Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole

This butternut squash casserole includes apples and is topped with a buttery spiced crumb topping with brown sugar. This is a tasty side dish for any fall meal, and it would be a perfect holiday dinner casserole.
Ingredients:

* 1 small butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs)
* 2 tart apples
* 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
* 4 tablespoons butter, cold
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation:
Butter a 2- to 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°. Peel, seed, and cut squash into small slices. Core the apples, peel, and cut into thin slices. Toss squash and apples together. Transfer squash and apple slices to the prepared baking dish.

Combine brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; cut in butter with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs evenly over sliced squash and apples. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Blueberry Jello Salad

Ingredients:

* 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
* 2 packages (3 ounces each) blackberry or black raspberry Jello
* 3 cups boiling water
* 1 can (15 ounces) blueberries, drained
* 8 ounces sour cream (1 cup)
* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* chopped nuts

Preparation:
Blueberry Jello Salad Directions
Drain pineapple; reserve juice. Dissolve Jello in boiling water; stir in reserved pineapple juice. Chill until slightly set, about the consistency of unbeaten egg white. Stir in pineapple and blueberries. Pour into a 9 1/2 x 6 x 2-inch pan; chill until firm. Combine sour cream, cream cheese, and sugar; mix well until smooth and well blended. Spread over blueberry Jello salad and top with chopped pecans or walnuts.
Blueberry Jello gelatin salad serves 6 to 8.

Millionaire Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

* 1 small package (3 ounces) cream cheese
* 3 tablespoons half-and-half
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* dash salt
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 cup diced pineapple
* 1 can (about 11 ounces) mandarin orange sections, drained
* 1/2 cup halved maraschino cherries
* 1/2 cup green or red seedless grapes, halved
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup miniature marshmallows
* 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Preparation:
Direction for fruit salad
Combine cream cheese and 3 tablespoons whipping cream; add mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and sugar. Combine cream cheese mixture with fruit, pecans, and marshmallows. Fold whipped cream into fruit salad. Freeze this fruit salad in an 8-inch square pan.
Fruit salad serves 8.

Orange Sherbet Salad

Ingredients:

* 2 packages orange flavored gelatin
* 1 cup boiling water
* 1 cup orange juice
* 1 pint orange sherbet
* 1 can Mandarin oranges, drained and cut up
* 1 can (8 to 9 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
* 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preparation:
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water; add fruit juice and sherbet. Stir until sherbet is melted. Add fruit and chill until firm. Combine sour cream and marshmallows; spread over top of salad just before serving.
Orange sherbet salad serves 10.

Ginger Ale Salad Recipe

This is a congealed salad with gelatin, fruit and ginger ale.
Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
* 1/4 cup cold water
* 1/2 cup hot pineapple juice
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup ginger ale
* 1/2 cup seedless grapes
* 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
* 1/2 cup chopped apple
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger*

Preparation:
Soften gelatin in cold water; dissolve in the hot pineapple juice then add lemon juice, sugar, salt, and ginger ale. Chill thoroughly until mixture is partially set. Fold in the grapes, pineapple, apple, and ginger. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart mold. Unmold on a bed of greens and serve with whipped cream or salad dressing.

To make candied or crystallized ginger:
Boil 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water; add 1/2 cup peeled and chopped ginger pieces. Reduce heat to a simmer; simmer for 20 minutes. Drain well and let dry, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Pretzel Salad

This pretzel salad is always a hit. Take this salad to a potluck supper or serve at a special family meal or holiday dinner.
Ingredients:

* 2 cups crushed hard pretzels
* 3/4 cup melted butter or margarine
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
* 2 cups whipped cream or whipped topping
* 1 package (6 oz) strawberry gelatin
* 1 package (10 oz) frozen strawberries, thawed
* 2 cups boiling water
* 1 cup sugar

Preparation:
Mix together the crushed pretzels, butter or margarine, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Put into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and whipped topping. Mix gelatin into boiling water, then add frozen strawberries. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
Serves 10 to 12.

Sushi CALIFORNIA ROLL

Originally "California" rolls referred to the use of avocados in sushi makis. Today, the inside/out [rice on the outside] categorizes a California roll more than its contents. Garnishing the outside rice covering of California rolls offers the opportunity to add wonderful color and texture to your sushi presentation.

Make The Rice
Follow our rice recipe for makizushi, making sure to roll your sushi while rice is still warm.

Sushi Recipe For Making California RollMiyamoto's California Rolls
Ingredients for 5 California Rolls [40 pieces]:

1 English Cucumber - remove seeds and cut into strip - 10 cm long and 1/2 cm thick [leave the skin on... looks great in your roll]
200g Imitation Crab Sticks - Oosaki brand is our preferred choice - North American product should be squeezed to remove excess water
2 Avocados - Haas is the best - not to ripe [buy them green/hard and wrap in newspaper for 24 hours] peel and cut into wedges
5 Half sheets of Nori - Takaokaya Gold and Yamamotoyama Gold are excellent - Full sheets are to be halved width-wise by folding and then carefully pulling the sheet apart
50g Toasted Sesame Seeds - Buy Black and White for a decorative touch
50g Tobiko [flying fish roe] - You may use Masago but tobiko is a superior product - pick a color... a good Japanese food store will offer many colors. Our shop has red, orange, green wasabi, black, and gold.
Tezu Prepare a small bowl of water mixed with a small amount of unsweetened Rice Vinegar for moistening your finger tips [not your whole hands... we try to only use our fingertips!]
Wasabi and Japanese Mayonnaise [Optional Ingredients - QP is the best]

Let's Get Started
Place a sheet of cellophane wrap - same size as your rolling mat on your sudare [bamboo rolling mat]. Cool your hands down under a cold running water tap and dry your hands [cold hands will sweat less and stick less to your rice].

Dip your fingers in your Tezu and wave your hands to remove excess water. Take some rice with your finger tips [10 cm round ball]. Place the rice ball in the center of the wrap and gently distribute the rice the width of your nori sheet and 5 cm longer then then your sheet of seaweed. Don't work your rice too much [if you smash your rice grains you are pressing too hard].

Center your nori sheet on the sheet of rice. You may now fill your roll.

Almost Ready
Sushi Recipe For Making California RollPlace a row of avocado wedges length-wise in the center of your nori sheet. Your nori should cover the entire rice sheet side to side and towards you. The extra 5 cm rice should be open along width-wise away from you [leave some room on the sides of your nori so the filling doesn't get squeezed out].

Put the cucumber strips alongside your avocado and do likewise with your crab sticks. Lay a strip of Japanese mayonnaise and/or wasabi.

Start To Roll
Roll the side nearest you to form a center core of ingredients surrounded by nori [there should be that 5 cm band of rice left after your nori].

Pull out you wrap at the end of your roll and overlap your ingredients roll over the last band of rice. By pulling and lightly squeezing your mat, form your roll circular or triangular-wise [gently hold your ingredient in on the ends while manipulating your roll].

Gently set your roll to the side and spread sesame seeds and/or tobiko on your cellophane wrap with your mat underneath. Re-position your roll on the cellophane and gently re-form your roll to embed slightly your outside ingredients. Carefully move your mat to one end of your roll to shape the end of your roll [a small amount of your ingredients squeezed out is normal... too much means your squeezing too much].

Cut & Serve
Cut your roll into 8 pieces. Your knife must be very sharp.

Place the tip of your knife into your bowl of Tezu. Invert your knife to a vertical position and tap the butt end of your knife and let the water flow along the blade to the tip. This will insure that your rice does not stick to your knife. Place your roll on a cutting board and cut your roll in half [leave the cellophane on!].

Halve your pieces again and once more and remove the cellophane wrap and voila! 8 delicious California roll