Holidays are a Perfect Time to Add New Dishes to Your Menu

Thanksgiving and food, of course the two are synonymous. Every family has the traditional favorites. If you are a true Southerner, this means turkey, corn bread dressing, sweet potato soufflé, just to name a few. Brenda Sutton is the county extension director for Cooperative Extension in Rockingham County. She is also known as “The Produce Lady” and devotes many hours promoting North Carolina food producers. The following information was lifted from
The Produce Lady E-newsletter, November 2010.
“GIVING THANKS THIS SEASON
We are fortunate in North Carolina to have so many wonderful farm families! I am thankful to each and every one of them, who maintain more than 50,000 N.C. farms to support their families, communities, and consumers like you and me. We can show our appreciation and complete the circle by taking part in the 10% Campaign and committing 10 percent of our food budgets to buy from local food producers. Learn more about the 10% Campaign at www.nc10percent.com.
The holidays are a perfect time to add some new dishes to your menu. While any winter squash variety is a good choice, I particularly love butternut. It’s a perfect complement to the traditional turkey and dressing feast. Or if you’re vegetarian, it’s robust enough to be the main feature. A squash as versatile and tasty as butternut deserves a place on your table this fall. Butternut’s orange flesh provides healthy, complex carbohydrates and contains only 80 calories per cooked cup. It is full of fiber.
Be sure to scrub butternut squash with a vegetable brush under running water just before cutting. Once cleaned, cut the squash in half and remove the seeds before preparing. I’ve heard many people bemoan the fact that butternut squash is too hard to peel. Don’t let that deter you. Invest a couple of bucks in a y-shaped vegetable peeler and problem solved! Preparing this earthy fall vegetable will be a breeze.
Squash varieties available at N.C. fall markets include acorn, buttercup, butternut, and spaghetti. Squash come in different shapes, sizes and colors, but they are all distinctly delicious!
ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND FRESH FRUIT
1 butternut squash, peeled & cubed
1 cup apple, cubed
1 pear, peeled & cubed
½ cup figs, chopped (may substitute with ¼ cup cranberries or raisins)
Ginger to taste
Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, place into a baking dish and then coat with butter-flavored spray. Bake covered at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes until tender. To prepare in the microwave, cover and cook on high for 12 minutes.”
For more holiday recipes and ideas, check my blog at www.cherokeecountyfamilylife.blogspot.com