Anonymous Giver and ONE Acorn Squash!

Last weekend a kind soul dropped off, in our driveway, some potted plants and grasses ready to be put into the ground!

Paul and I found it quite interesting, as these verses were attached (in Ziploc bags to stay dry).


We’re so appreciative and excited to plant this variety of grasses in our back yard. We both decided that this was a very creative way to show hospitality.


So here’s a BIG thank you – to the anonymous giver!

Also, last year around this time when my husband was planning our garden, he asked what I wanted to grow. Years ago we gave up on growing things like carrots, garlic, onions, corn – things that we felt just took too much garden space and were cheaper to buy in the stores or at the market. Living on a city lot, we don’t have a huge space for our garden as if we were in the country.

My mother loved to garden, and the type of squash that I loved to eat as a kid was acorn squash! My mom made it taste like candy, because she baked it with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. It was heavenly.

This year we grew “one” acorn squash. I don’t know what happened and why we only got one, but because this “one” was so significant to me, I wanted to make sure our whole family enjoyed it, the way I did as a girl.

I cut the squash in half, removing all of the seeds


I melted butter with brown sugar and cinnamon


I sliced the squash like a cantaloupe, laying it in a sprayed 9x13 and pouring the butter mixture over the top


Then I baked it at 400 degrees for 1 hour

It came out of the oven soft and bubbly, and our family of 5 consumed it last night around our dinner table.


I’ve decided that next year we will grow more than 1 acorn squash. And I’ll be heading to the market this weekend to buy more. It’s a perfect winter side-dish!


(Using my apple butter recipe, I made 7 pints of pear butter this last weekend! It takes a little more work because I had to peel and core the pears, but when it’s served on homemade waffles or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – I always know it’s worth it!)


Thank you Melissa, for naming Reluctant Entertainer "Blog of the Week," over at The Inspired Room. If you haven't checked out Melissa's blog - it's full of inspiring and beautiful posts!

No Foolin' Dinner Details and Recipes - Part II

We had a grand time at our April Fool’s Dinner this past week, where we had a sit-down dinner outside, and no foolin’ – it started snowing as we were eating! Readers seem to enjoy all the details, and more importantly - what we ate! So here’s the scoop of the evening.

We started inside for appetizers, moved to the patio for our sit-down dinner, then back inside again for dessert. Before I move on, let me tell you a little bit about the menu and what I used for my table setting.

Menu
Appetizers consisted of Dubliner Cheese with Fuji apples, flatbread and salami (kid friendly). Main dish was barbequed chicken thighs, with Potatoes Anna, Caesar Salad (brought by our guest – her specialty!), and Costco Whole Wheat Bread. Dessert was Clafouti, warm from the oven, served with vanilla ice cream.


Table Setting
Using what I had, I color-coordinated the tablecloth with the flowers in bloom in my front yard. Yellow and brown go well together so I used my solid brown tablecloths, accenting with bright yellow daffodils. Of course I used my standard white dishes (almost 20 years old).

Music
Our favorite, new (to us), jazz musician is Ramsey Lewis. Love the energy and overall vibes from this man and his amazing talent on the piano.

Conversation
I have to tell you that I really love the fact that our kids are growing up. When they were little they’d all “split” as soon as the meal was over. Off to bigger and better things – play time! Now they hang out with us adults. The kids are a huge part of the conversation and it’s very - energetic, action-packed, and dramatic at times - conversation!

Now for the awaited essence of YUM! My easy-to-cook recipes!! What I enjoyed about preparing this meal is that my daughter was in the kitchen with me. We whipped up all three of these dishes in about 45 minutes, coordinating the oven times. Four hands were definitely better than two! Besides, I have a blast in the kitchen with my youngest. I find myself being asked fewer questions about measurements, and what certain words mean, as she is learning to be a fantastic cook!


Sandy Style BBQ boneless Chicken Thighs:
Cut off any excess fat, boil thighs for 25 minutes. Drain and place in your baking pan. Salt and pepper the meat, covering with Masterpiece BBQ sauce (I have tried every kind of BBQ sauce, and MP is my all-time favorite!), and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.


Potatoes Anna:
Melt one cube of butter. Grate 1-cup Parmesan cheese. Have salt and pepper on hand. I used yellow-fleshed Golden Potatoes (but any kind work). Peel and thinly slice potatoes (approx 8-10 small). Spray a rounded pan or baking bowl (I use a small bakingl stone), and layer potatoes, around in a circle, spoon butter over that layer, salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Continue until the bowl is completely full. Pour the rest of the melted butter on top, covering with a lid or foil. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350 for an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Remove lid or foil; bake another 15 minutes until crisp on top. Let stand 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. (Total time in oven: 1 hr 45 min. Serves 10)


Clafouti:
Arrange 3 cups of blueberries (or any kind of berry - I used Costco's frozen mixed berries) at the bottom of a baking dish or pie pan. Sprinkle with ¼ c. sugar and 2-3 T. candied ginger,* chopped (the secret ingredient – YUM!). In blender add 1-cup milk, 3 eggs, ½ cup flour, 2 tsp. vanilla. Blend and pour over the berries. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I doubled this recipe. (Often when I cook, I’ll use a secret ingredient, asking my guests to guess what it is! This time it was one of the kids who guessed, “ginger!”) Sorry - I didn't get to take any pictures of this dessert, but it looks similar to a cobbler.

After dinner, we all moved inside as the huge flakes of snow caused the temps to drop drastically and the propane in our new commercial grade heater went out. Brrrr. The kids helped serve dessert and we congregated in the living room. THE FUN BEGAN! More lively conversation continued. We laughed until we cried, sharing funny stories and memories.


I find that a common sentence used with our kids these days is … “Remember when?”

Reminiscing becomes very important, very real, and much needed as our children grow.

A very fun evening chalked up more memories for both of our families. Who knows what kind of twist our next dinner will entail?