Turmeric Sausage Apple Stuffed Squash

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

Turmeric Sausage Apple Stuffed Squash serves a twist on a familiar favorite. A little spice added turns out both a new flavor and more healthy meal.

Turmeric Sausage Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Years ago my doctor told me to supplement my diet with turmeric and black pepper. This combo is touted as a aid to reduce inflammation. Turmeric helps on it’s own but black pepper aids in absorbing natural curcumin by the body.

Using a sweeter apple cuts the need for brown sugar or honey drizzle. I use fresh bread cubes for a moister stuffing. I think potato bread adds more flavor.
Try these other recipes picked for squash lovers.

Chicken Mushroom Stuffed Squash

Beef Apple and Squash Napoleons

  • Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Butternut Squash and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Turmeric Sausage Apple Stuffed Squash

I held back on salt because sometimes sausage can be salty. Feel free to adjust the seasonings with turmeric friendly spices like ginger, cinnamon or cumin. Those spices also compliment the apple.

Turmeric Sausage Apple Stuffed Squash

Turmeric Sausage Apple Stuffed Squash

Print Recipe
Servings 1 each

Ingredients
  

  • 1 acorn squash, medium-sized, cut in half and seeded
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 pound loose sausage, pork, turkey or chicken
  • 1 apple, medium-sized, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cup fresh bread cubes
  • 1/2 cup broth, chicken or vegetable
  • 1/4 cup green onion, sliced, reserve half of green part for garnish
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash cut side down in a shallow baking dish. Add enough water to reach about halfway up side of squash. Bake for 30 minutes. Move squash to plate. Drain water then replace squash cut side up.
  • While squash bakes, prepare stuffing. In a medium-sized skillet, add oil, sausage and onion. Fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes to brown sausage. Add apple and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add broth, turmeric and pepper. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes until sausage is thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and add enough bread cubes to make a moist but not soggy stuffing.
  • Stuff squash halves and return to oven. Bake for about 30 minutes until squash is done and stuffing has set. Garnish with green onion if desired.
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Wintery Grape Coffee Cake #FamilyBakingChallenge

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

I received produce from Melissa’s Produce Company to use in recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Wintery Grape Coffee Cake serves hardy red grapes in a moist yellow cake topped with cinnamon pecan crumbs. A bit of sweet, a bit of crunch and a lot of fun to eat!

Wintery Grape Coffee Cake

It’s time to get your baking heads on! Melissa’s Produce Company is sponsoring the #FamilyBakingChallenge for fun and prizes! It’s easy to enter to win over $5000 in cash and baking supply prizes.
Melissa’s is partnering with Challenge Butter, Bigger Bolder Baking, Good Cook, KitchenAid and Bob’s Red Mill to offer fantastic cash and prize packages. Get the details here.

Week four of this six week challenge includes this Wintery Grape Coffee Cake recipe.

Wintery Grape Coffee Cake

I’m a fan of coffee cake. Adding fruit just makes it better. Melissa’s Produce has a wide selection of fruit to try in this basic batter.
I received a sample of Melissa’s Winter Crunch Grapes. These red seedless grapes are big, juicy and firm for snacking or cooking. So I thought, why not for baking?

They turned out to be a great choice! Winter Crunch Grapes held up their shape and texture. Learn more about Melissa’s Produce Winter Crunch Grapes here.
You can find the original Grape Snack Cake recipe from Melissa’s here.

Wintery Grape Coffee Cake

Wintery Grape Coffee Cake

Wintery Grape Coffee Cake

Print Recipe
Servings 9 pieces

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 2 Tbsp shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup red grapes cut in half (I used Winter Crunch by Melissa's)
  • topping
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small cubes

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8x8-inch baking pan. Cream together butter, shortening and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Alternate adding dry mixture and buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Stir in grapes.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and pecans. Crumble in butter to form small crumbs, Sprinkle crumbs over top of batter. Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cool completely before cutting.
Posted in baking, breakfast, brunch, cake, grapes, snacks, What's For Dinner? | 12 Comments

Cloud Eggs

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

Cloud Eggs.Whipped egg whites cradle soft yolks in this fun take on sunny up eggs. These fluffy freeform clouds bake in under 10 minutes. Customize whites with cheese, ham or bacon, or vegetables like peppers and onions. Sometimes I like mine on an English muffin or wholegrain toast for breakfast. Top a burger with a Cloud Egg for added richness.

Cloud Eggs

 

Cloud Eggs

Cloud Eggs

Cloud Eggs

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 1 each

Ingredients
  

  • 2 eggs, large
  • 2 tablespoons shredded cheese, cheddar or Parmesan
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh herbs (parsley, thyme or cilantro)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Separate eggs by placing yolks into individual small bowls and whites into one medium-sized bowl to whip. Use a hand mixer to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold in cheese.
  • Spoon egg whites into 2 mounds on prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to gently make an indent in the centers for the yolk to nest. Bake until lightly golden and set, about 3 minutes.
  • Carefully place an egg yolk into center of each nest and season with salt, pepper and herbs. Bake until yolks are set, about an additional 3 minutes. Eat alone or serve over toast or English muffin.

 

Tips: Easily change the flavor of cloud eggs with a bit of spice. Try a dash of smoked paprika or a splash of hot sauce to liven breakfast.

Try one of these other egg treats for breakfast, brunch or brinner.

 
Smoked Eggs Over Asparagus

Smoked Eggs Over Asparagus Platter #BrunchWeek

Eggs Benedict
easy eggs benny

Posted in asparagus, breakfast, brunch, egg, What's For Dinner? | 1 Comment

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread #FamilyBakingChallenge

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Cindy Kerschner

I received produce from Melissa’s Produce Company to use in recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread
Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread makes breakfast and snacking a treat. Dried cranberries and persimmons blended with warm garam masala spice. Pecans add some crunch. Top it off a cream cheese frosting.

It’s time to get your baking heads on! Melissa’s Produce Company is sponsoring the #FamilyBakingChallenge for fun and prizes! It’s easy to enter to win over $5000 in cash and baking supply prizes.
Melissa’s is partnering with Challenge Butter, Bigger Bolder Baking, Good Cook, KitchenAid and Bob’s Red Mill to offer fantastic cash and prize packages. Get the details here.

Week three of this six week challenge includes this Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread recipe.

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

You can find the original Persimmon Bread recipe from Melissa’s here.

Why did I pick garam masala for a quick bread? True, it’s a spice combination that originated in India and used mainly for meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. Baking? Why not!
Combining spices like coriander, cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon as warm baking spices, works for me. These flavors blend well with sweet persimmons like the pumpkin persimmons from Melissa’s.

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

Melissa’s Produce sweet Pumpkin Persimmons are pumpkin in color only! Orange tint is so festive for these desserts. Learn more about this tasty fruit here.

 

persimmons

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

Persimmon Cranberry Quick Bread

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup diced persimmons
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecans
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a non-stick loaf pan with cooking spray.
  • Cream together butter and sugar. add egg, vanilla and orange extract. Mix well.
  • Add dry ingredients, mix well. Fold in persimmon, cranberries and pecans. Bake for about 45 minutes until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cream together butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar to form frosting. Spread frosting on top of cooled bread.

If you like persimmons try my Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brûlée

Persimmon Ginger Orange Creme Brulee

Posted in baking, breakfast, brunch, cranberry, dessert, What's For Dinner? | Tagged | 10 Comments