Holiday Greetings

Here's wishing everyone happiness all Season long -
and throughout the New Year, too!

Our Christmas Tree

Roasted Butternut Squash

Rachel Ray's slightly tweaked recipe:

Ingredients:

3 medium butternut squash, cut in half, then slice lengthwise, seeds removed
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and softened
1/2 cup maple syrup
dark brown sugar
freshly grated nutmeg
cinnamon powder
freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400'F. Place butternut squash on a large baking sheet with the cut side up. Divide the butter pieces among all 12 pieces, smearing it all over the cut side of the squash. Drizzle each piece with maple syrup and season with freshly grated nutmeg, ground pepper, sprinkle of brown sugar, and dash of cinnamon powder.

Roast the squash for 40-60 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork.

Green Bean Casserole

Dan Smith & Steve McDonagh's slightly tweaked recipe:

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
2 shallots or 1/2 onion, finely chopped
8 ounces portabello mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sherry
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
French's fried onions

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme and sage and saute until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 5 more minutes. Next add the sherry and stir until thickened. Add the cream and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Set sauce aside.

Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beans, toss to coat with butter and saute until bright green, about 7 minutes. They'll still be crispy. Add the chopped bell pepper and toss together. Season with salt and pepper and place on a platter.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring the sauce to a simmer and spoon over the beans. Top with French's fried onions. Bake in oven for about 5 minutes or until onions become crunchy. Serve warm.