Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for mid-October

Delicata squash

(This is Delicata squash. It's rind is creamy-yellow with orange and/or green stripes and softer than most winter squash (the "toughness" is similar to sugar pie pumpkin rind). It doesn't seem to keep as long as many of the hard-rind winter squash. It's flesh is pale orange, and not as high in beta carotene as the darker-fleshed squashes. However, it's one of our favorites for stuffing. Each squash half is about right for one serving. So, stuffing the halves, baked face up, with either meat or vegetable-based fillings makes for a nice presentation.)


Thursday
rice and beans
*curried pea and peanut slaw
*tomato wedges with leftover 1000 Island dressing
peanut butter cookies (yes, THE cookies)

Friday
*bean and ham soup with carrots and Swiss chard
cornbread (from scratch)
*cole slaw
*figs and pears
peanut butter cookies

Saturday
acorn squash
frozen peas
*salad of cabbage, shredded carrots, tomato and cucumber
leftover cornbread
peanut butter cookies

Sunday
leftover acorn squash
*pork, kale, cabbage, carrot stir fry, over
brown rice

Monday
BBQ pork sliders on homemade buns
*salad of pickled beet, beet greens, shredded carrots, tomatoes, cucumber
*applesauce (from freezer)
gingerbread cookies

Tuesday
*kale and bacon quiche
brown rice with peas
*fresh tomato wedges
*asian pear slices

Wednesday
*turkey pot pie (w/ garden potatoes, onions, carrots, bush beans, beet greens, Swiss chard, along with frozen turkey from September)
*rhubarb-apple-blackberry sauce

Thursday
*vegetable-bean soup (pinto beans, canned tomatoes, seasonings, Swiss chard, kale, carrots, green beans, peas)
Dollar Tree crackers with
*cream cheese and spiced fig jam
peanut butter cookies

individual servings of spiced fig jam topping cream cheese

This time of year, when I'm using the oven, I often throw in a winter squash that's been halved, seeded, and placed face down on a small, buttered baking pan. The cooked squash can be added to the next morning's oatmeal, scooped into a to-go container, dotted with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon, or I can make myself a quick lunch of squash soup, using some frozen soup stock, onion powder, and any other spices that sound good in the moment. If I want a richer soup as the main-stay of my lunch, then I swirl in a bit of heavy cream or butter, and some soy milk.

Meals this week, more so than last, have felt more autumnal, with turkey pot pie and soups. whenever possible, I aim to be taking something out of the oven, minutes before everyone shows up to the table. I can leave the oven door ajar, and we reap the benefits of the cooking oven, right next to the kitchen table. I will also announce, when calling for dinner, when we're having soup or stew, or some other meal item that would be so warming to eat, when it's actually still warm. We're using the furnace a little bit right now, not full-time, but a few hours per day. However, the house still can feel chilly in the furthest-from-the-furnace rooms. So, a warming dinner is very appreciated this month.

What was on your menu this past week?