Today, or rather, this afternoon, has been one of those that just needs to end. If I drop one more thing in the kitchen, I swear… ok, no more of that.
DINNER!
I got the idea for dinner tonight while looking over my post from the other day. I remembered that I had these micro-kabochas to cook up, and wanted to do something fun with them. Normally, kabochas are about the size of a small pumpkin. Mine are just larger than an apple

I cut the tops off of them and scooped out the seeds. There was a huge ratio of seeds to edible squash in them, but whatever…I had tiny kabocha bowls at this point. I made a filling of 3 de-cased Italian sausages, 1 egg, 5 chopped mushrooms, and 1/2 c. sharp white cheddar cheese. This isn’t really a recipe, I guess, but a process. I filled the kabocha bowls to the top with the sausage mixture, and baked them at 325 for about an hour, until the squash was soft and the meat was done. The result? See for yourself:
The squash was soft and sweet, the filling rich and spicy, and the combo together was downright dreamy. Just what I needed after an afternoon like today. Well, that and a super hot shower.
Do you buy organic anything? Have you seen the movie Food Inc.? I always feel like questions like these are so loaded. Yes, I saw Food, Inc. In all honesty, and call me heartless, it didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know, nor did it change the way I look at food or what I buy. I knew about factory farms, and I know about GMOs, but I did think that how some of the companies treat their farmers was atrocious. I do buy organic when I can, but usually just beef when it’s available, and I plan on buying organic milk once Adam and I start thinking about having a family. And, even more honestly, I don’t have a problem not buying organic. Sure, if we had unlimited funds and a nearby Whole Foods, I’d probably buy organic a lot more. Right now though, it’s just not in our budget to buy organic most of the time. I buy what’s cheap. I buy what I like. I know a lot of people may judge me for this, but at least we’re living within our means.
ANNNNND the giveaway! The lovely folks at Tropical Traditions (who are dead set on making sure I never go without coconut anything) sent me a jar of their organic coconut peanut butter to try. Something about coconut peanut butter seemed a bit odd, yet a bit intriguing, so I agreed… man was I surprised! This stuff is absolutely to DIE FOR! It’s creamy and dense, with a light coconut flavor that’s just screaming to be used in oatmeal. I would recommend it to any of you… but only ONE of you can win a jar!
It’s simple to enter!
First and foremost, leave a comment on this post. Any comment at all, and you’ll be entered!
For additional entries:
- Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter and leave another comment letting me know you did.
- Become a fan of What’s For Dinner? on Facebook and leave another comment that you did.
- Tweet the giveaway! “I entered to win @troptraditions coconut peanut butter with @imadedinner and you can too! http://bit.ly/9Fqg8l” and leave a comment that you did
Easy as pie peanut butter!
Good luck, and winners will be announced on Friday, February 19.
Have a wonderful night. I’ll leave you with another cute Ozzy picture


Technorati Tags: ask me, beef, cheese, dinner, food, giveaway, Italian, pork, Tropical Traditions
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I looooove coconut… AND lurve PB!!
OMG, coconut pb sounds like just about the best idea I’ve heard in a long time! Dying to try.
Love coconut, and pb, what a combo! Ozzy is adorable!
Sounds delish. A little of that on homemade bread, yum!
coconut and p.b. seem as destined as p.b. and jelly!
i tweeted!
That stuffed kabocha looked AWESOME!!!
I tweeted!!
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I love all things coconut! This would be amazing to try…in oatmeal, on graham crackers, on a whole wheat bagel ~~ the options are endless, really!!!
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Oh my gosh Mara, that is the most brilliant recipe, um, I mean process that I have seen in a while.I WOULD LOVE IT…no doubt about it as it contains some of my favorite things. Think it would be as good without the cheese?
OK, I’ve heard about this coconut peanut butter, and I would LOVE to try it. Thanks for the giveaway!
This really does sound incredible. I have been trying to make my own for a while and it’s just not the same!
This stuff sounds really good. I like your blog & how honest you’ve been with your formspring questions.
Just found your blog – and immediately had to comment because that PB sounds delish!
No judging here, friend. Love your honesty. I really am glad you speak of the way PEOPLE are treated on farms and such, so much of the talk is about how animals are treated. Not that this isn’t very important, but I think working conditions (like living conditions) are important.
Hope today was better than yesterday!!!
That squash looks good; I haven’t had a stuffed squash yet and the season is almost over! Coconut peanut butter….ooooooh, yes, that sounds like a delight. Pick me, pick me!
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That looks freakin’ delicious!
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Ozzie is ADORABLE!
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NOt much organic available in my small town market, but in the summer I try to hit the Farmer’s Market twice a week!
Ozzy is so sweet, I have 3 fur babies too. Great giveaway, thanks.
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Squash look yummy!
I love Tropical Traditions stuff but haven’t tried the coconut peanut butter yet. Sounds so yummy!
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My apologies if this posts twice (feel free to delete the duplicate of course) but thanks for the giveaway! The coconut PB sounds fantastic!
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Oh how awesome! I love organic PB, and we use plenty of organic coconut milk, and coconut oil. I never considered this combination before. Sounds intriguing!
Thanks for hosting this giveaway
Faye@GreenOrganicMama.com
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I’d love a chance to win!
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i love Tropical’s peanut butter when i bake brownies!! so i hope i win:)
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i tweeted but the link isn’t coming up! i am agodlyhomemaker
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I LURVE COCO & PEANUT BUTTER! Great Combo!
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I am so excited to see this product. We’ve been making our own this way for years to make natural peanut butter spread easy on bread. My children also like it with a little honey mixed in too. Nice to see it an option and looking forward to using it.
I have tried a few of TT’s products and they are very good…the Coconut Cream Concentrate for one. Their unscented Lotion is good also. I haven’t tried the Coconut Peanut Butter yet. But would like to.
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Yummm . . am I too late for the giveaway?