Butternut Squash & Feta Quesadillas, by Cheryl

I love the fall. It's a lead in to winter, which is my favorite season :) Fall also means butternut squash time! Now even though we've been having unseasonably warm weather and this summer is never ending (hello 88 degrees today) butternut squash can still be enjoyed! I was looking for different recipes to use besides the typical butternut squash soup, although we don't have that up here yet. I came across this interesting quesadilla recipe from www.vegetablematter.blogspot.com. It was just ok... it tasted a little bland so we put some salsa and sour cream on it. I think that if this were spiced up more it would taste really good!

Ingredients:

1 1-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes
1 jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed, finely chopped
1 dried cayenne pepper (optional)
4 flour tortillas
4 oz sheep's milk feta, crumbled
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
sea salt and black pepper
vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Boil a big pot of salted water and add cubed butternut squash. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly, then puree in food processor.
2. Add jalapeño to pureed butternut squash, then add salt and pepper to taste. If you like more heat, add a finely diced dried cayenne pepper to the mixture.
3. Spread butternut puree on a tortilla, then sprinkle cheese and cilantro. Use second tortilla to make a top for the quesadilla.
4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high. Add quesadilla and cook until browned, then flip over and repeat.
5. Garnish with more cilantro and serve immediately.

Graham Crackers, by Diane

This week I decided to attempt to bake my latest obsession- graham crackers. I eat them dunked in milk every day for breakfast and sometimes for dessert. I came across an article (http://cilantropist.blogspot.com/2010/10/making-smores-from-scratch-homemade.html) that instructed on how to bake them, and I figured I'd give it a shot. Although the ingredients were pretty simple, I found that making them was a nightmare because the dough is insanely sticky. It was especially hard to roll them out without them sticking to the counter and breaking apart when I attempted to get them onto their trays. I found that the harder and longer you rolled them (and thus the thinner you rolled them), the worse the stickiness and the breaking got. So, I gave up and made them a little thicker. The end result- they came out more like cookies than crackers, which I actually liked. And they tasted EXACTLY right. I wound up using a lot more flour on the dough when I rolled it out, so they contained at least a cup more flour than the recipe called for by the time they were in the oven. But in the end I didn't notice any difference. I think the next time I make this I will just save myself the trouble and make them into cookies, maybe even in balls, since they tasted so good when they were done. Anyway- I'm posting the original recipe, and just know that if you do decide to make them into thin crackers you have your work cut out for you! Also be warned that the dough needs several hours to refrigerate (I did it overnight), so there is a break between making the dough and actually baking them. You will need to freeze the butter beforehand as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 cup honey

5 tpsp full fat milk

2 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to incorporate.

2. Add the butter, and pulse on/off until the mixture resembles sand.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, milk, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the honey mixture to the flour mixture in the food processor, and pulse on/off until the dough comes together. It will be very very sticky.

5. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and turn the dough out onto it. Dont try and handle it, you will just make a mess. Just use your fingers to gently pat it into a rectangle, wrap, then chill until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.

6. Divide the dough in half and return the rest to the fridge. Sift out flour onto your work surface, and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out your dough to about 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. Work as quickly as you can so the dough doesn't soften too much.

7. Cut the dough into 2-inch squares with a pizza cutter, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

8. Chill until firm, about 45 minutes in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer.

9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and place the oven rack in the middle. Bake for about 13-20 minutes (Mine were done around 13).

10. Remove the crackers from the oven, and cool on a cooling rack.