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FOOD

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Easy Roasted Butternut Squash

Roasted Butternut Squash by Jessica Gioglio

Simple, yet delicious, roasted butternut squash is a side dish that I’ve been introducing to friends and family members for some time now.  If you enjoy potatoes, or sweet potatoes, you should definitely consider swapping to butternut squash on occasion.  Not only is it flavorful, but it’s also a lot lower in calories than the average potato.  FitSugar.com notes that one cup of butternut squash is 63 calories, while one cup of sweet potatoes is 130 calories.

Nutritional stats aside, butternut squash is a versatile veggie.  From pureeing into a soup, to lightening up breakfast potatoes, perking up a stir-fry, or tossing into a salad, I keep coming up with new ways to leverage my favorite squash.  While I’ll eventually get to sharing all of my incredible squash recipes, I recommend starting simple by roasting the squash with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh rosemary.

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BOSTON, ENTERTAINING, FOOD, RECIPES

My Boston Valentine

Let's Make a Heart by thefleeg From Flickr

Overly expensive pre-fixe meals? Ridiculously huge heart-shaped boxes of chocolates? Unnecessary amounts of red roses? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of the hoopla surrounding Valentine’s Day. Therefore, in the spirit of celebrating Boston’s simple pleasures, I’ve decided to share a few of my top picks for quality vendors, nibbles, and more that will brighten up your Valentine’s Day in the city, without costing too much. From romantic, to indulgent, to DIY, these places, treats and ideas are special throughout the year, but are also Valentine’s Day appropiate. Please consider this my Valentine’s Day gift to you. Mwah!

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BOSTON, ENTERTAINING, RECIPES

Cocktail Club: Spiked Sparkling Cider

Spiked Sparkling Cider, Mood Lighting Optional!

Thanks to my lovely roommate and her friends, I’ve been inducted into a cocktail club.  Each month, a group of ladies get together at someone’s home to try a unique drink paired with a delicious nibble.  The best part? The host takes care of the food/drink, allowing the guests to relax.  How often are you a guest at someone’s home and are told to bring nothing, except for your delightful self?

A recent cocktail club introduced me to a delicious new drink that’s a play on sparkling cider.  Ripped from the pages of Real Simple Magazine, this drink pairs my love of prosecco with two very unexpected ingredients – apple juice and goldschlager.  Sure, you could purchase store-bought cider and add alcohol to it, but this drink feels and tastes slightly more sophisticated.  From the fizzy prosecco, to the not too sweet combination of apple juice and goldschlager, this cinnamon scented cider has become a go-to winter cocktail in my apartment.

For a cocktail club or dinner party occasion, serve with roasted pork tenderloin, green beans and a mushroom risotto.

Spiked Sparkling Cider – Serves 20

4 bottles chilled Prosecco
6 cups chilled Apple Juice
3/4 cup Goldschlager

Mix, clink glasses with your friends and enjoy!

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RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Cranberry-Apple Chutney

Cranberries & Sugar by Jessica Gioglio

This Thanksgiving, I’m introducing a delicious new side dish to our menu: homemade cranberry-apple chutney.  Sweet yet tangy with hints of cinnamon and ginger, this chutney is fantastic when paired with turkey.  It’s also a lovely addition to a turkey sandwich – think Iggy’s whole grain bread, dijon mustard, spinach, leftover turkey and chutney.

To make the chutney, you’ll need the following:
– 1 lb cranberries
– 1 cup water
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 2 green apples, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
– 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
– 1/4 cup lemon juice (e.g. one to two lemons)
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 1 tbsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ground cloves
-1 tbsp fresh ginger

Start by combining the cranberries, one cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for ten minutes.  After ten minutes, remove from heat, but keep the saucepan on the stove.

While the cranberry and sugar mix is boiling, chop two green apples and toss with red wine vinegar, juice of two lemons, 1/3 cup of sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves and fresh ginger. Pour mix into another medium sauce pan and cook on medium heat until the apples are soft.

Once the apples are soft, combine with cranberry mix and heat until the chutney forms.  You’ll want it to be the texture of a thick cranberry sauce with chunks of apples.  Allow to cool and then pour into three empty jam jars (I hoard jars of Bonne Maman preserves for this very reason).

Buon Appetito!

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RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Making Your Own Granola

Homemade Sugar-Free Granola, by Jessica Gioglio

Feel free to call me crunchy, but I love making my own granola.  Making it at home is incredibly easy and allows you to tailor the amount of sweetness, crunch and spice to your preference.  Inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery, I customized their famous sugar-free granola recipe to suit my preferences.  Because let’s face it, when you’re cooking, it’s all about you, my friend!  You’ve gotta like the final product before you can possibly fathom serving it up to another person…

With only seven ingredients, this recipe can be whipped up in a flash and makes four cups of granola.  Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Then, pour two cups of old fashioned oats, one cup of raw sliced almonds, one cup of pepitas and one tablespoon of wheat germ in a medium sized bowl.  Add in two tablespoons of sunflower oil and 1/4 cup of apple juice.  Finish by topping with a hearty amount of spice.  I personally enjoy tons of cinnamon, but combinations of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg are also delicious.

Pour onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes to enhance the amount of toasty, crunchy-ness.  The result is a hearty, aromatic granola that’s the perfect topping for plain Liberte yogurt, berries and a light drizzle of honey.  Buon Appetito!

For more of my recipes, click here.