unlikely ingredient: pattypan squash pie

It's squash season. My mom has been making squash in every way she knows how: steamed, sauteed, casseroled, sliced thin, fried.... You name it, she's tried it.And she gave me a tip one day after sending me home with a few pounds of pattypan squash--the white summer squash that look like flying saucers (and some of them are tall, resembling white versions of the ghosts from PacMan, no joke). "I think your grandmother used to make pie with these. Call and ask for her recipe."So I did. My grandmother said she'd run out of apples one day, and turned to the white squash instead. They have a very mild...

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better than kraft mac n cheese

I'll admit, I might be using the title of this post to get some good Google hits. Fingers crossed. But truly, this is better than anything you'll make out of a box. It's almost better than anything that'll come out of the oven.  It's a revolution, which is exactly what the author of this particular recipe exclaimed on her blog. Let me introduce you to White on Rice Couple, a blog that I've recently fallen in love with.  And then when I read this recipe, well... Let's just say that I made secret plans to pull off a whole-wheat (possibly organic) version once I got home. I picked up...

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the ultimate healthy banana bread

Let me start off by saying, yesterday afternoon was a perfect Sunday afternoon. Saw family and friends, baked bread, drank some wine, did laundry, saw a movie with the man... And best of all, listened to the rain fall--for the first time in months.  But let's get on with it, shall we? Lately, things have been changing around here. Doing the laundry and the dishes is starting to look a little different these days. Since Ryan and I have both been making efforts to live healthier (we're eating better, he's pumping iron, and I'm training for a triathlon), we're watching more and more workout...

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spicy, decadent squash casserole

It's been another deadline week at work, which normally means I cook a lot less and we eat out a lot more, especially since I've started tri training and my energy level for cooking has mainly been relegated to weekends. Often the immediate craving is for burgers. And where would I turn for burgers? Well, TEXAS MONTHLY's 50 Best Burgers in Texas List, of course.  I've been staring at the Burgers cover for more than a month, and incidentally have been highly persuadable to ditch my dine-at-home plans and go for a mouthwatering monster-sized meat patty smothered in all the best fixins....

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