A party and Semi-Indian Cooking with Suzandra V

I have been doing LOTS of cooking. Last Saturday I had a dinner party with some dear friends from church. I didn't make anything super blog-worthy, as I mostly stuck with dishes I had made before. My one bold move was serving neat loaf. I LOVE neat loaf, but I wasn't sure how meat eaters would react to it. Seemed to be a hit. Viva la f'meat.

The menu:
Hummus + Crudite
Roasted root veggies (beets + squash + red onion + rosemary + oil + vinegar + salt + white and black pepper)
Rosemary buttermilk mashed potatoes (note to self: microwaving potatoes just isn't the same as boiling them, sadly. I need to quit doing that--leaves little bits of uncooked potatoes in the mix)
Neat loaf
Salad (spinach + craisins + goat cheese + cashews) + dressing (oil + balsamic vinegar + mustard + honey + rosemary + salt + pepper)
Rosemary Rolls a la Pioneer Woman (this time I used Sister Schubert parkerhouse style rolls. I think a traditional freezer roll would've been a better base)
Boxed cookies
Berries w/ whipped cream
Apples-to-Apples

The fun didn't stop there. I am now trying to use up the odds and ends of leftovers in my fridge after the party and other cooking adventures. Today I made a semi-Indian (with Sandra Lee?) meal that used up THREE different left-over ingredient foods (beet greens, coconut milk, piece of squash). It turned out surprisingly well given the recipes were all improved.

Semi-Indian Stuffed Squash:
For the filling, mix 2c cooked quinoa (cooked in stock), ~1/4c coconut milk, handful craisins, 2 handfuls chick peas, and a sprinkling of curry powder.
Stuff this into the bulbous part of butternut squash, sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed.
Cook on low for 8h in the slow cooker.
Serves 2.

I've always thought stuffed butternut squash would be weird since it's too much for one person. Today I just had the bulbous bottom part of the squash left, though, making two perfect portions. It was tasty and super easy! I bet it could handle all kinds of variations, too. I served it with...

Semi-Indian Beet Greens:
Heat ~1/2T EVOO in a saute pan
Add the greens of 3 beets
Sprinkle with turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt.
Pour in ~1/4c coconut milk.
Saute until the greens have reached the desired texture.
Serves 2.

Sadly, I did not take pictures of any of this tasty tasty food! I was too hungry.

So, here is a photo of Dan in a bag:


O NOZ, SOMEBODY LET TEH KITTEH OUT OF TEH BAG!