Wegmans has recently introduced a new line of all natural soups. Normally store bought canned and boxed soups are the reason people don’t like soup. They’re too salty or sweet. The fresh taste of a homemade soup is naturally lost in the industrial mass production of the product. But on a recent shopping trip Wegmans was handing out small cups of hot Cream of Mushroom that I tried and thought wasn’t too horrific. So I bought the butternut squash soup to try. more…

I wonder if I’ll just be posting various butternut squash recipes for the next month or so. It’s seriously my favorite of the common squashes, and there’s no application where they’re unwanted. With the weather turning to evil cold here in upstate New York it’s time to begin making the foods that I love most. Warm inviting casseroles, dishes featuring squash and apples, and of course those big honking roast birds of holiday fame. more…

When chefs create those daily specials they often go through the same motions a home cook might, except we may have ready access to ingredients on a daily basis the home cook simply does not. Plus there are small considerations to be made, such as the location of the restaurant. In central NY it’s nearly impossible to sell a feature dish without the tried and true starch, vedge, sauce combination. more…

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash (2-3 lb)
½ cup butter (about 1 stick)
2 Tbsp chopped rosemary
2 Tbsp sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup lightly chopped pecans
2 tsp honey more…

The best test for checking out the new seasonal fruits and vegetables is to prepare them with little fanfare. Roast some root vegetables or squash. Make an apple tart. Anything that requires you to do as little as possible to the produce will garner you praise for your cooking prowess. Meanwhile it’s all nature’s doing. That was the inspiration for dinner this evening. I couldn’t pass by the mounds of squash tumbling off the display racks at the grocery store without picking up just one. more…

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash
2 Tbsp butter
1 ½ tsp maple syrup
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 400 degrees more…