Fall Flavors

I don't think I have posted a recipe in a very, very long time. Now I'm ot chef, but I love food and both Chris and I love cooking! We usually start off with a recipe, but change most of it to suit what we have on hand. Here are a couple of EASY and yummy fall dishes that we cooked up this weekend:

Parmesan-Roasted Butternut Squash

via Epicurious

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream
3 sage leaves
2/3 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Toss squash with cream, sage, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake, covered, 30 minutes.

Stir in half of cheese and sprinkle remainder on top. Roast, uncovered, until squash is tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving (cream will thicken).

My notes: I've never cooked with butternut squash, but I picked a big one up for $1.50. It was really tough to cut into! Make sure you are prepared to put some muscle into that :) With the size of my squash, I ended up using a 13x9-inch pan, but followed these very instructions and it was SO delicious!!!

Yummilicious Pot Roast - Crock Pot Style!
(Yep, named that myself! Hah. Adapted from a lil' crock-pot book we have)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 chopped onion (I prefer red)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2-1/2 lbs. boneless chuck roast
1- 14.5 oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Add chuck roast and brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Place roast in your crock-pot.

Combine tomatoes with juice, broth, chocolate, chipotle peppers and salt. Puree mixture in blender until smooth. Pour puree over roast in slow cooker.

Cover; cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

My notes: You can also use a pork roast for this recipe (we just had the beef on hand). The meat was a bit spicy, so add less if you prefer to..or even more if you can handle that! The chocolate/chipotle combination is is sooo tasty! This is definitely a yummy recipe.