#SquashFest2016: The Pre-Thanksgiving Warm-Up

Fall is my favorite clock time of the class . After a record - breaking warm autumn , temperatures have finally turn over an ideal level of brittleness on our little Kentucky farm . The odour of tripe cooking on the stove permeates through the farmhouse , and the anticipation of the winter vacation has come upon us . However , this weekend , while households across the area were purchase their turkeys and breaking out their gullible - noggin casserole recipe to prepare for this hebdomad ’s Thanksgiving feasting , I was partake in another tradition that fete the fall crop : Squash Fest .

This almost - annual event was come out by me and my friend who spend right smart too much metre drooling over the pumpkin recipes that penetrate our inboxes by food for thought bloggers this time of year . The influx coincides seamlessly with the pumpkin and squash bumper , and thus Squash Fest was gestate . In the past , we ’ve try everything from squash flatbread and pumpkin coffee patty to groom squash ice cream ( awe-inspiring ) and earl gray pumpkin tea lattes ( disgusting ) . This twelvemonth , the bill of fare card was epic : 10 recipes , 36 hours and four cooks . This was go to be a Squash Fest for the books !

Squash Game On!

take a cue from my dear married man , Mr. B , I created a spreadsheet for the event that was broken into two tabs : ingredients by case , which would assist us determine how much of each we needed , and fixings by recipe , so we could cross - cite the specific needs — for model , to make decisions like whether a formula would be better suited to a butterkin squash rackets or a delicata .

The Squash Fest participants highlight the ingredients they could provide from their harvest time or buttery store on the “ by ingredient type ” tab , and then we pool our fiscal resources for the remaining ingredients that needed purchased .

This , my supporter , is the only way to do Squash Fest . When you live 20 minutes from the nearest grocery store shop , there will be no quick test to the supermarket if you fail to bring the butter . It ’s important to get it right . If you ’re ever to do your own adaptation of Squash Fest , I ’d also suggest institute extras of the staple fiber , as well : flour , egg , sugar , etc . You never know when you ’ll need to quarrel a formula and start over , and sometimes the person doing the ingredient calculations look out over a few eggs that go in a recipe . ( Guilty . )

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The Recipes

With two Squash Fests under our belts , we went into this year like pros . There was some negotiating of the formula lineup , but we take root on a card we were happy with fairly speedily . And I hate to brag , but we opt well : Each and every beauty was absolutely amazing ! We had a laborious fourth dimension picking our favorites of the class , so we did n’t and just chalk it up to our impeccably good taste . Here ’s a peep of what we wangle up . If you ’re think trying any of the recipes , you have my full sustenance .

Round 1: Cazuela de Vaca (Beef and Pumpkin Stew) and Pumpkin Cornbread

A hearty elbow room to start our risky venture , both of these recipes were toothsome and double-dyed for a chilly autumn eve . The beef cattle - and - pumpkin lather will certainly be making appearances in my soup gyration this wintertime .

Recipes viaAll RecipesandBless This Mess

Round 2: Pumpkin, Rye + Chocolate Babka and Drunken Pumpkin Cocktails

allow ’s call this the round of the lucre that would never end . The babka recipe remove 5 hours from starting time to completion , and there were a few moments when we were n’t so sure it would really make an show on the Squash Fest table at all . However , my trusty mate in offense — who has moonlighted in a Greek bakeshop , by the elbow room — hang in and the termination were lusciously ample and gooey . The cocktail — a first for Squash Fest — was essentially a pumpkin - impregnate White Russian , and it helped ease the foresighted bread - making process . While I ’m not certain I ’ll ever attempt the babka again , at least not on my own , this might have been my preferent round .

recipe viaThe Bojon GourmetandHow To Feed A Loon

Round 3: Pumpkin Beer Bread French Toast and Sweet Annie Wedding Mead Mimosas

Gallic goner is probably my preferred breakfast dish that requires syrup , so this was a must for kicking off Day 2 . Unfortunately , pumpkin ale were perpetrate from the shelf by the time we come around to Squash Fest shopping , so we sub in a Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout — a very good decision . One of our newest Squash Fest participant brought along some Margaret Mead made from the sweet Annie that appeared in our wedding fragrance , so we added that to mimosas , mixing 1 part orange tree juice to 1 part mead , to serve alongside the meal .

Recipe viaThe Beeroness

Round 4: Pumpkin Noodles and Pumpkin Gnocchi with Walnut Parsley Pesto

This is the first year that not all of the food made at Squash Fest was consumed at Squash Fest . During this round of drinks , we made recipe for freeze , and one of them let me essay out my new pasta maker . The finding of fact : We take to supply Pasta Fest to the 2017 calendar .

recipe viaBless This MessandFood52

Round 5: Pumpkin Spice Nutella Milkshake with Pumpkin Crunch Topping

I was n’t so certain about this recipe at first . frappe cream and pumpkin and Nutellaandapple cyder ? It sound a bit over - the - top to me . Oh , but was I try out improper . Plus , we added pumpkin leather gone wrong as a crunchy topping — amazing .

Recipe viaFoodness Gracious

Round 6: Pumpkin Spice New Orleans Fried Rice Calas

This avowedly sound a little weird , but I love beignet , which these are sort of similar to , and this blogger ’s recipe never let me down , so it was deserving the gamble — and the results were entirely deserving it , too . The batsman is so simple to mix up , and what better way to practice up Elmer Rice leave over from fuss - fry night ?

Recipe viaJoy the Baker

Round 7: Creamy Butternut Squash Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This was a decent way to end # SquashFest2016 — it tempered the sweet goody from earlier in the solar day and made leftovers , which we enjoyed on into the workweek . alternatively of roll each individual enchilada , we just laid out the tortillas flat , lasagna - style . I ’d do it this way every time for a warm weeknight repast .

Recipe viaBless This Mess

Now our bellies are stretched out and ready for the holiday junket ahead of us . What pumpkin recipes have you indulged in this class ?