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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Maple Syrup and More

While we were on Cape Cod, I bought a new cookbook called Cranberry Cooking for All Seasons.  Not only do we love cranberries, but the intro is a wonderful history of the cranberry in New England.  I had a bag of cranberries to use up.  Ditto several butternut squash and some chicken breasts.  I found a recipe for stuffed acorn squash and thought it'd be good done with a baby butternut.  It was.  We gave it a five.  I hunted thru the chicken recipes I've clipped and found one that went perfectly - chicken breasts glazed with a mix of fresh ginger, soy sauce and maple syrup.  Last, but not least, I just bought the new Ina Garten cookbook.  It's called Back to Basics and has her typical scrumptious fare plus gorgeous photos.  I thought I'd seen a salad I liked when I read the cookbook.  Right.  Not only was it there, it also has maple syrup in the dressing.  Perfect.

Glazed Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c maple syrup (shagbark hickory would work as well)
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
sprinkle of cayenne

I used the skillet in which I'd browned the bacon for the salad.  The fond undoubtedly added to the depth of flavor in the glaze.  Brown the breasts on both sides.  When they're within about 10 min of being done, pour the glaze over them.  Baste them with the glaze every minute or so. 

Butternut Squash stuffed with Cranberries

1 very small butternut squash
1/3 c chopped pecans
1/2 c chopped fresh cranberries
2 tbs brown sugar
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c orange marmalade
sprinkle of cinnamon.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds.  Bake cut side down for 15 min at 350.  Turn the squash over and stuff them with the filling.  Bake for another 15 min.

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