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Butternut Squash Curry with Noodles

butternut squash curry
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This delicious autumn inspired curry is extra saucy, a little sweet, and served over egg noodles. Simply add all ingredients to your slow cooker, turn it on, and forget about it. So easy, so healthy, so warm and cozy. Perfect for all those busy fall nights ahead. Thai Butternut Squash Curry will be waiting for you when you get home!

Fall is upon us

There is no denying it. School is back in full swing. Swimming lessons are still going and ice skating is starting back up. There are PTA meetings and parents nights. Autumn is a busy time for everyone!

Enter this curry that’s all things fall, all things healthy, and all things delicious.

This is one of those great recipes that honestly requires almost no thought to make, practically no time, and conveniently uses many pantry staple ingredients.

Promise it is not too good to be true.

Enter the almighty squash

Nothing says fall quite like squash. I go squash crazy this time of year every year. I use it in the microwave, in the slow cooker, on pizza, in soup, and so much more!

So, I’m excited to share this curry with everyone. It’s super quick.

Add the cubed butternut squash, Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, and a handful of other ingredients to your slow cooker. Set the cooker, forget about it for six or hours, come home, smell the delicious smells, boil some egg noodles, plate and enjoy!

Yes, it truly is as simple as that.

NOTE:

You can even replace the egg noodles with any kind of noodle. This allows you to easily make this dish vegan as well!

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Curry
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Slow Cooker Saucy Thai Butternut Squash Curry with Noodles

Add all ingredients to your slow cooker, turn it on, and forget about it. So easy, so healthy, so warm and cozy. Perfect for those busy fall nights ahead.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time5 hrs
Total Time5 hrs 15 mins
CourseMain Course
CuisineIndian
KeywordSlow Cooker
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 382kcal
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup Thai Red Curry Paste
  • 2 cans Coconut Milk 14 ounces
  • 1-2 cups Veggie Broth
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Peanut Butter
  • 1 tbsp Sambal Olek
  • 4 cups Butternut Squash cubed
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 inch fresh Ginger grated
  • 1 Lemon juice
  • 2 cups Spinach shredded
  • 1 pound Wide Egg Noodles such as Tagliatelle

Instructions

  • In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine together the curry paste, coconut milk, 1 cup broth, soy sauce, sambal olek, and peanut butter. Add the butternut squash, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
    slow cooker saucy thai butternut squash curry with noodles
  • Stir the spinach into the curry and cook 5 minutes until wilted. If the curry is too thick, add broth to thin.
  • Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the noodles according to package directions.
  • To serve, divide the noodles among bowls and spoon the curry overtop. Enjoy!

Notes

You can replace the egg noodles with any kind of noodle. This allows you to easily make this dish vegan as well!
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Hash Brown Casserole – A Thanksgiving requirement

Hash Brown Casserole - A Thanksgiving Requirement
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It doesn’t matter if you are eating it fresh from the oven on Thanksgiving evening, or cold from the fridge on the day after, this Hash Brown Casserole will not disappoint! You can eat it the way it is, put it on a leftovers sandwich, mix turkey in, or cover it in hot sauce. There are very few things that don’t work with this dish.

All of our Thanksgivings recipes are favorites. Hash Brown Casserole, however, is always near the top of the list. The cheddar, sour cream, and Cream of Potato Soup mix together in ways that really surprised me. The hash browns soak up a bit of the soup mixture and blend the whole dish together. This is usually the first casserole dish that is empty.

If you would like to make an easy adjustment to this recipe, you can substitute in most “cream of” soups for the Cream of Potato Soup. We have tried it with Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken and both were really good. The basic of Cream of Potato, however, is still the favorite.

This is a casserole that you can make a couple of days before hand and just reheat it when you need it. If you do, make sure that you cover it with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven to reheat and heat it until the cheese and soup mix is bubbling.

Keep in mind, this dish is made two times to feed over 100 people. If you cut everything in half then you will have what you need for one casserole. Having a backup casserole already done might be nice to have though!

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Hash Brown Casserole - A Thanksgiving Requirement
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Hash Brown Casserole

Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
CourseMain Course
CuisineAmerican
KeywordThanksgiving
Servings: 2 Casseroles
Author: Mom Adkins

Ingredients

Auflaufmasse

  • 2,7 kg Frozen Hashbrowns thawed
  • 345 g Butter melted
  • 3 Dosen Cream of potato Soup
  • 690 g Sour Cream or half Schmand, half Creme fraiche
  • 675 g Shredded Cheddar
  • 3 TL Salt
  • ¾ TL Pepper

Topping

  • 165 g Cornflakes crumbled
  • 165 g Butter melted

Instructions

  • Break up the hashbrowns into tiny pieces.
  • Mix with the butter, soup, sour cream, cheddar, salt and pepper. Put it all in a casserole form.
  • Sauté the cornflakes in the butter and pour on top of the potatoes in the casserole.
  • Back in the oven at 175 degrees for ca. 30-40 minutes.
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Cheese Ball – The Perfect Thanksgiving Appetizer

Cheese Ball
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Granted, Thanksgiving is all about the main course with the desserts following as a close second. This Cheese Ball, however, really puts the appetizers back in the running. It is super easy to make. It can be made on the day before. This is really is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving repertoire!

We celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany so it has grown to a massive event over the years. We are usually right around 100 people each year and there are usually some that we have to leave out because we don’t have room. For this reason, we needed an appetizer that people could eat while waiting for everyone to show up. Cheese Ball to the rescue!

On the day before, or even a couple of days before hand, you can quickly mix this together and leave it in the fridge. One year I even made it 3 days in advance. The only problem was that I had to keep my husband and kids away from it! Those are the types of problems that tell you a recipe is a good one.

Naturally, if you are celebrating with less people you can cut the recipe down fairly easily. Salt and pepper are just added to taste and the walnuts are the topping. As long as you reduce the cream cheese and cheddar proportionately you will be good to go.

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Cheese Ball
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Cheese ball

Even though the appetizer tends to get forgotten on Thanksgiving, this Cheese Ball will have you adding it back in in a hurry!
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
CourseSide Dish
CuisineAmerican
KeywordVegetarian
Servings: 1 Cheeseball
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Handmixer

Ingredients

  • 800 g Cream Cheese
  • 450 g Shredded Cheddar
  • some Salt to taste
  • some Pepper to taste
  • a bit chopped Walnut

Instructions

  • Soften the Cream Cheese with the hand mixer.
  • Add the cheddar, salt, and pepper and mix very well.
  • Form the cheese into a ball, wrap it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge over night.
  • Roll the ball in the chopped walnuts and it is ready to serve.

Notes

It is best if it is in the fridge over night, but as long as the cream cheese is fairly solid you are good to go.
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Key Lime Pie – Adkins Thanksgiving Special

Key Lime Pie
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Thanksgiving is a special time in America. Each family has their own recipes that they use to celebrate. Each generation does something to make it their own, knowing that the next generation will do the same thing. For me, this was adding Key Lime Pie.

Pecan Pie is entirely too sweet for my taste, even though the rest of my family seems to love it. Also, I know that Pumpkin Pie isn’t everyones cup of tea. The solution was to make my favorite pie from my time in American. Therefore, we added Key Lime Pie to our dessert table.

As important as traditions are for Thanksgiving it was more important for us to make it our own. Since we are in Germany we wanted to include things that taught our kids about their heritage and things that remind me of my time in America.

The first time we did this I just made one small Key Lime Pie and it was gone in no time. Since then we have done a little more each year until we ended up with this recipe. We celebrate with about 100 people, so if you are a smaller group you might want to cut the recipe in half. You might even want to go smaller than that.

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Key Lime Pie
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Key Lime Pie

Although this isn't a typical Thanksgiving dessert, it is something that we do for those who don't have anything else. The fact that it is my favorite pie also might have played a hand in that decision!
Prep Time30 mins
Total Time30 mins
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
KeywordThanksgiving
Servings: 2 Pies
Calories: 553kcal
Author: Mom Adkins

Ingredients

Fuer den Boden:

  • 250 g Ladyfingers
  • 150 g soft Butter

Fuer die Fuellung:

  • 200 g Cream Cheese
  • 2 Lime
  • 2 packs Vanilla Sugar
  • 1 pack Lemon Jello
  • 100 g Sugar
  • 500 ml Cream

Instructions

  • Finely chop the lady fingers and mix them into a dough with the soft butter. Cover the bottom of a springform pan with the dough and flatten it with your hand.
  • Mix the Jello with 1 cup of cold water and let it soak for 10 minutes. Heat, but don't boil, while stirring until the powder has dissolved. Let it cool, but not set.
  • Mix the cream cheese, juice of a lime, sugar, vanilla sugar and jello in a bowl and fold in the whipped cream. Spread the cream on the crust and put it in the fridge overnight.
  • Before serving, cut the second lime into slices and decorate the pie with it.
  • Enjoy!
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Vegan Banana Cookies – Use up old bananas

Vegan Banana Cookies
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Everyone knows you shouldn’t waste food. Bananas, however, have a tendency to go bad over night. Once they start getting mushy, however, you can try out this great Vegan Banana Cookies recipe to get rid of them.

Don’t tell my kids, but these aren’t too terribly unhealthy. They actually liked them! The banana adds some sweetness without requiring sugar to make them kid friendly. Also, they are done in a hurry so they are a treat for mom too! Grab a fork, grab some bananas, and grab the other couple of things that are needed. Couple of minutes of mixing, a bit longer in the oven, and you are ready to go!

We don’t always eat Vegan. We also don’t always eat healthy. Once in a while, however, we try to do something good for ourselves. We also want to be a good example for the kids. These Vegan Banana Cookies make those times almost bearable. To be perfectly honest, we also make these when we aren’t doing any special diet.

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Vegan Banana Cookies
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Vegan Banana Cookies

Got some bananas that are slightly past their prime? Before you throw them out try using this to get rid of them!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time20 mins
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
KeywordVegan
Servings: 24 cookies
Author: Mom Adkins

Ingredients

  • 3 Bananas overripe
  • 1/3 cup Almond Milk
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Backing Powder
  • 100 g Dark Chocolate chopped

Instructions

  • Mash the bananas and add the almond milk.
  • Mix in the flour and backing powder.
  • Fold in the chocolate.
  • Make small balls and place them on a backing sheet.
  • Bake in the oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes.

Notes

Everything can be mixed with a fork. No need to use a hand mixer. Easy!
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Tortilla Soup – Soup for the soul, spice for life

Tortilla Soup – Soup for the soul, spice for life
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The smell of this cooking all day makes it hard to concentrate. When I first made Tortilla Soup, all 3 kids came in at separate times asking what I was making. It was like in the old cartoons where they came floating in on the smell. The same thing also happened the last several times I made it.

The simple ingredients don’t seem to offer much. Sure, chili flakes, but why Maple Syrup. Sometimes you just have to try it out though. This one was sitting around for quite a while but it kept on coming up. Should we or shouldn’t we? That is the question.

Then I decided to pull a Nike and Just Do It! Without a second though I tossed everything in the slow cooker, even the maple syrup, and waited to see what would come out. Since then we have been having it about once a week. The kids can’t get enough and neither can I!

When I make it for the family, my kids add a mild mustard based hot sauce on it. I put a hotter curry based hot sauce. My husband, however, adds a hot hot sauce and some chilis from our yard. This base makes it easy for everyone to spice it to the levels that they want. Even if you don’t kick up the intensity this Tortilla Soup is still delicious, though!

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup – Soup for the soul, spice for life
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Tortilla Soup

Doesn't matter if you are eating it as a soup, using it as a dip, or drinking it from a cup, this Mexican inspired soup will become a main stay on your dinner table.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time6 hrs
Total Time6 hrs 20 mins
CourseSoup
CuisineMexican
KeywordVegan
Servings: 8 people
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Onion
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Red Pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cumin
  • 1 tsp Chili Flakes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 1 can Kidney Beans
  • 1 can Corn

Salsa

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Onion
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 140 g Carrots
  • 1 dash Salt
  • 1 dash Pepper
  • 500 g Tomato Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Flakes
  • 1 Chili
  • 80 ml Vegetable Broth
  • 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin

Instructions

  • Fry the onion, garlic, and red pepper in a pan with oil.
  • Make the Salsa (see below)
  • Put all ingredients in the slow cooker.
  • Cook for 6 hours on low heat.
  • Top with Avocado, tortilla chips, creme fraiche (vegan creme fraiche works as well), and cumin. Serve & Enjoy!

Salsa

  • Fry the onion, garlic, and carrots in a pan with oil.
  • Add the rest of the Salsa ingredients.
  • Cook until the carrots are soft.
  • Puree.
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Cauliflower Curry – Delicious and Vegan

Cauliflower Curry – Delicious and Vegan
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Normally we make curry with ground beef, or possibly chicken. Cauliflower Curry is a great vegan alternative, however, and is something the entire family can get on board with.

There are a lot of spices going into this dish. Each family, and even each person, has their own personal preference when it comes to how much to use. I would recommend starting with this recipe as is and seeing how it tastes. The more you make Cauliflower Curry the more you will get the spices adjusted to exactly how you like them.

We add a bit more curry powder than what it says and also add in some fresh ground chili. We also eat a bit spicier than some people do.

Another thing that can sometimes use a bit of mom touch is onions. Some like them glassy, some like the lightly browned, some like the caramelized, and some like them borderline burned. Since you won’t be pureeing this you can make them however you and your family enjoy them.

Other than that, you just mix everything in your slow cooker and wait for it to be done. These slow cooker meals are really a lifesaver on busy days. 20 minutes in the morning and by the time everyone gets home you have a meal hot and waiting for you. I don’t think it gets much better than that!

A great dessert to go with Cauliflower Curry, and keep with the vegan theme of the meal, is my Vegan Banana Cookies recipe. You might notice that you are eating vegan, but I don’t think you will care too much.

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Curry – Delicious and Vegan
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Cauliflower Curry

A great supper to warm you up with a touch of spice to keep Cauliflower from being too boring.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time8 hrs
Total Time8 hrs 20 mins
CourseMain Course
CuisineIndian
KeywordVegan
Servings: 8 people
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Frozen Cauliflower thawed and diced
  • 1 can Green Beans
  • 1 can Corn
  • 4 Carrots
  • 1 cup Frozen Peas
  • 1 Onion
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 cans coconut cream
  • 1 splash almond milk
  • 2 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp Garam Marsala
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp ground almond

Instructions

  • Brown the onions and garlic in olive oil in a sauce pan.
  • Put the cauliflower, corn, carrots, and peas in the slow cooker. Add the onion and garlic on top.
  • Add all the spices and the almonds.
  • Add coconut cream and almond milk and mix well.
  • Cook for 8 hours on low heat or for 5 hours on high heat.
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Ratatouille – Straight from the Slow Cooker

Ratatouille - Straight from the Slow Cooker
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The movie worked wonders for this versatile dish. A mix of vegetables in a savory sauce makes Ratatouille an appealing dish for people of all ages.

We’ve made it as a casserole, as a sauce over noodles, and now we are having it straight from the slow cooker. The ingredients stay the same, but the way you put them together changes, and each one has it’s own unique flavor to it.

There is no getting around chopping those vegetables. If you have the time it is great to have the kids help out. They have fun cooking and you have less to chop. That’s a win-win! You can even use all that time that you’ve saved to make a Key Lime Pie for dessert!

We try to get the kids involved in cooking as much as possible. Being able to prepare something other than delivery or frozen pizza will come in handy one day. You don’t need to have a class for the kids each time you teach them something. Just having them cook along with you will have them learning more than you think. They usually ask questions on their own to fill in any holes that they might have. Slow Cooker Ratatouille is a great recipe to ease them in since it is “just” mixing up the vegetables and adding in the sauce at the end.

If you struggle to get your kids to eat their vegetables, or to try new vegetables, use this delicious recipe, and that little french rat, to show your kids that healthy can also be delicious!

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Ratatouille - Straight from the Slow Cooker
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Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Whether serving as the main course or as a helathy appetizer, this version of Ratatouille is going to have the whole family finishing their vegetables and going back for seconds.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 20 mins
CourseAppetizer
CuisineItalian
KeywordVegan
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 28 ounces diced tomatoes undrained
  • 1 eggplant cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 yellow squash cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 red pepper seeded and diced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp italian seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley or chives chopped

Instructions

  • In a slow cooker, stir together tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, squash, red pepper, onion, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and black pepper. 
  • Cook on HIGH for 3 1/2 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours
    Ratatouille - Straight from the Slow Cooker
  • Add tomato paste and parsley and cook uncovered for an additional 30 minutes. 
  • If desired, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives before serving.
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Enchilada Stack – A Slow Cooker must try!

Enchilada Stack
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The slow cooker can be used for so much more than just making chili or oatmeal. This Enchilada Stack can be whipped up in the morning and left to it’s own devices all day giving your family a healthy (-ish) dinner when everyone gets home!

The thing that I really love about using the slow cooker is that you can just toss everything into it in the morning and forget about it until supper time. Enchilada Stack are no different. Aside from grounding the beef (or beef alternative) you just need to mix things together. Before heading to work, or just starting your busy day, you will need 15 minutes to get this in and cook.

As the kids come home from school they immediately recognize the smell and ask when they can eat. Since each kids, and every other person, has an individual taste, we set up a little buffet of various toppings so that everyone can make it their own. This includes avocados, sour cream, chips, jalapeños, shredded cheese, or anything else you can think of! We also have assortment of hot sauces that everyone can use.

What I am planning to try in the near future is to have some lettuce and tomatoes on top to make it more like a taco dish. Another idea would be to use this as an alternative on Chili Cheese Fries. The options seem almost endless!

There is nothing tricky about this recipe to watch out for. Read through the instructions before starting and you are good to go. Don’t forget to let your imagination run wild!

As always, let me know what you think of the recipe. To do that you can either rate it, leave a comment, or do both! I really appreciate the feedback and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Enchilada Stack
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Slow Cooker Enchilada Stack

A great mexican inspired dish to eat like a stew or use as a dip. Great for supper, snack, or just because!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Total Time4 hrs 15 mins
CourseMain Course
CuisineMexican
KeywordVegan
Servings: 4 Personen
Author: Mom Adkins

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 Package Vegan Ground Beef
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Can Kidney Beans
  • 1 Can Corn
  • 1 Jar Salsa
  • 1 Chili
  • 2 tsp Taco Spice
  • 500 g Tomato Sauce
  • 2 9 inch Tortillas Whole Grain works as well
  • Vegan Shredded Cheese

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Brown the onion and garlic. Add the "ground beef" and cook until brown. Remove from heat.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients except for the tortillas and cheese and mix well.
  • Cover the inside of the slow cooker with vegetable oil. Tear one of the tortillas into pieces and cover the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with about a third of the sauce. Sprinkle some cheese. Repeat two more times.
  • Cook for about 4 hours on low heat or 2 hours on high heat
  • Top with avocado, creme fraiche, and chips. Enjoy!

Notes

You can adjust the spiciness of the dish by adjusting what salsa you are using and what chili you decide to add. The kids really like it with Fireball chilis, but I enjoyed it when we put in a small Carolina Reaper.