Is it better than pumpkin? I daresay it is. 

Apparently, I'm late to the butternut squash game. I guess I've never really been a huge fan for some reason- no idea why. Luckily though, I have spent the last several months making up for it by picking up bags of frozen, cubed Butternut Squash on repeat.
It's great in a pinch and is especially tasty when whipped together with spinach, sausage and pasta- the frozen stuff literally just melts into the mix! Super easy. Which is why when fresh cubed arrived instead, I had no idea what to do with it. After a few days of it staring me in the face every time I opened the fridge I was determined to put it to good use. I was craving either bread or pie. Pie won, because let's face it. Pie is ALWAYS a good idea. 

I'll admit I had some reservations on whether a butternut squash pie would actually be tasty but after a little comparison to it's cousin, the pumpkin, I knew I had to at least give it a go. Moment of truth, It blew my expectations out of the water. Holy crazy delicious concoction.

Best of all, it's super easy to make. Indy helped from start to finish and I was thoroughly impressed with his skills and the pie...

Roasted Butternut Squash Pie

- Here's What You Need - 

2 Cups Pureed Butternut Squash

 (I used fresh and roasted it for 20 minutes on 350˚)
9" Pie Crust/Shell

2 Eggs

1/4 Tsp. Allspice

1/4 Tsp. Ground Ginger

1/8 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1/4 Nutmeg

1 Tsp. Cinnamon

Pinch Of Salt

1 3/4 Cups Milk (or Milk Alternative)

2 Tbsp. Sugar (Honey or Maple Syrup)

Optional: Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

Preheat Oven To 425˚

1. If you went fresh, puree your roasted butternut squash. 

2. In a large bowl combine whisk together butternut squash puree, milk, sugar, eggs and spices until smooth and thoroughly combined. 

3. Pour into pie shell and put on middle rack in oven. 

4. Bake for 15 mins at 425˚. Then lower temperature to 350˚and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. 

5. Enjoy warm or chilled with whipped cream, ice cream or both! ;)

As we practice Social Distancing I figured it would only be fitting to spend the weekend (er, all of the weekdays) cozied up and watching my favorite supernatural and sci-fi shows across the streaming networks.

It's been a heckuva two weeks, amirite? And who knows how the next two weeks are going to look? So I think, considering everything, we all deserve a batch of fresh-baked cookies right out of the oven.
At first I was thinking classic chocolate chip cookies, but I had some extra fixings that I REALLY wanted to get rid of, so this went quickly from classic to 'everything but the kitchen sink'. So with a few items from the pantry that were on their last leg and needed to be used ASAP, a star was accidentally born.

After inhaling two right out of the oven, I'll never go back to plain ol' chocolate chip cookies. These bad boys are the real deal and can be made with all sorts of ingredients like nuts, oats, raisins (er, maybe not), and shredded coconut. The sky is the limit- I mean, whatever you have in your pantry that's taking up space and is nearing its expiration date. Potato chips? I don't know - let's do it. 

This particular batch is chocolate chips, pretzels and mini marshmallows and they're basically heaven on earth...or at least heaven in my belly. That said, we should probably keep this on the down-low from my dentist because I'm sure he would NOT approve of this concoction. But hey it's all about moderation guys, moderation. 

Let's dive in and whip up a batch to dip in your milk (or alternate beverage of your choice). 

Everything But The Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Yields 15 Large Cookies)

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 C. Melted Butter, at room temperature

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Salt

2/3 Cups Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup Honey

1 Large Egg

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

3/4 Cup Mini Marshmallows

3/4 Cup Chopped Pretzels

Preheat oven to 350˚

1. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.

2. In another bowl - combine sugar, honey, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and butter. Add eggs and stir until just combined. 

3. Combine the wet mixture with the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. 

4. Add chocolate chips, pretzels and marshmallows. Stir until just combined. 

5. With a cookie scoop, or in my case an ice cream scoop. Scoop cookies onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. I did 6 cookies at a time to give them space to spread out. 

6. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. 

7. Remove from oven and let (semi-) cool. 

Yes, they're better warm. 

(But not scalding hot where the marshmallows burn your mouth - you've been warned)

Ok, we didn't have much of a winter this year in NYC but that doesn't mean we were desperate for cool things to do on the weekends in the city with the brood. Sure, we've started to keep it close to our neighborhood, but I've been known to have a list of select favorites to draw us out of our comfort zone (ie: the couch) and spend a day, afternoon or evening out and about.