• butternut squash galette with caramelized onions and goat cheese

    November 11, 2014

    On Saturday, we had friends over for supper. Along with the salad, I served a butternut squash galette.

    That afternoon, the rest of the family was working outside so I had the kitchen to myself. I cranked up NPR and had myself a jolly good time. In fact, I was having so much fun that I neglected to push myself at the breakneck speeds necessary in order to get everything done in time. As a result, when the guests arrived, I had only just slipped the first galette into the oven.

    No matter. We drank red wine, visited, and gave an impromptu tour of the house. And as soon as the first galette was ready, we dug in. But then we had to stop and wait for the second one to finish baking. So we drank more wine and did more visiting. The meal was turning into a lingering affair, which, I was happy to discover, was actually quite pleasant and not at all disaster-ish.

    The second galette eaten (all but two pieces), we tucked into the apple pie (more pastry!) and ice cream and passed around cups of coffee. And then we moved into the living room (while my older son washed the dishes) and visited until after all the kids had put themselves to sleep.

    The following morning I ate a piece of leftover galette for breakfast. And the next day, too.  It’s all gone now, but I can’t stop thinking about it. A galette is such a simple, elegant dish with any number of variations.

    Butternut Squash Galette with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese
    Adapted from Dinner With Julie.

    1 recipe of rich butter pastry (but substitute whole wheat flour for at least half of the white flour), divided into two disks and chilled
    1-2 pounds of peeled and seeded butternut squash
    2 onions, peeled
    pinch of sugar
    olive oil
    fresh rosemary (or dried)
    6 ounces creamy goat cheese
    salt and black pepper

    Thinly slice the squash, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and microwave, covered, for about four minutes or until tender. (Another option is to steam the squash on the stove top or roast it, covered, in the oven.)

    Slice the onions in half lengthwise. Place each half face down and then slice thinly into half circles. On medium heat, saute the onions with a hearty drizzle of olive oil, a couple pinches of sugar, and salt. The onions are finished when they are satiny golden, about 20 minutes or so.

    Roll out one of the pastry disks as you would for a pie. Place it on a parchment-lined baking tray. Using only half of the filling ingredients, layer the squash with the onions and goat cheese on top of the pastry round, making sure to leave a one-inch border all the way around. As you fill the pastry, sprinkle each layer with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Fold the edge of pastry up over the filling. Repeat, using the remaining ingredients and the second disk of pastry.

    Bake the pastry at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    This same time, years previous: the quotidian (11.11.13), the quotidian (11.11.12), my apple lineup, a first step, and relieving the mental pressure.

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  • the quotidian (11.10.14)

    November 10, 2014
    Quotidian: daily, usual or customary; 
    everyday; ordinary; commonplace



    She wanted to cook.

    He wanted popcorn.

    Kitchen Wars 
    Squash: 0 
    Me: 1 
    Yum-yum.

    Exhibit A: feta, spinach, caramelized cherry tomato.
    Exhibit B: pepperoni (the favorite)
    Exhibit C: pork barbecue 
    This secondhand gift from a friend has become my favorite cooking companion.

    What appears to be a studious moment but isn’t.

    She hung out at her father’s job site and brought home this trophy.
    Horse on a porch. 
    (Also, fact: horses don’t like it when you eat apples in front of them.) 
    Breaking rock.

    Hi, Kitty.

    She harvested the beets I was trying to ignore and then forced me to roast them.
    The nerve. 
    Curried pumpkin is what’s for supper.

    (In other words, I need to make a dessert so they have incentive to eat their supper.)

    This same time, years previous: pumpkin cranberry cream cheese muffins, Halloween candy-infused brownies, mashed sweet potatoes, a boy book, chicken and white bean chili, peanut butter cream pie, and sausage quiche with potato crust.

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  • for the time change

    November 7, 2014

    Confession: I love the fall-back part of daylight savings.

    Wait! Wait! Don’t hate! Let me ‘splain!

    Reasons I dig autumn daylight (or, night-dark, rather) savings:

    1. The extra hour of light in the morning allows me to go running and maybe even, if I’m lucky, coerce my running-adverse husband into shuffling alongside. (He will read this and blow his top because I just said he “shuffles.” But I do not care. Here’s why. Just this week he bought a blinding florescent yellow, sweat-wicky running shirt AND running shoes AND glow-in-the-dark socks. At first I was happy because yay running partner. But then I got pissed because I’m the one who has been faithfully trotting my arse out of bed to pound the pavement for the last eight months and I didn’t spend any money to do it. I do my thing in non-athletic, frumpy garb and my not-even-wannabe-runner husband spiffs up for just the idea. Something is wrong with this picture.)

    2. With the time change, we are getting up earlier, get things done sooner, and then getting to savor the longer evenings.

    3. The kids go to bed earlier so I have more time to watch Parks and Rec.

    I do recall that when the kids were little, the lost hour wrecked havoc. Suddenly, the twits were waking up at five in the morning, crying all day, napping at weird times, and then staying up too late. Back then, the change was hellish.

    But now that the kids are older, it’s a dream. (And yes, you may disagree. I won’t cry.)

    Now, for the (delightfully!) long evenings streeeeeeetching ahead, some good reads from around the web:

    This article about creativity and why we don’t really like it as much as we’d like to think.

    This story about growing up unschooled (until age 13). Of all her refreshing comments, my favorite is this: “When we weren’t inspired—which was often—we simply did nothing at all.” (Bonus: she includes a list of books that helped shape her parents’ decision to unschool.)

    This article by Peter Gray about how children teach themselves to read.

    This story about a father’s decision not to save for his children’s college. (We aren’t saving, either.)

    This Parks and Rec clip of Amy and Joe. Every time I see it, my mood lightens.

    This TED radio hour talk about millennials. (My oldest is, by the skin of his teeth, a millennial.)

    How is your heart?

    This same time, years previous: maple roasted squash, bierocks, yesterday, let me sum up, crispy cinnamon cookies, a teacher’s lesson, brown sugar icing, living history, and no zip.    

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