April's Author of the Month

Amanda D.
New Mexico

Saltbox Author Since 2009

Read Her Bio
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Favorite Foods:

My all time favorite food is Popcorn cooked on the stove not the microwave!

My favorite thing to eat (right now it often changes): Brown Rice, Smoked Salmon, wilted down kale all wrapped up in seaweed (so basically a sushi burrito) with soy sauce and wasabi of course.

Inspiration to Cook:

I love cooking always have and hope I always will. I don't ever feel like not cooking, though sometimes I don't always feel like cleaning up the mess. One of the best ways to spend time with friends and family is to cook a meal together. My kids help in the kitchen all the time and I truly feel if they join in the fun of meal preparation they are more likely and eager to eat what they have cooked. In this fast paced convenience food society I want to instill the value to homemade meals and sitting down together in my children.

Feelings about New Foods:

I love trying new foods. Though I am also a bit picky about what I will put into my body. There is so much information out there these days and movies like Food Inc. make me really think twice about the foods I buy and what I feed my family. As much as possible I buy organic and locally grown food.

At the Table:

Cooking for others is an absolute passion. We love having friends for dinner and I love helping a friend in need by taking them a home cooked meal.

Here at Saltbox House Cooking Exchange, we have been inspired by Amanda and chose her as April's author of the month because of her creativity with cooking and her desire to use organic and locally grown foods in the meals she makes. In recognition of Earth Day this month, we believe that cooking nutritious foods should come as close to the garden as possible and we encourage everyone to make good choices in the foods they eat and make their families this month. To view all of Amanda's current posts such as delicious recipes, cooking creations, and other food topics see link list below:

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

Heart Dogs

Not Your Average Gnocchi!

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Meyer Lemon Raspberry Tart

Spicy Indian Quinoa Salad

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Freshly Baked Valentines

Heart Shaped Spaghetti

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Almond Snowballs

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

Pumpkin Bread with a Twist

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

My Mom's Caesar Salad

My Top Three Favorite Soups

Butternut Squash Risotto

Pink Pancakes AKA Beet Pancakes

Homemade Trail Mix

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

Caring for cast iron cookware might seem like a chore, but it’s a chore that doesn’t take as much time as you’d think and is honestly completely worth the time. The first step in caring for a new cast iron pan is seasoning.

How To Season Cast Iron

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
• Place a foil lined baking sheet on the rack beneath the middle rack.

2. Wash your new pan in warm, soapy water. Dry well.

3. Warm the clean, dry pan over medium-low heat on your stove top.

4. Brush 1-2 tablespoons of oil, such as corn, vegetable or grape seed oil over the bottom inside and sides of the pan.

• There should be just enough oil to evenly cover the surfaces without any excess.

5. Place the pan upside down in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for an hour.

• Some people choose not to invert the pan, however. This difference is probably just a matter of personal choice and not right or wrong.
• After the hour of cooking, turn the heat off and allow the pan to cool inside the oven for an hour.

Seasoning your new pan can be helped along if the first few recipes you cook after the initial seasoning process include the use of oil, such as sauteing an onion or deep frying. Over time the pan will become dark and smooth with a beautiful, natural non-stick finish. Additionally, you can repeat this oven seasoning process.

seasoned, nonstick pan

Besides being beautiful, cast iron pans that have been properly seasoned and cared for can offer you a chemical-free non-stick surface to cook on.

good investment piece

Because they don’t contain a chemical non-stick coating there’s no need to toss out a pan the way you’d toss a Teflon coated pan after a few years. They’re incredibly sturdy, too.

A well-maintained cast iron pan will likely outlive you. For a relatively small price you’ve purchased a pan that you can one day hand down as a family heirloom.

even cooking

Sure a cast iron skillet takes longer to heat, it is a wonderful heat conductor – the heat is even and well maintained. Additionally, cast iron is one of my favorites to cook with because it is safely used stove top or in the oven, unlike traditional coated non-stick pans.

increase your iron consumption

If you suffer from anemia, you may want to consider cooking in cast iron. Evidence suggests that eating food cooked in cast iron will increase the amount of iron in your diet.

Heart Dogs

Something fun for your little Valentine's.

Cut the ends from hot dog at a diagonal and place the cut edges together as shown. Spear the heart with two tooth picks. Add piece of cheese trimmed to resemble the end of an arrow.

I saw a variation of this in the February edition of Family Fun magazine. My kids LOVED it and its so simple. Happy Valentine's Day!

Not Your Average Gnocchi!

Who doesn't love pasta!?! Especially kids right!?! So here is a recipe to try on the healthier side. You will not believe how simple these gnocchi's are to make and more delicious than any you can find in a store. My young children love to help and roll the dough! This is a recipe that I have slightly changed from Jessica Seinfeld's latest book Double Delicious. I love both of her cookbooks and use them ALL the time.

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sweet potato puree OR 1/2 beet puree (get creative and use a vegetable you think sounds good). The beets make them such a beautif

ul color!

2 eggs

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup all purpose flour

In a large bowl mix the ricotta cheese, vegetable puree, eggs, parm, and baking powder. Add both types of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until flour is just absorbed, and a soft sticky dough forms. Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper. Cut dough into 8 pieces. On a floured work surface, roll dough into a log about 12 inches long and one inch thick. Slice off 1 x 1 1/2 -inch pieces to form gnocchi. Transfer to baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Fill a large pot with water, bring to boil. Salt water. Add half the gnocchi and gently stir. Cook until past is tender about 6 minutes. The gnocchi should be floating. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large serving dish. repeat with remaining gnocchi. Serve with your favorite sauce and a little parm over the top. I used a spinach pesto to make it even more nutritious.

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Ingredients:
3/4 c. pure maple syrup
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Mix maple syrup and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stirring until chocolate is completely melted and mixture boils. Continue to stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, add vanilla, butter, and walnuts. Stir until combined. Pour into an 8x8 buttered pan and place in the freezer. After 1 hour, remove and cut into squares. Return to the freezer. Makes about 25 pieces.

This fudge melts very easily because of all the butter in it, so keep it frozen unless you're serving it!

Chocolate Bark

1.Line baking sheet with foil.

2.Pick your ingredients

Chocolate: 1 pound

Bittersweet

Semisweet

White Chocolate

Half bittersweet and half white chocolate swirled together.

Crunchy Topping:

1/2 cup chopped

Almonds

Walnuts

Pecans

Cashews

Peanuts

Pine Nuts

Chewy Topping:

1/2 cup, chopped

Dried Figs

Dried Cherries

Dried Cranberries

Raisins

Dried Apricots

Mini Marshmallows

3.Melt Chocolate

Microwave 30 seconds then stir with rubber spatula. Continue until melted.

4. Spread it out

Pour chocolate onto reserved baking sheet. Use the rubber spatula to spread to about 1/4 inch thick.

5.Add you toppings

Press crunchy and chewy toppings into the chocolate, arranging them so each bite has a mix of flavors and textures. Let bark harden completely at room temperature.

Break into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks.

Eggplant Sandwiches

1/2 cup flour (any kind is fine)

2 large eggs

1 cup bread crumbs ( I make my own by grinding stale bread, but store bought is fine too).

1 medium eggplant

1/2 cup oil (canola or olive oil are best)

salt

Romaine lettuce

2 medium tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

4 ounces fresh goat cheese (or more if you like extra cheese like I do).

Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip the eggplant slices in the flour, egg then bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the eggplant until golden brown and crisp. About 2 -3 minutes per side. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle eggplant with salt.

Now to assemble the sandwiches. Layer eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, goat cheese, basil and another eggplant slice on top. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Raspberry Tart

The Crust
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon very cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Preparation:

1. Put the flour and sugar into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough is just combined. Turn dough onto a floured cutting board and knead to form a ball.

2. To roll or press the dough into the pan: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

* If you want to roll the dough, chill it for about 2 hours before rolling (unless you’ve used frozen butter and the dough comes out of the processor firm and cold, in which case you can roll it immediately).
* If you want to use the press-in method, you can work with the dough as soon as it’s processed. Just press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Don’t be too heavy-handed – press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but don’t press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture.

3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

4. To fully bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

5. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon (or prick it with the tip of a small knife). Bake the crust for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden.




The filling
2 medium meyer lemons
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup half and half
2 cups raspberries

Preparation:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Finely grate the zest of both lemons; set aside. With a small knife, cut off the top and bottom of each lemon and then carefully cut away the cottony white pith and a tiny bit of flesh from each lemon–the juicy sections of lemon should now be completely exposed. Lay the lemons on their sides and cut each lemon crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; remove the seeds.

3. Place the lemon slices, eggs, yolks and sugar in the container of a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the reserved zest and the half and half. Give the bowl a good rap against the kitchen counter to de-bubble it–if there are bubbles in the mixture now, there will be bubbles in your tart later.


4. Scatter the berries over the bottom of the crust and pour over the filling. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set in the center. Transfer the tart to a rack and cool to room temperature.


To serve: Cut the tart into 8 wedges and serve.

Spicy Indian Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is tasty, & versatile - very much like rice. Its similar in texture and appearance to couscous, but more substantial and nutritious. Quinoa has the most complete nutrition and highest protein out of any grain.

Helpful Quinoa Hints:

Quinoa has high oil content, so should be stored in the fridge or freezer to avoid becoming rancid
A tight fitting lid is essential for even cooking
Quinoa is coated with saponin, which will give it a bitter taste unless you rinse it - those tiny flaky bits in the rinse water are the saponin

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water (using a stock gives the quinoa more flavor)
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp turmeric
1 TBS Curry (add more if you would like a stronger curry flavor)
3 cups spinach

Soak the quinoa 1/2 hour in cold water
Rinse very thoroughly in water several times. For each rinse, pour off most of the water and finish draining through a large fine mesh strainer
Place in 2 qt pot with 1 1/2 c. stock or water and 1/2 tsp salt
Bring to a boil, turn down to low, cover tightly, and cook for 15 minutes

Remove from heat, stir in spinach and allow to sit 5 minutes covered. Add in spices and drizzle olive oil over the top.

Fluff gently with a fork and set aside to cool. This is my favorite side dish for Salmon, but really can be served along side just about anything, chicken, steak, tofu....Get creative Quinoa will really take on whatever flavor you want it to. For my often picky kids I keep it very plain with just a little olive oil or butter. They love it!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

There are many variations when it comes to chocolate covered strawberries. This variation is one of the easiest and best I have found.
16 ounces chocolate chips (whatever kind you desire).
1 pound washed and very well dried strawberries, stems on.

Melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring constantly until just melted and smooth.

Cool on wax paper until chocolate has formed a hard shell around the strawberries.

Enjoy!

FRESHLY BAKED VALENTINES

This recipe is so easy and oh so good! I found it in the February edition of Southern Living.
LEMON BUTTER COOKIES
1 cup butter
1tsp. lemon zest
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat over to 325 degrees. Beat butter and zest together, gradually add sugar, beating well.

Combine flour and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Shape dough into a disc.

Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with heart shaped cutter. Little hands are great for this step.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool.

Decorate as desired. I used a butter cream icing which is equal parts butter and powdered sugar and whatever color you desire. Also for writing I used a icing gel pen.

HEART SHAPED SPAGHETTI

I love Valentine's Day. Not for the Hallmark holiday that it has become. Rather, for the fun of making an ordinary day special. Turning as many everyday foods into heart shapes, is one of my favorite ways to celebrate and my little ones just love this! This was the first year I tried heart shaped spaghetti, not only was it easy, but fun. Just make your favorite spaghetti recipe, pile the noodles in the center of a plate, take a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut through the noodles clearing the excess noodles from the plate. Gently place some sauce in the center and TA-DA heart shaped spaghetti.

KITCHEN SINK COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup applesauce

2T butter

2T Canola oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup dries cherries (chopped)

1/4 cup dried apricots (chopped)

1/2 chocolate chips

1/4 chopped almonds (or your favorite nut)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t vanilla

Cream together butter, oil and applesauce. Add in egg, cinnamon and vanilla, blend until incorporated. Add flour and oats.

Chop nuts and fruit. Combine chocolate, fruit and nuts to cookie mixture.Scoop cookies onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Almond Snowballs

Ingredients:

1 cup Almonds

2 sticks butter

2 cup confectioners' sugar

2tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

Heat over to 350F.

Finely grind almonds in food processor. Add butter, 1/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla. Process, scraping bowl often to blend. Add flour; process until combined.

With lightly floured hands, roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Cool. Gently roll warm cookies in remaining confectioners' sugar. Cool, then roll in sugar again. Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Makes 64 cookies.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 8 Tbs butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Working with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. If flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, mix the last of the dry ingredients by hand to avoid over beating. You will have a very soft dough.

Divide the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one packet of dough at a time, divide it into 12 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Roll the balls in the sugar and use a the bottom of a glass to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheets. Do not over crowd.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set to the touch. Remove baking sheets from the oven. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on the sheets before transferringthem to a cooling rack.

Repeat with second batch of dough.

Pumpkin Bread with a twist

I love pumpkin bread so decided this season I would work on making a slightly healthier version than most recipes. So here is what I came up with:

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup flax meal
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Optional ingredients dried cranberries or walnuts.
• Makes 2 loaf pans
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 7x3 inch loaf pans.
• In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda, and cinnamon.
• Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
• Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 
  

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

If you haven't noticed already I love adding vegetable purees to dishes, and pumpkin I must say is one of my favorites.

Batter:

1 cup brown sugar

4 T trans-fat-free margarine

1 cup lowfat or nonfat milk

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg

2 t vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t cinnamon

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 t cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ( I omit this part because my 4 year old has nut allergies)

Preheat over to 350F. Coat 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and margarine until creamy. Beat in milk, the sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and mix until completely incorporated.

Pour half the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Spread the pumpki

n puree over the batter and sprinkle with marshmallows. Spread rest of the batter evenly over the pumpkin filling.

Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!!

Going into the oven.

MY MOMS CAESAR SALAD

As long as I can remember this salad has been a staple in my life.

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 hard boiled egg

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

2 heads romaine lettuce

Directions Make the dressing: Put the hard boiled egg, lemon juice, and smashed garlic into a blender and process for 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. With the blender running, pour the olive oil in slowly for the dressing to emulsify. Stir in the Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper; set aside. (Refrigerate the dressing if you will not be using it right away.) Assemble the salad: Tear the lettuce into a large bowl. Add enough dressing to coat the salad to your liking. Add some extra Parmesan and toss the salad well. Serve immediately.

MY TOP THREE FAVORITE SOUPS

With cold and flu season upon us this is a wonderful immune boosting soup. Last week me and my girls were sick with a cold and this soup truly did make us feel better. Its from a book I purchased when my oldest was just a newborn and have gotten so many good uses from this book, IMMUNITY FOODS FOR HEALTHY KIDS.

IMMUNE BOOSTER BROTH (sorry for no pictures this time, I just wasn't thinking clearly when I made this).

A cluster of rice vermicelli noodles (I just use some kind of Japanese noodles rice, soba, etc.)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

Several garlic cloves crushed

A large handful of shiitake mushrooms, sliced (shiitake mushrooms have wonderful immune-boosting properties found to help prevent disease and enhance immune function).

1-2 skinless boneless chicken breast, chopped

1 pint vegetable stock

grated gingerroot to taste

A small handful of parsley, chopped

Cook noodles to package instructions.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and chicken. Cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time. Add the vegetable stock and grated ginger. Simmer for 15 minutes. Just before serving add the noodles and sprinkle with parsley.

ITALIAN EGG DROP SOUP

This is probably my most favorite soup. Several years ago it was in the Rachael Ray magazine. I love serving it with homemade pesto bread.

· Pound ground turkey, preferably thighs
· 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
· 6 large eggs
· 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
· Salt and pepper
· 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 large onion, finely chopped
· 6 cups chicken broth
· 1 head escarole, coarsely chopped -I use either spinach, or a bag of mixed greens for cooking.
· 1 lemon, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs and set aside.

2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Pour in the broth, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the escarole.

3. In a small bowl, lightly beat the remaining 3 eggs with 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the simmering broth, pushing the meatballs and escarole aside. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve with more parmesan and the lemon wedges.

Another quick and easy soup, yet so good and healthy!

CREAM OF SPINACH SOUP

2 T butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, chopped

1 1/4 quarts vegetable stock

1 1/4 cup light cream or 2% milk for a lower fat version

salt and freshly ground black pepper to garnish

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add the spinach, cover, the pan, and cook slowly for 10 minutes until the spinach wilts and reduces.

Pour the spinach mixture into a food processor and add a little of the stock. Blend until smooth. Return mixture to a pan. Add remaining stock. Simmer for 15 minutes to thicken. Add the cream to the pan, stir well, and heat through. Do not boil. Serve warm.

Butternut Squash Risotto

3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Parsley for garnish

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to low.

In a large skillet, heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. When the oil is rippling, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast for 3 minutes stir until oil is mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add 2 ladles of the warm chicken broth to the rice and stir until the liquid evaporates. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take about 20 minutes During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the squash; season with salt and pepper. During the last minute of cooking, stir in the cheese and butter. Top with the parsley.