bulk, as well. So you’d think we cooked these amazingly nutritious root veggies in all kinds of ways. But in reality, not so much. We do love this Thai Butternut Squash Soup. Occasionally, we’ll stuff and bake them. And they do wind up inContinue reading “Mashed Butternut Squash”

Roasted Winter Veggies

Sweet potatoes or butternut squash; parsnips or carrots; onions, peppers, even cabbage. Whatever winter veggies you have on hand, toss them into the pan with a splash of olive oil and these Latin-inspired spices. Your cold winter night just got warmer. Serves 4-6 Ingredients 1 tsp. ancho chili powder 1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt 1 tsp. freshlyContinue reading “Roasted Winter Veggies”

Time to Talk Turkey

My favorite holiday of the year is two weeks from today. And I am nothing if not ready to start thinking about Thanksgiving. For many, the holiday countdown began long ago with checklists of what to knock out ahead, chatter about table decor and recipe testing in search of the perfect combination of sweet and savory, traditional and today. I’m aContinue reading “Time to Talk Turkey”

Let Us Eat Pumpkin

With Jack O’ Lantern carving at Halloween and the absolute necessity of a pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving sideboard, pumpkins have long been central to fall. But does anyone else find it ironic that while pumpkin pie flavor has found its way into absolutely everything (Oreos! Pop-Tarts! Twizzlers!), pumpkins themselves are still considered more decor than food?Continue reading “Let Us Eat Pumpkin”

Flavors of Fall

          As I’ve been preparing to teach my class on cooking fall fruits and vegetables at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op this weekend, I can’t help but contemplate: What is it about fall’s flavors that make us swoon so? Is it the brief time they’re in the spotlight? The nostalgia that comes withContinue reading “Flavors of Fall”

Thai Butternut Squash Soup

I’ve tried many butternut soups over the years. There’s a three-sisters version, a Mexican variety, those that pair winter squash and apples. But my favorite, the recipe I’m searching for every fall, is one that heightens the sweetness of the squash and pairs it with the Trinity of Thai cooking — fish sauce (made of anchovies andContinue reading “Thai Butternut Squash Soup”