It is supposed to be fall.

Really. It is supposed to be fall. And in 3 days it is supposed to be winter.

However, my car read a balmy 80 degrees earlier when I went to lunch. 80 degrees. And it is HUMID. The crazy part - about 2 weeks ago it snowed. Yes, I still live in Houston. And yes, it did snow. We did not make that up. By Sunday it is supposed to be in the 40's here. I give up on being healthy.

Also, I finally figured out why I'm behind on my blog updates. I've actually be busy at work. And when I get home...I have a million other things to do, so the photos keep piling up and nothing gets updated. Until now. I predict a slew of updates next week, since it should be slow at work!

So, about a month ago when I was wishing for fall I pulled out my old "fall dessert standby." A Pumpkin Roll. I love these things. Mostly because they are easy to make and freeze well, but also because they are good! This recipe came from my mom...and I have no idea where she got it.

Pumpkin Roll

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 3/4 cup flour

Mix the ingredients above. Place wax paper onto a greased jelly roll pan, pour batter into the pan reserving 2 T for the filling. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. On a tea towel or pillow case (something that does not have a lot of lint), pour out about 1 cup of powdered sugar - enough to cover the area of the cake. Flip the cake onto the towel and roll up with the towel. Let the cake cool completely.

Unroll the cake and fill with the filling below. Roll the cake back up, slice and serve.

Filling

• 2 T cake batter
• 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
• 3/4 t vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

As mentioned above, this freezes well! I double wrap it in plastic wrap and it tastes the same! I also realize this recipe is hard to follow. Or it sounds that way. I promise it is super easy to make!

Soup and Salad

A few weeks ago I decided to tackle something new. Butternut squash. Yes, it was new to me. So new that I did not know how to cut up a butternut squash. Seriously. Jason bought me a set of Rachel Ray knives a few years ago and that sucker could not do much damage to the squash! My first thought was to call my mom, but the only squash she ever really cooked with were the standard yellow summer squash. So...I went to the second stand by. The Internet. Sure enough, I found a great little "how to" video that showed some great tips for cutting and peeling the squash. The best tip - microwave it for 2 minutes so that it is a little softer. Score!

Oh, the reason for my new found curiosity with butternut squash...this little post. That Foodie Bride has caused me quite a bit of strife. Well, not really. Her recipes look good but I never get around to duplicating them. Until now. Or maybe I should say that I tried but mine does NOT look the same. I'm blaming it on the camera (I think she has a fancy schmacy SLR camera) but I'm still not sure.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli and Sage Roasted Walnuts
from Better Homes & Garden by way of The Foodie Bride

• 2 1/2 lbs butternut squash
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup walnuts, rough chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 9-oz package refrigerated cheese ravioli, cooked and drained (I bought the whole wheat kind)

Peel the squash, halve lengthwise and scoop the seeds - discard. Dice squash into 3/4 inch pieces. In a large sauce pan, combine squash, broth, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt. Cook covered over medium heat until squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Here is where I think things changed a bit. I used my immersion blender vs the regular blender that Foodie Bride suggested. My soup was a little...thicker than I thought it looked. Either way, blend the soup until it has a smoother texture. Whisk in 1 T butter and taste. I added a little more cayenne pepper. I made this a few weeks ago and put it directly into the freezer, since I also make Chicken Tortilla Soup the same day. When I reheated it, I added a little chicken broth to thin it out a little.

To make the Sage-Roasted Walnuts - preheat the oven to 325. Chop the walnuts and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for about 5 minutes. Melt 2 T butter and add the sage. Remove from the head and toss with the walnuts.

Serve the soup with cooked ravioli and roasted walnuts.

And since I knew I could not get away with feeding Jason only soup, I added a salad. But I didn't want the same old "lettuce, tomato, light ranch dressing" salad. While flipping through my Southern Living cookbooks, I found a recipe for Winter Fruit & Cucumber Salad. Jason and I both really liked this salad, especially the dressing! However, being the brilliant person I am, I added an apple to the salad...not thinking that it would turn brown. As it did a day later.
















Winter Fruit & Cucumber Salad with Basil Vinaigrette adapted from Southern Living
Salad:

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 large orange, peeled and cubed
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1 red apple, diced
• 1 red onion, sliced (I left this out)

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 t salt

Whisk ingredients for the dressing together and toss with the salad.

Happy Holidays!

I'm way behind on posting. WAY. I promise to catch up this week. Here is what I've got coming:

• Pumpkin Roll
• Winter Fruit Salad
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Sugar Cookies
• Thanksgiving Turkey & sides (without photos...some people don't get the whole blog thing)
• Cheesecake

I think that's it...so hopefully by the end of the week I'm caught up and can focus on my favorite thing - Christmas Cookies!!!!! I love my old standards (Swedish Teacakes, Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies, Biscotti) but I'm really going to try some new recipes this year. Plus, Jason's parents will be here in a few weeks for Christmas and I'm trying to convince him to deviate from the standard turkey and dressing. Wish me luck...I think I'll need it!!