Sauteed Kabocha Squash

The past few weeks, I've been trying to add more vegetables to our meals.  My kids for the most part, eat every vegetable I give them, but there are some they either don't care for, have never tried or don't want to try.

As with any other kid, and I say lightly because my son is turning 17 next month and my daughter is turning 21 next month, as well, I sometimes need to push them to eat veggies.  In other words, if I don't make it, they won't ask for it.

Typically I always add at least a salad to every meal, but that becomes a bit boring, and the extent of my veggies used to be steamed broccoli or cauliflower, or mixed vegetables.

It became quite boring, so I've been on a mission to add different vegetables that I normally wouldn't serve.

One vegetable we all love, is squash.  I bought a Kabocha Squash when I went grocery shopping, and aside from roasting it in the oven, I hadn't made it any other way.  I decided to sautee it and threw in a little of this and a little of that.

The result?  Absolutely delicious, kids and hubby scarfed it down and my son even claimed it may just be his favorite now.
 

Sauteed Kabocha Squash

1 kabocha squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (I use a potato peeler to peel the squash, you don't have to remove the skin completely, you can leave some behind)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
chili flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley and cilantro
1 teaspoon paprika
boiling water


Wash the kabocha squash, cut in half and remove all the seeds.  Using a potato peeler, peel as much of the skin as you can, but don't worry about getting it all as it is easily cooked and very tasty.   Be careful however, if you've never cut squash, it is extremely hard and quite difficult to cut through.
Cut into 1 inch chunks.

In a saucepan add oil and garlic.  Fry garlic for a few seconds, constantly stirring. 

Add the kabocha squash, and then season with the remaining ingredients.  Stir well to combine, and sautee for 3 to 5 minutes stirring often so it doesn't stick.  Add boiling water until it covers squash about an inch above.

Pop the lid on and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, on medium heat, until fork tender. 

Copycat Starbucks Banana Bread

You're probably thinking "Another banana bread recipe?".

I know, it's a very common dessert to make, and I think everyone has their own favorite recipes.  I myself have made this numerous times, with numerous recipes and some have been great, others have been flops.  But, that is the way it goes when you bake, constantly trying, experimenting, failing and trying again until you find that one recipe you know will never fail you.

I came across this recipe in a youtube video and happened to have a bunch of bananas that had become overripe, which in my house means, no one will touch it, not even with a 10 foot pole.

After trying this recipe, I must say that it is one of the most delicious banana bread I've ever had, and hey, much cheaper than going to Starbucks and paying 4 dollars for a slice, right?

Quick note, the recipe calls for walnuts but I didn't have any on hand, the only thing I had was sliced almonds and that is what I used.  Still turned out very good.

Copycat Starbucks Banana Bread

Source:  My Frugal Adventures

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1⅛ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas mashed very well
½ cup chopped walnuts



Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Add flour, baking soda and salt to a small bowl and set aside. Mix egg, sugar and oil and stir until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well. The mixture will be thick and dry. Next add milk, vanilla and bananas and stir until incorporated. Mix in walnuts and pour into a loaf pan.

Cook 50-75 minutes, checking regularly until a knife comes out clean.

Creamy Garlic Bread

Anytime we have pasta, garlic bread seems to be a must around here.  My family immediately expect it, and because I love them, I abide.

This is a very easy homemade garlic bread that you can quickly whip up.  I typically make it in the oven but it is also delicious on the grill.  (anyone else looking forward to summer and cook outs?)

The bread to use is really up to you, I prefer making it with bread rolls, and usually I have Bolillos on hand which I purchase from Walmart, but sometimes I don't and in that case I'll use hotdog buns or hoagie buns.  I don't recommend making these with sliced bread, it just doesn't turn out the same way.

I don't measure for this recipe, I eyeball it and I suggest you do the same, basically go with your own taste.  However, I am giving you measurements below for a typical mixture I make when preparing this bread, just adjust according to the amount you're making, adding more or less.

You can make a big batch ahead of time, and freeze them for later use.

Creamy Garlic Bread

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
Chopped garlic, about 5 cloves (I use my homemade garlic paste)
Oregano to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I also use cheddar or mozzarella sometimes)
2 tablespoons cilantro and parsley, mixed (I use my homemade Cheiro Verde)
8 bolillos or other bread roll


Mix all ingredients well to form a paste.

Slice your rolls vertically, making slices about an inch thick, but not cutting all the way down.  Spread the mixture onto each slice, carefully so as not to pull the bread apart.

Cover tightly in aluminum foil and bake at 400 F, for about 15 minutes until hot and the cheese is bubbly.

If you're doing it on the grill, just wrap tightly in foil and pop on the grill for about 5 minutes.  You can pull them off and unwrap to see if they're done.  I like to turn them over a few times to get them really nice and crispy.

Raspberry Poke Cake

Over the past few months, I have been baking cakes for my family, on a regular basis.  I usually make at least one a week, though some weeks it goes so fast that I make a second one, and then there are weeks that I make a particular cake that seems to just sit there for a while before getting eaten.

Raspberry Poke Cake is the cake for this week, and I can already tell you that I will have make another by week's end.  It is that good, and it has gone THAT fast that there are but 3 or 4 pieces left.

My 16 year old son especially, loves it.

If you're looking for a quick and easy dessert for those moments where family or friends come by, and you need something to serve with a cup of coffee, look no further.  I'm pretty sure you will have all the ingredients needed, in your pantry.
 

Raspberry Poke Cake

1 box white cake mix (ingredients needed for cake)
2 boxes raspberry jello (1.4oz), or a 3 oz. box of jello
1 and half cups boiling water
Cool Whip (8z)


Bake the white cake mix according to package directions.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

Mix the jello with the boiling water.  Poke holes all over the cake, you can use a fork or the handle of a spoon or knife etc.

Pour the jello mixture slowly over the cake.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  When cake is cool, cover with cool whip.  That's it, super simple and yummy.



Options:  You can take some raspberry jam, and after the cake has been refrigerated for 30 minutes, slather on a thin layer of jam over the cake before adding the cool whip. 

You can also warm the jam up slightly to make it easier to pour, and pour on a thin layer over the cool whip.  Or you can use pie filling as well to top the cake after the cool whip.

There are tons of variations to this cake, so do whichever you like, but I will say that even just as simply as I've given you the recipe above, it is super yummy and doesn't really need anything else added.

Update and hello!

Hi everyone, welcome back to my food blog.  I know, it's been a minute since I've posted a new recipe, I think the last one was back in October of 2019, which is just crazy to think.

Life gets in the way, we get busy, we tend to just eat our usual easy, family loved recipes, and I haven't really been making anything different or anything worth sharing. 

However, I really and I mean really want to get back into trying new recipes, updating the food blog and sharing with you all.  So many of you have enjoyed my recipes and meal ideas throughout the years, and I feel like I'm letting everyone down by neglecting my blog.  So, with that in mind, I'm going to try very hard to update it, at least once a week to start with, and then move on from there.

For a while I wanted to do a weekly feature, showing you all what we've eaten every day that week.  I love seeing vlogs and posts like that, and thought it would be fun to do.  Thing is, every single time I've thought about doing it, I completely forget to take a picture of our dinner.

I will try to make a conscious effort to remedy that and maybe start posting my weekly meals.

Anyway, I just wanted to come in and say a quick hi, not even sure if there is anyone still reading or following this food blog.  If you are still here, thank you and hello.  Feel free to say hi down below and let me know just how long you've been following this blog, I would love to know.

I am sharing a recipe today, in a different post, obviously, for a cake that I think everyone has had at least once in their life, or knows of, which is Raspberry Poke Cake.

Like I said above, right now I'm shooting for a recipe or some kind of food post, once a week, at the very least.  I don't want to put too much pressure on myself to post more than that because I am not sure if I'll be able to.

Hope you're all doing well, thank you again for following my blog and I hope to see you all around here more.

Have a blessed day!
xoxoxo