appetizers | culinary flights of fancy

This is a special post as this marks the 100th post of this website experiment that we share together!

When I started culinaryflightsoffancy and food writing in general I did so rather reluctantly. I was unsure of so many things, worrying about whether people would read it, whether I could create recipes that were interesting but yet doable for home cooks, whether I could continue to be creative on a regular basis, whether I could be consistent enough with this project that I could sustain an audience, and whether I had or have a voice that represents something unique to add rather than just simply adding to the volumes of things available on the Internet and in cookbooks.

I think the jury still may be out with regard to some of those issues, but I really have enjoyed doing this…way more than I ever thought. Thank you so much for reading and responding and I really hope you have enjoyed and continue to enjoy these little recipes that I work on throughout the week as inspiration strikes. I’d like to especially thank my wife, Tara, for encouraging me to do this and being patient with me while I worked through what something like this would look like for me. It took me quite a while to go from thinking about the look and feel of the site to actually making it a reality and she gave me the space to be able to create while still being encouraging, which is something special.

I haven’t counted, but given this post marks the 100 point, I would have to guess there are probably 80 original recipes now on this site…some more original than others. There are also a handful or so recipes that come from other places and other people that I decided to cook and include here because I enjoyed the recipe so much that I wanted to share it and my experience with it.

Anyway, thanks again for reading and for your support in the past, now, and continuing on into the future as I likewise continue on this creative adventure in our Berkeley Heights home kitchen. Okay, enough! Let’s move on to the recipe at hand:

Recipe Begins here:

So, let’s keep the healthy Super Bowl dips theme going with this one. This again, is super easy and very fast to make. I like this dip as it really tastes great and it adds another vegetable and other healthy elements into Super Bowl festivities that otherwise may be fairly unhealthy. It takes about 30 minutes or so to roast the butternut squash and that can be done a few days ahead of time. Otherwise, this takes about ten minutes to pull together. If you don’t have sorghum (or if you don’t care for it), you can use molasses (which would be what I recommend) or honey. Also, if you don’t like or don’t have butternut squash, you can certainly use any winter squash including pumpkin and it would work great. If you do so, you would likely need to change the roasting time and it may require more or less lemon juice and oil depending on the texture of the squash used. Recipe, etc. follows after the jump… Continue reading →

I mess around in the kitchen an awful lot. Usually, I look at what we have in the refrigerator and try to come up with dishes that use what we have rather than buying specific ingredients for specific recipes. Sometimes, that approach works great and sometimes it’s a train wreck. This is one of those experiments and, luckily, is one of my favorites as it turns out great time and time again. I’ve made this basic dish a number of different ways with lots of different ingredients. This is a flexible dish in that you can use whatever vegetables you prefer or have on hand. You can also serve this in a variety of ways from an appetizer to side dish to a main course. Portobello mushrooms vary greatly in size, so depending on the size of the mushrooms and your game plan for the rest of the meal, you can certainly use this flexibility to your advantage by simply inserting it into whichever slot fits best for you that day.

For this specific dish, I used Tuscan kale, Portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, and fresh garlic that I found at the Summit farmer’s market. I lightly cooked the garlic and tomatoes, wilted the kale, and added some fresh breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and homemade garlic mayonnaise to combine. Combine all the ingredients and roast until golden and you are there. If you want to lighten the dish a bit you could certainly substitute a bit of Dijon mustard and a drizzle of olive oil to bind everything in lieu of the mayonnaise. Also, if you don’t have homemade breadcrumbs, just skip the using them entirely. Store bought breadcrumbs will have the wrong texture. Really, as long as you use fresh vegetables that are in season, you can’t go wrong with this dish regardless of the direction you decide to go! Recipe follows after the jump! Continue reading →

culinary flights of fancy

Home Cooking Adventures in Berkeley Heights

Tag Archives: appetizers

Butter Bean and Roasted Butternut Squash Dip with Lemon, Garlic, and Sorghum