Like Buttah(nut squash... stuffed)

So not everything that I cook has alcohol in it... but rest assured, I believe in cooking with vino in hand (or nearby because safety comes first).  Here is a delicious fall recipe that is wicked easy to make.

Ingredients
1 Butternut Squash
1 tbs olive oil
2 Shallots
3 large mushrooms
2 tbs minced garlic (or two - three cloves)
1 Red Pepper, chopped
2 Turkey Sausage Links (preferrably of the Italian variety)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp Red Pepper (feel free to add more if you want it spicier)
1 egg white

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp. 
3. Place squash cut side down into a glass baking pan and fill with 1/2 inch of water
4. Bake for 45 minutes - keep your oven on
5. While squash is baking, combine garlic, shallots and mushrooms in a food processor (I use the Ninja... it is amazing).  You will want to blend until the ingredients are of a paste consistency
6. Heat olive oil in a larger skillet over medium heat (do NOT burn your olive oil!).  Remove sausage from casing and break apart as you place it in the skillet. add peppers, half of the garlic mixture and all remaining spices, then cook thoroughly
7. Remove squash from the oven, scrape the pulp from the rinds into a bowl, and set the rinds back in the glass cookware
8. Mash the pulp with a potato masher
9. Mix in the sausage mix and add egg white and remaining garlic mixture
10. Scoop the mixture back into your reserved rinds and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees
11. Serve! (with whatever is remaining from your bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)

Approximate Nutritional Info (serving size: 2)
Calories per serving: 267
Fat: 11.2g (2.2g saturated)
Carbohydrates: 31.4g
Sugars: .7g
Protein: 15.2g

Spiced Autumn Muffins

These little guys are about 115 calories each.  This recipe makes approximately 18 muffins (12 oversized).

Ingredients
1 Egg
3/4 C Almond Milk
2 tbs + 1 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp Spiced Rum
1/3 C Baking Splenda
1 Medium Apple (I recommend gala or mcintosh) - peeled and chopped
3/4 C Dried Cranberries
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C Quick Oats
1/4 Salt
1 tbs Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Mix together the egg, milk, oil, rum, apple and splenda. 
• In a separate bowl, combine cranberries, flour, oats, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon. 
• Fold egg into dry mixture then add the wet mix to the dry.
• Pour into lined a lined cupcake tin, bake for 12-15 minutes

Duck Duck (Devils)

In honor of our first weekend in our new state (I recently moved to Kansas with my boyfriend, for those that do not know), I decided to be fancy and roast up a duck.  It also happens to be ASU vs. Oregon weekend so I thought it was fitting.

Ingredients - serves two

1 - 5lb Duck (Peking is what you'll find at Whole Foods, which is what I used)

Kosher Salt - to taste

Black Pepper - to taste

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup Agave Syrup

3 tablespoons Cointreau

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon (or more) Siracha

Prep - 3 to 24 hours for defrosting, 30 for cooking prep

• Defrost the duck.  This can either be done by placing it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours OR by placing it in a cold water bath for three hours.  If you do the cold water bath, I recommend changing the water every 30 minutes or so
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and place the oven rack on the third level from the top.
• Remove the innards from the duck (liver, kidneys, etc) and rinse out the cavity. 
• Cut off any access skin from around the neck and cavity but be careful not to cut into the actual meat of the bird.  Ensure that any residual feathers are removed
• At an angle, score the skin (again, careful not to hit the meat) so that the back of the bird looks like it has a diamond pattern
• Pierce the skin all over with the knife.  This ensures that the fatty juices are released and makes for a crispier bird
• Cross the bird's legs and secure with butchers twine, then fold the wings under the belly of the bird 
• Sprinkle the bird with salt and pepper to taste and place on a roasting pan

Cooking Instructions - 4 hours

• Place bird, breast side up, in the oven for 1 hour
• At the one hour mark, remove the bird from the oven.  Pierce the skin with a sharp knife to release the fat, then flip the bird over so the breast side is down.  Place the bird in the oven for 55 minutes
• 1 hour, 55 minute mark - remove bird, pierce, flip (breast side is now up) and place back in the oven for 55 minutes
• Two hour, 50 minute mark - remove bird, pierce, flip (breast side is down) and place back in the oven for 55 minutes
•  Make the glaze: Combine all remaining ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk consistently until the ingredients become a syrupy glaze (takes about 10 minutes).
• Three hour, 45 minute mark - remove the bird from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees.  (If you want to save the duck fat for future cooking, you will want to empty this out now.)  Flip the bird so that is it breast side up and cover it in the glaze.  When the oven reaches the optimal temperature, place the bird back in the oven for 5-7 minutes.  Remove from oven.

It will come out looking something like this:

Congratulations, you just roasted a duck.  Serve with your favorite Pinot, maybe a risotto and asparagus.