No harvests this week. This week it was all about eating from my stores. For Christmas I go to a large potluck dinner. Well I say go, but my townhouse mates are hosting so it is in my house too. We have a door between our living rooms that we open for big parties as our downstairs isn't large enough for really big parties. She has been throwing the "orphan" Christmas party for years and years. It started small as most had a place to go for the holidays, with people who didn't celebrate to those that had too far to go home. As time went on more people started showing up. Now it is huge. There are usually between 40-50 people. She never sends out the invitation until very close to the holiday so those that have other places to go will go there.
But I digress. I decided to bring some squash. I wanted a more savory squash, so I've been experimenting with casseroles. It looks so good doesn't it? Well it didn't taste that good. I've tried a couple ways, but maybe I just don't like the savory preparations. I still didn't try a curried one, maybe I'll try that next. But home. Experiments shouldn't be brought to parties. I'm going to resort to the typical pureed squash, seasoned with maple syrup, butter, and spices. I know that will be good.
I made a couple of spinach salads from the spinach picked last week. If you remember a while ago I sent out gift bags to my neighbors with homemade treats. A couple of them sent me back gifts. One had oranges from his mother's neighborhood in it. They go well in my spinach salad. I also added some sweet potatoes and some home made candied walnuts which I hadn't yet put on when this photo was taken.
The weather has finally turned colder. So of course it was soup time. I made a bean soup with my Calypso beans.
From the garden it contained squash, Calypso beans, carrots, shredded zucchini, celery, onions, and herbs (not shown). I used broth from some bones that I'd saved from previous meals. It had both ham and chicken bones. The ham flavor really predominated though. Sometimes I eat it straight and sometimes I puree my soups. This one I did as a puree and then swirled in some Greek yogurt before eating. It was yummy.
Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to show off, add your name and link to Mr Linky below.
That spinach salad with the citrus and sweet potatoes looks divine. A squash puree soup sounds delicious too. Menus are planned for the next two days around here, but I may do a squash soup for next weekend - thanks to your inspiration. The orphan party sounds like a lot of fun. I hope you all have a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteOh I love the color of the Calypso beans, it is a new bean to me so I am going to look for the seeds so I try them out. Don't recall seeing them at the grocery stores.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do to prep your zucchini before freezing? I always find that my zucchini no matter how I prep it before freezing loses so much water when it thaws and just doesn't cook the same or have decent texture.
ReplyDeleteI just shred it and freeze it. And yes it really does separate, but I only use it for soups and zucchini bread, and it works fine that way. Just don't drain the zucchini before making the bread. The bread still needs that liquid.
DeleteThe spinach salad looks absolutely delightful and butternut squash has always been my favourite.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Love the look of your Calypso beans! And your spinach salad too. Enjoy your holiday!
ReplyDeleteThere's a squash, lentil, and walnut salad seasoned with curry from Epicurious that I've made a number a number of times, perhaps you might like it too. Your soup sounds delicious and perfect for a cold winter day. I've been in soup mode also, it's finally become cold here (at least for us!).
ReplyDeleteNice looking soup makings. I like to puree a cup or two of the soup and add it back to the pot. That way I get a nice thick soup, but it sill has recognizable ingredients. Your photo makes me want some nice bean soup. Maybe after we get back from visiting the grandkids.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how tastes differ internationally - here sweetened pumpkin would be declared way too much and everyone would be craving the savoury preparations. I do think its particularly good with curry spices though - in particular black mustard seeds, cumin and coconut work particularly well.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Daphne! - btw do you ever re-cycle your freezer bags i.e. wash & use them again or do you simply throw them away? I ask this because my Pa washes various small, freezer type plastic bags and endlessly re-uses them. I realise this maybe mega thrifty and I don't think it's doing him any harm (he's fairly fit& 82yrs old) - even so, I haven't adopted the practice myself. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI remember my husband's grandmother doing that. I don't. I reuse ziplocks that haven't really gotten dirty. But not the ones that require real washing. Three of the bags in my photo are not really bags. They are vacuum sealed bags. So they have to be ripped open to use the veggies and can't be reused.
DeleteThat spinach salad looks so yummy! Merry Christmas to you! Nancy
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteI throw some honey mustard in with mashed squash recipes.
ReplyDeleteI love those calypso beans! I wish I had some seeds. I've never seen them for sell on the Polish market. Best wishes!
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