ANNIE'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH MUFFINS

1/2 c. coconut oil 

/2 c. honey 

2 T. maple syrup 

2 eggs 

1 c. butternut squash puree (or pumpkin puree)

3 ripe bananas (mashed) 

3 T. Greek yogurt OR sour cream 

2 1/3 c. flour 

1 t. pumpkin spice 

1 t. cinnamon 

11/2 tsp baking powder 

1 t. baking soda 

1/4 c. shredded butternut squash 

1/8 c. milk 

Mix coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, eggs, butternut squash puree, mashed bananas, and Greek yogurt together. Add remaining ingredients and mix just until the flours in incorporated. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

2 c diced celery
1c diced onion
1 package frozen egg noodles
4 c chicken broth
2/3 c butter
2/3 c flour
1 quart milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste
2 c chopped meat from rotisserie chicken

Cover celery, onion, noodles and with chicken broth and cook until slightly tender. While the veggies and noodles are cooking, make your rue in a smaller pot.  Melt butter over low-medium heat. Add flour to thicken.  After it is thickened, add milk or half and half. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir until slightly thickened and add rue to the soup. Add chicken. Simmer for a few minutes and serve. 

This recipe is a family favorite from Dawn Thompson

SOURDOUGH PIZZA CRUST

480 grams flour

300 grams water

100-200 grams sourdough starter

15 grams sea salt. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to a shaggy, rough ball forms. Cover and let rest for an hour. Stretch and fold 3-4 times and let dough rise for a couple of hours. Cover bowl and let rise in the refrigerator 8-12 hours. Remove from refrigerator and let it sit on counter for a couple of hours. Divide in two and gently pull into pizza crusts leaving bubbles intact. Place on parchment paper and add pizza ingredients. Set oven to 525 degrees. Bake on a pizza stone for 15 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, grab the front edge of the parchment paper, and quickly rip it out from under the pizza. Finish baking. 

Recipe: adapted from Cultured Guru

Cheesy Sourdough Popovers

1 c. milk
1/2 c. sourdough discard
3 eggs
1 t. salt
1 c. flour
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Place muffin pan in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Warm milk in the microwave and add in the discard, eggs, and salt.  Whisk together.  Stir in the flour--just until mixed.  Fold in the grated cheese, reserving 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top.  Remove the pan from the oven and grease nine of the muffin cups.  Quickly pour in the batter until the muffin cup is full.  Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees, reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and remove the popovers from the pan. Serve while nice and warm. 

SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 c. sourdough discard
1 1/2 c. milk-room temperature (or a little more to desired consistency) 
1 large egg-room temperature 
1 T. avocado oil, olive oil, or melted butter
optional: chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add the sourdough discard, milk, egg, and oil. Mix just until combined--do not over mix. Add chopped pecans or mini chocolate chips if desired. 

Heat griddle and grease with avocado oil, olive oil, or melted butter. Pour batter onto hot griddle and brown until bubbles pop, then flip and brown the other side.

Serve with buttermilk syrup and sliced bananas or strawberries, blueberries, or other fruit of choice.

SQUASH AND FETA SOUP

We have another recipe on this blog for butternut squash soup.  I love it so much, but the rest of my family doesn't enjoy it as much.  This recipe for squash and feta soup was well received by my whole family.  The toppings add so much and the squash flavor is not as pronounced. It's sure delicious! It can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free bread to make the croutons or just leaving them out.

• 2 pounds peeled and diced squash, about 6 cups You can use pre-chopped butternut squash to save time, if desired
• 1 onion, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 carrot, chopped into 1/2 slices
• 6-8 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 T minced rosemary
• 4 T olive oil, plus a little extra
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 8 oz block of feta cheese
• 1 1/2 T honey
• 3-4 T chopped sage leaves,  about 8-10 fresh leaves
• 32 oz chicken broth 

 Sourdough Croutons

• 3 cups rustic sourdough bread cubes about 3 large slices, cubed into 1" squares
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For Garnishing

• additional honey
• chopped sage
• additional crumbled feta
• chili crisp oil

• Preheat oven to 425℉. Line sheet pan with parchment.
• Place squash, onion, carrot, garlic, and 3 T rosemary on pan in a pile.
• Drizzle everything with 4 T of olive oil. Add 1 t of kosher salt and ½ t of black pepper.
• Toss and massage everything together evenly coat in oil. Then spread it out evenly into a single layer.
• Make a small space in the center of your pan and add the block of feta. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top of it and gently rub on top and sides of cheese.
• Place pan in oven and cook for about an hour (check after 45-50 minutes). Cook until vegetables are turning golden.
• Meanwhile, make the croutons. Drizzle bread cubes with 1 tablespoon olive oil and use hands to coat them all well. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add butter to pan. Add bread and toss until both sides are golden brown. Set aside. Croutons will not be crispy- they will be toasted on the outside and be soft and chewy in the center.
• Remove pan from oven. Transfer all the contents of the pan into a blender, including all browned bits and olive oil.
• Add 1 ½ T honey and 3-4 T  sage to blender. 
• Add broth to blender. Puree until completely smooth.
• Pour soup into a pot on your stove to keep warm. Add more salt to taste. Add more honey, if desired.
• Ladle soup into bowls and top with a few croutons, honey, chopped fresh sage, additional feta, and a little drizzle of chili crisp.

Recipe by Our Best Bites

Superior Zuppa Toscana

 I've always been lukewarm toward Zuppa Toscana. Most recipes I've tried have good flavor, but thin, watery broth and sparse sausage and vegetables. This recipe is more rich and filling. I love the addition of the zucchini. And who wouldn't appreciate both bacon AND sausage?! Yum!

• 
  
• 10 slicesthick-cut bacon, diced
• 2 Tolive oil
• 1 lbground Italian sausage
• 1 mediumyellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 T)
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 tchili powder, (optional)
• 2 largerusset potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 c heavy cream
• 1 bunchkale, stemmed chopped
• ¼ cgrated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 tkosher salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 tred pepper flakes, for serving
• 
  

1. Place the diced bacon in a large skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon gets crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the fat in the pan. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the plate with the bacon. 

3. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat to the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Stir in the chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chili powder, potatoes, and zucchini. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. 

4. Add the sausage and about 3/4 of the bacon to the soup. Stir in the cream, kale, Parmesan and salt and cook, stirring, until the kale is wilted, 2 to 5 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. 

5. Top individual servings with the remaining bacon, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes.

Recipe by Modern Proper