Grilled Pears with Yogurt Sauce

1 pear, sliced in half, core removed
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, roasted

Mix yogurt, vanilla, honey and maple syrup and set aside.
Heat grill to high. Spread butter over each pear half and grill cut side down for 2 minutes, turn 90 degrees and grill another 2 minutes. Top with yogurt sauce, sliced almonds and sprinkle with dried cranberries, if desired.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash & Fresh Picked Apples= Fall
2-3 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 leeks, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoon curry
3 honey crisp apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups apple juice or apple cider
Garnish: toasted pepitas, creme fraiche, chopped Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a pan with foil, sprinkle with olive oil and toss with butternut squash. Roast until tender (about 20 minutes).
In a large sauce pan, melt butter and saute leeks, carrot, celery and curry until leeks are soft. Add apples, broth and apple juice and cook until apples are tender and heated throughout. Season with salt and pepper.
Puree in blender and serve. This also keeps well overnight or can be frozen.
Top with garnish if desired.

Roasted Butternut Squash on Pasta

This is not really a recipe but more of a thought. Having been out of the house for the last 12 hours, arriving home hungry and looking for a quick dinner, perusing cupboards and fridge, this is the result.
Preheat oven 425F.
Cut up butternut squash, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, put on foil lined pan. Roast about 25 minutes until soft.
Boil salted water and add pasta (I used brown rice pasta), when cooked, drain and put in a bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss. Add fresh spinach, roasted squash, and sliced prosciutto or ham (or both) top with lots of freshly grated Parmesan.
Serve immediately.

Stuffed Zucchini

This was made using what was available in the fridge, (which was last nights roast chicken) it would have been better with an Italian sausage or more seasoned meat.
3 zucchini, cut in half and seeds removed
1 cup of diced, cooked chicken
1/4 red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
2 mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup basil, rolled and sliced
grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter baking dish and put in zucchini halves. Combine chicken, red pepper, mushrooms, red onion, spinach and basil and stuff the zucchini. Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the baking dish. Top with freshly grated cheese and cover with foil. Bake about 45 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

Note: A variety of vegetables, meats and cheese can be interchanged.

Herb Goat Cheese

I found this in a Trader Joe cookbook and it is fall and festive.
1-8ounce log plain goat cheese
1/3 cup candied pecans, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Mix pecans, cranberries, basil and pepper together.
Roll goat cheese log in mixture, covering all sides and ends.
Serve with apples, toasted baguettes or crackers

Cheese Crackers

My friend Kathleen sent this to me. She is a fabulous cook and among her friends, their chief organizer and fun-raiser. This recipe can be used combining any cheese you have in the refrigerator. If you do not use it all, it can be frozen until needed again.

2 cups grated cheese, I used 1 cup sharp cheddar and 1 cup Gruyere
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tablespoon butter
1 cup flour
pinch of cayenne pepper
chopped fresh chives
course sea salt
In a food processor combine all ingredients, except salt and chives, until well combined and crumbly.
Transfer onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least and hour and up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Slice the roll into rounds 1/4 inch thick and arrange on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with chives and salt.
Bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Serve warm

Potato Gratin

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and diced
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups heavy cream
4 Tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and thyme and cook slowly until caramelized (20-30 minutes). Remove thyme stems.
Combine potatoes and cream in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to warm, about 30 minutes.
Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan and place a layer of potatoes on the bottom and season with salt and pepper. Spoon 1/3 of onions over top and sprinkle with 1/3 of each cheese.
Repeat the layers to make 3, topping with remaining cheese.
Pour reserved cream evenly over top and cover with foil.
Bake 50-60 minutes or until potatoes are soft and cream is absorbed.
Remove foil and bake until top is golden brown.
Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.