From the last batch I made, I shared a few pieces with someone who later thanked me, but then proceed to tell me how much he really likes meat. Me too! But, even being the meat-lover that I am, I found this dish so satisfying and delicious that I couldn’t resist. However, this would make a perfect vegetarian Thanksgiving meal.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

6 cups of cubed (1/2-inch) peeled butternut squash
3 cups of cubed (1/2-inch) peeled sweet potato
2 cups of finely diced onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 cups of finely diced onion
1/3 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of oregano
4 cups of hot milk
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
9 packaged no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Combine butternut squash, sweet potato, onion, oil, nutmeg and cinnamon in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray, tossing to coat vegetables. Bake at 450F for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring once; set aside. Reduce oven heat to 375F.

2. Add remaining onion to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and saute until soft. Add flour, salt, pepper and oregano, stirring constantly. Add milk, one cup at a time, whisking constantly. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese.

3. Spread 1/2 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of squash mixture, 2/3 cup mozzarella, and 1 cup milk mixture. Repeat layer with noodles, squash mixture, mozzarella, and milk mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Since cans of pumpkin hit the stores in abundance a few weeks ago, I keep buying can after can, wondering what more I can do with them. I have 3 large cans in the pantry and plan to use them and buy more. Maybe this weekend. Remember how I mentioned my love for the annual Holiday Baking magazine that Better Homes and Gardens distributes? As soon as I saw this years edition, I snapped it up immediately and flagged just about each page with plans to bake everything soon. Really soon.

I have decided Saturday mornings are my time to bake and these bars were the first on the list. They were originally made with sour cream, but since my roommate has a thing for sour cream, it was off limits and running low. But hey, since I didn’t use that in Peru either, I was already a step ahead. The bars turned out deliciously and I highly recommend eating them. I mean making them.

Buttermilk Pumpkin Bars

1/2 cup of butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of canned pumpkin
3/4 cup of low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of chopped pecans
Browned Butter Frosting
32 Pecan halves

1. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla until combined. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture, stir until combined. Add in the chopped nuts. Spread the mixture in a greased 9×13 baking dish*. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick exits clean when tested. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

2. Prepare the Browned Butter Frosting: In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, without stirring, until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Beat with a mixer until combined. Beat in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a spreadable frosting. Frost bars immediately. Cut into squares and decorate each with a pecan half.

*I baked mine in a 10×15 baking dish originally and thought they were a bit thin and the frosting didn’t cover them all, thus the reason I recommend using a 9×13 baking dish.

It is true! The Bread Baking Babes made incredible Brioche Mousseline in tin cans. What a delight to think of all the recipes I could use tin cans for! I hope you don’t hesitate to bake up a few of these extra tall brioche yourself! Click here to see the recipe on Monique’s site. If you would like to earn a Bread Baking Buddy badge for this month, bake up the Brioche Mousseline and leave a message on Monique’s blog by November 23rd. Don’t forget to see the Brioche Mousseline of the other Babes!

Do you use any ordinary kitchen items to make something extraordinary?

This Brioche Mousseline has been Yeastspotted!

I was taking pictures of flowers and mountains but all the while hoping to find something a bit more up my alley. As we were walking back towards the main street, I noticed a line forming around a screen room. Of course, intrigue set in and as I got closer, I realized that it was an upscale streetfood stand. Not only did they sell something delicious on the side of the road but there was a picnic table set inside the half wall to allow customers the option of sitting and eating instead of walking with their wares.

Instead of calmly waiting in line, I marched my way right to the front of the line. No, not because I am a cutter! To take pictures of course! We weren’t just the gringas standing in line…now I was the nosy gringa who was snapping pictures of everything around – customers, oil, dough, hands, even the sign. It only got better when I began to ask questions about how they prepare the dough, what time she has to start to have it ready in time, how they differ from picarones, and even what their names were. How many do you sell each day? What time do you open?

The conversation shifted when I shared my passion for cooking. I got a chuckle or two from them. By the time we were served, I couldn’t tell if they were happy we came or they were happy to be done with the gringa chismosa. We sat and enjoyed these delicious delights and chatted.

For about $.60, you could purchase a plate of 4 bunuelos (boon u WELL oz) to eat. They are served hot out of the oil, stacked on the plate. On the side, there is a bottle of raw sugar syrup to pour over them. It combines the deliciousness of fried food with sweet syrup. Perfect fair food!

She had to start preparing the dough incredibly early in the morning to be sure it was able to rise sufficiently before she had to carry the bucket to their selling spot. One prepared them while the other spun them in the oil and prepared the plates and dealt with the customers. They obviously had the business down to a science and their customers attested to their success. This was truly an amazing find that afternoon!

Just a few nights ago, I was being attacked by the gingerbread craving. I love ginger in soups, stirfrys, even in desserts. But true gingerbread is something that only seems appropriate in November, December and January. Gingerbread…not just bread flavored with ginger. But the dark, rich, delicious taste of baked gingerbread. I recently got a few new cookbooks and I flipped open to a page with a gingerbread recipe. I didn’t mean to. I mean I really wasn’t looking for gingerbread. But after two days of craving it…I gave in! And oh, am I glad I did!

Pear Upside Down Gingerbread

2 ripe pears
1/4 cup of salted butter, melted
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of molasses
1 cup of boiling water
1/2 cup of salted butter, softened
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Peel and core pears and cut each into thin slices. Arrange pears in the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together molasses and boiling water in a small bowl. Beat together butter, brown sugar, and egg in a mixer at medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes, then alternately mix in one third of the flour mixture and half of the molasses mixture at low speed until smooth, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Pour batter over topping, being careful not to disturb pears, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.

3. Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge, then remove sides and invert a large plate with a lip over the bottom of the cake and, using pot holders to hold the pan and plate tightly together, invert cake onto plate. Replace any pears that stick to skillet. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Peruvian chef Adolfo Perret, owner and chef of Punta Sal, participated by sharing his famous ceviche. Also represented were various Andean products such as quinoa and amaranth, which are widely used in Guatemala. Of course Pisco Sour, Peru’s national drink, was served and enjoyed.

Ketatur from Goddess Food was the first to join us by baking some bread babies, making them incredibly unique!

Nidhi at Charche Chauke Che baked up some multi-colored bread babies that are certainly artistic and adorable!

Astrid from Paulchen’s Foodblog baked up some babies that arrived a bit past their due date, but nevertheless were colorful and creative!

Did you visit all the Bread Baking Babes and see their incredible, edible work? Don’t forget to see the bread babies from around the world!