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Kabocha Squash Shrimp

This is one of my favorite comfort meals which I only recently discovered. Since my mother-in-law is from the Philippines, my husband was raised on filipino cooking and I’ve also become accustomed to eating many dishes I was only made of aware of in the last decade! This recipe is particularly great this time of year because we really have so many squashes laying around our house (literally… they are everywhere). It’s very rich, but not hard to make!

Instructions: Cut Kabocha Squash into large cubes. Saute garlic, onion, ginger in a pan with vegetable oil. Add 1 can of Coconut Milk. Bring to temperature. Add in kabocha squash and cover to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add in cooked shrimp and a green vegetable of your choice such as green beans, long beans or spinach.

Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Cran-Apple Relish

If you’re a local resident here in Grays Harbor and have been for about 10 years, you might have known of a little restaurant called LUNCH in Aberdeen. Run by a friend of mine, it closed in 2013. The chef and owner, Erin Gatewood, created a cookbook full of her amazing recipes and one of my favorite in the pumpkin soup! The soup itself is so delicious, but I also love the cranberry relish.

I asked Erin if I could share her recipe and she let me know that she even has a few cookbooks left if anyone is interested. Email me if you’re interested in purchasing one: britta@ohhihandpies.com.

Ingredients: 3 tbsp butter, 2 celery ribs finely chopped, 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped, 1 bay leaf, 3 tbsp flour (or corn starch), 1/2 tbsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste), 6 cups chicken or veg stock, 28oz purreed pumpkin, 2 cups whole cream.

Recipe: melt butter in hot soup pot. Add celery, onions and saute. Mix in flour and seasonings. Whisk in stock, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Whisk in pumpkin and return to a boil. Add whole cream. On the side, chop 1 crisp apple, 1/4 red onion and mix with 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp hot sauce, salt and pepper. Let marinate. Serve soup with a dallop of relish on top!

Gluten Free/Paleo Turkey Meatballs

I first made this recipe about 5 years ago and it is a family favorite! The kids will even eat it, spinach and all! They are so easy to pull together if you’ve got ground turkey and eggs on hand. You could even get creative with your seasonings and sauces with the base structure of ground turkey and egg to hold everything together. My personal favorite is to have these meatballs with spagetti noodles and a white wine/butter sauce and the addition of diced tomatoes and parmesan.

Sausage and Sweet Potato Risotto

The only time I signed up for one of those subscription food delivery services and I’m GRATEFUL because I learned about this recipe and I love it! I’m not typically a sweet potato fan, but the combo of sausage, sage, parmesan and carbs really has made this into one of my top 10 comfort meals of all time!

Get the recipe here: https://www.everyplate.com/recipes/sausage-and-sweet-potato-risotto-5d7ba8cddc834769d955775a

Broccoli Casserole

One of the classic childhood casserole dishes for my family is this one… and it sounds wierd… but it’s so good. It has peanut butter in it! I honestly don’t know what makes this so good, but you have to try it to really understand it. This casserole is on the menu for any family holiday meal, and my kids will even eat it! It’s one of the few casseroles I make, but it’s a good one.

Recipe: Parboil 2-3 heads of broccoli, broken up into stems. Mix 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (smooth or crunchy!) in a large bowl. Add broccoli and mix then pour mixture into a baking dish. Add shredded cheddar cheese on top and bake at 375 until cheese has melted and browned.