Catch Up -- Danielle's Cheesy Squash Pasta

I'm trying to stock up on meals I can save in the freezer for after the baby comes. I thought this one would work nicely. I stretched the recipe so that I'd have enough to eat tonight and eat for lunch tomorrow, plus enough for a dinner later. It worked out perfectly.

So here's what I did --

I added a lot more than 1 c. of squash puree (possibly more than doubled it), and I used a lot more than the 1/2 c. of milk called for -- that's mainly how I stretched the sauce. I would've actually added more milk because I thought the sauce was too thick, but I didn't want to dilute the flavors any more.

I also added onion and spinach, and I cooked the onions and red pepper before adding them to the sauce. Then I used pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar. I liked the flavor and spicy kick the pepper jack added. Oh, and as you can see from the picture, I used rotini (whole wheat) instead of bow tie pasta because I couldn't find whole wheat bow tie pasta.

I agree with Elise that the butternut squash flavor in this dish is very good. It went really well with the other flavors. I also really liked the flavor of the cream cheese in it, especially combined with the pepper jack.

I don't make pasta very frequently, but I can see myself making this again.

Danielle's Tomato Dumplings

Mine didn't look nearly as good as the ones in Erin's picture... Sadly, mine look barely edible!

This recipe has great promise. The vegetable stew part tasted great. However, I royally screwed up the dumplings.

I thought about using buttermilk instead of milk because 1) I love it, and 2) I have some in the fridge I'm trying to use before it goes bad. I did a little internet research to see if the substitution would work, and I saw on at least a couple of websites that you can easily substitute buttermilk for milk in biscuit recipes. I figured the dumpling dough was probably pretty close to biscuit dough, so I gave it a shot.

Well, that fell flat. My dumplings were gummy. They weren't bready in the middle at all. The flavor was ok, but I had a really hard time getting past the texture.

If I get around to trying this again sometime (this time following the recipe like I'm supposed to!), I'll post an update about how it turns out.

Danielle's Indian Spiced Cauliflower & Potatoes

Like Melanie, my husband claims to not like cauliflower. I've always liked it so I cook with it occasionally, and basically, Max eats whatever I make for dinner. Max actually said he really liked this dish and would be happy to eat it if I made it again.

I liked it, but I can't say I really loved it. I mean, it tasted good. But realistically, I don't see it being a favorite that I'll make over and over. I think it needs a sauce or something. As is, it seems like more of a side dish. But I appreciate any good vegetarian meal, so I might try this again and make up some kind of sauce.

If any of you are interested, I made some homemade naan to go with it that was quite good. The whole process takes a long time (longer than other breads I've made), but there's a lot of down time in between (for rising) that you could be doing other things so it's not too bad. I stuck with the lower end of all the time ranges and it took me about 3.5 hours start to finish.

Here's the recipe: Snowshoe Naan

Danielle's Winter Pot Pie

This was a delicious dinner. We all liked it very much, and I appreciate any hearty, delicious, vegetarian meal. I used everything the recipe called for except mushrooms (I'm not a fan). I loved leeks last time I had them, so I was excited for an excuse to use them again. And parsnips are something I'd been wanting to try.

I have to admit, I didn't really like the flavor of the parsnips all that much. I thought they were pretty bitter. Max said he liked them though, and according to Wikipedia, parsnips are rich in vitamins and minerals and are a good source of fiber. So maybe I'll give them another shot sometime. I'll just have to sweeten them up or something.

The biscuit topping was delicious, and I imagine with all the vegetables this is a pretty healthy meal. I will definitely be making this again.

Cami's Winter Vegetable Potpie with Cheddar Biscuit Topping

Sorry, no picture. I didn't feel good yesterday when I made this and therefore couldn't muster the energy to take a decent picture. It looks very pretty though and would make a good meal for guests.

I really liked the homey flavor of this recipe. The vegetables were perfect and the cheddar biscuit topping made it a full meal in one dish (which I needed last night). I didn't add leeks or parsnips since I doubt Jason would eat them. I added an onion which I loved. I think next time I'll add celery and peas because I thought it could use a few more veggies to counterbalance the biscuit topping.

I will be making this again. I'm glad Suzy posted it now so I have another recipe to add to my winter favorites.

Danielle's Curry

So I forgot to take a picture of my dish. Go figure huh. But we had people over for dinner tonight, and I was caught up with just getting dinner finished in time.

Anyway, Max and I both thought the curry dish was very good. I noticed after we were already eating that I forgot to put a few things in (salt, lime juice, and cayenne pepper), but it was still very good. I put a little salt and pepper on the food on my plate and I thought that was an improvement. So I'll make sure to remember the salt next time (I'm not a fan of garlic salt so I'll use regular salt instead) and maybe I'll add some black pepper instead of the cayenne pepper (I don't think it really needed any boost in spiciness).

I doubled the veggies and added some extra broth (I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth) to make it go farther. I also cut out most of the sugar. I tasted LuAnn's dish the other night and thought it was too sweet for my tastes. I put in just a small spoonful of brown sugar. I think my dish could've used maybe a little more sugar but not much.

Overall, I appreciated the simplicity of the dish - easy to shop for and easy to make. I always love a meal that I can get all the ingredients for at the produce market! And it was flavorful and tasty. Good pick Melanie!

Jess's Coconut Curry Chicken

This dish was a lot of fun for me. It was my first Curry experience

I used about 3 1/2 tablespoons of Curry but 3 is plenty.

I opted for red potatoes just because I think they are pretty but they did add an extra earthy flavor which was nice.

I used Jasmine rice which added another subtle depth of flavor.

That's what this dish is all about....flavor country.

Next time I make it I will try it with shrimp!

Thanks Melanie.

Cami's Curry

I love curry. This dish did not disappoint. There were a lot of flavors which made it really tasty. At first I tasted the coconut milk (sweet) and then the curry which had a little kick at the end. It was so good. I added 3 tablespoons of curry powder and thought it was perfect.

I realized a little too late that I didn't have rice, so I substituted with orzo. It was still very good and I don't think it changed the flavor much. I also had some celery in the fridge that wasn't going to be used otherwise, so I threw that in. Again, it didn't change the flavor but I did like the extra crunch.

I will definitely make this again. Thanks for such a good recipe Melanie!