Trying Delicata Squash

     Last week I got some vegetables from a veggie co-op I'm part of and one of the things I got was a delicata squash. I've gotten them before, but frankly, I usually just use them for decorations, rather than actually cook them. So this time I decided to try to cook it and see how we liked it. Of course, the first place I searched for recipes was Pinterest, my favorite go-to for new ideas. The recipe I found was pretty easy and it ended up being tasty, too. I think we still like summer squash better, but it was something different and now I know what I can do with these when I get them!

Here's what I did:

I took a raw delicata squash and cut it in half lengthwise. Winter squash is usually pretty tough to cut, but this one was not difficult at all.

 Then I scooped out the seeds and "guts" of the squash.

 After that, I cut the halfs into 1/2" - 3/4" slices.

 I forgot to take this picture, but I put the squash slices into a bowl with some olive oil, 1-2 Tbsp, I think, and some salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary and then mixed it all up to coat the squash really well.

Tip: Put the baking sheet into the oven while the oven preheats to 425 degrees. The squash will brown better on a hot pan.

I put the coated squash onto the heated pan and baked in the oven for 10 minutes, then flip them over and baked for an additional 6-8 minutes. You can add a little more salt and/or pepper when they're done for added taste, if desired.

Not only did they taste good, but they looked pretty, too!

So, if you're looking for something new to try, cook up some of these yummy winter squash to add to your veggie repertoire. Bon appetite!

Menu Plan Monday

Hello Everyone! Here's my menu plan for this week. Hope you all enjoy it!


Sunday- Tacos

Monday- Stuffed Green Peppers

Tuesday- Swiss Steak

Wednesday- Chicken Tetrazzini

Thursday- Manicotti

Friday- Spaghetti

Saturday- Leftovers/Potato Soup



Chicken Tetrazzini

1-cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

4 cups cooked spaghetti noodles

1-10 oz. can chicken, undrained

1/4 cup sweet red pepper or pimento (optional)

2 Tbsp. parsley

In 2 qt. saucepan, combine soup, water, & cheese. Over low heat, heat til cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Add spaghetti, chicken, pepper, & parsley. Heat through, stirring occasionally.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's this week's menu....enjoy!

Sunday - Baked Shrimp Scampi

Monday - Pork Chops

Tuesday - BBQ Chicken

Wednesday - French Onion Pot Roast

Thursday - Skillet Sausage & Peppers

Friday - Pesto Chicken & Pasta

Saturday - Order Pizza!!

Pesto Chicken & Pasta

1 - 16 oz. corkscrew pasta (or bowtie)

3/4 c. prepared pesto

1/2 c. chicken broth

3 c. cubed cooked chicken

1 c. chopped roasted red peppers

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. chopped basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 13x9 pan with Pam. Cook & drain pasta. Combine pesto & chicken broth in a large bowl; mix well. Add pasta, coat well. Stir chicken & roasted red pepper into pasta mixture until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan; top with Parmesan cheese. Bake casserole until thoroughly heated & cheese begins to melt, 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.

French Onion Pot Roast

1 1/2 c. frozen pearl onions

1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-3 lbs.)

1 c. beef broth

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley

1 pkg. french onion soup mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place onions in oval roasting pan. Place beef on top of onions. Combine beef broth, flour, parsley, & soup mix in small bowl; mix well. Pour over beef in pan. Cover pan & bake until beef is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove beef from pan. Slice into 8 portions. Place on serving plate & spoon juices & onions over each serving.

BBQ Chicken

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-4 lb.), cut up

1 med. onion, thinly sliced

1 med. lemon, thinly sliced

1 - 18 oz. bottle BBQ sauce

3/4 c. regular Coca-Cola

Place chicken in crock pot. Top with onion & lemon slices. Combine BBQ sauce & cola ; pour over all. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or til chicken juices run clear.

Menu Plan Monday

Hi Everybody! I know it's been awhile, but I'm going to try to post a little more faithfully. In the meantime, here's this week's menu. Hope you enjoy it and try some of the recipes.


Sunday - Taco Salad Bowls

Monday - Easy Pepper Steak

Tuesday - Tater Tot Casserole

Wednesday - Hamburger & Noodles

Thursday - Lasagna

Friday - Hot Dogs

Saturday - Creamy Chicken Alfredo



Taco Salad Bowls

4-8" flour tortillas
1 Tbsp. chili powder, divided
3/4 lb. ground beef
1 c. match-like carrot sticks
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. salsa, divided
2 Tbsp. mayo
4 c. torn salad greens
1 lg. tomato chopped
1/2 c. shredded mexican cheese


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Crumple 4 sheets of foil to make four 3" balls. Place on baking sheet. Place 1 tortilla on top of each ball. Spray tortilla with Pam. Sprinkle evenly with chili powder. Bake 6-8 min. or til tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls.) Brown meat with carrots & chili powder in large skillet. Add 1/2 cup salsa; cook 2 minutes or til heated through. Mix mayo and 2 Tbsp. salsa in large bowl. Add salad greens and tomatoes; toss to coat. Spoon into tortilla shells; top with meat mixture and cheese. Makes 4.

**This is a fun recipe to make and build. We don't make it too often, but when I do I really like it. We do multiply it by a couple times so there's enough for all of us. Plus, I add sour cream and other "taco" toppings, including salsa, so people can build their own taco salad as they like it. One word of caution, these are a little bit difficult to eat. We still can't figure out if we should eat them with forks or our hands. The hands seem to work best, but if you try this recipe, LMK how you eat them. Hope you enjoy it!! :-)

Well, it's that time again. So, here is my Menu for this week.


Sunday- Noodle Dish

Monday- Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan

Tuesday- Shake & Bake Pork Chops

Wednesday- Hamburger and Noodles

Thursday- Chicken & Peppers Skillet

Friday- Hot Dogs & Fries

Saturday- Chicken Puffs


Hamburger & Noodles
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 cups brown or mushroom gravy
medium or wide noodles, cooked & drained

This is a homemade "hamburger helper", as my husband calls it. Ironically, he loves it!! lol Cook the meat and onions and misc. spices like garlic powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, etc. all together. Add gravy & mix well. Add cooked noodles to meat mixture. Add more gravy, if desired, to make prefered texture.

Have a great week, everyone!! :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Well Hello!! I'm baaack! lol Back to the old grind, eh? Yep! As part of getting back into a routine, I'm posting my menu plan for this week. Hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready to get back to a normal routine....I know I am! Actually, I think this is the first time in countless years that I'm sad to see summer go. I didn't get all my projects done, but the big ones I did, so at least that's good. Anyway, without further ado, here's my menu plan....enjoy!

Sunday- Arroz con pollo

Monday- Creamy Herbed Chicken

Tuesday- Kielbasa with Onion Roasted Potatoes and Julienned Vegetable Saute

Wednesday- Country Skillet Supper

Thursday- Noodle Dish

Friday- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Saturday- Scallops Charleston

Country Skillet Supper

1 lb. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1/8 tsp. garlic

1 can mushroom soup

1 can beef broth

1/2 tsp. thyme

1- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 small yellow squash, sliced

1 1/2 c. uncooked corkscrew pasta

Cook beef, onion, & garlic in skillet until browned. Pour off fat. Add soup, broth, thyme, tomatoes, & squash. Heat to a boil. Stir in pasta. Cook over low heat 15 minutes or til done.

Scallops Charleston

1 1/2 pounds fresh sea scallops

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

flour for dusting

3/4 cup sherry or dry white wine

1 shallot, finely chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, quartered

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Season scallops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and paprika. Dust with flour. Saute in a pan that has been lightly coated with nonstick spray and a small amount of olive oil. Cook until browned on both sides and remove from pan. To the pan drippings, add sherry, shallots, and mushrooms; cook 3-4 minutes.

In separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add 3 Tbsp. flour. Mix well and cook over low heat for two minutes stirring constantly. Pour shallots, mushrooms, and liquid from scallops into flour mixture. Mix well and stir scallops into sauce. (If it's too thick, you can thin with a little clam juice or chicken stock.) Transfer to four individual baking dishes, top with cheese and broil for 1 minute, until browned. Serve with wild rice.

**Ok, on this recipe, I use sliced provolone cheese, as my family likes it better. I also use brown rice intead of wild rice, but you can use whatever you prefer.

Julienned Vegetable Saute

1 large red pepper, cut into very thin strips

1 large yellow pepper, cut into very thin strips

2 large carrots, cut into very thin strips

1 med. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. olive oil

2 large zucchini, cut into thin strips

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. each Salt & Pepper

Cook 1st 5 ingredients in hot oil in large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add zucchini strips and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly til tender. Stir in basil and salt & pepper.

Menu Plan Monday

Once again, it's Monday and time for this week's menu.

Sunday- Steak and Spinach Pinwheels

Monday- Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan

Tuesday- BBQ Beef

Wednesday- Hamburger & Noodles

Thursday- Baked Chicken

Friday- Noodle Dish

Saturday- Tacos

Steak & Spinach Pinwheels

1 lb. very thinly sliced round steak

1 pkg. frozen spinach

8 oz. shredded parmesan cheese (should not be from can)

salt & pepper to taste

Thaw and drain well the spinach. I like to squeeze it in order to make sure that all the moisture is out of it. Take one slice of beef and spread a thin layer of spinach over it. Top with cheese and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Roll up beef slices and secure rolls with toothpicks. Cut through rolls into slices, forming pinwheel shapes. Each roll should yield about three pinwheels. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until beef cooks through. Serve.

* I find that parmesan cheese adds a really nice tang to the beef and spinach. I've also used mozzarella when I'm short on Parmesan and had good results.

(Thanks to my friend Lori, for this recipe.)

** The notes above are from Lori, but these are my notes: I only made these once, but I used mozzarella and it worked fine. We don't like "real" parmesan...only the can stuff. lol LMK if you try this and how you like it.

Have a yummy week!!

Menu Plan Monday

Hey there! Yes, I'm still alive!! I've been shamefully ignoring this blog in favor of my virtual farm at Facebook. It's pretty addictive!! Sad, but true. Oh well. I'm trying to plant crops now that take days to grow rather than hours. That way I'll only have to get on there no more than once a day, allowing me to spend computer time on other sites....like this one! lol So, anyway, here's this week's menu. Hope you all have a great week!

Sunday- Hot Dogs

Monday- Hamburgers on grill

Tuesday- Ham & Potatoes Au Gratin

Wednesday- Salsa Chicken & Rice

Thursday- Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Friday- Italian Chicken

Saturday- Frozen Dinner

Italian Chicken

Large Reynolds oven bag

2 Tbsp. flour

1-14 oz. spaghetti sauce

3 chicken breast halves

1 med. green pepper, chopped

8 oz. pasta, cooked & drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shake flour in bag, put in 13x9 baking pan. Add spaghetti sauce to bag. Squeeze bag to blend flour. Add chicken and green pepper to bag. Turn bag to coat chicken with sauce. Arrange chicken in even layer. Close bag with tie and cut 6 - 1/2 inch slits in top. Bake until chicken is tender, 35-40 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Menu Plan Monday

Ok, it's that time again....so here's this week's menu.

Sunday- BBQ Chicken, baked beans, corn on cob

Monday- Steak and Mushrooms

Tuesday- Taco Casserole

Wednesday- Some kind of chicken

Thursday- Eggplant Parmigiana

Friday- Sloppy Joes

Saturday- Shrimp Scampi Bake

Taco Casserole

1 lb. ground beef

1-8oz. sour cream

1-8oz. tomato sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

2 cups Monterrey jack cheese

1 small onion

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 envelope taco mix

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Brown beef. Add onion, garlic, taco mix, and tomato sauce. Mix and set aside. Combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Set aside. Spray Pam on 13 x 9 pan. Place 1/2 crushed chips in bottom of pan. Add enough meat mixture to cover chips, then add 1/2 sour cream mixture and 1/2 grated cheese. Repeat layers. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

***This dish can be tweaked to your own tastes. Basically, everything is cooked before it gets baked, and the taste will still be a "taco" type taste, but the textures can vary depending on your family's taste. I usually use more chips and tomato sauce. I think I use a little more cheese, too. But, I would suggest to make it following the recipe the first time and see how you like it. Then next time you can change it, as desired. Have fun!! :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Well, it's that time again, so here is this week's menu. I've even included a couple new recipes. Enjoy!

Sunday- Corn Dog Casserole

Monday- Saucy Beef over Rice

Tuesday- Crockpot Chicken

Wednesday- Onion Baked Pork Chops

Thursday- Baked Ziti

Friday- Hot Dogs in Crescents

Saturday- Frozen dinner


Corn Dog Casserole

2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 T. butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sliced green onions
1 1/2 lb. hot dogs
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 t. rubbed sage
1/4 t. pepper
2- 8 oz. pkg. corn muffin mix
2 cups shredded cheddar, divided

In a skillet, saute celery in butter for 5 min. Add onions, saute 5 min. Place in large bowl, set aside. Cut hot dogs lengthwise in quarters, then into thirds. Saute hot dogs 5 min., til browned; add to veggies. Set aside 1 cup. In another large bowl, combine eggs, milk, sage, & pepper. Add hot dog mixture. Stir in corn muffin mixes. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese. Spread into shallow 3 quart casserole dish. Top with reserved hot dog mixture & remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 min. or golden brown. Makes 12 servings.

**I have never made this recipe, but I'm going to be trying it this Sunday (I'm writing this on Friday). I probably will not use the sage since I don't have any and don't want to go buy it for this. I'll let you know how it goes. If you try it, or any of my recipes for that matter, please let me know what you think.

Onion Baked Pork Chops

1 envelope Golden Onion soup mix (or onion or savory herb)
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
4 pork chops, 1" thick
1 egg, well beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In small bowl, combine soup mix & bread crumbs. Dip chops in egg, then bread crumb mixture, until evenly coated. In lightly greased 13x9 pan, arrange chops. Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until done, turning once.

** Funny enough, I haven't tried this one either, but I will be cooking it this Wednesday. I'll let you know how this one works.

In With the New....

My boys don't like very many fruits or veggies, which is very frustrating for me, so I'm constantly trying to figure out ways to get them to eat them. They do like some, but it's very limited. I seem to remember the girls were a lot like that, but now they eat a lot more than they did before. Plus, they're much more likely to try new foods now than they used to be. So, I do have some hope for the boys. lol

Now, I belong to this organic veggie/fruit co-op which I get every two weeks with about 11 veggies and 4 fruits. I split my share in half with a friend because there's no way we could eat a whole share ourselves, plus it's cheaper to split it. And, as it is, with half a share we hardly ever eat all that we get. It is frustrating for me to see so much food go bad before we can use it. So, tonight I had a brainstorm and an experiment.

Nicky's still on night shift (bummer), and he didn't get to eat his packed dinner last night, so I was able to send it again tonight. This means I didn't have to cook for us...yippee!! I did end up actually cooking, but something different. I decided we were going to have a taste test dinner. I cooked up some veggies, plus had some raw veggies, along with some fruit. I also had a bowl of ranch dressing and a jar of peanut butter. I put one or two of each item on the boys' plates and prepared my plate, then we tried each food one at a time. I held up each food, one by one, told them what it was and whether it was a veggie or fruit. Then I told them if they could dip it in the ranch or pb, but that they had to try it plain first. If they didn't like anything, they didn't have to eat it, but they had to try it. Now, normally, they don't like to try anything new, especially Levi. But, I guess since it was kinda a fun thing, neither one of them gave me any trouble at all about trying the new foods. I was so impressed! And, we had good results!

Here's Indy with his plate.


And, Levi with his, while he's trying grapes. Yes, I said grapes. This child will not eat grapes. GO figure. Believe me, he's been offered grapes over and over. All my kids like grapes, except Levi. I had green and red grapes on the plate and he actually liked them. I'm sooo happy that he likes grapes now! Whoo hoo!

Here's some of the foods we tried....

Cantaloupe

Carrots and Celery
(Indy liked pb on these, but Levi liked the ranch dressing.)

Cucumber

Asparagus (cooked in oven with seasonings and Parmesan cheese)

Sauteed mushrooms (not a big hit, needless to say)

(Oh well, I like them...)

Grapes, Red and Green

"Fried" Green Beans (in pan on stove with olive oil and garlic)

Breaded and Baked Zucchini

(Great with ranch dip!)

So, that was a pretty good selection, huh? I had kiwi, too, but completely forgot to prepare it, so I'll save it for another night. Besides Levi liking the grapes, he also liked the zucchini. I was amazed. And, Indy decided he liked the carrots and even the celery, especially with peanut butter. I was so excited! Even the girls had this stuff for dinner and found a couple new things they liked, too. Isn't that great?? This experiment came out so well. I'll have to try this again when I get some different fruits and veggies from my co-op.

Menu Plan Monday

I know it's late, but better late than never, right?? lol So, here goes...


Sunday- Eat at Grandma's for Easter

Monday- Meat Loaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans

Tuesday- Swiss Steak

Wednesday- Red Bandana Stew

Thursday- Chicken Puffs

Friday- Easy Pepper Steak

Saturday- Frozen dinner

Well, that's it for now. Have a great week!

Well, we'll be in Jerusalem this week, so I probably won't have time to post too much. What's that, you say? You didn't know we were going to Jerusalem? Well, we are....sort of. Our church is doing a VBS type thing this week for spring break and the theme is Jerusalem Marketplace and it's going to be amazing!

It's a whole new spin on VBS. First, instead of dividing up the kids into age groups, they're dividing families up into tribes. For example, I'm a tribe leader...the Tribe of Levi (you had to have guessed that one! lol)....and in my tribe will be me and my children and at least 2 other families, parents and all kids together. All the workers and many participants will be dressing in Bible times costumes. We'll be meeting in the field outside on a blanket near a "well" that will house our water (in gallon jugs), which I have to send someone to get each day. Outside we'll have traditional Hebrew-type music and dancing and then meet in our groups for our daily lesson. After about half an hour, we go inside to the marketplace (our gym), which has been completely transformed into an amazing atmosphere with about 9 or 10 booths, in which the families can do activities like carpentry, basket weaving, baking, candy making, jewelry making, pottery, etc. This will last about half an hour, then when the shofar blows, we go, with our tribe to Hebrew school (which is in our sanctuary), where the families will learn some Hebrew letters and other things while listening to a "rabbi" who's not too sure about this Jesus guy who's been disrupting the whole town. :-) After that, we go to the games area where the families will learn traditional games like discus throwing, relays, and dreidles. They even have a petting farm with donkeys, chickens, and other animals. In the center of the marketplace, there is another "well" where there will sporadically happen some dramas about things happening the week before Jesus' crucifixion. After all the activities, we will again head to our home base outside and discuss the day's events. Each day, I'll have to send someone to bake our "daily bread" (when we start the day) and while we're gone it will be delivered to our base. So while closing, we'll have water from the well and bread someone in our group made. All the workers are in character, some don't even like Jesus! It's gonna be awesome! Now, can you see why I'll be a little busy? It only goes til Wednesday, so I'll be back to normal on Thursday, but in the meantime, I'll be in Jerusalem. Wish you could come!! :-)

Now, without further ado, here's this week's menu:

Sunday- Creamy Chicken Alfredo

Monday- Tater Tot Casserole

Tuesday- Noodle Dish, Green Bean Casserole

Wednesday- Santa Fe Chicken

Thursday- Lasagna Rolls

Friday- Meat Loaf

Saturday- Frozen dinner

Tater Tot Casserole

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

32 oz. tater tots

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/4 onion

1/4 c. milk

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar

Brown ground beef and drain. Line crock pot with tater tots. Combine all other ingredients (except cheese) and pour mixture over the tater tots. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover. Cook on high 3 hours.

**Everyone in the family likes this one! It's always amazing when I find something everyone likes!! lol