Easy Oven Roasted Squash... YUMMY!!

So, it's that time of year again... fricking COLD!!  But we can now get our wanting hands back on some of the most perfect vegetables known to mankind... squash!  Yes, pumpkins & squash are utterly delish and so comforting on a cold day.  And did you know how easy they are to cook??

It's SUPER easy.  Here's the fast and awesomeness of it!

Cut whatever squash you're craving in half and scoop out the seeds & 'guts'.   Place halves face up in a (lightly) oiled baking dish.  I tend to use a cookie sheet covered in foil, for easier clean up.  Oil the 'meat' of the veggie by pouring some olive oil directly on it and use your hands to coat it.  Or use a pastry brush if you're wimpy to getting your hands dirty ;)  Don't worry about the outside, since you won't be eating it (but if it's an eggplant, sweet potato, or anything you will eat the skin of, coat that too!).   Salt & pepper it, and bake in a preheated oven at 400 for about 30 - 40 min.  And then... 

VOILA!!!  Easy to prepare and basically zero cooking for you, while it bakes in the oven and makes your house smell AWESOME!!!

FYI, the filling in the picture? Not really an actual filling. On the same pan, I roasted a cut up sweet potato and a sweet onion. I just dumped some of that into the middles, and sprinkled it all with some cinnamon. I read a LOT about adding cinnamon & brown sugar or maple syrup, but I don't like my food sweet. Unless it's cake. Definitely when it's cake, lol.

Another idea that my friend Faith told me about is to cube butternut squash and toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and then roast in the oven - almost like little hash browns... Delicious!  Thanks Faith!!

Have an eggplant you're dying to roast?  Check out my recipe for Baked Stuffed Eggplant here ---> Garam Masala Baked Stuffed Eggplant!!  And don't worry if you don't have Garam Masala (or don't like it, you silly silly person)... you can sub any herb or seasoning you prefer and just as super tasty, warm and filling.

So ROCK ON with your bad self and get roasting!!

ps. Always be mindful of what oil you're using!  Olive, coconut & palm oils, butter, and ghee - all healthy in moderation.  Canola, vegetable, corn, or soybean oil - all nasty shit that's bad for your heart and body. 

pss. Organic is worth the extra couple of bucks.  You get one body.  Take care of it :)

psss. I should have used a different color plate.  Too much orange, lol.

Peas out, my peeps

Garam Masala Baked Stuffed Eggplant... YUM!

Last weekend was a BLAST!  The hubby & I flew to Albuquerky to visit family and to experience the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.  If you've never been... GO!!!!  What an amazing sight!  Lots of pics will be on my photography site soon, so be sure to stop by!!  http://tinsquirrel.zenfolio.com/ :)

So this weekend, I wanted a yummy, stay at home, hot in my belly meal; full of veggie-love ingredients and easy to prepare.  Stuffed eggplant totally fit the bill!  My recipe is a combination of one I found years ago, with added ingredients that I thought would be tasty, and an Indian twist!  Ready?

What you'll need:
* 1 med to large eggplant - cut in half lengthwise & hollowed out, leaving 1/4" in skins. Cube up the eggplant flesh.  I leave the top attached because it looks pretty, but DON"T eat it, lol!!!
* 3 tbsp Grape seed oil (or olive... which ever you like)
* PAM (or some type of spray oil)
* 1 med or large carrot - medium chop, tip & top removed
* 1 lg sweet or Vidalia onion - medium chop
* 1 med zucchini - medium chop
* 1 med yellow squash - medium chop
* 4 - 6 baby bella mushrooms - chopped
* 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves?)
* 1 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup Israeli wheat pearl couscous, not the small Mediterranean style (found in most grocery stores in ethnic aisle)
* 1/4 cup craisons
* 1/4 cup shredded cheese (any kind you like AND optional)
* Balsamic vinegar (the thick, sweet type AND optional)
* 1 tsp Garam masala, powdered spice form
* Salt & pepper
* Cookie sheet with aluminum foil
* Baking dish (I like a square glass dish, the kind you'd use for brownies)
* 1 tall gin & tonic with fresh lime :)

1) In a large saute pan (or pot, whatever you have handy that's a decent size), heat 2 tbsp of grape seed oil and the carrots over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes and pre-heat your oven to 400.  The carrot is the densest veggie in the recipe, so it needs to cook a bit longer than the rest!  Sip your cocktail.

2) Add the onion and let sizzle away with the carrots for another 2 - 3 minutes.

3) Add the rest of the veggies (zucchini, squash, mushrooms, & garlic), and the remaining 1 tbsp of oil.  Fold it all together in there and let it cook for about 10 - 15 min, stirring occasionally.  Sip your cocktail.

4) Lightly coat the inside of the halved eggplants with oil (I like PAM organic olive oil, or you can rub with your regular (messy!) oil), and sprinkle with salt.  Place face down (skin up) on a foil covered baking sheet.  Oil and salt the skin as well, and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes.  Wash your icky hands... and have a delicious sip of your G&T love.

5) After the veggie medley has cooked up for 10 - 15 minutes, stir in the Garam Masala, and about 1/2 tsp of both salt & pepper (more if you like).  Add the water (filtered please!) and pearl couscous.  Yup, just toss it right in there and fold into the veggies!  Adjust the heat to low and let cook down for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This should not boil, sizzle, or get stuck to the pan... hence the LOW setting ;)  I don't cover the pan either, for fear it will get too mushy with all that steam.

6) Remove your eggplant 'shells' from the oven, and leave the oven on.  With a wooden spoon and tongs (or whatever you feel will work), transfer the baked eggplant skins to a baking dish (lightly PAM'ed or oiled), this time skin down, so you have two beautiful veggie boats.  Set aside.  Have a sip of that refreshing beverage calling your name from the other side of the counter.

7) Okay!  Veggie-couscous mixture done?  Great!!  Turn the stove-top heat off, fold in the craisins (trust me), and fill your eggplant boats!  (You WILL have extra filling,  about 1/3 of the pan.  Let it cool, jam it in a Tupperware. and smile about tomorrow's lunch!).  Now top each half with a little cheese.  I like shredded, as it melts nicely!

8) Bake these suckers for 15 minutes in your already heated 400 oven, and have a sip of that drink that's accumulating way too much condensation on the glass.  When the eggplant (...eggplants..??) are done, remove from the oven and carefully transfer each to a plate.  Drizzle with a rich thick balsamic vinegar.

9) Step back and take a look at what you've created!  A MASTERPIECE!!  Finish the last of that terribly watered down drink, so you can enjoy a fresh one with your meal ;)

FYI, I have no idea how healthy, fattening, or otherwise this recipe is, and I actually don't care.  It's full of healthy veggies and fats (and a little naughtiness like craisins & cheese), and I LOVE how it tastes.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Peas out!

Thrift Store SCORE! Creating Distressed Beachy End Tables

I'm so excited to share this with you!!  I finally tried my hand at distressing a piece of furniture.  I have been buying lovely pieces at thrift stores near and far, with dreams of painting, distressing, and embellishing them!  I had been fearing the sandpaper and put off the distressing projects until recently.  All I can say is WOW!!  It's fun, easy, and very fulfilling, lol.

I wanted to start small, on a piece I wouldn't mind having to do over if I messed up (who ME? Mess up??  NEVER... ), so I chose a lovely little end table I found for $10.  Solid wood is the key, and an imagination, lol.  I fell in love with this the second I found it.  The scrolled feet, detailing on the legs and edges, and the Victorian-style pulls, which were in GREAT condition!

Okay, so the reason this is such an easy and beautiful project, is that you WANT the finished product to look worn and loved, and in no way 'perfect', which means you don't have to do a perfect job while working on it.  It's also a very cheap project with an amazing finished result!  Almost everybody has some sandpaper and some leftover white interior/exterior house paint laying around in the shed or closet.  Grab it.  Satin finish works best, but anything will work except high-gloss... too shiny for a worn, weathered look.  If you only have flat, you can always add a light coat of lacquer.  Remember, this is a meant to be an inexpensive project so keep it that way :)  Side note: Check Home Depot and Lowe's paint departments for their 'whoopsie' cans.  Quarts are usually a buck or two and a gallon is around $5!!  Perfect to have on hand for fun decorating projects :)

When it's a smaller, easy to handle piece like this, I'm a big fan of laying out a fabric/plastic backed tarp right in the living room, turning on the television, and having the pleasure of working while indulging in a good movie or binge show.  When harry Met Sally and some True Blood got me through three tables, lol.  So, find your show of choice, pour a glass of wine, and lets get started!

What you'll need:  Ugly piece of wood furniture in need of a face-lift, tarp, screwdriver, sandpaper, damp towel, paint, paint brush (or mini-roller & tray for a larger piece of furniture), patience & wine.  You may need lacquer & additional brush... see step #6 and decide :)

Steps are boring, but I'm a BIG fan of lists... so it's steps you're getting, lol...

1) Remove any movable parts (i.e. drawers) and any hardware.  If there are doors, it's your call if you want to remove them or not.  Personally, I do, so I can keep the hinges paint free and get a good sanded edge.

2) Do a quick all over sanding of the piece just to rough up the surface a bit, so the paint sticks nicely.  Seriously quick, like 5 minutes depending on the size of the furniture you're working on.  Then wipe it down with a damp towel to remove any dust from sanding.  Let it dry completely before moving on.

3) Start painting!  Yep, grab that brush and get to it.  I use satin finish (personal preference) and I like to apply 2 coats, so the color is solid (especially when I'm using light paint over a dark wood or pre-existing paint color like mine was).  Artist's choice if you want to get right into the cracks and crevasses.  I like to do a 'sloppy' job on those areas, so there's more of a old, worn look.  Let it dry over night or if you're anxious wait at least 6 hours.  Don't get over zealous and only wait a couple of hours.  It needs a good hard surface.  That's what she said :)

4) Grab your sandpaper (I like 80 - 100 grit), take a deep breath, and start sanding those corners and edges.  Press lightly at first, so you get a feel for how much elbow grease you need to use to take off your desired amount of paint.  And the deep breath was to get over the fear of messing it up.  You want to mess it up.  Believe me, you'll be happy in the end, lol.  Don't be afraid to really work those corners!  You get a very cool look when you get down to the wood; letting the layers of old, darker paint & varnish show through.

5) Keep sanding!  Yes, sand the hell outta that thing!  Get all the edges; more in some places, less in others!!  Focus on the spots that the piece would be handled/picked up/moved and sand those spots!!  Take breaks, step back, pour yourself a glass of wine and look at it from all different angles and distances (not the wine, the piece of furniture).  You'll start envisioning what you want it to look like... and then you'll sand some more, lol.  Once you've gotten it to your desired level of distress, wipe it down again with a damp towel and let it dry.

6) To lacquer or not to lacquer... If it's a piece that has a table top or will be used a whole lot (i.e. chairs), then you'll want to put a clear coat on the top (or any part that will be handled or have things placed on it).  For my end tables, I only lacquered the tops (two coats), but not the sides or legs.  I prefer using a roller over a spray can.  Spray cans are messy and can leave you with ugly streaks.  Bleck.

7) Let that sucker dry over night again (yes, over night this time for sure), reattach your hardware and moving parts, and VOILA!

8) Sip your wine, and enjoy your beautiful personalized piece of furniture-art :) 

I hope you have as much fun as I did working on my end tables.  I actually ended up distressing 2 end tables and a coffee table!  Lots of fun, lots of True Blood episodes and lots of wine, lol.  My next distress project is a gorgeous drop down secretary desk.  I'll be sure to post the finished photos and details of how it went.

Just remember, there are no rules!!!
Peas out :)