We love winter squash. A pre-cut package of butternut squash cubes makes a quick steamed side at dinner (and the leftovers go into tomorrow’s green salad).

But for Sunday night dinner, we have the time to do something more creative, like this beautiful tart from California Olive Ranch (photo #1), made with whole wheat flour and two different types of squash.

You can serve it as a first course, or in a smaller slice with the salad course.

For lunch, serve a larger slice with a green salad on the side.
 
 
RECIPE: FESTIVE SQUASH TART

Ingredients For The Crust

 
For The Filling

 
For The Filling

 
Preparation

1. PLACE a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°.

2. WHISK the whole wheat flour, salt, and 1 cup all-purpose flour in a large bowl to combine. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients with your fingers, smashing between your palms to flatten, until largest pieces are the size of a nickel.

3. DRIZZLE in 6 tablespoons of ice water and rake it in with your fingers. Gently squeeze handfuls of the mixture together until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a work surface and knead until only a few dry spots remain.

4. PAT into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill until very firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

5. ROLL out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛” thick. Transfer to a tart pan. Lift up the edges and allow the dough to slump down into pan.

Gently press the dough into the corners of the pan and trim the excess. (If using springform pan, trim the dough to 1½” up the sides of pan). Freeze until firm, 15–20 minutes, or cover and chill up to 12 hours.

6. Swirl 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet to coat the bottom and add yellow onions; season with kosher salt. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook the onions—stirring occasionally and making sure to scrape bottom of pan—until very soft and deep golden brown, 15–20 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and deeply browned, 25–30 minutes (if any pieces get super dark and stick to the pan, a few drops of water should dislodge them). Let cool.

7. BRUSH the mustard over the chilled dough, then sprinkle with cayenne. Stir the cheese into the caramelized onion mixture and spread across the crust in an even layer.

8. THINLY SLICE both squashes crosswise, using a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Cut the sweet potato and red onion in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise with a mandoline.

9. ARRANGE the vegetables in concentric circles, with the rounded edges facing up. Start from the outside edge, leaning the slices against the crust, and work your way inward.

10. DRIZZLE the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables and season with kosher salt. Bake the tart until the edges of the vegetables are browned (a few spots may even get deeply browned) and the crust is golden brown, 75–90 minutes.

11. DRIZZLE a robust extra-virgin olive oil over the tart. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
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*A full-bodied, peppery flavor of a Tuscan-style olive oil makes it ideal for savory dishes where you want a pronounced olive oil flavor.

[1] A savory squash tart for a special lunch or dinner (photo © California Olive Ranch).

[2] The ingredients (photo © California Olive Ranch).

[3] Delicata squash (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Butternut squash (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] A rich and robust EVOO from California Olive Ranch (photo © California Olive Ranch).

[1] Stuffed Puffs S’mores Kit: chocolate-stuffed marshmallows plus graham crackers (all photos © Stuffed Puffs).

[2] A bag of Stuffed Puffs, individually wrapped with Halloween packaging (year-round bags, not individually wrapped, are also available).

[3] The chocolate inside.

How do you make a big, fluffy marshmallow even better? Stuff it with chocolate.

S’mores around the campfire is been a yummy tradition: a stick, a fire, two toasted marshmallows, a square of chocolate and two graham crackers turn into a delicious chocolate marshmallow sandwich.

While there have been numerous creative uses of s’mores (see our recipe list), as well as flavored marshmallows and chocolate-covered marshmallows, there’s now a true innovation:

Stuffed Puffs.

These marshmallows filled with soft chocolate (photo #3) are a game-changer, both in the marshmallow category and for making S’mores.

Stuffed Puffs were created by Michael Tierney. What seems like an obvious idea, he says, was actually born around a campfire.

While it may seem like a simple idea, it’s very hard to execute—which is why it hasn’t been done before. It took Tierney seven years to work out the details.

Now that chocolate-filled marshmallows are a reality, S’mores lovers no longer have to juggle marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers over the heat—be it a campfire, fireplace, grill or gas stove.

Stuffed Puffs also solve the problem that marshmallows often do not get hot enough to melt the chocolate.

With the chocolate inside the marshmallow, Stuffed Puffs has ingeniously solved the problem: The chocolate melts while the marshmallow toasts. It’s fail-safe.

Stuffed Puffs are a great gift for Halloween and Christmas…but they’re also a treat that requires no holiday.

Whether toasted or out of the bag, just enjoy them!
 
 
BUY STUFFED PUFFS:

 
 
>>>FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT STUFFEDPUFFS.COM<<<

October 23rd is National Boston Cream Pie Day.

Boston Cream Pie is actually a layer cake, not a pie. Two yellow cake layers are filled with vanilla cream and iced with chocolate ganache.

Here’s more about it, and how it got its name—plus a recipe to bake your own from scratch.

But let’s skip the “pie” for a moment, in favor of Boston Cream Cupcakes (photo #1).

Inspired by the original Boston Cream Pie—created at Boston’s Parker House Hotel over 150 years ago—a kit created by King Arthur Flour enables even novice bakers to achieve beautiful results.

The recipe makes moist, golden cupcakes with a rich cream filling and a swirl of fluffy chocolate frosting on top.

With the “surprise” cream filling, they’re a fun, easy homemade dessert or snack.

 
We like this kit as a gift for young bakers or prospective bakers, and have put it on our holiday gift list.

But you don’t need to wait until then to enjoy Boston Cream Cupcakes.
 
 
GET YOUR KIT AT KINGARTHURFLOUR.COM

[1] Adapting Boston Cream Pie to cupcakes (both photos © King Arthur Flour).

[2] The kit: Ready, set, bake!

[1] Autumn mac and cheese, with whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes and kale (photos #1 and #2 © North Carolina Sweet Potatoes).

[2] Beautiful sweet potatoes, grown in North Carolina.

[3] This variety of kale is variously called black Tuscan, dinosaur or lacinato (photo © Good Eggs).

Macaroni and cheese is a favorite in many households: comfort food that sticks to your ribs.

For an autumn touch, this macaroni and cheese recipe incorporates sweet potatoes and kale—not just as seasonal accents, but for added nutrition, too.

It also uses whole wheat pasta, and changes things up by using rotini instead of elbow macaroni.

Originating in northern Italy, rotini are spirals or twists like fusilli, but shorter—about 1-½ inches long, with a tighter spiral that helps retain the sauce better.

They are popularly used in pasta salads as well. For other substitutes, try fusilli, gemelli, penne, rotelle or torchio.

This recipe was developed by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, which has many recipes for sweet potatoes (including a sweet potato ice pop!).
 
 
RECIPE: AUTUMN MAC & CHEESE

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 30 minutes. Be sure not to cook the pasta beyond al dente, because it will get softer when baked.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°. Coat the inside of a large casserole dish with olive oil or butter.

2. PREPARE the pasta according to package directions, cooking to al dente. While the pasta is cooking…

3. Sauté the kale and spices in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Set aside.

4. DRAIN the cooked pasta and let cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, add the pasta, mashed sweet potatoes, spices, and kale to medium bowl and stir to combine.

5. WHISK together in a small bowl the eggs, milk and cheese, and add to the pasta and sweet potato mixture. Mix well and and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with the extra mozzarella.

6. BAKE for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the top begins to brown.

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*Italian Seasoning Recipe: Combine 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons dried parsley, 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon dried thyme. Store in a tightly-capped container.

Our favorite Halloween candies were mini Almond Joys, Mounds, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Skor bars.

But our palate has since progressed beyond their childhood charms.

Thank goodness for Theo’s artisan chocolates. Theo has brought these and more into the quality-chocolate universe.

 
There are also:

 
The line is Certified USDA Organic, plus:

 
So eat all you want: It’s Halloween, and it’s socially responsible chocolate.

You can also load up on stocking stuffers.
 
 
>>>Head to TheoChocolate.com<<<
 
 
THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
 
THE HISTORY OF THE JACK O’LANTERN
 
THE HISTORY OF CANDY CORN
 
THE HISTORY OF TRICK-OR-TREATING

[1] Theo’s organic Peanut Butter Cups (both photos © Theo Chocolate).

[2] Theo’s Salted Toffee Bar.