Black Bean, Corn and Butternut Squash Casserole

This recipe is based on one for “Three Sisters Chili” from my 2010 date book. Not wanting make chili for a crowd, I modified this recipe to be a casserole dish which could be served as a side for chicken or paired with rice or foccacia bread for a vegan meal. 

If you like spicy, you'll like this dish. If you don't like spicy, I suggest skipping this recipe. 

Black Bean, Corn and Butternut Squash Casserole (makes 8-inch x 8-inch casserole) 

1 ½ cups black beans, rinsed and drained OR ¾ cup black beans soaked and cooked 

¼ cup onion, diced 

½ teaspoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil 

1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups butternut squash puree (this is approximately 1 – 15 ounce can of butternut squash) 

½ cup corn 

½ cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced 

½ teaspoon cumin 

½ tablespoon chili power (optional, see below for recipe) 

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

½ teaspoon black pepper 

Place oven rack on middle rung. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

Line 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil as this will make clean-up easier. 

Place beans, corn, sun dried tomatoes in baking dish. Add cumin, oregano, black pepper and chili powder (if using). Mix gently. Set aside. 

In a 7 ½ -8 inch skillet cook oil, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until garlic browns and your kitchen smells of garlic,--about 5-10 minutes. Add to baking dish. Mix gently. 

Spread butternut squash puree over top of mixture. 

Bake in oven 35-45 minutes or until squash shows faint signs of browning. 

Remove from oven. Cool 5 – 10 minutes. Serve. 

Chili powder recipe (makes 1 - 2 tablespoons) from Substitute Ingredients by Becky Sue Epstein 

½ teaspoon cumin 

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

¼ teaspoon black pepper 

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

¼ teaspoon garlic powder 

¼ teaspoon paprika 

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley 

1/8 teaspoon dried lemon peel 

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl. Store unused portion in airtight container.

Black Bean, Corn and Butternut Squash Casserole 

ready for serving 

Honey Ginger Bear Cookies

While looking for my gingersnap recipe recently, I found this one. 

I have no idea how many cookies this makes, but I do remember using Cinnamon Red Hots to decorate the cookies before baking them to save time decorating after cookies were baked. 

Honey Ginger Bear Cookies (yield unknown) 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine at room temperature 

1 1/4 cups brown sugar 

1 egg 

1/3 cup honey 

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 

2 tablespoons ground ginger 

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon 

¾ teaspoon baking soda 

Cinnamon Red Hots (optional) 

1) In a large bowl cream butter or margarine and sugar. Stir in egg and molasses. Add flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and mix well. 

2) Place dough in refrigerator to chill about 1 hour. 

3) Place oven rack on middle run setting. 

4) Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit. 

5) Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil coated with non-stick cooking spray. 

6) Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll 1/3 dough, ¼ inch thick on floured surface. Cut rolled dough with bear cookie cutter and place bear on prepared cookie sheet. (Optional) place a cinnamon red on cookie for bear's nose. Repeat as many times as needed. 

7) Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully lift parchment paper or aluminum foil from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack. When cookies are firm, remove from parchment paper or aluminum foil. Decorate or serve. 

8) Store cooled cookies in airtight container.

Lemon Soy Dressing (makes 1 cup)

In looking for salad dressing recipes with an “Asian-like” flavoring, I found this one in my revised 13th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook. I like to use dressing when making a salad of baby spinach, shredded carrot and roasted almonds. 

Lemon Soy Dressing (makes 1 cup)

2 tbsp soy sauce 

1/3 cup lemon juice 

¼ cup canola or olive oil 

¼ cup water 

Mix together well or shake in a bottle all ingredients.

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

Homemade Sports Drink, Julie's on demand version

This is a variation of a recipe from the June 2011 print edition of Yoga Journal which doesn't require chilling drink prior to consuming. 

1 cup hot water 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

Pinch of salt 

1 teaspoon honey, maple syrup or agave nectar 

1 cup cold or room temperature water 

In a heat safe container which can hold just over 2 cups, combine hot water, lemon juice, salt, honey, maple syrup or agave nectar. Let sit for 90 seconds. Gradually stir in cold water. Serve.

Pink Purse Cake

Many years ago while shopping at local discount retailer Ocean State Job Lot with friends, we came across a cookbook titled “All-New Cake Mix Magic” where on the back of the cookbook was photo a “pink purse” cake. Encouraged to make this cake by these friends for our next pot luck, I gave it a try. 

Pink Purse Cake 

1 package (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare mix 

½ cup seedless raspberry preserves 

1 container (16 ounces) white frosting Red food coloring 

Black string licorice or Twizzlers twist black licorice

(Optional) licorice candies (like Good & Plenty), black jelly beans, pastel egg sprinkles 

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

Prepare cake mix according to package directions for 13x9-inch cake. Bake cake according to package directions. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan to wire rack; cool cake completely. 

From short (9 inch) end use wooden pick to divide the 13 inch length cake into 4 sections with ½ inch scrap: 2 ½ inches, 3 inches, 3 ¼ inches, 3 ¾ inches or 2 ¼ inches, 2 ¾ inches, 3 inches, 3 ½ inches if cake receded from edges of pan during baking or shrunk during cooling process (which happened to me). Use serrated knife to cut cake into these 4 sections. Discard ½ inch strip of excess cake. 

Place widest section of cake cut side down on cake board or serving platter. Spread left side of this piece with preserves; attach next widest section cut side down to left of widest section (the preserves is acting as “glue” for these two pieces as top becomes a downward angled slope). Spread left side of section just attached with preserves; attach next widest section cut side down to left of this section. Spread left side of this section with preserves; attaching smallest section of cake to left. Cake should gradually slope downward from right to left. 

To make purse shape, measure 1 inch from side of smallest cake section. Using serrated knife, cut back to corner of tallest section making smallest section shorter than tallest section. Repeat on other side of cake. Discard scraps. 

Cover cake with foil or plastic wrap and freeze cake for several hours before frosting. 

Tint frosting pink using red food coloring. Remove cake from freezer. Frost cake on top and all sides.

To decorate cake, use string of black licorice and gently press into frosting to outline purse flap or strap. Cut ½ inch pieces of black licorice to resemble stitching. Use 5 Good & Plenty pieces to create flower petals and cut a 6th in half to create flower center. To make strap, use another string of black licorice, pushing ends of licorice string into bottom of short end of cake.

Pink Purse Cake decorated with 

Twizzlers twist black licorice 

and 

Good & Plenty Flowers