Teatopia

Easter Dinner Recipes

As requested, here is the recipe for cheesy squash casserole! (The green tea ice cream recipe also follows)

First, I cut up one large, white onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 3 1/2 lbs. of squash. I sauteed the onion and garlic first in a tbsp of vegetable oil. Then, after it started to turn translucent, I added the squash. I know it looks like a lot of squash for one pan, but in a few minutes, it'll cook down. Cook all of this for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally. When the squash is starting to release some of its juices, cover the pan and let it go another 15 or so. When the squash is mushy, drain it all.

This next part you can do one of two ways. Before I had my handy dandy KitchenAid mixer, I used to use a hand held, so these next steps work for either one. After draining, transfer to a big bowl. Add 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Beat/Mix until fluffy. Then fold in 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers and 2 cups of cheddar cheese.

Next, pour it into a greased casserole dish., Bake at 350 for about 35 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Then cover the top with more crushed Ritz crackers and cheese and put back into the over for about 5 mins to brown the top and Voila!

For dessert, I brought some green tea (matcha) ice cream. It's an easy recipe. The only problem you might have is actually finding matcha. I bought mine in the Tokyo airport last summer, but I know Harney & Sons sells good quality mathca from Japan. You can order it here. This picture of the ice cream is courtesy of Mariko, as it was gone before I could take a picture of my own! My family loves it! I used the same recipe, so it should should look just like this.

Green Tea (Matcha) Ice Cream:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2-3 tsp of matcha (powdered green tea)
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of half & half

Directions:
Combine the water and sugar in a small pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. After the sugar dissolves, let the syrup simmer on low for about 5 mins while continuing to stir. Remove from heat. Add a tablespoonful of the syrup to the powdered green tea in a separate bowl and stir. Don't worry if you have a few lumps, you'll strain it later. Dump that back into the sugar syrup and mix. Add the cream and the half & half and mix. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into another container. Allow to cool in the fridge, then dump it into your ice cream maker and follow the directions for whatever type or brand you use. Makes about 1 to 1 1/2 quarts.

Posted by Hannah at March 27, 2005 08:46 PM