winter foods

yesterday we were on a search to use a kitchen gadget we picked up at a garage sale this summer. when we first bought it ($.10) we thought it was a grater. but upon getting it home and realizing it wasn't at all sharp we began to search for what this gadget might be.

we decided it was some kind of a noodle maker. yesterday i had some lovely stock made and i remembered hearing the word 'spaetzle' so i googled the word, looked at images and found out that yes, we indeed had a spaetzle maker. it is a brilliant little tool that drops the noodles right into the pot of soup and makes a yummy addition to our culinary skills.

here's the recipe we used (althought we halved the flour w/ whole wheat and it worked nicely): spaetzle recipe

we also had picked up some lovely little squash and had no idea what they were called or how to prepare them. another google search landed us on this incredibly resource site (especially for those of us who have no mom to call with our questions!). it's called cook's thesaurus and they have pictures, descriptions and a multitude of information, helps and tips. i thought you might find it as useful as i have.

cooks' thesaurus

i also want to highlight our friend stephanie's yummy recipe for a spinach, rice & sausage dish that sounds extra wonderful!