Spaghetti Squash with Bacon, Spinach and Goat Cheese

I am not sure where I found this recipe on the Internet but I have been wanting to make this for some time.  But, I haven't been able to find spaghetti squash at the farmer's market until this past Sunday!  And I found a big one!!!
 

This is a pretty simple recipe to make.  You probably need to run to the grocery store to get some of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 T olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T maple syrup (didn't have that, so I just used good ole Log Cabin syrup)
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach (fresh - not frozen)
2 - 3 T goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.

Slice the squash into 1 inch thick rings, discarding the two ends.  Cut out the middle seeds.

Place on the parchment sheet, season with salt and pepper, flip so the other side will get coated with the olive oil and season that side with salt and pepper.
Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes.  When done, set the squash aside for 10 minutes, makes it easier to peel the outer skin off.
I bought the best bacon at the meat department at our local grocery store, big thick slices - yum!!!

Over medium heat, cook the bacon slices until the edges start to brown slightly.

Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until the bacon is crispy - about 5 minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar, this will deglaze your pan so the bacon will not stick to the bottom of the pan. 
Add the maple syrup (oh, your house will smell wonderful!!!)

Stir until everything is combined.  Add the spinach, a handful at a time until the spinach wilts.

Turn off the burner.
Peel the skin away from the squash, using a fork or your hands, pull the strands of spaghetti squash apart and add them to the skillet.
Add the goat cheese and toss everything together!!

Entire Recipe:

Ingredients:1 medium spaghetti squash
1 T olive oil
6 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T maple syrup (didn't have that, so I just used good ole Log Cabin syrup)
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach (fresh - not frozen)
2 - 3 T goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil.
Slice the squash into 1 inch thick rings, discarding the two ends.  Cut out the middle seeds.
Place on the parchment sheet, season with salt and pepper, flip so the other side will get coated with the olive oil and season that side with salt and pepper.
Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes.  When done, set the squash aside for 10 minutes, makes it easier to peel the outer skin off.
Over medium heat, cook the bacon slices until the edges start to brown slightly.
Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until the bacon is crispy - about 5 minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar, this will deglaze your pan so the bacon will not stick to the bottom of the pan. 
Add the maple syrup (oh, your house will smell wonderful!!!)
Stir until everything is combined.  Add the spinach, a handful at a time until the spinach wilts.
Turn off the burner.
Peel the skin away from the squash, using a fork or your hands, pull the strands of spaghetti squash apart and add them to the skillet.
Add the goat cheese and toss everything together!!
ENJOY!!!

COMMENTS:

Oh, this was good!!  A couple of mistakes that I made.  First, I think I should have used a smaller spaghetti squash - at least, one a little bit smaller than the one I did use.  Secondly, I should have cooked the bacon a little bit longer.  But, overall, this was really good!!  My husband loved it.  This definitely will be made again!

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My Search is Over!! The Perfect Pizza Crust

After years (well, maybe not years . . . more like 1 year but it seemed like years!) I think I FINALLY found the "perfect" pizza dough recipe that my resident expert really loved!!  And where else would I find it but on the Fleischmann Yeast website!!  Of course!!  They have a HUGE section devoted to pizza making - every type of pizza imaginable - dessert pizzas, calzones, vegetarian pizzas . . . you named, it is probably there!!

And I found this recipe there . . . Thin Crust Pizza - what I have been looking for!!  My husband hasn't been thrilled with my pizza dough recipe and I was about ready to throw away my baking stone (not really!!).  But I didn't want to buy store bought pizza and the pizza stores' pizza can be expensive.  And I do prefer homemade!  So I was thrilled with I saw this recipe and decided to give it a try.  Of course, I didn't have all the ingredients to make a pizza (no pepperoni, so I just substitute polish kielbasa instead - made for an "interesting" pizza!!)  But my main objective was to see how good the pizza dough was.

So onto the recipe . . .

Thin Crust Pizza by Fleischmann's Yeast

Ingredients:

1 3/4 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast or RapidRise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups very warm water (120 to 130F)
3 T oil (I used olive oil but I think any vegetable oil would work)
pizza sauce or tomato sauce
your favorite toppings
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

Mix together 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Add the very warm water and oil.

Mix until blended.

Gradually add the rest of the flour, the dough will be sticky.

Take the dough and knead on a floured surface, adding more flour as needed.  Knead the dough until smooth and no longer "sticky" - about 4 minutes.

If you used the RapidRise yeast, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

Here the directions said to divide the dough into two equal parts (this is supposed to make 2 12 inch pizzas).  I was only going to make one big pizza, so I skipped this step.

Roll out the dough on flour countered top and place on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet.  Form a rim around the edge of the dough.

Spread with the pizza sauce or tomato sauce and cover with your favorite toppings.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, the cheese should be bubbly and the crust should be brown.

Enjoy!!!

Entire Recipe:

Thin Crust Pizza by Fleischmann's Yeast

Ingredients:

1 3/4 to 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope Fleischmann's Pizza Crust Yeast or RapidRise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cups very warm water (120 to 130F)
3 T oil (I used olive oil but I think any vegetable oil would work)
pizza sauce or tomato sauce
your favorite toppings
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

Mix together 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Add the very warm water and oil.

Mix until blended.

Gradually add the rest of the flour, the dough will be sticky.

Take the dough and knead on a floured surface, adding more flour as needed.  Knead the dough until smooth and no longer "sticky" - about 4 minutes.

If you used the RapidRise yeast, let the dough rest for about 10 minutes.

Here the directions said to divide the dough into two equal parts (this is supposed to make 2 12 inch pizzas).  I was only going to make one big pizza, so I skipped this step.

Roll out the dough on flour countered top and place on a greased pizza pan or baking sheet.  Form a rim around the edge of the dough.

Spread with the pizza sauce or tomato sauce and cover with your favorite toppings.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, the cheese should be bubbly and the crust should be brown.

Enjoy!!!

Comments:

My husband loved it!!  This will now be my "go to" recipe when I make homemade pizza.  It was good.  Perfect crust - if you like thin crust pizzas.  The only mistake I made was baking it on the baking stone, parts of the crust stuck to the stone.  The next time I will use a pizza pan or baking sheet. 


 

Peach Cobbler Revisited

The search for the PERFECT peach cobbler continues . . .

This irecipe is a combination recipe from two different cookbooks.  If you will remember, I recently made one by Paula Deen which I thought was too soggy but my husband liked it.  Since then, I tied another recipe by Better Homes and Gardens, he hated it.  So I found one in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook that sounded good but I didn't like how she prepared the fruit.  So I used the method in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  So here is my Peach Cobbler from both Fannie Farmer and Better Homes with a few slight modifications (of course!!)

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling by Better Homes and Gardens

4 cups fresh, sliced and skinned peaches (removed the middle stone)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, add the sliced peaches.

Add the sugar, cornstarch and water.

Heat over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish

Crust by Fannie Farmer

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, chilled and sliced in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or milk ** (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup cream - made dough too wet)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a  large mixing bowl.


Add the pieces of butter into the flour.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Slowly add the cream or milk and mix.


Gather the dough into a "shaggy mix" and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on top of the fruit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Entire Recipe

Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling by Better Homes and Gardens

4 cups fresh, sliced and skinned peaches (removed the middle stone)
1/3 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a saucepan, add the sliced peaches.

Add the sugar, cornstarch and water.

Heat over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish

Crust by Fannie Farmer

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T butter, chilled and sliced in pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or milk ** (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup cream - made dough too wet)

Preheat the oven to 375

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a  large mixing bowl.

Add the pieces of butter into the flour.  I used a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sugar and stir to combine.

Slowly add the cream or milk and mix.

Gather the dough into a "shaggy mix" and knead 4 or 5 times.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on top of the fruit.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned.

Fantastic with a scoop of ice cream!!

 Enjoy!!

Verdict:

So what did my resident expert think . . . he thought it was very good.  He still thought Paula had the better cobbler, even though I thought it was soggy (what do I know??).   I did think this was a good recipe and you could make any type of cobbler with it - apple, blueberry, etc.