Cooking with Sam: Add these dishes to your menu

Christmas will be here before we know it. If you are doing some holiday entertaining with guests in your home, here is a delicious tart you can serve.

Butternut Squash and Apple Tart

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 4-ounce package goat cheese, softened

1 large egg

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

17.3-ounce box of frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

4 Gala apples, cut into ¼-inch thick slices

1 large butternut squash neck, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick circles and blanched

Feta crumbles and fresh sage (to garnish)

Preheat oven to 435 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, beat yogurt and goat cheese with a mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and beat. Add sage, salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Beat to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

On a lightly floured surface, roll one pastry sheet to a 10×8-inch rectangle. Using a pastry wheel, cut rectangle in half to make two 10×4-inch rectangles. Place rectangles on prepared baking sheet.

Using a paring knife, gently cut an indentation in the dough, making a ½-inch border along the inside, being careful not to cut all the way through. Repeat process with remaining puff pastry sheets.

Divide yogurt mixture between sheets, spreading to edges of indentation. Layer pastries with apples and squash, spreading to edges of indentations. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and salt.

Bake 10-15 minutes. Remove and let cool on baking sheet. Sprinkle with feta crumbles and sage.

Will keep three days in airtight container.

Also try this simple delicious broccoli dish for your next dinner party.

Roasted Garlic-Lemon Broccoli

2 heads broccoli, separated into florets – about 10 cups

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 lemon cut into wedges, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss broccoli with garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then spread evenly in a 10×15-inch baking sheet.

Bake until broccoli is tender enough to pierce stems with a fork, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Sometimes I made a simple side dish: just open a can of English peas with pearl onions, heat in microwave for three minutes and crumble about four slices of cooked bacon over the peas.

Lima beans with ham are simple and take about 20 minutes to prepare. Cook canned or frozen lima beans in water on top of stove with ham. If you do not want the flavor of ham, use olive oil or a pat of butter plus salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy your family, food and your time together.