• 3 whole acorn squash, approximately 8 cups when cooked
• 6 shallots, 3 diced, 3 left whole and peeled
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon freshly cracked pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 4 cups low- or no-sodium vegetable stock ( I like Kitchen Basics brand unsalted) or chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried “rubbed” sage
• 3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• Optional toppings:  Black pepper, Drizzle of olive oil, French fried onions, pepitas, additional grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the squash in half, on the equator, and remove seeds with a spoon.  Cut a flat spot on each end, so the squash will sit still.  Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the squash, cut side up, on the baking sheet.  To 3 of the squash halves, add a peeled shallot.  To the other 3, add 2 garlic cloves in each.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the hot oven until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse, about 1 hour.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  When cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin.  Discard skin.  Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash.  All of the preceding steps may be done ahead.

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 2 Tablespoons butter over medium-high heat.  When the butter starts to foam, add the raw diced shallots and sauté until the start to caramelize, about 5  to 6 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of the stock and stir to detach bits of onion from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and then the remaining stock.  Stir to combine, then puree with a stick blender.  The mixture will be very thick.

Add the cayenne, white pepper, and sage.  Stir in the cream and Worcestershire sauce and heat slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently.  When the mixture comes to a slow simmer, stir in the Parmesan and turn heat to low.  Serve with topping(s) if desired.

Serves 8-10.

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch chunks.  In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, and lemon juice.  Throw in potato chunks and toss well.  Spray a jellyroll pan or pyrex dish with Pam and spread sweet potatoes out evenly.  Sprinkle with salt.  (I actually cover my pan with parchment or foil, so it’s easy clean up)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, stirring once halfway through.

Makes about 4 1-cup servings.

• 2 1/2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon or oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder or 1 clove minced fresh garlic
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• Fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Combine green beans, olive oil, brown sugar, mustard, tarragon or oregano, garlic, and salt in a large bowl and toss well.  The beans will be sugar coated; this will melt during cooking.  Transfer the beans to a large baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour.  they will be tender-crisp.  toss the beans with the sauce that has accumulated at the bottom of the pan.  Transfer to a serving dish and season to taste with pepper.

Makes 12 servings.

· 4 stalks celery, cut into 3-inch pieces

· 3 medium onions, sliced (onion skin may also be added to the stock for flavor and color)

· 6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias

· 14 cups water

· Fish bones (and heads, if using)

· 2 Tablespoons kosher salt

· 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 2 Tablespoons sugar

· A sprinkling of paprika

Fish

· 7 pounds ground fish (5 pounds whitefish and 2 pounds pickerel, or similar)

· 2 medium onions, very finely chopped in the food processor

· 2 Tablespoons kosher salt

· 5-6 eggs, lightly beaten (Start with 5 and be ready to add another one later to achieve the right consistency.)

· 2 Tablespoons sugar

· ¾ – 1 cup Matzo meal (I measure out a cup and add gradually until correct consistency is reached.)

· ¾ cup water

· 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 2 medium carrots, finely grated

Put stock ingredients in a very large pot. Bring the stock to a boil while you prepare the fish. Reduce heat and let the stock simmer while you finish.

In a large bowl, preferably made of wood, add the fish and the remaining ingredients on the “Fish” list, stirring and chopping with a hand chopper as you go. Keep blending and chopping until the desired consistency is reached and there are no large chunks of fish, onion, or carrot. The mixture should hold together, but still be moist. Your arm will probably get sore.

With wet hands, form the fish into fat, oval-shaped patties. The end of a largish wooden spoon is useful for this, and keeps the size relatively uniform. Slide each patty carefully into the simmering stock.  NOTE:  Don’t crowd the fish balls; they will swell during cooking.

Cook slowly for about 2 hours. Allow fish to cool in pot for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a container. Strain the broth. Remove and save carrots for garnish. Discard other veggies and fish parts. Pour the strained broth over the fish. Store the fish and broth in a covered container in the refrigerator. It is best when made 2-3 days ahead.

• 1 roll of store-bought refrigerated sugar cookie dough, including the kind with holiday designs already in the dough
• 1 box of store-bought chocolate wafers – any brand

Slice sugar cookie dough according to package directions, or use the pre-sliced ones. Place half of the cookies on a cookie sheet. Leave two inches spaces around each cookie, because cookies are going to expand.

On top of each sugar cookie, place a chocolate wafer. Then cover with another sugar cookie.

Bake per package directions. Keep an eye on your cookies so they don’t overcook.

Enjoy watching your guests faces when they discover the chocolate surprise inside each cookie

• 36 Oreo cookies
• 1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese
• 1 package melting chocolate discs
• Your choice of decorations

Grind/crush the Oreo cookies in a blender. Place crushed cookies in a large bowl, add cream cheese, and mix with a fork until completely blended. At this point, it will be the consistency of cookie dough, with no streaks of cream cheese showing any longer.

Scoop up the truffle mixture using a melon baller or measuring teaspoon and roll into balls between your hands. Making the balls approximately one level teaspoon will give about 5 ½ dozen truffles.

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler according to the package directions. Roll the truffles a few at a time in the melted chocolate with a fork, and use it to remove them and place them on waxed paper or parchment paper to cool and harden. If you are decorating them, sprinkle on your decorations right away, because the candy-type chocolate hardens quickly at room temperature. This is a good job for kids to do while an adult dips the truffles.

When the chocolate coating has hardened, store in the refrigerator and enjoy!

A tamalada is 2 parties in one – getting a group of friends together to make tamales and then an even bigger group to eat them! My Hot Tamale – http://www.sonofthesouth.net/tamales/ has great tips if you’ve never tried tamales before.

These pumpkin black bean tamales were a big hit. Yield is a dozen tamales; recommend doubling the recipe for a party. Source: By Larry Luttropp, LA Times

Tamale Ingredients

• 1 package corn husks
• 2 cups (heaping) Maseca corn flour (get Tamale version)
• 2 cups to 2 1/2 cups warm chicken stock or water
• 1/2 pound lard
• 2 cups pureed cooked or canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, firmly packed (if you’ve got access to a Hispanic market, get 3 ounces piloncillo instead — grated or crushed) Salt

Bean Filling

• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons anise
• 2 To 3 pasilla de Oaxaca chilies OR dried chipotle chilies or canned chipotle in adobo sauce
• 2 cups To 2 1/2 cups cooked or
• Canned black beans, drained
• 5 To 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons Lard
• Salt

Prepare Bean Filling

Put water in small pan, add anise and boil until reduced by half. Strain and reserve infusion.

If using pasilla de Oaxaca or dried chipotles, cover with boiling water and let soak until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and remove stems. Canned chipotles need no preparation.

Working in batches, if necessary, puree beans with chilies, garlic and anise infusion in blender or food processor fitted with steel blade.

Melt lard in heavy skillet or wide, shallow saucepan over high heat. When very hot, add bean puree, watching for splatters. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until liquid is evaporated. Season to taste with salt. Cool to room temperature.

Assemble Tamales

Soak corn husks in water for at least 30 minutes. Take several and tear into long strips – you’ll use them to tie the tamales.

Mix masa harina in a bowl or pot with enough warm stock to make soft but not sticky dough. Beat lard in separate large bowl on medium speed until very light and fluffy. Add masa harina mixture and pumpkin puree to lard little at time, beating on medium speed and scraping down as needed. Mixture should be as light as butter cream. (If a small piece of dough floats in a small cup of water, you beat the lard enough)

Beat in cinnamon, piloncillo/brown sugar and salt to taste.

Place soaked corn husks flat on work space. Tear off some long, thin strips from a several husks. Place a large dollop of masa mixture in center of husk and spread across husk with spatula.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon Bean Filling in center of husk. Fold left and right edges of husk toward center to meet, overlapping to cover filling. Fold up bottom edge to center. Fasten by tying with thin strip of husk. Repeat with remaining husks, masa and filling. Steam the tamales for 45 -50 minutes.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

• 1lb/450g dark brown sugar
• ¼ pint/120ml water
• ¼ level tsp cream of tartar
• ½cup/115g black treacle/molasses
• ½cup/115g golden syrup/corn syrup

Butter a 12″ x 4″/30cm x 10cm or 7″/18cm square tin.

In a heavy based 4-pint sauce pan dissolve the sugar and water over a low heat. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil. Using a sugar or toffee thermometer boil to 270°/140°C (soft crack). If you do not have a sugar or toffee thermometer – when you drop a bit of the syrup into cold water, it will solidify into threads that, when removed from the water, are flexible, not brittle. The toffee strands will bend slightly before breaking.

Once this stage is reached (about 10 minutes maximum) pour the toffee into the prepared tin and leave to cool.

Once the toffee is cold remove it from the tin and break with a toffee hammer or solid sharp object, and the toffee will crack into pieces.

Store in an airtight tin if you can resist it long enough!

Makes 1¼lb/500g toffee

• 1 1/2 pounds dried beans (I use a combination of small pinto beans and black beans)
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin or pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 Serrano chilies (fresh), seeds removed (membranes intact) and finely chopped
• 3 chipotle chilies in adobo (canned), minced
• 1 quart vegetable stock (I like Kitchen Basics brand)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ Tablespoons cumin
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• Kosher salt to taste (2-3 teaspoons, depending on saltiness of the stock you use)
• 1-2 Tablespoons chili powder, depending on your taste
• Several dashes of hot sauce

Rinse the beans and soak overnight. In the morning, rinse beans thoroughly and place them in a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high heat for 30 minutes and then switch to low heat for 8-9 hours or until beans are tender.

Serve with some, all, or none of these:

• Chopped cilantro
• Grated cheese
• Sour cream
• Chopped fresh tomato
• Chopped black olives

Serves 8-10