Making Home A Haven: Fall Favorites

Today is the last day for Making Home A Haven challenge over at Women Living Well and we're talking about cooking.

My mother is an amazing and incredible cook.  All those who ever sat at our table can testify to that.  But she never taught me to cook.  She could not stand anyone in the kitchen and felt like things would go wrong.  I found relief in knowing that my grandmother was the same way.  My mother became and exceptional cook learning from the cookbooks... my hope is that one day I can measure up too.

Oh do not get me wrong.  I love cooking.  I wish I had all day to do menu planning, grocery shopping, and cooking from scratch.  Life in ministry does not give me such luxury.

My challenge this week was not so much in getting to the business of cooking.  It was finding the time to do so.

And I loved it.  My husband and I ate a homemade meal each day this week.  It tasted much better than take out and saved us quite a few pennies too.

What made it a success?

Making it a priority I guess.

1) I did not cook EVERY night.  Instead I cooked more than my husband and I could it and arranged the leftovers in small plastic containers in the fridge.  Next time we wanted a homemade meal we just turned the container over onto a plate and heated it up in the microwave.  At times I freeze the containers for longer keeping.

2) I stuck with EASY recipes.  A simple homemade dish may not always stand up to a gourmet dinner at a fancy restaurant but sure beats McDonald's every time.

Here are 3 of my favorite easy recipes this week:

Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe from Raising Homemakers website)
Easy Morning Breakfast Casserole (recipe from Parents Connect website)
and one of my favorite Vegetarian recipes of all times:  Squash Creole

SQUASH CREOLE











Ingredients
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced, optional
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups canned or cooked tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups diced butternut squash


Directions:
1) Saute onion, garlic, and pepper in oil until tender.
2) Blend in flour. Gradually add tomatoes, mixing well.  Cook over low heat.
3) Add sugar and seasoning. Stir until thickened.
4). Place squash in greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.  Cover with sauce and bake 60 minutes at 350.

Serve on a bed of white rice. Enjoy :)