SAVED BY A MAGAZINE...

Winter has arrived and I'm already getting that 'hunkering down' feeling. I don't know if it ever hits you in the stomach but it does me...
Natureman was working on building another fire in the fireplace and had gone to our paper pile for some starter paper. It's usually old mail, more than newspapers. But I notice as he sits by the fireplace starting to tear flyers apart,  a Southern Living magazine with the title 'Savor the South', their August issue no less.  Somehow it had escaped my perusing at the end of the summer and now during a dreary mid afternoon with a light snow flurry blowing around that magazine looked really good. I rescued it from the flames of course.

The prospect of a satisfying dinner was in the works. 

The deer hunter who leases our land had just dropped off flash frozen perch from his ice fishing endeavors last winter and one package was thawing for tonight's dinner.  It would be fried last in hot brown butter after dredging it in flour seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. BUT sides were needed.

Starting with finding the right salad recipe:
 Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon and Pecorino sounded perfect.

Just some whisking and a little grating needed for dressing. 
* substituted because I'm not leaving home for an ingredient.
2t lemon zest * orange as a tangelo/cutie would be thrown in
3T fresh lemon juice *mixture of lime &lemon
2t honey
1/2 t black pepper
1/3 c olive oil
shallot finely chopped  *purple onion
2 oz pecorino *asiago

After whisking, toss with salad green mixture before serving.

Next was titled Old School Squash Casserole recipe. One thing we have oodles of is squash. So I chose the delicata squash for this one. I also halved the recipe below.

6 T unsalted butter, divided
squash sliced 1/4 in thick ( mine were 1/2) 3lbs
1 med yellow onion, chopped
2 t kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1- 8 oz sour cream
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (about a c)
2 oz swiss cheese shredded  (about 1/2 c)
1/2 c mayonaise
2 t fresh thyme
1/2 t pepper
2 sleeves buttery crackers coursely crushed* triscuits
1 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1/4 c)

Preheat oven 350
Melt 3 T butter in skillet to medium- high
Add squash, onion, 1t of salt stir often til liquid evaporates, squash center's soft.
Transfer to colendar and drain.
Meanwhile in large bowl mix together eggs, sour cream, swiss and chedder cheese, mayo, thyme , pepper and remaining 1 t salt.
Fold in squash mixture gently and place in greased 11x7 baking dish. *small crocks for us
Microwave  remaining 3T butter 25 seconds.  Toss with crackers and top casserole, sprinkle parmesan on top.
Cook about 20 minutes 'til bubbly brown.

While that cooked I put some green beans on the stove top to cook while I pan fried the fish and tossed the salad with the dressing before we sat down to
eat.



And lo and behold all of this sated our tummies and souls last night... YUMMY.