Roasted Honeynut Squash Halves (serves 4)

According to Wikipedia, Honeynut Squash is “... a winter squash ... bred from butternut and buttercup squash. It has a similar shape and flavor to butternut squash but averages about half the size and is significantly sweeter. It has dark tan to orange skin and orange fleshy pulp.” Like Delicata Squash, the skin of the Honeynut Squash is edible, its texture similar to Butternut Squash and its flavor richer and sweeter than Butternut Squash. 

Curious to see if this was all true, I got two medium-sized Honeynut Squashes and then searched on-line for a quick, little to no effort recipe. This recipe is an amalgam of what I found. Feel free to season these any way you wish as Honeynut Squash can be used the same way as Butternut Squash. 

Roasted Honeynut Squash Halves (serves 4) 

2 medium-sized honeynut squashes 

Canola (or other) non-stick cooking spray 

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

2) Line bottom of 13 inch by 9 inch baking dish or small cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray bottom with canola (or other) non-stick cooking spray (this will make clean-up easier). 

3) Wash and pat dry squashes. Remove/cut off stems. 

4) Slice squashes in half lengthwise. 

5) Scoop out string and seeds from halves. 

6) Place squash halves cut side down in baking dish/on cookie sheet. 

7) Bake 30 - 45 minutes until skin shows some browning and is easily pierced with a fork. 

8) Remove from oven. Serve warm, storing any leftovers in air tight container in refrigerator.

Honeynut Squash, roasted 

and ready to be served

Roasted mushrooms with bacon-like flavoring or tastes greats, photographs poorly

In mid-2023, a friend of mine introduced me to NuCook, a digital health program designed to teach healthy cooking and lifestyle tools. In perusing their recipes, I came across a recipe for Shiitake “bacon”. Upon review, I decided to try it since I like mushrooms, already had the other ingredients in the house, doesn't require the purchase of liquid smoke and the only kitchen appliance I needed was an oven. 

This recipe is a variation since I included the stems, sliced the mushrooms smaller than instructed, used aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick canola oil cooking spray in place of parchment paper and didn't place the mushrooms in a single layer. If you like mushrooms and like bacon, don't be surprised to find yourself wanting to eat these before they cool. Half of the first batch I made was consumed within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven. 

Roasted mushrooms with bacon-like flavoring (makes about 1 – 2 cups) 

8 ounces Shiitake mushrooms 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

½ teaspoon kosher salt  

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 

Non-stick canola oil cooking spray (optional) 

Place oven rack on middle rung.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit. 

Remove stems from mushrooms and slice mushroom tops into ¼-inch or smaller strips. For mushrooms stems, cut away any noticeable dirt. 

Coat bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with smoked paprika, kosher salt, ground black pepper. Drizzle oil over dry ingredients then add sliced mushrooms and stems. Toss, ensuring all mushroom pieces are coated with dry ingredients. 

If baking dish is more than halfway full, line a 15-inch by 10-inch or large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick canola oil cooking spray. Transfer all mushrooms to cookie sheet and coat bottom of baking dish with non-stick canola oil cooking spray. Return half of the mushrooms to baking dish and spread evenly across bottom. Spread remaining half of mushrooms evenly across on cookie sheet. 

Place in pre-heated oven and bake 30 to 60 minutes until mushrooms are browned and look crisp on the edges. The smaller the strips, the less baking time will be needed. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving. The mushrooms will get crispier as they cool. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Dairy-free Fudge (makes one 8 by 8 inch pan)

This recipe was given to me many years ago by a former neighbor who knew about my allergy to dairy products and which I found a good substitute to the real thing. 

3 ¾ cups confectioners sugar 

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

½ cup vegan butter plus extra to grease baking pan 

¼ cup vanilla non-dairy beverage 

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 

Line 8 by 8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing foil to extend over the sides.  Grease foil with vegan butter and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine confectioners sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Set aside. 

In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, heat vegan butter and non-dairy beverage. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. 

Pour liquid mixture into sugar mixture, blending well. Pour into prepared pan. 

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Use foil to lift fudge out of pan. Cut fudge into 2 inch squares.

Tomato Salad for One

This recipe is based on the “Summer Red and Green Tomato Salad” recipe in my 13th edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. It can be mixed in the serving bowl to cut down on the number of dishes to clean afterwards and can be easily doubled to serve two. A red and green tomato are not required. A yellow heirloom or cherry tomato can be substituted for a green or red tomato or tomatoes of all one color can be used. 

1 tablespoon vinegar (red wine or balsamic vinegar recommended) 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 

¼ teaspoon table salt or 1/16 (pinch) kosher salt (optional) 

¼ cup olive oil 

½ cup ripe red tomato, diced 

½ cup ripe green or yellow tomato, diced 

¼ cup red or sweet onion, diced 

In small bowl or serving bowl mix the vinegar, pepper and salt (if using). Let stand one minute. Stir in olive oil. 

Add tomatoes and onion. Gently toss until coated with dressing. Serve.

Tomato Salad with 

red and yellow heirloom tomatoes

Frozen Mashed Strawberries (makes about 24 ice-cube size servings)

In 2022, I bought way more strawberries than I needed to make my annual supply of Strawberry Jam. In past years, this isn't a problem as the extra strawberries are eaten before they go bad. But after a week I realized that wasn't going to happen. 

Knowing the water content of strawberries and knowing my freezer likes to “dry out” high water fruits and vegetables if they're not cooked or preserved in some way, like zucchini or strawberries, my mind went back to a cartoon I saw as a child about making ice cubes out of, I think, orange juice. The juice of mashed strawberries is consistency of water. Having nothing to lose, I decided to try freezing mashed strawberries with the intent of thawing them out in the winter as topping for pancakes, waffles or biscuits. What I learned in the following weeks is this made a great substitute for Italian Ice. 

Frozen Mashed Strawberries 

3 cups (about 3 pints) of Strawberries Rinse strawberries and remove their caps. Depending upon size of strawberries and freshness, slice and remove any “over ripe soft spots” (you'll know these when you see them). 

Put strawberries in a 3 quart pot.  Crush with a potato masher or your hands. 

Slowly spoon mashed strawberry mixture into ice cube molds. Do not over fill. 

Place trays flat in freezer for 18 hours or until cubes in center of tray are frozen solid. Remove trays from freezer and place upside down on plate for 2 – 5 minute to begin thawing process. Gently remove frozen mashed strawberry mixture and serve or place in freezer-safe ziploc bag and return to freezer for future use.

Frozen mashed strawberries,

ice cube size

Gingersnaps (makes 75 cookies)

Lately, I've been craving ginger. I know it's due to spring in New England kicking up my allergies. Ginger, for whatever reason, dries out my allergy congested sinuses. While I've been enjoying the regular cup of ginger tea with honey and lemon, I've been thinking of this gingersnap recipe which I used to make many years ago. 

Just out of the oven and still warm, the cookies would be soft and chewy. By the time they completely cooled, they had their “snap” making them a good compliment to a glass of milk. If you want a “glistening” look to your gingersnaps, roll cookie in white sugar before baking. 

Gingersnaps (makes 75 cookies) 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter 

1 cup white sugar 

1 egg 

¼ cup molasses 

1 tablespoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground cloves 

½ teaspoon ground ginger 

2 cups flour 

Extra sugar for rolling (optional) 

Place oven rack on middle run setting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

Place butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high 30 – 60 seconds or until butter is melted. Add sugar and cream. Stir in egg and molasses. Add baking soda, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger and flour and mix well. If dough is too bland, add equal amounts of cinnamon, cloves and ginger to suit taste. 

(Optional) Sprinkle a small plate with white sugar. Drop and then roll rounded teaspoons of dough in sugar to give cookie a glistening look. 

Drop rounded teaspoons of dough on non-stick cookie sheet about 1 – 2 inches apart. Bake in oven for 7 – 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. 

Cool cookies on wire rack. 

Store cooled cookies in airtight container.

Mixed Nuts with Dried Cranberries or Chocolate Chips (makes about 2 cups)

This recipe was inspired by Trader Joe's Omega Trek Mix which I purchased last summer for a pot luck picnic and had a balance of salty and sweet which I liked. While this nut mix doesn't contain pepitas (pumpkin seeds) nor pistachios, feel free to omit the dried cranberries or substitute for equal amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

Mixed Nuts with Dried Cranberries (makes about 2 cups) 

1 cup (¼ pound) roasted salted almonds or 1 cup raw almonds, ½ tablespoon canola oil and 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/3 cup shelled walnuts 

1/3 cup shelled pecans 

1/3 cup dried cranberries or 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (optional) 

If using raw almonds, pre-heat oven to 275 degrees fareneheit. In a small to medium size mixing bowl combine raw almonds, canola oil and salt until almonds are well coated. Place almonds in single layer on cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. 

In a medium size mixing bowl combine almonds, walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries or semi-sweet chocolate chips and optional raw sunflower seeds. Serve. Store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.

Almonds, pecans, walnuts with dried cranberries