The Walsh Cookbook

For this, I started with a basic butternut squash soup recipe, but added a whole bunch of sage and nutmeg, and it turned out to be delicious!  My dad even managed to eat a little bit, fulfilling his vegetable quota for a few days!  Anyway, really easy and full of veggies, and because it's blended you can hide this fact!  My boyfriend has no idea that there are TWO sticks of celery in this, and he loves it.  And he considers celery to be several steps worse than poisonous.  I don't think he really reads our blog, but it looks like I'll find out if he starts refusing to eat it! what you'll need 3 Tbsp butter 2 lbs butternut squash, cubed 1 onion, chopped finely 2 potatoes, cubed 2 sticks celery, sliced 1 large carrot, sliced 4 cups chicken stock 1 handful sage leaves, chopped roughly 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp salt freshly ground pepper

My mom found this recipe online in the Oregonian and sent it to me. I intended to make it for my friend Becca but I ended up making myself 4 cups of chai yesterday with her present. Needless to say, I had to make another batch. It's so easy to make and use AND it stores for up to 6 months! I'm on my second cup already this morning and looking forward to a couple more.  Also, if you're not a tea drinker, it's good in coffee too. Merry Christmas everyone! 

We do this for brunch every year on Christmas, because it's delicious and easy.  I make it on New Year's sometimes too, because you put it all together ahead of time, and then in the morning all you have to do is throw it in the oven.  It's from a Canadian cookbook given to us by the Kestles called The Best of The Best And More, which is full of other great recipes too, like Brendan's Parmesan and Basil Orzo .   what you will need: 3 4-oz. cans mild green chilies, chopped 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1" strips 2 lbs hot Italian sausage, casing removed, cooked, drained 2 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup milk 8 eggs 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp onion salt 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper paprika to sprinkle 2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced salsa and sour cream for condiments

Chocolate crinkle cookies are my favorite Christmastime cookie. Well, they're my favorite anytime cookie. They are so pretty looking and taste so good with a big glass of milk. And they remind me of snow which I am missing a lot lately.   I haven't made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies for a long, long time and since I made them, I've been enjoying them for an afternoon snack, for a pre-bedtime snack, for a post-lunch treat and sometimes for breakfast. The list goes on... This is why I don't make cookies often! This recipe is from the Crepes of Wrath blog. 

This is a wonderful, hearty winter soup from my favorite cookbook of all time, "The Frog/Commissary Cookbook".  That's quite a statement from me as I own kind of a lot of cookbooks...(hush, you kids--no telling on me!). At any rate, I bought this book many, many years ago and I find that it is still my go-to reliable source for everything good. I get cravings for the flavors of this soup.  It is thick, substantial and so delicious--and also works well as a pasta sauce.  If you would like to make it without the sausage, that works great too--just increase the eggplant and maybe the fennel too.