1 pound butternut squash
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Bake squash whole until completely softened, about 45 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter, brown sugar and sage in a small sauce pan. Add the apples and cook until tender.
4. Remove the squash from the oven, cut in half and remove the seeds.
5. Carefully scoop out the squash flesh into a large bowl and add the apples to this.
6. Mash the mixture, then stir in the pecans and season with pepper.
7. Transfer the mashed squash and apple back to one half of the squash skin and return to the oven to bake until the top lightly browns, about 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup white rice
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon corn oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
8 ounces canned green beans, drained
8 ounces canned mushrooms, drained
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper

1. Melt butter with oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and sauté until tender.
3. Add the rice and stir to coat. Continue to cook until rice smells nutty, then add the remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until liquid has absorbed and rice is tender, about 25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

4 six ounce moose steaks
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
salt and pepper

1. Pound moose steaks well with a meat mallet and season with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté onions until browned.
3. Remove the onions from the pan and add the rest of the butter and the moose steaks.
4. Brown the steaks on each side, about 2 minutes each, top with onions and reduce heat to low.
5. Cover and allow steaks to fully cook in butter, about 30 minutes, then transfer to a platter in a warm oven.
6. Whisk together sour cream and flour and add to the butter and moose juice.
7. Raise the heat to a boil and reduce until it forms a smooth sauce. Pour over steaks to serve.

Makes 4 servings

2 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon corn oil

1. Heat corn oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the walnuts and fry until fragrant.
3. Stir in the corn kernels and continue to cook until they are tender, about 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup water

1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in half the oil, then gradually mix in water to form a smooth dough.
3. Knead dough until elastic, about 10 minutes, then divide into small rounds about 1/2" thick.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining oil.
5. Lay the dough in the pan and fry until browned, then flip.
6. Continue frying until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean.

Makes 8 servings

Let me start by saying that this whole meal was pleasantly surprising. When Mom Came to Visit she brought along some moose steaks with her. She has a staff of many natives who hunt them and bring her meat for free, so it's really hard to say no. I hadn't had moose meat since I was a kid, but I've become partial to gamey flavors as I've grown older, so I decided to give it another go. I wasn't going to do anything crazy with it so I could actually taste the flavor of the meat and distinguish any textural differences or whatever. The simply titled Browned Moose Steaks were fantastic! The meat was so tender! That could have something to do with me pounding it silly with a mallet and cooking it in butter, but it still caught me off guard. The texture was more pull-apart grainy than buttery, which I really enjoyed. Shannon wasn't into the game taste, but otherwise this was awesome. I certainly don't mind eating the leftovers. I should've had mousse for dessert, now that I think about it.

To get the basic and bland side dish out of the side, I made Corn and Walnuts. It's exactly what it sounds like; corn cooked with walnuts. I liked it because I like corn and walnuts, but don't expect any surprises. The original recipe (yes, there was an original recipe) called for black walnut oil which may have added a whole new dimension, or simply more walnut flavor. I've never seen nor heard of black walnut oil before, so I'm kind of curious now. I'm becoming painfully aware of my branching demand for once-unnecessary food items and utensils. I mean, I now have 10 different types of salt and 8 different types of vinegar (and I can't justify parting with any of them). I don't believe I'll be a true and complete food snob until I end up with cookware more expensive than our car or start buying truffles off EBay, but I can see that day coming.

Bannock. I don't think I've ever had bannock that wasn't cooked over a camp fire and it's just not as good on the stove top. However, it's essentially fried bread, so it's hard to really go wrong. Since it is so simple you can add basically anything to lean more towards the savory or sweet. Add some cinnamon, raisins and honey and you've got a dessert biscuit. Add some rosemary and/or thyme and spread on some garlic butter and you've got a good stew accompaniment and so on. Crispy and chewy and loaded with empty calories like every good bread is.

Things kept getting better with the Autumn Baked Butternut Squash. I could've sworn I made something similar to this before but could not find it in the database. Butternut squash is naturally sweet and mixed with apples, pecans and brown sugar this might as well be a dessert as a side dish. I think it's nice presentation and it's very easy to make, just time consuming for the whole roasting process. It's absolutely delicious though and I highly recommend it.

Finally, something titled Woodland Wild Rice. I find it hard to believe that canned beans and mushrooms are found in the wild, but aside from that, I quite liked this dish. I also especially like that I'm through with the four for a dollar canned mushrooms I picked up eons ago; never again. This is a super easy way to cram in some vegetables, however sodium laden, without feeling like you're eating vegetables. The flavor of chicken stock and wild rice masks any sort of canned vegetable flavor which I am incredibly thankful for.