eclaire (what's in a) name?

i promised all of you the recipe for my homemade applesauce that i made for our sixth annual latke party, and so here it is as an early christmas present! i have to start off with the disclaimer that i LOVE apples, but i am really not a huge fan of applesauce. there aren’t many things that i enjoy as much as a crispy, tart, and flavorful bite of apple. my dad used to take me apple tasting at the ucsc farm and garden when i was little, and taught me to really delight in the differences between apple varieties – kind of like wine tasting for all ages. now, i look forward to picking out all sorts of new and exciting varieties of apples (plus the old favorites) to eat and compare notes with mike on the sweetness, crispness, texture, bite, etc.

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way back in december of 2003, i was sitting at the dentist office, waiting for my turn to have my teeth cleaned, and i stumbled across an article about latke parties. the article suggested throwing a food-based holiday party instead of coordinating a gift-giving secret pal party or a white elephant party. the article advocated latkes and homemade applesauce as the food of choice, and i decided that we had to throw a latke party that year to celebrate the holidays and create a secular event that all of our friends could attend, regardless of religious beliefs. and let’s face it, fried potatoes and homemade applesauce are amazing.

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now that it’s winter and butternut squash is in the stores again, i can finally share one of my all time favorite recipes with you – yep, you guessed it from the title – butternut squash lasagna. ever since mike and i stumbled across it in the april 2006 vegetarian times, it’s held a very special place in our hearts and stomachs. it’s so delicious, and it pleases such a wide audience of eaters that we make all the time in the winter and spring. i can’t imagine going back to regular lasagna after eating this dish – it’s that good.
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my favorite meals to make are hearty, fairly simple dishes that leave lots of yummy leftovers for lunches and dinners later in the week. thus, i rarely gravitate towards entrees with humongous lists or complicated preparations for my usual weeknight fare. but every so often, there’s a fancier, more complicated recipe that grabs me and i convince myself that it will be worth the extra time to create a spectacular meal.

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hello, dear readers! how was thanksgiving? mine was wonderful – beginning the wednesday night before thanksgiving and lasting right up through sunday night, mike and i were lucky enough to spend time with all four of our parents, plus their significant others, plus our sisters, plus lots of friends – we couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate the last of fall! unfortunately, i was so busy cooking and enjoying our company on thanksgiving that i barely took any pictures – except for a few of the table and all of us sitting down to eat. i hope all of your thanksgivings were full of good friends and family as well!

but now the leftovers have been consumed, dishes are all washed and put away, stomachs are enlarged from the feasting, and taste buds are tingling for more rich and hearty food. but for the sake of detoxing a little from the pounds of butter, sugar, and carbs – what can we make that will satisfy us, get us back on track with healthy eating, and most importantly, be quick to save our feet from standing up in the kitchen for many more hours? may i suggest cheater beans?

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