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County Faretasty fresh Meatballs make a hearty snack Halloween is over, and you are standing on your stoop with a carving knife, ready to repurpose one of your pumpkins into a batch of muffin bat- ter or pie filling. Don't do it. Spare the porch decor and use a butternut squash instead. It is true that pumpkins hold a special place in culinary history. Resourceful Colonial Englishwomen quickly figured out how to bake pumpkin pies that bear a strong resemblance to the pies of today. & Atasty cake using winter squash MCT photo Spicy raspberry enlightenment meatballs are the ideal party appetizer. By Susan M. Selasky Detroit Free Press (MCT) Meatballs are the ideal appetizer. They can serve a lot of people and are super convenient if you buy the premade ones. Grocery stores and warehouse- type stores sell 4-pound bags (or larger) of fully cooked meatballs. And if you don't like beef-based meatballs, many stores now have frozen turkey meatballs. I found a bag of frozen turkey meatballs at my local Kroger. You also can make your own meatballs if you want to take the time to shape them all. This entire recipe is made in the slow cooker. It's totally set-it-and-forget-it. Once done, set the slow cooker to the warm setting if you have one and serve the meatballs straight from the pot. You also can make it in the oven. With this recipe, I pre-browned the frozen meat- balls in a skillet. Many slow-cooker recipes call for browning meat and poultry before adding it so it has the nice crispy exterior. It's a step up from the '60s standard party meat- balls coated with grape jelly mixed with chili sauce. The key ingredient is Penzeys Spices Raspberry Enlightenment sauce. The sauce has a mild fruity, sweet taste. The sauce is $8.55 for a 9.5-ounce bottle. An online search shows the sauce has quite a following. It has a host of uses and is not just for sweet things. You also can use the sauce in plenty of savory dish- es. make vinaigrette dressings, as a glaze for pork or chicken and as an ice cream topping. Once all mixed together with the other ingredi- ents and cooked with the meatballs, the sauce hits a trifecta of sweet, spicy and tangy — and in that order. You can serve these meatballs as a main dish if An associate at Penzeys told me people use it to you like. Serve them over cooked brown or white rice with some lightly sautéed bell pepper strips and snow peas. ——— MEATBALLS Makes: 90 / Preparation time: 15 minutes Total time: 2 hours, 15 minutes This recipe is easy and makes good use of a slow The recipe is adapted from reader Suzanne Thiel of Lansing, Mich., who gave it to us several years ago. SPICY RASPBERRY ENLIGHTENMENT So why break with tra- dition? Since the 1970s, when farmers began breeding pumpkins for durability and color, com- mercial pumpkins have become bland and watery. Pureed pumpkin, fresh or canned, doesn't have a whole lot of taste. Luckily, other winter squashes have the flavor that today's pumpkins lack. They are easier to prepare and more eco- nomical than large, tough- skinned, tasteless pump- kins. They are healthier and fresher-tasting than canned puree. All in all, they make a smart substi- tution in many recipes. Any squash with creamy flesh, including butternut, delicata and sweet dumpling, will add flavor, moisture and color to baked goods. Stay away from stringy vari- eties such as acorn or spaghetti squash. For a cup of puree, you will need a squash that weighs about 1 1⁄4 pounds. To get a thick and creamy puree, simply halve and seed your squash, brush the cut sides with a little veg- etable oil, and place cut sides down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast in a 425-degree oven until a sharp paring knife slips easily through the skin and into the flesh. Roast- ing time will depend on the variety, shape and size of the squash. Scoop the flesh from the skin and mash it with a fork or a potato masher. When it has cooled to room tem- perature (you can keep fresh squash puree in the refrigerator for up to 1 day), it is ready to substi- tute for pumpkin in any recipe you'd like. Just make sure to measure it carefully before adding it to a batter, filling or dough. cooker. Look for the chile garlic sauce in the Asian section of the grocery store. 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided, optional 3 pounds (depending on the size of your cooker) frozen meatballs, such as Armour 1 jar (9.8 ounces) Penzeys Raspberry Enlighten- ment sauce honey mustard 10 ounce jar of sweet-and-sour sauce 1 jar (12 ounces) orange marmalade 1 cup cranberry or cherry honey mustard or plain 1⁄2 cup (or to taste) chile garlic sauce If browning the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Working in batches, add about half of the meatballs to the skillet. Cook, shaking the pan so the meat- balls brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Put browned meatballs in the slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix together all the remaining ingre- dients and stir to combine. Cook on high for 2 hours, reduce the heat and cook until the meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. You also can make these in the oven. Preheat the Recently, I roasted a sweet dumpling squash and used it to make a sim- ple snacking cake. Chopped sage enhanced the vegetal flavor of the squash. A teaspoon of ginger spiced up the cake without overwhelming it. Chopped walnuts added texture and richness. And a simple icing made with confectioners' sugar and maple syrup gave it a sweet and seasonal finish. ——— SQUASH AND SAGE CAKE SQUARES WITH MAPLE ICING For the cake: 1 small (11⁄4 pound) winter squash, halved and seeded oil oven to 350 degrees. Brown the meatballs as direct- ed and then place them in a large, deep baking dish. You may need to use two baking dishes. Mix together all the remaining ingredients and pour over the meatballs. Cover with foil. Bake about 1 hour or until heated through. Analysis per meatball. 62 calories (41 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 5 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams pro- tein, 149 mg sodium, 3 mg cholesterol, 0 grams fiber. Test Kitchen. Adapted from Suzanne Thiel, Lansing. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage 11⁄4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour butter powder ger 1 teaspoon vegetable 6 tablespoons unsalted MCT photo Roasted and mashed squash lends flavor, color, and moisture to this snacking cake. A maple-flavored glaze provides a seasonal finish. extract 1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla walnuts For the icing: 1⁄2 cup finely chopped 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more if neces- sary sugar measure out 1cup. 2. Turn oven down to oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parch- ment paper. Lightly brush cut sides of squash with vegetable oil. Place cut sides down on baking sheet and roast until soft, 30 to 60 minutes. Let cool, scrape flesh from skin, mash with a fork and 1⁄2 cup confectioners' 1. For cake: Preheat the 350 degrees. Grease an 8- inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine butter and sage in a small pan and heat on low until butter is melted. Set aside to cool. 3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, gin- ger and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together but- ter and sage mixture, sugar, brown sugar, 1 cup mashed squash, egg, egg yolk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir flour mixture into squash mix- ture until combined. Stir in nuts. 4. Scrape batter into HAPPY THANKSGIVING 384-1563 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA We appreciate your business - and we show it! HOURS: 7AM - 9 PM DAILY "Your Family Supermarket" Prices good Nov. 6- Nov. 13, 2012 FREE TURKEYS! Spend $75.00 or more in a single visit & receive a free 10-12 lb. Norbest frozen turkey. Free turkeys available while supply lasts. Purchase excludes alcohol, tobacco & lotto We would like to thank all our employees & loyal shoppers in the Los Molinos area, for making us Tehama County Farm Bureau Business of the Year 2012. We could not do it without your support. Thanks Again, Bill Patchen & Beau Perkins owners Nu-Way Market 1 teaspoon baking 1 teaspoon ground gin- brown sugar 1 large egg 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 cup sugar 1⁄2 cup packed light Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/nuwaymarket prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in cen- ter comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes, invert onto a wire rack, turn right side up on rack and let cool completely. 5. Make icing: Whisk together maple syrup and confectioners' sugar, adding more syrup as nec- essary to get an icing with a spreadable consistency. Spread over top of cake with a small offset spatu- la, letting any excess drip over sides. Let stand until icing firms up, about 30 minutes. Cut into 9 squares and serve. Makes 9 servings. Wednesday, November 7, 2012 – Daily News 5A