Despite this September being the hottest September ever on record in Vegas, fall has finally arrived today with a sudden 20 degree drop from yesterday’s temperature. I’m giddy with excitement and am already planning on what I’m going to braise to take advantage of the cooler temperatures.

This Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette makes for a delectable fall weeknight dinner, either as a main vegetarian course or as a side dish to a nice bit of roasted meat. The roasted squash becomes delectably sweet from the roasting but retains a tart edge with the lime-spiked chile vinaigrette. This acorn squash recipe makes enough for 4 main course dishes at 97 cents per serving.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette
2 acorn squash
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat your oven to 450 F degrees and place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and cut off the stem ends. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut the squash halves lengthwise again to make 3/4-inch-wide wedges.

Toss the wedges with pepper, salt, and 2 tablespoons of oil in a large bowl. Arrange the seasoned squash on a backing dish with the cut sides down. Let the squash roast until the wedges are tender and the squash is golden brown, around 25 to 35 minutes. Halfway through the roasting, turn over the wedges so the other side can brown.

While the squash is roasting, make the chile vinaigrette by mincing the garlic and whisking it with the lime juice, chile, cilantro, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Mix everything together and season to taste.

To serve the dish, arrange the squash, browned sides up, on a platter and then drizzle with the chile vinaigrette.

I saw these Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl on the front cover of the August issue of Gourmet magazine and fell in love with them instantly. I didn’t buy the magazine when I first saw it, but then couldn’t get them out of my head. I remember making Carlo search every book store in the Vegas airport for the magazine when we were flying back to Texas one time this summer. Thankfully he found the magazine and I’ve just been sitting on the recipe waiting for an excuse to make them since 2 people don’t need a huge slab of ice cream sandwiches to eat by themselves!

The opportunity came a couple of weekends ago when we had some friends over to watch the Texas football game. After dreaming about what these ice cream sandwiches would taste like for a couple of months, they did not disappoint. The brownie sandwich layer was nice and chewy, but the star of the dessert was the tangy lemon ice cream cut by the sweetness of the blueberry swirl. Hands down the best ice cream sandwich that I’ve ever eaten and for the wow factor, they were fairly easy to make. The Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl easily make enough for 10 slices at 97 cents per serving.

Lemon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Blueberry Swirl
Lemon Ice Cream:
2 pints premium vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

Blueberry Compote:
1 cup blueberries
1/8 cup sugar
1 (3-by 2 1/2-inch) strip lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons cornstarch

Brownie Sandwich Layers:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Unfortunately, I had yet to receive my ice cream maker from my brother-in-law for my birthday, so instead of making the lemon ice cream from scratch, I doctored some store bought vanilla ice cream.

To make the lemon ice cream, let the pints sit out on the counter for a bit until they have softened. If you don’t have time to do that, put the ice cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up on the lowest microwave level in 10-second intervals until it is soft.

Stir the lemon zest and juice into the vanilla ice cream. I kept on adding extra lemon juice until I got a real lemony flavour. Thinly spread the ice cream in a large baking dish and let it freeze while you continue making the compote and brownie sandwich layers.

The blueberry compote is really easy to make: just cook the blueberries, sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat. Crush the blueberries with a potato masher until all the juices are released and the sugar has dissolved into the mixture, around 2 or so minutes.

Mix the lemon juice and cornstarch together, then add it to the blueberries. Let everything boil for a minute until the compote thickens. Let the compote chill until it is cool and then discard the lemon zest.

Preheat the oven to 375¬?F with the rack set in the middle. Butter 2 8×8-inch baking pans and line them with foil leaving a 1-inch overhang on each side. Finish up by thoroughly buttering the foil.

To make the brownie sandwich layers, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Beat together the butter and brown sugar in another bowl until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then whisk in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture in 2 batches and mix everything until it is just combined.

Divide the brownie batter between the baking pans and spread it into thin, even layers. Bake the brownies until they are golden-brown but still tender, around 20 minutes. Let them cool completely in the pans, about 30 minutes or so.

Remove the lemon ice cream from the freezer and dot a few tablespoons of blueberry compote over it. Gently swirl the compote into the ice cream.

Spoon all of the ice cream over 1 of the brownie layers that is still in the pan and spread it to create a nice and even layer. Invert the second sandwich layer over the ice cream and press down gently to form an even sandwich.

Tightly wrap the ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap, including the bottom pan. For best results, freeze the sandwich overnight. You can keep the ice cream sandwich in the freezer for up to a week if it is very tightly wrapped.

To serve, remove the ice cream sandwich brick from the freezer and let it warm up a little bit on the counter so it isn’t rock solid. Remove the plastic wrap and then slice it up as thick as you want.

This recipe taunted us from the cover of Food & Wine magazine for a few months before we gave in and finally made it, and it satisfied our craving for a big juicy burger. The homemade Russian dressing was a nice touch and made it extra tasty. This recipe makes enough for 6 burgers at $2.42 per serving.

Cheddar BLT Burgers with Tarragon Russian Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons sweet relish, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces thickly sliced bacon
1 1/3 pounds ground beef chuck
1 1/3 pounds ground beef sirloin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 6 slices
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted, or you can use any other type of bread like we did with brioche
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
6 slices of tomato
6 slices of red onion

In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the ketchup, red wine vinegar, onion, parsley, tarragon, sweet relish, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover it and place it in the fridge while you prep the burgers.

In a large skillet, salt and pepper the bacon and then cook it a moderately high heat, turning the pieces over once until the bacon is crispy, around 6 minutes or so. Drain the bacon on paper towels to get rid of any excess grease.

Light the bbq grill and let it heat up. While it is heating up, place the butter on the grill in a small metal dish to let it melt.

Gently mix the ground chuck with the ground sirloin (or plain ground beef if that is all you have), and thoroughly salt and pepper the meat. Divide the meat into six equal portions and form the patties in your hand, each one around 1 1/4 inches thick.

Place the burgers on the grill and brush them with some of the melted butter. Grill them over a high heat for 9 minutes to achieve a nice medium-rare burger. Turn them once during the grilling and brush the other side with a bit more butter. Place the cheese on top of the burgers right before they are fully cooked and let the cheese melt.

You can also put the buns or bread on the grill too and brush with a little butter to add a nice crunch to your burger as well.

To serve the burgers, spread the Russian dressing on the bottom of the buns and top with lettuce and tomatoes. Set the burger over this and top with the onion and slices of bacon to enjoy a really good and juicy burger.

Today is the first day of fall, so it is only appropriate to post the perfect fall salad today: Spiced Butternut Squash, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad. The sweetness of the squash combined with the nuttiness of the French Puy lentils and the creamy tang of the goat cheese equals a hearty welcome to the fall with an explosion of different flavours and textures.

I can’t seem to get enough of the early fall squashes that have been hitting our farmers’ market lately. After a summer of too many zucchinis, the earthiness of the fall squashes, especially when roasted, are making me look forward to lots of experimenting with them over the upcoming months. This salad recipe makes enough for 6 salads at $1.25 per serving.

Spiced Butternut Squash, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad
3/4 cup French Puy green lentils
2 pounds peeled seeded butternut squash or sugar pumpkin
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Put the lentils in a small bowl, and cover them with water and let them soak for around 10 minutes. Drain them and then cook the lentils in boiling salted water until they are tender but still have a bit of bite to them, around 30 minutes. Drain the lentils and rinse them under cold water to stop them from cooking, then drain again and let them cool.

Combine the cumin, paprika, and sea salt with 2 tablespoons of olive oil to create the marinade for the butternut squash.

We decided to grill the squash on the bbq, so I brushed the marinade onto the halved squash and let it cook until the squash was tender and had some nice grill marks on it, around 15 to 20 minutes. Then I cut up the squash into 1-inch cubes for the salad and let it cool.

If you don’t want to grill the squash, you can preheat an oven to 375¬?F and roast them. Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes and toss the pieces with the marinade. Place the squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them for 20 minutes. Turn the pieces over and let them roast until they are tender for a further 10 to 15 minutes. Once the squash is cooked, let it cool before assembling the salad.

To serve the salad, lay down a bed of arugula and then top with the lentils, butternut squash, and goat cheese. Sprinkle the chopped mint over the salad and season with salt and pepper. Dress with olive oil and red wine vinegar for a hearty fall treat.

Out of all the jams that I’ve made this summer, this Peach Jam just might be my favourite. Instead of cutting the peaches up into small pieces so they would cook down into a smoother jam, I kept them quite large so the resulting jam is full of really big chunks of fresh peaches in a nice syrup. I think I’m going to make one last batch before peaches go out of season at the farmers’ market and I might add some fresh grated ginger as a nice compliment to the peaches. This recipe makes enough for 3 1/2-pint jars of jam at 19 cents per ounce.

Peach Jam
2 1/2 pounds peaches—peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a large stainless saucepan, toss the cut peaches with the sugar and let them stand for about an hour until most of the sugar is dissolved. Stir every now and again so all the sugar gets mixed up.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the peaches in the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook over a moderate heat, stirring, until the liquid runs off the side of a spoon in thick heavy drops, around 20 to 25 minutes. If any scum rises to the surface of the jam, just skim it off.

Once the jam is thick enough, spoon the jam into 3 1/2-pint jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top. Close the jars and let the jam cool to room temperature. Store the jam in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Most morning mornings, I put a dollop of peach jam in my Greek yogurt and Kashi for breakfast, and for an extra special treat, I like to use it as a topping for vanilla ice cream too.

Living in Texas for 12 years built a certain appreciation for enchiladas in me. It’s hard not to love some cheesy, gooey, spicy ones — but this veggie twist was really excellent, too, and made great use of some nice seasonal vegetables. Plus, you can cook it on the grill so you don’t have to heat up the kitchen. The pumpkin seed salsa was pretty unique and an unexpected success as well — a nice mix of salty, spicy, herby and cumin.

This Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchilada recipe makes enough for 4 dinners at $1.88 per serving.

Zucchini and Red Pepper Enchiladas with Two Salsas
For enchiladas:
1 large onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
2 red bell peppers, quartered
3/4 pound medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 soft corn tortillas
6 ounces crumbled feta cheese

For Pumpkin-Seed Salsa:
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/3 cups raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups water

For Tomato Salsa:
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh serrano chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preheat a gas grill at medium heat. Oil the grill rack and then put all of the veggies on the grill until they are tender with a nice bit of char on them (around 6 to 8 minutes for bell peppers and zucchini; 10 to 12 minutes for onion).

To make the pumpkin-seed salsa, cook the chile, garlic, cumin, and pumpkin seeds in oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture until the pumpkin seeds pop, around 4-5 minutes. Keep aside 3 tablespoons of the seeds to top the enchiladas, but pur?©e the remaining seeds and oil with cilantro, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a blender until smooth.

The tomato salsa is even easier: mix together the chopped tomatoes, onion, chile, lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to taste.

To assemble the enchiladas, start by warming up the tortillas. You can either do this by wrapping the tortillas in stacks of 6 in foil and then heating them in a 350 F degree oven for about 15 minutes. Or you can take a couple of damp paper towels and wrap them around the tortillas and put them in the microwave for 1 minute increments until they are soft.

To assemble the enchiladas, cut the vegetables into strips. Spread 2 teaspoons of pumpkin-seed salsa on each warm tortilla and top with some of the grilled vegetables. Roll up the enchilada like a cigar and then you are done, or if you really want to you can them fry them like it calls for in the original recipe.

To serve the enchiladas, drizzle them with the remaining pumpkin-seed salsa and sprinkle a few of the reserved seeds on top with some feta cheese. Add a big dollop of tomato salsa on the side for a nice vegetarian play on enchiladas.

Carlo and I got hooked on soup for lunch when we lived in Austin and we would order from the Soup Peddler each week. He would deliver vacuum sealed packs of all kinds of soup to our house that were the perfect serving size for lunch for 2 people. Most times we would place the soup packets in the freezer and then defrost them as needed. Man, the Soup Peddler was so awesome, especially when the weather got cooler!

Sadly there is no Soup Peddler-equivalent in Vegas, but I did make a HUGE pot of soup last week that was just as delicious as anything that we ordered from him. This Soupe Au Pistou, or Provencal Vegetable Soup, is crammed full of veggies and has a mellow depth to it from the added saffron. But what really makes the soup is the pistou, a twist on pesto but with the addition of tomato paste. It adds a nice freshness and brightness to the soup so the soup doesn’t taste like just any old veggie soup from a can. Also the soup really fills you up and feels like a real meal so you aren’t starving a couple of hours later.

When I make soup, I normally make a large vat so we can have lunch for a few days and then I also put the soup in individual serving sized containers and freeze them for a later date. This soup freezes really well, which is good since the recipe makes enough for 8 large bowls of soup at $1.71 per serving.

Soupe Au Pistou
Soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 chopped onions
3 chopped leeks, white and light green parts
1 pound 1/2-inch-diced unpeeled boiling potatoes
1 pound 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 quarts homemade chicken stock or canned broth
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 pound green beans, ends removed and cut in half
4 ounces spaghetti, broken in pieces

Pistou:
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
24 large basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup good olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot, and add the onions. Saute them over a low heat for around 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots, salt, and pepper to the pot and saute them over medium heat for another 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and saffron to the mix. Bring everything to a boil, then let it simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, or until all of the veggies are tender. Add the green beans and spaghetti to the pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes.

To make the pistou, whiz together the garlic, tomato paste, basil, Parmesan, and olive oil in a food processor until everything is mixed to create a paste. To keep its colour when you put the pistou in the fridge, place it into a container and pour a light film of olive oil on top and cover the container with a lid.

Finish off the soup by stirring 1/4 cup of the pistou into the hot soup, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup by topping each bowl with a big dollop of pistou to complete the dish.

Keeping in line with last’s week post about trying to savor the last of the summer fruit and veg, here is a savory dessert using up the last of the summer’s peaches. Grilled peaches and Manchego cheese may sound like an odd combination, but the saltiness of the Spanish sheep’s milk cheese really plays off the sweetness of the peaches. This recipe for Grilled Peaches with Manchego and Balsamic Glaze makes enough for 4 desserts at 77 cents per serving.

Grilled Peaches with Manchego and Balsamic Glaze
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
4 firm ripe peaches, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 ounce Manchego cheese, shaved

I used some delicious donut peaches from the Farmers’ Market, but there are still lots of white and yellow peaches on sale on the West Coast for you to get your fill of peaches until next year. You can also substitute the peaches for other good looking stone fruit if peach season has already ended in your area.

Preheat a clean bbq grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat.

Mix together the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then gently let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until everything is reduced to about 3 tablespoons to make a thick glaze.

Lightly brush the peach halves with a little bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill the fruit by placing the cut side down first for 1 minute and then switching sides for another 1 minute.

Serve the grilled peach halves with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and then top each serving with some Manchego cheese.

Carlo and I had a wonderful time camping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon over the Labor Day weekend. Aside from a torrential thunder and hail storm on Friday night, the weekend was perfect from the cool alpine weather to the breathtaking scenery.

Carlo also picked out some great food to cook too. We made a huge pot of Texas Beef Brisket Chili on Friday night and it totally warmed us up after getting drenched in the thunderstorm! Making the chili was really easy: we chopped everything up and made the adobo sauce before we left Vegas, and just put everything in baggies or containers in the cooler. We threw everything into a huge pot on top of our portable stove and the chili cooked itself while we sat around the campfire drinking beer.

We also prepared all the ingredients for an Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, but since we came back a day early due to more storms heading to the Grand Canyon, we made it when we got home, even though it would have been another great recipe to whip up on the camp stove. This soup recipe is super easy to make and is very hearty from the combination of sausage and the cheese tortellini. After eating this, I wondered why I don’t eat tortellini more often, they are so yummy! The Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup feeds 6 people at $1.64 per serving.

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
5 cups beef stock or canned broth
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized red or green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
8 to 10 ounces purchased fresh cheese tortellini
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Saut?© the Italian sausage in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it is cooked through, around 10 minutes. While it is cooking, use the back of the spoon or spatula to break up the sausage into small pieces. Once the sausage is cooked, transfer it from the pot until later.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the sausage drippings from the Dutch oven, and then add the onion and garlic and saut?© them until translucent, about 5 minutes. Return the sausage to the pot and add the stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, zucchini, carrot, bell pepper, wine, basil, and oregano. Let everything simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 or so minutes.

Throw the fresh tortellini soup into the soup and cook them until tender, around 5-8 minutes. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into some bowls and sprinkle with a little freshly grated Parmesan to top off the dish.

This photo that I took of a sunset right by our campsite reminds me of streaky bacon for some reason, but wow, what an incredible sunset!