Baked Acorn Squash with Butter and Brown Sugar

 I've got guests coming for dinner tonight, my last hurrah for entertaining in this house, before all my worldly, ok, many of my worldly goods get loaded onto a moving truck to be reunited with me sometime soon, hopefully, in the future.  

I'm making Jägerschnitzel, Spätzle, and the squash.  Maybe not a traditional side for this, but the acorn squash looked good at the store, so I grabbed a couple.   

This week, the Sunday Funday bloggers were blogging about Winter Squash, and I wasn't going to participate until I had a last-minute, down-to-the-wire brainwave.  I was making squash, and I could participate this week.  I'm hoping I can get included in the final countdown, but if I can't, I can at least tell you about the other awesome bloggers who are participating and got themselves included early.  

I grew up on a farm, and as soon as the fall came, we'd harvest squash, and my mother would make squash.  Personally, I was neutral on all kinds of veggies, but this was probably my favorite way she'd prepare it.    We grew all kinds of winter squash: acorn, butternut, and the behemoth of all, Hubbard  Squash.    Those suckers were huge, and Mom would go out into the shed where the freezer lived and hack off a chunk for dinner with an axe.  Nothing else would go through the skin/rind or whatever it's called.  I liked the acorn squash myself, but wouldn't turn my nose up at any of the other kinds.  The way the sugar and butter would meld into the flesh- so good.  I always tried to get as much of the butter/sugar sauce as possible; it really helped the squash.   Luckily, my tastes have matured a little, but for nostalgia's sake, I still like the baked squash with butter and brown sugar.    

I'm actually going to cut these squash into quarters for serving. But for now, I cut the acorn squash into halves and nestle them into a baking pan.  Adding about a rough tablespoon of brown sugar to each half, along with a nice chunk of butter. I measure by eye.   Maybe a half tablespoon.    Bake for about an hour in a 350-degree oven.  Check for doneness by inserting a paring knife into the squash after an hour, and if it goes in easily, they're done.    I cut the halves into quarters for serving, keeping as much of the sugar sauce on each piece.   And I forgot to take a picture as they came out of the oven. This was all that remained on the plate.   The butter-sugar sauce had soaked into the squash and tasted so good.

• Mayuri's Jikoni: Apple & Butternut Squash Salad 
• Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Baked Acorn Squash with Butter and Brown Sugar
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Butternut Squash Cake 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Creamy Sausage, Tomato, & Squash Pasta 
• A Messy Kitchen: Gnocchi with Roasted Squash and Sausage
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Parmesan and Thyme Honeynut Squash 
• Culinary Cam: Pumpkin-Filled Flat White Pumpkin 
• Sneha's Recipe: Pumpkin Soup For Two 
• Food Lust People Love: Roasted Butternut Squash Lentil Vegetable Soup

Tropical Treats, Gluten Free cookies

 I bake Cookies, pretty much every week and bring them to a farmers' market to sell.    I love making and introducing people to my Kitchen Sink Cookies.  I don't vary them each time I make them, because people are used to the way they taste.    I call them almost gluten-free, mainly because I have no control over the facilities where the oatmeal and almond flour are processed.  They're not for true celiacs but perfect for those who eat or try to eat gluten-free foods, due to a gluten sensitivity or?    But that doesn't mean I can't play with the basic recipe from time to time, and that's just what I did this time.    I sub almond flour for the regular flour, and this time round, I played... 

As I said, this time round, I played with the basic recipe, and ummm, they were so good.   I used Pecans instead of walnuts and added some dried Pineapple along with the coconut, and some Glacé Cherries

   I'm calling the cookies Tropical Treats. 

   

I can name them whatever I want, and this is the name I chose.  I thought about Pina Colada cookies as well, but these are more of a tropical treat. 

Little hint here: the glacé cherries are super sticky and hard to chop up.  I dusted them with some cornstarch and cut them up that way. 

This week's event is all about cookies.  I had to go there.  I had to, I tell you.    And it was delicious.  

Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories is our hostess this week, and she chose cookies for this event. 

So I had to share my latest creation for Sunday Funday.    Check out the fun cookies my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers shared.

Cookies! 

• Candied Orange Peel Chocolate Chip Cookies from Amy’s Cooking Adventures 
• Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies from A Good Life
• Eggless Wholewheat Custard Powder Coconut Cookies from Sizzling Tastebuds 
• Fig Newton Swirl Cookies from A Messy Kitchen 
• Frosted Cake Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories 
• Peaches and Cream Rustic Thumbprint Cookies from Faith Hope Luck and Love Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 
• Ragi Nankatai from Sneha’s Recipe 
• Strawberry Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Thandai Cookies from Mayuri’s Jikoni 
• Tropical Treat Gluten Free Cookies from Sid’s Sea Palm Cookies
• Vintage Pecan Icebox Cookies from Food Lust People Love 

  

Here is the recipe. I added some xanthan gum to the next batch, and they did not crumble like the first batch did.  

Both batches tasted good, though the pineapple didn't come through as strongly as I would have liked.  

Tropical Treat Cookies

Yield: 30-36 cookies depending on size

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 35 Min

More than a basic oatmeal cookie, these cookies are a treat with candied pineapple, pecans, and coconut inside, plus glace cherries.

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 20 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups each of chopped candied pineapple, coconut, and chopped pecans
• 6-8 oz. chopped glacé cherries  (the kind you use in Fruitcakes); sprinkle a little cornstarch or gluten-free flour on the cherries to keep them from sticking to the knife.  
• 2 large eggs
• 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (add to the almond flour and sift together to ensure even distribution.
• Turbinado sugar for forming the cookies.

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until most of the sugar crystals are gone.
2. Beat in the vanilla extract and the eggs.
3. Mix the baking powder and xanthan gum into the almond flour, whisking to combine, then add it, along with the oats and other ingredients, to the mixing bowl. I use the dough hook on my stand mixer to mix the ingredients until well combined.   
4. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the cookie dough. Flatten each cookie, then flatten it again with a glass dipped in the raw turbinado sugar.  Dip the base of the glass into the turbinado sugar between flattening each cookie. A little sugar will then transfer to the surface of the cookie.  The 'crunch' of the sugar on each cookie is fun.   
5. Place formed cookies on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
6. Bake in a 350-degree oven for at least 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
7. The cookies will be very soft and will firm up as they cool. I let them cool on the parchment for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack. If you happen to break a cookie, you can sample it at this point.

 

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved.

Check out my cookbooks on Amazon.  All are available as paperbacks or as e-books.  You can also borrow them if you're a Kindle Unlimited member and just want to check out the recipes. 
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree, and Dipping Sauces.
 Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. 
  Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes 

Baked Potato Soup

 I'm a big fan of potatoes.  And honestly, it's got to be one of the most versatile vegetables around.  You can mash them, fry them, bake them, make candy out of them, and even use them as a base for Vodka.  This time round I'm sharing how I make my Baked Potato Soup.  

I love potatoes smashed, made into salads, sliced up on a piece of rye bread. Let me count the ways... 😋   And that's just the white potatoes.   Sweet potatoes are a whole nother ball game.    You can use them in sweet or savory dishes.  I've added them to soups, made sushi, baked cakes, and even made them into fries.   My Sweet Potato Tortillas are also a great alternative to regular flour tortillas.    

Can you tell I'm a bit of a fan of potatoes?    Give me a potato, and I can make a meal within minutes.  In fact, one of my favorite go-to, good anytime meals is Biksemad.   Fried potatoes with an egg on top and a squirt or two of ketchup.   You don't even need meat for this dish.  

This week for Sunday Funday, we're making potato dishes.   I know I've got over a dozen potato recipes on the blog already, but I realized I hadn't shared my Baked Potato Soup recipe. 

I don't make this often, but when I do, it's a big old bowl of comfort.  And worth baking a potato or two just for this soup.  And that's just what I did.  Baked a couple of potatoes for this soup, that is.      I enjoyed it for dinner and had more than enough left over for another meal or two.  Thanks to Culinary Cam for the inspiration.   August 19th is Potato Day, and Cam asked us to share recipes featuring, yup, you guessed it, Potatoes.  

Take a look at some of the dishes my fellow bloggers shared. 

• Appe Batata Vada by Sneha's Recipe
• Baked Herby Potato Wedges by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Baked Potato Soup by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Budget-Friendly Potato Soup with Fresh Dill by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Campfire Potatoes by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Copycat Baked Arby's Curly Fries by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes Without Butter or Cream - Yes! by Culinary Cam
• Jacket Potatoes by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Marmite Roast New Potatoes with Sausage and Butter Beans by Food Lust People Love
• Three-Color Potato Salad with Vegetables by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Warm Potato Salad by A Messy Kitchen

 

 I made some chicken soup

for stock the other day, so I reserved a couple of cups for this soup and froze the rest.     I think this soup could also be made vegetarian by using a good, hearty vegetable stock as well.  I made the chicken stock, so that's what I used. 

Baked Potato Soup

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

This hearty, filling soup is perfect for rainy fall days or snowy winter days, but it can also be enjoyed on a hot summer day as well.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken stock or good vegetable stock.
• 2 baked potatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes for thickening, if needed
• 2 teaspoons butter or olive oil for sautéing the onion

Toppings for soup

• 1/2 cup minced bacon, fried crisp
• 1/4 cup minced chives
• 1/2 cup grated colby jack cheese

Instructions

1. Dice onions and sauté in butter until translucent, then add the stock and let it come to a boil. Cook for a couple of minutes, then place in a heat-proof container and add one baked potato, cut up. ( I leave the skin on, personal preference)
2. Use an immersion blender to blend the stock, potato, onion, and garlic together. Add the sour cream and blend.
3. Pour into a pot and heat to a boil; if too thin, add the instant potatoes and blend.
4. Dice the second potato and add to the pot. Heat through.
5. Top with the bacon, chives, and cheese to serve. Simple, hearty, and delicious soup ready in minutes.

There is no added salt, as the bacon and cheese are plenty salty.  But if you need to add salt, feel free to do so.  

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Fresh Corn Relish Salad

It's that time of the year to celebrate gardens.  It's also the time of year to celebrate fresh corn on the cob.   I grew up on a farm, and one thing we had in copious amounts every year was corn.    I would be sent out to pick fresh corn for dinner, but by the time I got back up to the house, I'd usually have eaten at least one cob, if not more.   From picked to a pot of boiling water, sometimes it was a matter of minutes.  

The corn I can purchase now is sometimes a few days old, but by cutting it off the cob and marinating it for a few minutes with other fresh produce, I can somewhat mimic the incredible freshness of the corn I used to pick.  And yes, there was some corn silk added to the salad, accidentally. It's totally edible though.   

This week for our Sunday Funday challenge,  Wendy of A Day in The Life on the Farm has asked us to share our favorite dish with corn. 

I accept the challenge and decided to share how I make a fresh corn salad that is full of summer veggies. No lettuce needed.    Best part: you can add more veggies and sweeten the marinade to your taste.  This easily expands to serve many people, and it just plain tastes good.    I enjoyed it alongside a pork chop and some potato cakes.

I had lots of leftover salad and decided to play with it a bit.  I kinda thought it would be a good base for pasta, and I was right.  I wavered between the Bowtie and my homemade noodles, since I'd made some the other day and wanted to use them up. 

 The Homemade noodles won.  This time around, I sauteed a chicken breast and enjoyed it alongside the Corn and Pasta salad.  I do have to say it didn't hurt the salad to let it sit in the dressing overnight.  I also cooked the homemade noodles in water with added HerbOx salt-free chicken bouillon.  I'm trying to eat salt-free (mostly) these days.  And the pasta sitting with the corn mixture in the dressing for a few hours just added another layer of flavor.  I enjoyed it alongside a sauteed chicken breast. 

Check out the awesome recipes my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers shared.   

Culinary Cam: All the Summer's Darlings Salad

Mayuri's Jikoni: Cachapas, Venezuelan Corn Pancakes

Sneha's Recipe: Corn Patties / Corn Potato Chops

Food Lust People Love: Elotes - Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn

Sid's Sea Palm Cooking: Fresh Corn Relish Salad

Karen's Kitchen Stories: Roasted Corn and Sweet Pepper Chopped Salad with Tomatoes, Black Beans, and Summer Squash

Amy's Cooking Adventures: Smoked Paprika Cornbread Croutons

Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Southwestern Corn Salad with Chives

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Succotash Salad

  

 

Fresh Corn Relish Salad

Yield: 2-4

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking -

Prep time: 15 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Nothing beats fresh corn along with other fresh produce in the summer, and this corn salad sings with freshness. 

Ingredients

• 2 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob or 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 whole sweet red pepper, cut into dice
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 whole English or hot house cucumber, cut into slices and then into quarters

Instructions

Dressing

1. 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2. 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup; add more to taste if desired
3. 1 teaspoon Sweet Soy Sauce
4. juice of one orange
5. 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Whisk the dressing together; taste for sweetness. Add more Maple syrup if needed, to your taste
2. Pour over the chopped vegetables and let marinade for an hour or so.
3. Serve alongside meat

 

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved.

Check out my cookbooks on Amazon.  All are available as paperbacks or as e-books.  You can also borrow them if you're a Kindle Unlimited member and just want to check out the recipes. 
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree, and Dipping Sauces.
 Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. 
  Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes 

Spicy Cheesy Orzo

 It's Sunday Funday time again, featuring Mac and Cheese recipes.    A few weeks back, I picked up some Orzo at the store, thinking I'd add it to soup, but then this challenge came up, and I wondered how I could do a twist on classic Mac n' Cheese.    I love pasta and cheese,  and have made many versions of Mac n' Cheese over the years. 

 We were introduced to Bahamian Style Mac n' Cheese many years ago, on a trip to the Bahamas, and I've since made it several times.   Personally, I love the blue box Mac n' Cheese and have been known to make it for myself when I wanted to indulge.    Many years ago, I cooked for our local Senior Center, and one memorable meal, I made some Mac n' Cheese, and people literally scraped the pan clean. Then I was asked to bring some to an Easter dinner, so I did.    

I wasn't done experimenting either; last year I was staying in a rental with a half kitchen, got a craving for Mac n' Cheese, and came up with this: Stovetop Mac n' Cheese with Asparagus.    And it was good.  

And now we are here.  I had some Edam Cheese in the fridge; I'd bought it as a BOGO, and ate one but still had another wheel in the fridge.  I also had some Tilsit Cheese, which needed to be eaten, and I decided to combine it with some grated Colby Jack cheese in a Bechamel sauce.    I added some powdered wasabi as well, and it was ok, not great, but ok.   Then I sautéed some shallots and ham, chopped a serrano pepper, and added it to the pot, and it got a lot better.  

 It actually tasted more like a cheesy risotto, and I'll probably not make it this way again.  Or maybe I will.  I do love my pasta, in pretty much any form.   

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures is our hostess this month.  She wanted to see what fun stuff we could do with good ol' Mac n' Cheese.  

Check out what my fellow Sunday Funday bloggers came up with: 

• Cauliflower Spinach Mac and Cheese by Food Lust People Love
• Gruyére and Emmentaler Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Sourdough by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Instant Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Keto Roasted Cauliflower Mac & Cheese by Sneha's Recipe
• Messy Jack Mac'N'Cheese by Culinary Cam
• Pesto Mac by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Spicy Cheezy Orzo by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

And here's the recipe card for how I made this dish: 

Spicy Cheesy Orzo

Yield: 4

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking - Adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Orzo isn't just for soup; make this stovetop Cheesy Orzo for your family.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup grated cheese, mixture of Edam, Tilsit, and Colby Jack
• 1 tsp. cornstarch mixed in with the grated cheeses
• 1 cup bechamel sauce
• 1 serrano pepper, finely diced
• 1 shallot finely diced
• 1/2 cup diced bacon or ham
• 1/4 teaspoon powdered wasabi
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Bechamel Sauce

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Melt butter in a small saucepan, add flour, and cook over heat for 4-5 minutes to cook the flour. Whisk in milk and cook until thickened, stirring the entire time. Pour over the cooked orzo and stir in the grated cheeses.

Add ins

• 1 serrano pepper, finely minced
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1/2 cup bacon or ham, minced
• Saute in a pan until the shallot is translucent and the bacon is cooked through. Set aside while preparing the orzo and bechamel sauce.

Instructions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions in the water and chicken stock; do not drain. Set aside while making the bechamel sauce.
2. Add the bechamel sauce, the cheeses, and the sautéed veggies and meat to the cooked orzo. Most of the water will have been absorbed by the orzo. Continue stirring on low heat for another couple of minutes. Serve alongside meat or veggies or make a meal of it.

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All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2026, with all rights reserved.

Check out my cookbooks on Amazon.  All are available as paperbacks or as e-books. 
 Simple Shrimp Recipes - 25 + Appetizer, Entree, and Dipping Sauces.
 Nibbles and Bites - A Compilation of Appetizers, Canapes and Finger Foods. 
  Hygge - Danish Food and Recipes