Baked Squash/Pumpkin Custard

So high on the success with my pumpkin pie, I was wondering, could I just make the custard, which honestly is the part everyone in this house loves.

I also was wondering, would anyone notice, if I swapped pumpkin with butternut squash.

The answer is YES, yes you can just make the filling and bake it and NO, no one will notice if you swap butternut squash for pumpkin!

So here we go...

 So I had 2 cups of butternut squash puree. (I explain the process for making squash puree in my previous post about the pie.) Sadly I had no evaporated milk. So I googled  and found you can sub sweetened condensed milk for the sugar and evaporated milk in the Libby's recipe. Which is what I was working from.

 I prepared my pan. Since this is a custard, you need to bake it in a water bath. So I buttered my ramekins and made sure they would fit in the glass baking dish. (I am a klutz. So I placed the pan in the over and then filled it about half full with water. You can do whatever you want.)

 Make the custard. (Beat 2 eggs, mix in squash/pumpkin puree, add spices, then stir in the sweetened condensed milk.)

 Fill the buttered ramekins. Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350, bake an additional 30-40 minutes or until the centers are set.

 Remove from the oven and cool. Once cool, cover with foil or place in an airtight container and chill a few hours to over night in the refrigerator.

I ate this one for breakfast and it was oh, so yummy. E inhaled one for breakfast too. I think, perhaps smaller ramekins would be better. It was alot to eat in one setting, but eat it we did. Loving every creamy spoonful!

A season of giving-- a food donation notation

It is no secret. I dislike the Christmas season. The commercialism, the non-stop bad music that takes over Muzak everywhere. The crowds, the gimmes, the fights over discounted televisions.

Bah. Bah. Bah.

That said, there are a lot of very charitably minded people and alot of good is done during this season. So I will try to remain positive. I will not shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I will aim to shop local or artisan made, when I can.

I am also going to try and highlight some nice holiday options, on Fridays. These are businesses or organizations that I like. No one is giving me anything to do this (I mean they could and I would totally toot my own horn if they did but I am not being compensated as I type this post. I am however sitting in the dark, wondering why I choose not to put on socks. A different matter entirely.)

This week I will also refer to my entry a few years ago. As we enter the season of food drives, please, please think about people in need who have issues like I do. Gluten Intolerance and food allergies, are not just issues of wealthy and middle class families. While the Kroger brand of mac and cheese is great and on sale this week, many families cannot eat it for a variety of reasons. So think about more whole food choices, with no processed sauces or additives. I say look for 5 ingredient or less foods.

This could include:

shelf stable soy milk or nut milks
apple sauce -- with no added sugar
peanut butter or soy butter or sun butter
plain instant oatmeal (not gluten free, but great for people with other allergies)
plain instant rice ceral
gluten free flour blend
trail mix
dried fruit such as raisins and cranberries
banana chips
plain rice -- instant or slow cook
cooking oil
dried beans, lentils, peas
canned fruit, with no added sugar
powdered milk
instant coffee
canned milk
canned beans -- but read the labels, just beans, no funny stuff
gluten free crackers/rice crackers
all fruit jams/preserves
gluten free cereals/granola
gluten free breakfast bars/granola type bars



Call ahead, will the pantry take winter squash, potatoes, apples? Gift cards? Many pantries meet their clients needs this way.

I cannot imagine trying to meet my dietary needs, with a very limited income. Can you imagine if you were a family on the edge and a child or adult in the family was struggling with uncontrolled IBS/Celiacs or other issues due to an inability to find wholesome, whole food choices.

The reality is all the items on my list are generally healthier options for everyone. We all benefit from less processing and less sugar and less junk in our food. So while you are giving someone with allergies or intolerance some options, you are also giving everyone something very healthy.

It is a win-win.

The Chunky Monkey

I like to switch my breakfast up from time to time and I have developed the Chunky Monkey. This is great for when I want a bit more substance or am out of key veggies in my Green Monster.

1c chocolate soy milk
1c of ice, less if crushed
about a 1/4 c of chunky peanut butter (or your favorite peanut butter)
1 large banana

Blend in the vitamix until smooth

Now if you do not have chocolate milk or if your beautiful Little Fellow has drank all the chocolate soy milk, plain or vanilla work fine. I suspect dairy milk would work as would almond milk or even rice, although the rice milk I think would make it thinner. Depending on how ripe the banana is, you may need to add a tiny bit of honey. Also if you are out of chocolate milk, but have chocolate peanut butter handy, that works perfectly too...

I know you are all thinking-- wowza that is alot of peanut butter, but honestly, this is my breakfast. Generally my go to breakfast if lunch is going be several hours later. Also, I am not doing grains, so I am finding it takes more to fill me up. Adjust to suit your needs.

The Green Monster

The other day I posted about my break up with grain, any grain, all grain, the few remaining grains I was eating regularly.

Let me introduce you to my breakfast replacement:

While it is a slightly complex process, it tastes wonderful and I know exactly what is in it.

The Basic Green Monster

1c of juice (I make my own, see below. In a pinch I have used farmers market apple cider or apple juice. I tried green tea or left over ice tea and well, it wasn't the best choice. I think orange juice would be ok, but I read recently about real orange juice not being so real, so I will leave that all up to you.)

1 c ice (less if already crushed)

2 hand fulls of spinach (I prefer the organic baby spinach)

1-2 inches or to taste raw ginger, unpeeled

1/2 c baby carrots (like 5-7)

1 orange peeled

Blend-- in the vitamix until smooth.

*** variations I have tried... omit the orange and use an apple. Omit the orange and use pineapple chunks. Omit the orange and add in some berries. I tried water melon and I am not sure how I felt about it. I think I should do it again.

What happens when your Sweetie eats your spinach?? Well you get an Orange Monster which is just as tasty, but missing something...

As to my juice base-- I invested in a juicer and this is what I do--

I juice 6-7 medium carrots and 4-6 oranges. If I have apples, I add a few, although the apple juice will turn brownish as time goes on, but it is fine. If I can find them, I add a yellow beet or two. Sometimes I have pears, they work also. This makes enough to almost fill a large canning jar and it will keep in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days.

Next week, I will fill you in on the Chunky Monkey! Another breakfast favorite.