Jennifer's Broccoli Casserole

This casserole has probably been around for ages. It has the usual suspects: butter, mayo and canned cream soup. It's terribly fattening, but it's very popular, and while it does have quite a bit of chopped broccoli in it I wouldn't jot down the recipe and hand it over to your cardiovascular surgeon. I would, however, give it a place of honor on your Thanksgiving table because that's exactly where it belongs. I've made it for my family at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the dish is always licked clean. I don't make this all the time for the obvious reasons, but it's definitely a homey comfort food that may lead you to sit down and think about your grandmother. It may also make you think about the gym, but this is a food blog afterall and we don't discuss exercise. We just discuss good food, and that's what this is!

Jennifer's Broccoli Casserole
(Jennifer was one of my college roommates and is still a dear friend.)
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Ingredients:
2 eggs, well-beaten
1 stick butter, softened (Just call me Paula Deen.)
1 cup mayo
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped white onion
2 packages frozen, chopped broccoli

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Cook and drain broccoli.
3. Mix all ingredients.
4. Pour into greased casserole dish.
5. Bake for 1 hour, or until top is brown and casserole is bubbly.

Butternut Squash Soup

One of the first things I do every fall is wait for the butternut squash to show up in the grocery store. Its arrival truly signals the beginning of the holiday season; it cues the comforting smells of cinnamon in my house; it means soup season is in full swing. And, oh, what a soup this is.

Brad took me to a great dinner last Valentine's Day, and our second course was a bowl of luscious, whipped butternut squash bisque. It was truly one of the best things I've ever eaten, and I've been dreaming about making it myself ever since. When my beloved squash showed up in the stores last month I knew it was time.

Every time I make soup I'm newly amazed at how simple, economical and fantastic it tastes. This butternut squash soup is no exception. If I was making it for company I'd top it with homemade croutons, spiced, toasted almond slices or perhaps a few dried apple slices and a dollop of creme fraiche. But it's also amazing in its simplest form, plain. It's as fluffy and smooth as it looks (thanks to a whiz in the blender), and it would be the perfect accompaniment to any Thanksgiving feast!

Classic Butternut Squash
Adapted from: Whole Foods
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium butternut squash, cubed
About 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (See note)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add carrot and onion. Cook until carrot has started to soften and onion turns translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add butternut squash. Stir to combine with vegetables. Stir in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until squash is fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Let the soup cool slightly and carefully puree in batches in a traditional blender.

Note: Original recipe calls for 4 to 6 cups of chicken broth. I wanted a thicker, creamier version so I used less. Feel free to make your soup as thick or thin as desired!

Macaroni and Cheese with Breadcrumbs

I grew up with a love for macaroni and cheese, but are there many kids in America who don't? It's one of the most marketed kid foods, I'd say, with that kind that comes in a box. You know, all those little rugrats with "the blues". I've never really understood how something like warm, gooey, creamy mac-n-cheese can give you the blues, but I guess it worked on some marketing test group. To me, however, a good bowl of this stuff can cure the blues. It can certainly help heal a broken heart; it can warm up a gray day; and it can bring a smile to the face of everybody who takes a bite - no matter their age!

My grandmother made great macaroni and cheese, but it was always treated as a side dish. This one, however, is more like a meal with its infusion of onions and its crunchy breadcrumb topping. In fact, we treat it like a meal quite often, and I've been known to add broccoli, chicken or a few different kinds of cheeses for a kick. This is a great recipe and I highly recommend it. I believe it was a Food Network find, but I can't be sure because I jotted it down on notebook paper years ago so I'll just have to send out a worldwide thanks.

Macaroni and Cheese with Breadcrumbs
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8 oz. macaroni
4 T butter
3/4 C dry breadcrumbs
1 sm. onion, minced
1 T AP flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1.5 C milk
2 C shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Cook pasta.
3. Melt 2 T butter and toss with breadcrumbs.
4. Melt remaining butter, stir in onions until transluscent, stir in flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Add milk, stirring constantly until thick; remove from heat and stir in cheese.
5. Pour macaroni into greased baking dish; pour cheese mixture over pasta and top with breadcrumbs.
6. Bake about 20 minutes, or until gold and bubbly.