salmon with balsamic and ginger sauce; my mum's red cabbage

[toft]

Today I ate salmon with balsamic-and-ginger sauce, homemade fries, and coleslaw!

( Salmon with Balsamic and Ginger Sauce )

I've found that the trick for really good homemade fries is to *fry* on medium heat them rather than bake them, ie. in a frying pan with cooking oil, but after browning both sides, turn the heat down and cover.

Now: more cooking! I'm going to a second thanksgiving tomorrow, so I have to make my mum's cabbage dish again. ( My mum's red cabbage is delicious. )

Acorn squash soup; Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes

[em_brett]

So, I went on a bit of a cooking binge this weekend. The result: acorn squash soup and Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes.

The soup is really easy -- a bit time consuming, but most of it is "wait for the vegetables to roast" or "simmer the vegetables," so if you've got a good book or something with which to multitask, it's good for that. Also it tastes like autumn in a bowl. My recipe ended up making about 8 main-course servings, but you could scale it up or down as desired. I'm pretty sure other winter squash or root vegetables would fit in wonderfully with these, if you've got them on hand.

( Recipe behind the cut: Acorn squash soup )

The cupcakes are also easy, plus less time consuming. They're basically chocolate cupcakes with cayenne pepper and cinnamon added. I adapted the recipe (which makes 12) from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. If you like cupcakes at all, I cannot recommend that cookbook enough. If you're not vegan (and I'm not), don't be turned off by its dairy- and egg-free nature: they're better recipes than most of the traditional ones I've tried.

( Recipe behind the cut: Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes )

Braised beef roast with root vegetables

[laughingrat]

Freely adapted from a recipe in the October Cooking Light. A nice slow-cooked beef roast with veggies; turns out flavorful. Could be done in a crockpot as long as you're willing to dirty a skillet or something in order to brown the meat first.

( Recipe behind the cut )