buttery, cinnamon-y holiday winter squash

As soon as the first chill in the air arrives, I begin to crave the tastes of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Okay, maybe a little ginger, but it's not one of my favorites - small doses. And with fall and winter (and holidays') migration to more roasted and baked comfort cooking, I love this buttery, spicy, creamy winter squash creation on the side.

Very easy to prepare from frozen winter squash puree, but if you had a bumper crop of acorn and butternut squash in your garden this year, by all means use your bounty. If you use fresh squash, be sure to bake it with butter and brown sugar in the center! If simply using a frozen puree, follow my adaptation of another mouth-watering recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Prairie" by Stephen Langlois.

Ingredients:

One 10 ounce package frozen pureed winter squash, thawed

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons milk or cream

Salt to taste

Simply heat thawed pureed squash and add butter. When butter is melted entirely, incorporate honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk or cream. Season to taste with salt.

Makes approximately 3 to 4 servings and is easily doubled.

"Turkey with Gravy and Cranberry!"

Just as the Adam Sandler Thanksgiving song says, some things are meant to be paired together. A traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner without the cranberries? Or all of those delicious leftover turkey sandwiches?
The Lonesome Road takes a couple of different turns when it comes to cranberries. One likes the jellied cranberry sauce in the can, you know the one - it makes that embarrassing noise as it sidles out of the can onto a plate, in a perfect log shape. The other one (that would be me) likes whole berry sauce, and I like flavors that accentuate and contrast with the tart flavor of fresh cranberries. That is why the following recipe is one of my all-time favorite preparations for cranberries.
Not quite a "sauce," this is more of a relish. Fresh lemony flavor combines with vinegar and sugar plus the whole arsenal of fragrant autumn spices to create a sweet and tart side dish that perfectly accompanies pork, duck and pheasant as well as turkey.
The original recipe is from one of my most cherished cookbooks, "Prairie" by Stephen Langlois. The cookbook is a collection of seasonal and regional recipes from the Chicago area (Prairie was located on Printers Row in Chicago but has since closed). Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups malt vinegar (you can use red wine vinegar to cut some of the acidity; malt vinegar is very piquant)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 cups white granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

One 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries, washed and picked over

In a medium non-reactive saucepan combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, corn syrup and spices. Bring to a full boil over medium heat.
Add cranberries, lower heat and cook on low for 10 to 15 minutes or until the skins have cracked and the mixture has thickened. Store in a non-reactive container for at least 2 or 3 days before serving so flavors have a chance to blend. Makes 1 quart.

the weekend baker - the great pumpkin!

The Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2010...?

Imagine going to your favorite supermarket and.... the canned pumpkin shelf is EMPTY! You speed from store to store, in search of that elusive can of pureed curcubit. Panic begins to set in as you realize that you may never again see a can of pumpkin on a store shelf. Never, I tell you!

That's certainly how I felt recently. Fortunately I found a can hiding in a cabinet in my kitchen but it could have been curtains for pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars this year. I jokingly told people that I was going to sell that can for thirty bucks on Ebay. Then I discovered that people really have been doing that.

The cause of the shortage depends on who you talk to and where you get your news. The Washington Post says that there was too much rain, making it difficult to harvest the pumpkins. During a recent visit to a pumpkin farm in my area, I overheard the grower telling a customer that the plants were not being pollinated properly and that was the problem. Either way, I've recently noticed that supplies of canned pumpkin seem to be returning to stores and now we can all breathe a little easier about that Thanksgiving pie!

Another autumn favorite is pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. Delicious, a favorite of all, and easy (if you can just find a can of pumpkin).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1-2/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil (I like to use safflower)
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Beat together eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. Combine all of the dry ingredients and gradually add to the pumpkin mixture, mixing well.

Pour batter into an ungreased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then frost with cream cheese frosting.

For the frosting, beat together:

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup butter (half of a stick), softened

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk, or as needed for desired consistency

Spread frosting over bars and decorate them if you wish (they look very cute with candy pumpkins, or with icing "webs"). Makes 20 to 24 pumpkin bars.

"Halloween Jack" pendant by Lonesome Road Studio 2.