Butternut Squash Soup With Beans and Bacon

3 slices bacon1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 cup dry white wine

4 cups cubed and peeled butternut squash*
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup half and half
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 15-ounce cans Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)

*To make it easy to peel and cut the squash, boil a pan of water and remove from heat. Put whole squash in water and cover for 10 minutes. Carefully remove and dry off, and then use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin.

1. Cook the bacon until very crisp and then set the bacon aside, reserving 2 Tablespoons of drippings.
2. Saute onion and celery in bacon drippings on medium heat until tender, and then add minced garlic. Sautee one minute more.
3. Add squash and cook another 3 minutes. Add wine and cook until liquid almost evaporates.
4. Stir in chicken broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is tender (about 10 minutes or more).
5. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
6. Stir in half and half, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil again.
7. Allow soup to stand for as long as possible. Serve each bowl with pumpkin seeds and crumbled bacon on top.

Wonderful Zucchini-Carrot Bread

I've been trying a lot of new recipes this year, but this is an old favorite I keep going back to. It started out as a Paula Deen recipe but I've added a couple of my own touches to it. Give it a try -- if you didn't put them in yourself, you would never know there were vegetables in this! Definitely not a diet recipe, but so good. I'd call it kid-friendly, except my own kids won't touch it...they heard me call it zucchini bread and that was the end of that. Maybe someday...

The original recipe makes two large loaves. I often just want to make one, so I've included the half-recipe amounts in parentheses for convenience. [The best thing to do, really, is make two loaves and give one away...the recipient will be delighted!]

If I have it, I'll substitute whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour used. It's best with all the "optional" items but if you don't have them, or don't like them, it's fine to leave them out.

3 1/4 C all-purpose flour (1 5/8 C)
1 1/2 t salt (3/4 t)
1 t ground nutmeg (1/2 t)
2 t baking soda (1 t)
1 t ground cinnamon (1/2 t)
3 C granulated sugar (1 1/2 C)
1/2 C wheat germ (1/4 C) -- optional
1 C vegetable oil (1/2 C)
4 eggs, beaten (2)
1/3 C water (scant 1/4 C)
2 C grated zucchini (1 C)
1 1/2 C grated carrots (3/4 C) -- optional
1 t lemon juice (1/2 t)
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (1/2 C) -- optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and wheat germ.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, carrots and lemon juice.

Mix wet ingredients into dry--by hand is fine--then add nuts and stir in.

Bake in two (one for half recipe) standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray and the bottoms lined with parchment. Bake one hour or until a tester comes out clean. Can also be baked in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

"Boston Market" Squash Casserole

4-1/2 cups zucchini, diced (about 1.5 lb, or 3 zucchinis)

4-1/2 cups yellow squash, diced (about 1 pound, or 2.5 squashes)

1-1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (prepared as directed on box)

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter

8 oz American processed cheese, diced (not Velveeta)

3 cubes chicken bouillon, crushed between two spoons

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1 Tbs parsley, chopped

1. Prepare cornbread as directed and set aside to cool.
   
2. Place zucchini and yellow squash in a large saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat just till tender; remove from heat. Drain squash, reserving 1 cup water for casserole.
3. On medium-low temperature, place all of the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions until they turn clear.
   
4. Add salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, chicken bouillon, and garlic to onions. Stir.
   
5. Add drained squash and diced cheese; stir. Crumble cornbread into squash and add reserved cup of water. Mix well.
6. Spray a 9 X 13 baking pan with non-stick spray and pour the squash mixture into it. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Remove cover for the last 20 minutes of baking time.

This is a great recipe for Thanksgiving. You can make it ahead and freeze it, and it turns out great. Put it in a disposable foil pan and cover with heavy duty foil. Allow 24-32 hours to thaw in refrigerator and then bake as directed.

This tastes at least as good as Boston Market's squash casserole.