Posts tagged ‘roast’

November 16th, 2012

Duck Overload

by Tiff

My home has had a duck overload for the past two days.  Luckily, I think the frenzy has passed.  This all started when my grandfather and dad both decided to bring Kevin duck hunting with them this year.

fellas

When you hunt ducks, you bring home ducks.  This means, your wife cooks ducks.

sauceBam.

ducksI have to admit, even with the 8-hour brine and the delicious blueberry sauce, they were a bit too gamey.  I think I need to use a slower cooking method next time, such as braising or just throwing the suckers in a crock pot.  Gamey or not, Leia still wanted a piece!

Blueberry Sauce

  • On medium-high in a non-stick pan, cook 1 tsp white sugar.  Continually stir.  Eventually, the sugar will start to caramelize.
  • Stir in 1 tsp apple cider vinegar.  Continue stirring while you stir in a couple shakes of cinnamon and a few shakes of dried ginger.
  • This might steam up quite a bit, so go ahead and add in about 1.5 cups of fresh blueberries.  Continue cooking and stirring.  Eventually the berries will begin to break down, so go ahead and reduce the heat to medium.
  • Add in one last tsp apple cider vinegar and stir until you hit the desired consistency.

I know what you’re thinking.  It sounds odd that a chick who just finished a veg pledge is cool with her hubby shooting things for fun, BUT you don’t get much more “free range” than that…. so long as he’s a good shot.

We also just got our custom framing finished up last night.  Yup… more ducks.  Ugh!  See what I mean about overload?  At least the artist painted the spot my fellas actually went hunting, so I suppose that’s acceptable.

house

K… I’m off to the gym.  Happy Friday!

  • Are you on an overload of something at the moment?
  • Ever eaten game meat?
November 4th, 2011

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

by Tiff

It’s no secret. I love squash. The spaghetti squash is one of my favorites (okay… I don’t really have a favorite). Since many people may think I eat “weird” thing (looking at you, Dad), I guess this means I also cook “weird” things.

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In case you have not cooked your own spaghetti squash, here’s a quick how-to. I really recommend you try it some time, but don’t expect it to be like spaghetti. The stringy appearance resembles spaghetti, but it’s not the same taste or texture as pasta. Just sayin…

Guts

I usually like to wash, dry, and halve mine before cooking. You can bake it whole, but the guts seeds scoop out easier when it’s firm and raw.

Naked Squash!

Preheat oven to 400. Place squash face-down on a heavy baking sheet lined with heavy duty foil. The foil is only necessary if you hate doing dishes as much as I do and don’t want to wash the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

Toasty

Take it out. Flip it. Poke a fork anywhere in the middle. If it’s firm but the fork enters easily, bake at the same temperature another 10 minutes. If the fork doesn’t want to pierce the squash, you may need to cook it another 20 minutes. I do not add spices, salt, or butter, but adding butter never hurt anything… except your arteries.

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Scoop out the goodness with a fork. It’s really hot, so you may want to hold the squash in a pot holder while doing this.

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Add your toppings. I like:

  • Alfredo sauce and peas with broccoli
  • Marinara and nutritional yeast
  • Canned diced tomatoes, parmesan, and chickpeas

I’ve heard Mexican-inspired toppings are good too, but this time, I went for roast eggplant and marinara.

spagpastaspagsqua

Traditional Pasta vs Spaghetti Squash

Delish! ***You can also microwave these things, but baked tastes better and less watery.***

 

  • Happy Friday! Got plans for the night?
  • Ever made a spaghetti squash? If so, what are your favorite toppings?