When the second Cream Cheese Caper, or the Three Cheese Buffalo Burger Pizza , was also rejected I was instantly dejected followed by a rousing burst of resolution to be a Real Women of Philadelphia so I thought I'd bring out the big guns-Mama. Seeing as how the second and final entry round for Appetizers in the Real Women of Philadelphia Cream Cheese Contest fell in the same exact week as Mother's Day, I thought I'd play up the current event by submitting my Mama's Acorn Squash Dip. Truly I was jazzed with this entry investing entirely in the superstition of threes. This is my third entered video recipe. This dish has three major qualities which would of course resonate with Mizz Paula Deen and the family-friendly people at Philadelphia Cream Cheese: its a family passed-down recipe accompanied with memories of celebrations past, its presentation is fun and produces no waste of the main ingredient, and of course it tastes banging with nearly any dipping food item!
By this point, I am sure we can all guess what happened in the end. I bet on my trifecta straight to win and wound up bitterly tearing up my ticket. This recipe too was not selected as a finalist for The Real Women of Philadelphia Cream Cheese Contest. But what can I say that honestly hasn't already been said by losers throughout the eons? I laughed, I cried, I ate and yea, I guess I had a lot of fun participating too. Which of course I kind of resent.
So there you have it my Foodie & Foodettes! The Chronicles of my Cream Cheese Capers ends in learning more about myself without a kick-ass resume builder. Yet we live to cook, bake, and most importantly eat for another day. Further perusing of this post will provide the recipe for Mama's Acorn Squash Dip as well as the recipe video demonstrating prepare the acorn squash for the flesh as well as the dip vessel.
Mama's Acorn Squash Dip is all dressed up and ready to go!
- 1 3-4 lb acorn squash
- 8 ounce(s) of Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese
- 3 cup(s) of water
- 1/2 cup(s) of walnuts
- 1/4 cup(s) of dry, chopped dates
- 1 1/2 tbsp. of dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. of salt
- 1/3 tsp. of black pepper
- Over medium-high heat in a deep pot, add 3 cups of water and cover.
- Clean the acorn squash by washing and drying it, then cut a small piece off the bottom so the squash has a level bottom allowing it to stand on its own.
- Cut the top Using a paring knife, cut a circle into the top of the acorn squash through the flesh. Pull out the cut portion and clean out all of the seeds inside.
- Place the squash top-side down into the pot of boiling water. Half-cover and let steam for 15-20 minutes.
- Put the walnuts in a sandwich bag, and using a meat tenderizer pound on the bag until a nut crumble is achieved.
- Run your knife a few times through the dry chopped dates, set aside.
- Slice cheeses, breads, cut vegetables, or prepare whatever dipping items you choose will accompany this dip on the final serving platter.
- At 15 minutes, pierce the squash with a fork and if the flesh is easily pierced, take the squash out of the pot. If not, leave it in up to 5 minutes more.
- Put the hot acorn squash into a small bowl so you can easily maneuver the squash without burning your fingers while you extract the cooked squash flesh. Using a fork or a spoon, gently scope out as much flesh as you can without compromising the integrity of the shell. If the shell cracks slightly, its no big deal and it will still function wonderfully as the dip vessel.
- In a mixing bowl, add the softened Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese, the cooked acorn squash, walnut crumble, chopped dates, dark brown sugar, salt and pepper and mix for 3-4 minutes with a fork to thoroughly combine.
- Arrange your serving platter with your selected dipping items being sure to put the acorn squash shell in the center and propping the lid up on the side of the shell or askew on top. Spoon the dip into the shell and serve. I promise on my Mama any guest is going to love dipping into this Philadelphia Cream Cheese appetizer!
My Kitschy Kitchen, From the Outside In
Oh my, oh my, what an entirely bad blogger am I? This summer I am embracing my preemptive mid-life crisis with vigor by completely turning everything about my life upside down and inside out. So, let me show you what this thing is all about. At twenty-eight years I've abandoned the career for which I have been trained via 7 years of college and three years of 'in the field' working experience to pursue all that I can be in the culinary world. This change was much more calculated since discovering blogging way back in 2008 rekindling my inner kitchen's fires in comparison to my fleeing of Florida in early July for my home state of Pennsylvania instantaneously leaving the last twelve years of my life behind me. So you see, my blogging regiment has been severely impaired.
Luckily my family, friends, and most importantly my heroic boyfriend back in Florida still love me dearly supporting wholeheartedly my dreams of bright lights, baked goods, and all around culinary immersion in New York City which is precisely where Pete and I will be when this summer draws to an end. But before September 1st, 2010 arrives, or my official first day as a New Yorker and my introduction to cooking in a pre-war kitchen with zero counter tops and storage arrives, I thought now would be the opportune time to pay homage to the kitchen of my rude culinary awakening. This past June when the Florida sunshine was blazing into our condo, I was staring at the kitchen admiring it's organization and it's truly one-of-a-kind decor. I purred to myself, "How lucky am I to have some much drawer space and interesting things to look at while I cook?" How lucky indeed. Of course at the moment inspiration struck I was pondering what mess I wanted to make in the kitchen on my day off, but seeing how pristine and unique this small alley kitchen looked I knew in half of a moment it must be documented in it's pre-meal state with expose photographs before I destroyed it with dinner and dessert.
To be honest, I am fully aware it's a cute and sometimes revolting cliche to package a post about kitchens and kitchen wares with the adjective 'kitschy,' yet I still can't help myself. I find my former Florida kitchen to be the new age of kitschy-ness with tattoo shop stickers, inappropriate and folk art, and a few hand-made plus vintage items rounding out our unique chop shop. Therefore, old friend, your time of true appreciation is at hand as I present My Kitchen Kitschy From the Outside In.
Looking directly into the alley. On the far left wall is an original art piece by Dan Tag and on the far right are hand-painted scrolls from India. One is a man and the other is a woman and both are bringing in the harvest to eat. Quite literal and I love it. The art piece about the door is an original by Pete Triolo and it's a pink AK-47 with a rose. He made that for me when I had a really bad day a work.
The Play Side. Our refrigerator has served as part of Pete's tattoo shop and artist and whatever else sticker collection and our combined amorous photo booth photos. We think it rules. Directly next to the fridge is most of my magic happens, or the prep counter also flanked by the oven. This design is clever because you are able to aptly move between the appliances as you cook.
The Business Side. Or, the alternate portion of My Kitschy Kitchen. Here you see the majority of the cabinetry, most often read cookbooks, utensil overflow, sink, counter top appliances, and dishwasher. Also, I would die without these two additional counter spaces. The 'censored' sign picture belongs to the Bitch Skull artwork previously pictured to make the decor more family-friendly in a moment's notice.
Now, let's take a closer look. These first pictures were like the breast exam portion of an OB/GYN visit, so let's get in there and look in the drawers and all around to see how this kitchen really works.
Paper and Textile Drawer. This is a deep drawer and allowed me to keep my recycled plastic shopping bags (for cleaning kittie boxes if you must know), to my extensive apron collection, to the essentials of foil and wax paper etc., to my towel linens, and finally to my crochet shopping bags.
Container Drawer. This is another deep drawer directly under the paper and linen drawer. My amount of accrued Tupperware is appalling, but at least it all fits!
Plate Ware Cabinet. Truly the contents of this cabinet is probably the closest to my heart for I used these items most frequently. The bottom shelf held bowls, small plates, my trusty hand mixer, measuring cups, and funnels. The second shelf up is large plate ware and the remainder of my cookbook collection including my mother's books from the 1970s. The third shelf held ramekins and decorative serving plates. Above that is the griddle, 9x12 baking dish with stand, and serving trays followed by the rest of my serving platter collection at the very top.
Cookbook Close-Up. I need my favorite cookbooks at a moment's notice so my most influential books are on my former counter for instant accessibility. Anchoring this micro-library is my recipe notebook for capturing spontaneous magic, followed by Italian Family Cooking by Anne Casale which is next to Sustainably Delicious by Chef Michel Nischan, and last but never least is Lidia's Italy by Lidia Matticchio Bastianach.
Small Pots Drawer. The stickers to the right indicate this is the set of drawers directly under my prep counter. The bottom drawer is the small pots drawer which also held the slow cooker my Grandmother gave me in the back right.
Snack Drawer. This drawer is above and is as deep as the small pots drawer. No kitchen is complete without a snack drawer or a snack shelf stuffed with your most favorite guilty pleasures. I am not only a foodie, but I am an eater so behold my snacks and ye without late-night binging cast the first stone!
Utensil Drawer. Of course it makes perfect organizational sense to have the utensil drawer directly under the prep counter space for maximized efficient cooking awesomeness.
Dry Goods Pantry Cabinet. Essentially, the dry goods cabinet should contain at all times your go-to ingredients and staples of dry, packaged, or canned foods. My highlights include as many spice and seasonings as possible on the first shelf, several types of vinegars on the second shelf, San Marzano Tomatoes on the third shelf, and a hearty stock of dried cranberries at the tippy top.
Baking Goods Pantry Cabinet. This is the storage space I will miss most of all once a full NYC resident. All my baking needs neatly hanging out with each other directly over the oven, sigh. Isn't it beautiful? "What's so kitsch here?" you may be asking. Look to the upper left and you will see my retro cookie gun and pie slice saver. Both epicly useful in their own rights.