How to Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash by Maplewood Senior Living • Chef Alan Livingston Butternut squashes can be intimidating to cut, can't they? Here's a safe and sure method. Keep squash pieces as stable as possible while cutting. A rubber mallet can help, if you have one, to gently push the knife through difficult thick spots. A very sharp vegetable peeler, one with a carbon steel blade, will help with the peeling. Prep time: 10 minutes. Ingredients One butternut squash, 1-1/2 to 3 pounds A sharp, heavy, chef's knife Preparation 1. Using a heavy, sharpened chef's knife, cut off about 1/4-inch from the bottom of the squash in an even slice. Then cut off 1/4inch from the stem end. 2. Holding the squash in one hand, use a sharp vegetable peeler in the other hand to peel off the outer layer of the squash. You can also secure the squash standing upright and use the peeler in downward strokes. Stand the peeled squash upright on a cutting board, to keep it stable. If it wobbles, make another cut at the bottom to even it out. Make one long cut, down the middle from the top to bottom, with a heavy chef's knife. Some squashes can be pretty hard. To help with the cutting, you can use a rubber mallet to gently tap the ends of the knife to push it down through the squash. 3. Use a metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and the stringy pulp from the squash cavity. (If you want, you can prepare the seeds like toasted pumpkin seeds. 4. Lay the squash halves, cut side down on the cutting board for stability. Working one section at a time, cut the squash into slices, lengthwise, according to recipe directions, from 1/2-inch to 1 inch or greater. 5. If you are cubing the squash, lay the slices down (you can stack a few at a time) and make another set of lengthwise cuts, followed by crosswise cuts to make cubes. 6. One 1-1/2 pound butternut squash will yield approximately 4 cups of 1/2-inch cubed squash. Butternut Squash Bisque Maplewood Senior Living Chef Alan Livingston Great use for all that early fall vegetable! Nice start for a fall day dinner or lunch. Ingredients 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 cup diced onion 3/4 cup diced carrots 4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash 3 cups vegetable stock Salt and ground black pepper to taste Ground nutmeg to taste 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional) Preparation 1. Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in the butter and oil under tender. 2. Mix the carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable stock, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender. 3. In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm with a dash of nutmeg. Beachwood Chamber of Commerce Will Spread the Holiday Spirit at its December Luncheon The Beachwood Chamber of Commerce is getting ready for its December luncheon, a giveback event. As a group, chamber members feel grateful for individual successes and recognize the importance of not-for-profit organizations and how they benefit our community. The luncheon will take place at Maggiano's Little Italy at Beachwood Place, Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 11:30 am. This luncheon is being marketed to the chamber’s membership, encouraging them to make contributions to benefit at least one of the these organizations. Perspective members are also welcome to attend. A representative from each of the following organizations will speak for 10 minutes to educate luncheon guests about what their organization does: A Kid Again exists to foster hope, happiness and healing for families raising kids with life threatening illnesses. It helps to restore a sense of normalcy for the family and strives to make life more like “life” again by helping families gain back moments of solace and a sense of control over their circumstances. It strives to give these kids an opportunity to have fun and feel like they should – the kid they are meant to be each day. Its adventures are designed for kids to have something to look forward to, and to give their sisters, brothers and parents some respite as well. Its network also provides resources and family network opportunities. For more information, visit www.akidagain.org. InMotion is a nonprofit center and community located in Warrensville Heights. We serve the needs of people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. InMotion supports our clients and those that care about them through education, exercise, support groups, and healing arts. Our programs are provided free of charge and open to all. The InMotion space welcomes visitors to a multipurpose room for exercise and speaker presentations, a resource center, and small healing arts and support group meeting rooms. For more information, visit www. beinmotion.org. The Gathering Place, with locations in Beachwood and Westlake, offers a wide variety of free programs and services to those touched by cancer. When you give to The Gathering Place you're helping to support individuals and families in our communities who are touched by cancer. Our free programs and services help Northeast Ohio families, neighbors, colleagues and friends cope with the emotional, spiritual, physical and social impact of a cancer diagnosis. For more information, visit www. touchedbycancer.org. Please visit beachwood.org to register for this luncheon and spread the holiday spirit. 56 Beachwood Buzz n December 2015