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I just made this up right now for dinner, and it was awesome. Measurements are approximate - I just throw things in a cup and whisk away, who knows if it will be good when I make it again.

Ingredients

• juice of half a lemon; ~2 tbl
• hefty spoonful of sour cream; ~2 tbl
• splash of worchestershire sauce
• dash of garlic salt
• sprinkle of chili pepper
• dash of olive oil

Directions

Put first 5 ingredients in a cup, whisk until smooth. Add olive oil and whisk again. This should make more than enough for a large bowl of salad for one. I imagine that if you want to make larger amounts of this, to save for later, you would want to blend the first 5 ingredients in a food processor or blender first, and then add oil while the motor is still running.

• 2 tbl oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4-5 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 2 apples, cubed
• 1 cup apple juice or cider
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 slices of bread, shredded
• Spices (salt/pepper/italian seasoning) as desired
• Optional: 1/2 cup half and half

1. Heat oil in large saucepan and brown onion and garlic (~ 2 min).
2. Add squash and apples, stirring to coat with onion and oil (~ 1 min).
3. Slowly add juice, broth, and bread and stir well. Add spices as desired. Bring to boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer about 40 - 45 minutes until squash is soft.
5. If you prefer a chunky soup - smash squash chunks with a potato masher or hand held mixer, then serve.
6. If you prefer a more smooth bisque like soup - let soup cool to a reasonable temperature and blend a few cups at a time in a blender or food processor. Reheat and serve. For a smoother texture, add 1/2 cup half and half before blending.

Makes approximately 16 1.5 cup servings of soup.

Obviously, this makes a lot of soup For two people, there was so much soup leftover, we had to throw at least a third of it out. It was excellent, and I really enjoyed, but you can only eat it so many times in a row. The reason I used so much squash was to use up a giant squash I received in my Spud Grocery Delivery. After all that soup, I still had another half of squash to use. I will definitely half or even quarter this recipe if I were to use it again.

I was tempted to be lazy and just smash the soup with a potato smasher to eat it right away. But after blending a cup in the blender, I realized that the smooth soup was far more superior in texture and flavor than the smashed version. Maybe if I had some potatoes in there, the smashed version would be substantial enough.

I thoroughly enjoy Mexican food, and I love salsa - though I admit that I’m somewhat more lame because I only like any salsa that is not spicy. Salsa is pretty easily made spicy, however, so add your favorite pepper and you’re good to go.

Ingredients

• 1/4 sweet WallaWalla onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• small handful fresh cilantro

Pretty simple: I threw each item in a food processor, blended a little till mushy, then added the next ingredient in order. Very simple but quick and tasty for a more interesting weeknight dinner. A more subtle flavored version would include roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic. In that case, I would probably add one extra tomato for increased smoothness.

Links:
A more complicated salsa
Roasting technique

This is my favorite eclectic salsa though it always comes out a little different every time I make it.

Ingredients

• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 large avocados, chopped
• 1 ear of yellow corn, cooked and chopped
• 1 roasted tomato
• 1 roasted yellow bell pepper
• 1 roasted orange bell pepper
• 4 cloves of roasted garlic
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• salt & cayenne pepper, to taste

Method
In this salsa I like to use a combination of chunky items and more smooth, mushy items. In general, I believe roasted items tend to do better when processed in a food processor (even if just a little bit).

I start by roasting the bell peppers, tomato, and garlic in the oven. While that is going on, I am also cooking the corn and chopping and combining any leftover ingredients (onion, other tomatoes, etc). When the roasting process is complete, I blend the items in the food processor just a little bit, as to still be slightly chunky. Finally combine everything together in one dish, and add a little salt/cayenne pepper to taste.

Roasting brings out some really nice flavors in a lot of some of my already favorite fresh foods. It’s important to use a good amount of olive oil to cover the item - it ensures there will be less burning while in the oven.

For garlic:
Place entire head on a large piece of tin foil. Drench in olive oil, making sure all parts of the skin are wet. Wrap closed so it kind of looks like a hershey’s kiss.

For tomatoes & peppers:
Cut in half, then dip tomato or pepper in olive oil, making sure all parts are well covered in oil. Lay with skin side up on a cookie sheet or broiler pan.

Cooking:
Leave in 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, checking on them frequently close to the end of that period to make sure nothing is burning (a little blackness is good, full on crispiness is bad). Garlic will often want to be in closer to 30 minutes or sometimes more if it is an especially large head.

For tomatoes and peppers, you’ll want to remove the skins. Immediately after removing them from the oven, place in a dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave it set for 20 minutes or so. When you remove them, from their little enclosure, you should be able to just slide their darkened skins right off.

For the garlic, you can just chop off the pointy end and squeeze the cloves right out of the head.