Vegetarian Thanksgiving Lasagna

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I can't believe we are already at Thanksgiving and December and the holidays are just around the corner.  I hope that everyone is having a great time with friends and family today and that you all eat some seriously delicious food and enjoy!

I made a Vegetarian Lasagna to have around in honor of Thanksgiving.  My husband is a vegetarian and thanksgiving food is typically not his favorite.  Sure he likes the sides, but the main course is obviously not for him.  So, I tried out this recipe I saw from The Kitchn and it turned out fantastic! I subbed a few different things in so here is my variation:

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Lasagna

Ingredients:
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 large butternut squash
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
8 oz creme fraiche
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp salt, plus more
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 oz baby arugula/spinach mix
1 lb fontina cheese, shredded
fresh sage leaves
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 and lightly grease a few baking sheets.
2. Peel the butternut squash, cut off the ends, and then thinly slice the rest.  Place the slices of squash on the prepared sheets, sprinkle with some salt and bake for 20 minutes.
3. While the squash is baking, in a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin puree with the creme fraiche, dried sage, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
4. In a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of sauce.  Place 4 lasagna sheets down then place some butternut squash pieces on top.  Spread more pumpkin sauce over the top, sprinkle 1/2 of the arugula/spinach mix, and 1/3 of the fontina cheese.  Place 4 more lasagna sheets on top and repeat the same process.  Top with the final 4 sheets, more sauce, and the rest of the fontina.  Place some sage leaves over the top and sprinkle with the parmesan.
5.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Autumn Minestrone Soup

Today is the first official day of winter break! I stuck to my typical schedule of going to boot camp class at 5:45 am because I figured it was good for me.  I know I'm a little crazy.  However, it was a nice way to start my day and now I have the whole day ahead of me!  

What is really weirding me out is the fact that it is raining...on December 21st...in Chicago.  What???

So, I figured it would be lovely to share this soup recipe with you all because it is a soup kinda day.  

I made this soup as part of Bri's and my vegetarian Thanksgiving.  This was just a dinner for the two of us where I went all out and made a ton of delicious vegetarian things.  This Autumn Minestrone was super easy to make and it was amazing!  If anyone else out there is looking out the window and thinking today is going to be one dreary Monday, make this soup!  It will totally brighten your day!

Autumn Minestrone Soup

(adapted from Cooking Classy)

Ingredients:

15 baby carrots, chopped

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups vegetable broth

2 - 2 1/2 cups 1 inch cubed sweet potato, peeled first

2 - 2 1/2 cups 1 inch cubed butternut squash

1 zucchini, quartered

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp cinnamon

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups kale and spinach mix

1 14.5 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

parmesan for topping

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium and add in the carrots and onion.  Cook for about 5 minutes and then add in the garlic and cook for another minute.  

2. Add in the vegetable broth, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, rosemary, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, and bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes can be pierced with a fork.  

3. Add in the kale/spinach and the kidney beans.  Cover and let cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves and serve with parmesan if you want!

Enjoy :)

Roasted Butternut Squash Black Bean and Goat Cheese Dip

Who doesn't love dip?  A good dip is just the best!  I made this one for my book club girlfriends and they found it to be delicious.  I think it has a surprising taste, but it really good and you just can't stop eating it.  In fact, I'm thinking about making this dip for a girl's night I have coming up!

My girlfriends organized a secret santa exchange.  I like to call it a secret snowman exchange, but whatever.  How cute are we? My friend Caryn organized it and I am super pumped.  I can't wait to see what I get and I'm pretty excited about the gift I got for my secret person!  Hanukkah is happening right now and I am excited to do some gift giving :)

This week is also actually flying by!  Today all the students are taking a practice ACT exam.  I am excited to see how my students do.  The school was able to get graphing calculators for every student that did not have one (of the 200ish 11th graders, 110 did not have one).  It was really nice and I am excited to see if they perform better today with the extra help and confidence from the graphing calculator!  We spent the last week integrating calculator skill education into our class so they should be totally ready to use them today!

Cheer is also going great! We had a clinic on Saturday and we had a college cheerleader come in to help support our team and teach them some new cheers and jumps.  The team worked so hard and they learned so much.  I was super proud of all of them!  Plus, our uniforms are finally here! So, on Thursday when we perform at the basketball game, we will be in our uniforms and we will have a bunch of new cheers to debut! I can't wait.

Now, back to that dip!

Roasted Butternut Squash Black Bean and Goat Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz goat cheese
3 tbsp chopped herbs (thyme, parsley, cilantro)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss the cubed squash in a bowl with the olive oil, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and nutmeg.  Spread out in one layer on your lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Once done, remove from oven and lowder the temp to 350 degrees.
2. Place the cooked squash in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth puree.  Add in the goat cheese and herbs and process until smooth.  Add in the black beans and pulse a few times to combine and smash.
3. Place mixture in a oven-safe dish (I used my adorable mini skillet) and place in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, or whatever else you feel like!

Enjoy :)

Butternut Squash Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Last night I had a really great dinner at Crosby's Kitchen.  The food was delicious and it is a really cute place.  I went with my buddy, Katie.  She is leaving for a 10 day trip to Israel! I am quite jealous of this.  It was so nice to enjoy a nice meal together before she leaves.  We both ended up ordering the Wrightwood Salad which has their famous cornbread croutons in it!  Cornbread croutons!!!  It was pretty darn delicious and it made me want to figure out a way to make this incredible salad at home.  I'll see what I can do and get back to you guys.  

I also picked up their homemade veggie burger to bring back for Bri.  He is such a veggie burger fanatic and when I saw that they made a homemade one, I figured he would want to give it a try.  The reviews are in and he said it was a really great veggie burger!  I figure that in the spirit of this awesome meal, I would share one of my own veggie burger creations.  I love how you can basically throw a bunch of your favorite flavors/health ingredients into a food processor and make a really yummy burger.  We make a bunch and freeze them for easy weeknight meals.  I love how easy this makes dinner and the recipe I have today was incredibly yummy.  

Butternut Squash Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Butternut Squash Black Bean Veggie Burger

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
1 14.5 oz can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
Toppings:
slices of cheese (I used pepperjack)
sliced tomatoes
ketchup or mustard (Bri is a ketchup fan, and I love spicy dijon mustard)

Directions:1. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan over medium heat.  Add in the squash, shallot, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Let cook, stirring occasionally, until squash can be pierced with a fork.  This took about 10 minutes.
2.  Place the squash mixture in your food processor and pulse until it becomes smooth.  Add in the black beans and pulse a few times to combine.
3. Place mixture in a bowl and stir in the beaten egg and the bread crumbs.  Place mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.  At this point, you can form your patties and freeze them for later use.  Otherwise, see number 4.
4. Once chilled, heat a skillet over medium and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Form burgers using your hands.  This mixture should make 6-8 burgers.  Place each burger on the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until burger starts to brown.  Flip the burger and repeat with the other side.  At this point, place cheese on top so that it melts.  Serve burgers with buns or bun-less and add whatever toppings you would like!

Enjoy :)

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

I just submitted my last final and my classes are over! My grad classes that is...My high school classes are done as of June 4th.  I am so excited to be done with these grad classes I can't even explain.  It is a great feeling and now I can officially start the countdown to the end of the school year and the start of camp!  I am going to be working as a camp director again and I am really excited about it.  I can't wait for another summer filled with art projects, playing on playgrounds, and going to waterparks!  

I made this super yummy macaroni and "cheese" recipe recently and it has been on my mind ever since.  I have seen a ton of recipes that sub out cheese for some sort of veggie to make the dish a little lighter and healthier.  This recipe uses mashed butternut squash mixed with some cheese to create a delicious and creamy "cheese" sauce.  You would never know that there are veggies in this!  Bri and I had this for dinner, but then there were enough leftovers for me to have lunch at school the next day too! 

I had a squash lying around so I decided to experiment with a new recipe.  I wanted to make something quick so I went with a stove-top style recipe.  I cooked some pasta, cooked/mashed the squash, and came up with this awesome cheese sauce.  You can use your cheeses of choice, but I went with some sharp cheddar and gorgonzola.  It was awesome!  I can't wait to try other variations of this dish in the future! 

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese 

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
12 oz whole wheat macaroni noodles
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups skim milk
8 oz of cheddar and gorgonzola (4 oz each), shredded/cubed
1 tsp hot sauce (or more to taste)
1 tsp mustard (or more to taste)

Directions:1. Make the pasta according to directions to al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over medium in a pot and place butternut squash in.  Let cook for 5 minutes or so then add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, and vegetable broth.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until squash can be easily pierced with a fork.  Using two forks or a potato masher, mash the squash until you have a smooth paste.  Pour in the milk and cheeses and mix until cheese melts.  Stir in the hot sauce and mustard and season with more salt and pepper if desired.  Pour the the pasta and stir to coat.

Enjoy :)

Winter Squash and Brussel Spout Salad with Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

Our trip to Cancun was absolutely amazing.  We didn't do much and it was amazing.  Plus, I actually got some color on my uber-pale arms and I look like I actually traveled somewhere!

Now, it is time to come home from this beautiful place.  After days of laying by the pool, yoga on the beach, countless, delish margaritas, and a trip to Tulum to see some historic ruins, I feel like I am finally ready to return to reality...

Actually, that's a lie.  I love it here and we have had such an amazing time.  I know that you can't do "nothing" forever, but I could probably handle a few more days :).  The real reason I can't wait to come home is; Benny.  Yes, I miss my cat!  I am also pretty excited to see my family for some fun Christmas Eve celebrations.  However, I just notice that it is 81 and party cloudy here and 36 with thundersnow in the forecast there.  Yuck.

Today, I wanted to share one of my favorite salads to make with some typical winter ingredients.  I love roasting some squash and Brussel sprouts and then throwing them on top of a bed of greens for a yummy school, lunch salad.  I could also use a few days of this salad as a detox for all the crazy eating I've done in Cancun...

Winter Squash and Brussel Sprout Salad with Honey Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 cup Brussel sprouts, peeled and cut in half
1 cup Butternut squash, cubed
olive oil
salt and pepper
chili powder
1 bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup almonds (or other favorite nut)
1/4 cup feta cheese (or other favorite cheese)
Dressing:
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray a baking pan with oil.
2. In a large bowl, place prepared squash and sprouts.  Drizzle with a few tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder, to taste.  Spread out on baking sheet and place in oven for about 30 minutes.  Toss after 15 and 30 and continue to cook longer if you would like softer veggies.  Remove from oven and let cool.
3. For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and honey.  Season with salt as needed and drizzle in about a tbsp of olive oil while whisking.  Add more olive oil if you want.
4. Place spinach leaves in bowl.  Toss with the cranberries, almonds, feta and veggies.  Use as many ingredients as you want here, its your salad!  Flavor with dressing (again, as much as you want!)

Enjoy :)

Healthy Butternut Squash Enchiladas

For today's blog post, I was craving something healthy.  Yesterday, our Spring Break trip took a turn when we went to Tucson for the day.  My Auntie Mare and Uncle Eddy live out in Tucson in a beautiful ranch house with two horses.

Charlie-How cute is he?

Brandy

We spent the day going to lunch at Saguaro Corners where we had great tacos, then we played bocce ball out in their backyard, and finally, we went to dinner at Brushfire for amazing BBQ.  I basically felt like I would never eat again after all the amazing food.

So, this morning I went for a beautiful 6 mile run with Camelback Mountain for a view and now I want to share a "healthy" recipe to make up for all the crazy food I ate yesterday!

Healthy Butternut Squash Enchiladas
(adapted from SkinnyTaste)

Ingredients:
1 small can red enchilada sauce
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup packed baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup water
small whole wheat tortillas
1 cup low-fat shredded Mexican cheese blend
green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 and cover the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with a quarter of the enchilada sauce.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic until onion becomes translucent.  Add in the squash, spinach, tomatoes, black beans, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and water.  Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes or until squash can be easily pierced with fork.
3. Spoon a few tbsp of the squash mixture into a tortilla and roll tortilla up.  Place fold down in the baking pan on top of the enchilada sauce.  Continue until all your squash mixture is used up.  You can really squeeze those enchiladas into the pan. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tops of the tortillas and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Cover the pan with foil.
4. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve with the chopped green onion if desired.

Enjoy :)

Butternut Squash Blondies

With Thanksgiving coming up, I have been on the lookout for fun recipes to celebrate fall flavors.  When I came across the idea for Butternut Squash Blondies, I just couldn't resist! I love when recipes are unexpected and exciting and this was perfect! I adapted it slightly from Food Plus Words and the result was amazing! I knew I was going to like it since I adore butternut squash, but even I was surprised at how much I loved it.  I roasted by own butternut squash to make the puree and then got to work on the blondies.  I can't wait to make this again and share it with my family for Thanksgiving!

Butternut Squash Blondies 

Ingredients:
Roasted Butternut Squash Puree:
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
Blondies:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp (heaping) cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
4 tbsp brown butter, cooled
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mixed chocolate chips (I did white chocolate, milk chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate)
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prepare your butternut squash by peeling it, taking out the seeds, and then cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes.
3.  Toss the chopped squash in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and brown sugar.  Spread the squash out on a baking sheet in a single layer and place in the oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, stir the squash and roast for another 15.  After 15, stir again, and leave in for a final 15 minutes.
4.  Place the roasted squash in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.  Let cool.  You can do this ahead of time and place in the fridge for a few days, or you can let it cool and use immediately.
5. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350.
6.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
7.  In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and eggs until pale in color.  Beat in the brown butter, squash, vanilla, and salt until well combined.  Switch to a spatula and fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and cranberries.
8. In a lightly greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish, pour the batter.  Bake the blondies for about 30 minutes or until sides are lightly browned and the middle is set.  Let cool.

Enjoy :)

Foodie Friends Friday Thanksgiving Party

For this Foodie Friends Friday, come link up some of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes! This is going to be such a great way to share good ideas, plus you have the chance to win one of three prizes from three different sponsors! I'm linking up my favorite Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust , a great Butternut Squash Pie and my favorite Carrot dish.

Last week, two lucky winners won great items from our sponsors, Home Matters First and Adorned Well.

And here are the winner's from last week's party!

Most Votes:

1. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2. How to Can Apples

3. Pumpkin Pie Martini

Most Clicked:

1. Cabbage Rolls Redone

2. Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

3. Veggie'd Meatloaf

This week is sponsored by ArtisEverything, KraftiesbyKasey, and Sageandkai.  You can win a coaster set, a Thanksgiving plaque, or a table runner.  All perfect for Thanksgiving!

But first, here are this week's co-hosts:

Foodie Friends Friday http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com

Robyn's View http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com

Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/

Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/

Lindsey at Family Food Finds  http://www.familyfoodfinds.com

Michelle at  From Calculus to Cupcakes http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.com

Cynthia at Feeding Big  http://www.feedingbig.blogspot.com

Jodie at Binomial Baker http://www.binomialbaker.blogspot.com

R Dawn at Spatulas on Parade http://www.spatulasonparade.blogspot.com

Angie at A lil Country Sugar http://www.alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com

Jutta at HungryLittleGirl http://www.hungrylittlegirl.com/

Ericka at Chef PickyKid and Me http://www.chefpickykid.com

Kelly at http://www.adornedwell.blogspot.com/

Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings: : http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com 

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Grey's Anatomy and Butternut Squash Risotto

I have been back in school for two weeks and this week was the first week of my practicum experience for the spring semester.  Practicum is where I got into a school and observe/help/teach a little.  Right now I am in a middle school and LOVING it.  The only downside: they start at 7:30 in the morning.  That’s early.  Especially since it’s a 20-minute drive.  Last semester, I was at a high school and they did not start until 8:15 and it was a 10-minute bus ride and I only went on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Now, I go Monday through Thursday and I wake up at 6 every morning.  I suppose I will have to get used to this some day and I might as well start now.  Plus, I love being at school so waking up becomes totally worth it.  My classes are so fun and the kids are great. 

The real problem is when I am back on campus pretending to be a normal college student like the rest of my peers who typically stay up until all hours of the morning.  The solution: find activities with friends who are just as tired as I am! AKA: Grey’s Anatomy night.  Every Thursday, Tamara, Emily, Chelsea, and I get together to watch Grey’s Anatomy.  It is also a great time to vent about the school of education and share stories from practicum since they are going through the same thing as me.  Plus, I just love them J. 

This week Grey’s was just strange.  Did anyone else watch? It was that weird “What if?” episode and I just couldn’t handle Meredith kissing Carev and Bailey being all timid and quiet.  It was just so wrong.  But, the awesome risotto that Tamara made for dinner was so right! I can’t take credit for this great recipe, but I wanted to share it with you! We ate risotto, talked about how we could fall asleep right there, and freaked out when weird stuff happened on the TV. 

Butternut Squash Risotto (by Tamara)

This recipe is from Bruno, the chef at Villa Corsi-Salviati in Florence. It was for mushroom risotto and I modified it a little bit for the butternut squash.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pound mushrooms

2 cups arborio rice

1 small chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup-3/4 cup white wine

4 cups chicken broth, heated

1/2 cup grated parmesan (optional)

Directions:

Sautee onion and garlic in the olive oil in a medium sautee pan.  Add rice and stir for a couple minutes. Pour in white wine and let evaporate.  Add sliced mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes. Add hot broth gradually to this mixture, stirring until the rice is cooked.  Stir in parmesan.

***For the Risotto alla Zucca (aka butternut squash risotto), I kind of improvised.  I used about 1 cup of cubed butternut squash.  Then, I precooked the squash in chicken broth, so I probably used bout 5 1/2 cups of broth total.  I cooked it about 8-10 minutes or until it was soft, but still held its form.  Then, I drained the extra broth out.  I did everything the same otherwise and added the squash at the same point that the mushrooms would have been added.

It was fantastic! Enjoy :)

I am thankful for...PIE!

On this thanksgiving when everyone is thinking about what they are thankful for, I can't help but think about how thankful I am for everyone who is around me on this wonderful day.  I have spent the morning with my family and boyfriend doing what I love to do best, bake!

My mom has be slaving away making more vegetables than I have ever seen in one setting.  We are going to my sister's for Thanksgiving Dinner.  I am extremely excited because I have one HUGE family and EVERYONE is going to be there tonight.  Seriously, she is entertaining no less than 32 people! My mom is making Bourbon Glazed Carrots and Fresh Green Beans Parmesan (for recipes just shoot me a comment and I'll get those to you).

When I was approached with the opportunity to contribute to this feast tonight, I thought long and hard about what could be special enough for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is all about food! You have a lot to live up to if you are cooking.  I found this wonderful recipe for a Butternut Squash pie from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine.  However, there were some things that I wanted to get creative with.  So here it goes: Butternut Squash Pie (Jodie style!).

First, I found a recipe for pie-crust without any shortening (requested my Mom, thank you for keeping me healthy).  This crust is mostly whole wheat and has NO shortening, plus it was easy to make, and amazing to eat!

Pie Crust:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water
1 egg
1 pinch of cinnamon (I love cinnamon)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (frozen)

Directions:

Grated Butter!

1. Take butter out of freeze and grate the butter.  Place grated butter into a bowl and stick back in freezer (this is the coolest trick I have discovered thus far, it makes mixing the butter in a piece of cake (or pie :)) and the colder the butter the better!)
2. Mix flours, salt, and cinnamon together.  I did this in an electric mixer on low speed.
3. Wisk egg right into the ice water.
4. Next, get that butter out of the freezer and add to the bowl. It is helpful to add the butter in spoonfuls to allow it to clump up in the bowl.  Continue to mix on low speed.
5. Then, add the ice water/egg mixture.  Mix on low speed.  If the texture is too dry add in a tsp or two of water.
6. Clump up the dough and divide into two disks.  Wrap disks tightly and place in refrigerator for later. I left them in the fridge overnight.

Butternut Squash Pie

 Ingredients: 
1 1/4 pounds of cubed butternut squash, ready to cook
2 ripe pears, peeled/cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup of craisins
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Grated zest of 1/2 orange
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs
sugar (for sprinkling over the pie crust)




Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place oven rack in lower 1/3 of the oven.
2. Roll out both disks of pie dough into 11-inch circles.  Lighly flour a clean surface and roll out the dough.  Place one into the pie pan and place other on a plate. Place both into the fridge until you are ready for them.

3. Cook squash in microwave for about 6-8 minutes or until you can stick a fork through the pieces.
Mix squash and the rest of the ingredients in a mixer on low speed.  Sugar should melt, and squash should get slightly mashed.

4. Get the pie crusts out of the fridge and add the filling to the dish.  Trim the edges and brush water along the edges.  Place other part of crust over the top of the pie and trim/press the edges together.  Cut a circle in the center of the pie and 4 1-inch slits through the top.  Using a fork press edges together.  Next, brush water over the top and sprinkle with sugar.  If you want, decorate the top by using the extra dough to cut out fun shapes (I did flowers!)

5. Place pie into preheated oven on a rack about 1/3 from the bottom.  Back for 55-60 min.  After 30 min or so check on the pie.  If the edges are starting to burn, place a foil tent over the pie and continue to cook. I checked after 40 minutes and my edges were already a little burnt :(, you should be fine if you check earlier.
6. Serve same day or tightly cover and refrigerate overnight.

Butternut Squash Pie

Enjoy :)