Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

2 really large squash were given to us this year (they were almost 1 1/2 feet long with very little seeds). So I had to come up with a useful way to use this much of that veggie. Cut 1 squash in 1/2 and core out the middle (leaving a trench with 1" of squash around the sides. ****cube the interior flesh you take out and freeze for use in stews this winter! Leave skin on to stabilize the shape. Place into cake pan with 3/4" water. In a bowl mix: 1 cup cooked rice 1lb ground beef/pork/turkey/chicken 1/2 tsp minced garlic diced onions to taste diced green peppers to taste S&P 1 tsp italian seasoning PLUS any other veggie like mushrooms, celery or corn 1 cubed apple with or without skin stuff into you your hollowed out squash. With foil tent cover the cake pan. Bake at 325 for 2-3 hours or until flesh is tender and can be poked with a fork. Remove from oven to set (like a lasagna). Serve with a salad and/or on a bed of pasta. In a sauce pot: 1- 1 1/2 cups of apple juice/lefto...

The whole family enjoys this chicken! The dinner also included some carrot sticks and a salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. 1 cup unsweetened apple juice 1 tbsp each Dijon mustard and lemon juice 1 large shallot, minced 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp dried rosemary 1/8 tsp black pepper 2 tsp olive oil 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or 8 bone & skinless chicken thighs small) 1/4 cup low fat sour cream 1 tsp each honey and cornstarch Combine apple juice, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, shallot, thyme, rosemary and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Add apple juice mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered for 5-7 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Gently boil remaining liquid for 3 minutes until slightly reduced in volume. Mix sour cream, honey and cornstarch in a small bow...