Spaghetti Squash

I was rather intrigued by the idea of spaghetti squash, never having had it. All I can say is WOW! This stuff is amazing. I cut a large spaghetti squash in half, drizzled olive oil and sprinkled salt & pepper over it-then baked in a 400 degree oven for one hour. I let it cool enough to handle it and took a fork and pulled the squash out. Then, I sauteed it in some olive oil and garlic-YUM! Delicious and way better nutrition-wise than spaghetti! Maya LOVED it, but this is what Suri thought of it...

Maybe next time?!

White Bean Chicken Chili

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, www.annieseats.wordpress.com. We love white chicken chili, so I figured I should give this one a shot. I am glad that I did-we loved it! In fact, my husband decided that he likes this version even better than the one I usually make! This chili is very creamy-so good! I made a few changes, such as 3 fresh poblano chiles in place of the canned chiles. And I used my new dutch oven-love it!

White Bean Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½ -inch cubes (I used 4 breasts)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. oil
2 (15.5 oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannelini)
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth (I used 2.5 cups of stock)
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles (I used 3 large poblano chiles, sliced)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
½ cup whipping cream (I used whole milk)
fresh cilantro and paprika, for garnish (we were out of cilantro, but I garnished with shredded cheddar cheese)

Directions:

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chiles and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and whipping cream. Sprinkle with paprika and top with fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired.

Dishes, Dishes and More Dishes

Ok, anyone who knows me knows how much I love dishes! Nothing makes me happier than a beautifully decorated table...LOVE it! I own about 6 sets plus lots of chargers, holiday-inspired, you get the idea. Well, now let's change that to 7! I have been looking for a simple, white pattern to change up appetizer plates a la Katie (www.hyperhomemaker.blogspot.com). Seriously, Katie is my idol! While on our Sam's adventure this weekend, I saw this beautiful embossed, flute pattern service for 4 for TEN BUCKS. No joke! So, 2 boxes came home with us! My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I think he secretly loves a beautifully decorated table as much as I do!

...off to find a place to store the off-white service for 12 that this set replaces...

Our New Baby!

Isn't she pretty?! She is even prettier in person. This weekend we went to Sam's Club. We have been wanting to get an enameled cast iron dutch oven. Well, when we saw this 6.5 quart beauty for only $38.44, we figured there was no time like the present (for a present)! She has a lifetime warranty and cooks beautifully. My husband made a chicken curry that turned out beautifully and she cleaned up like a charm. LOVE it!

Chicken Pot Pie

I had some phyllo dough that I needed to use up (and oops...I still have more) so figured why not make a nice, comforting chicken pot pie? I usually use the Barefoot Contessa recipe, which is delish, but when I saw the recipe on Chelley's blog (www.browneyedbaker.com) I knew it would be great! I was able to fill 8 individual casseroles with this recipe.

NOTE: For veggies, I used frozen mixed veggies (carrots, green beans, peas). I also used more puff pastry. I used about 4 layers each.

Chicken Pot Pie(Source: Williams Sonoma)

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used 1/8 tsp dried thyme)
1 bay leaf (I used 2)
½ cup chopped yellow onions (I used red)
½ cup chopped celery (oops...I forgot this!)
½ cup peeled and chopped carrots
½ cup chopped white button mushrooms
½ cup chopped red-skinned potatoes
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (I actually used 4 breasts)
½ cup cooked fresh or frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Four 6-inch squares frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells fragrant and nutty, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, whisking until smooth, and bring to a boil. Add the thyme, bay leaf, onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken, peas, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Divide the filling among 4 ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Brush the puff pastry squares with the egg mixture. Brush the rims of the bowls with water. Place 1 pastry square on top of each bowl, pressing lightly on the edges. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Mexican Redneck Casserole-how can you not love it?!

Ok, so at work yesterday everyone was raving about this recipe-love the name. Debbie found it on sparkpeople.com and made it over the weekend. Well, after smelling it in the microwave I just had to try it! It reminded me of Hamburger Helper-homemade version. Yum-O! I made a couple of modifications and it was FABULOUS! I'll be waiting for the next one, Debbie!

Mexican Redneck Casserole

Ingredients:
1/2 Box Macaroni, cooked
1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
2/3 C Water
1 Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 C Frozen Corn
1 C Sour Cream
1 Pkg. Dry Onion Soup Mix
1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
1 Can Cheddar Soup
8 oz. Mild Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions:
Brown Turkey with onions, garlic, corn and green pepper. Once browned, add taco seasoning, water, and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix sour cream, onion soup mix, cheddar cheese soup, Cream of Celery soup, and cheddar cheese and add to the ground turkey mixture. Place mixture in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Invite all of your redneck buddies over to enjoy!

Southern Red Velvet Cake

My friend, Rebecca, made this red velvet cake. WOW...was it ever good?! It was dense, rich and perfect! She got the recipe from Food Network...it's definitely one of my new favorites and I will try making is soon.

Southern Red Velvet Cake

Vegetable oil for the pans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely. Frost if desired (Rebecca used a buttercream frosting which was delish!)

Note: Rebecca made this in a springform pan. I plan on doing the same because it was so dense & rich...YUM!

Thanks Rebecca!

Deceptively Delicious...

I've been eyeing this book since it first came out. When I saw it in a Christmas Tree Shop flyer for $6.99, I immediately went to pick up a copy. What a great idea-make purees and add them to your favorite recipes to boost the nutrition! Now I need a food processor and we'll be ready to puree!

Gemelli with Pancetta (Bacon) and Peas

I found this recipe on http://www.barillaus.com/ and thought I'd give it a try (with a few changes). I had some gemelli & bacon so this sounded perfect! It was delicious!

Gemelli with Bacon & Peas

Ingredients:

1 T extra virgin olive oil
2-1/2 oz. pancetta, chopped (I had bacon on hand, so used that instead)
1 chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T flour
2 C milk
1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas, thawed
1-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
1/3 C chopped fresh basil (I used 1 T dried)
1/4 cup half & half (I omitted this)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (16 oz.) box Gemelli

Directions:

HEAT oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta (bacon) and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pancetta from skillet; set aside.ADD onion and garlic to skillet; sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in pancetta and flour. Gradually add milk, whisking until blended and slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. ADD peas, 1 cup cheese, basil, half and half, salt and pepper.COOK Gemelli according to package directions; drain and return to pot.ADD sauce mixture to hot Gemelli and toss. Transfer to serving platter; sprinkle with remaining cheese
Stir in 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel before serving. If sauce is too thick, add additional milk or half & half.

Pumpkin Scones

Need I say more? What's not to love with a cup of coffee...aah. These were delicious and I plan on making them more. This recipe was adapted from http://www.handlelikecandy.blogspot.com/
The only things I did differently was to omit the pecans and add some chocolate chips (couldn't resist). Oh, and I used salted butter because that was what I had on hand.

Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients:
2 C Flour
1/3 C Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 C Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces
1/4 C Toasted & Chopped Pecans (optional)
1/2 C Buttermilk
1/2 C Pumpkin
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Egg Wash:
1 Large Egg
1 T Milk or Cream
Turbinado Sugar for sprinkling on top of the scones (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.

Stir in the pecans, if using (or in my case, chocolate chips). In a separate bowl, mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix the dough!

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1-1/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half and then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle a little turbinado sugar on top, if desired.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Chicken & Sweet Potato Chowder

After our daughters were born, one of Anand's coworkers (and fishing buddy) and his wife made some soups for us. What a wonderful surprise-thank you Tom & Julie! This soup was so yummy I knew it would become a favorite of ours. Well, after a year and a half, I finally made it and let me tell you-it was definitely worth the wait! I can also tell you it won't be another year and a half until it's made again-I plan on making this one often! It literally tastes like "Thanksgiving in a Spoon"! I'm not usually a sweet potato fan, but this soup may have changed my mind!

Chicken & Sweet Potato Chowder

Ingredients:
2 T Butter
1 Lb. Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts & Thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used breasts because that is what I had)
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
3 Medium Leeks, white & light green part only, thinly sliced (I used 4)
2 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch dice (I used 3)
3 C Chicken Stock (I used about 5 cups since I added more potatoes & leeks)
2 T Sliced Fresh Sage (I used 1 tsp. dried thyme since I couldn't find the sage)
1 T Parsley, minced
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper
1 C Whole Milk

Directions:
Melt butter in large saucepan. Add chicken & cook over moderately high heat, stirring,until golden brown-about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add onion and all but 1 T of the leeks & cook, stirring often, until softened-about 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes & cook for 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add stock, 1 T sage, parsley, bay leaf, salt, & pepper and bring to boil. Cover & simmer over moderately low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1-1/2 C sweet potatoes to food processor, puree until smooth. Return the puree to saucepan. Stir in milk, season with salt & pepper. Simmer the chowder for 3 minutes, then discard the bay leaf. Serve chowder, hot, garnished with remaining leeks & sage. Enjoy!

Shredded Wheat Bread

My mother got this recipe from someone when she and my father were newly married (I think it came from their pastor's wife). This has always been my favorite homemade bread-it has a sweetish taste too it and is soooo good toasted with peanut butter, for sandwiches, french toast-basically everything! It makes 3 loaves.

Shredded Wheat Bread

Ingredients/Directions:

2 C Boiling Water

3 T Shortening

3 Shredded Wheats, Crumbled

1/2 C Sugar

1/2 C Molasses

1 T Salt

Mix until dissolved. Add 2 C lukewarm water. Mix 2 pkg. yeast & 2 T Sugar in a little warm water. Add to above mixture. Add 10-12 C Flour. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise until double (approximately one hour). Divide into 3 and place in loaf pans-cover and let rise until doubled again (approximately one hour). Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or until light brown. Butter tops and cover with a towel to cool for tender crusts.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is one that my mother used to use. These cookies are so moist and delicious!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 Can Pumpkin
2 T Milk
2 Beaten Eggs
1 C Vegetable Oil (I used Canola)
2 C Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 C Flour (I actually used 2.5 cups of all-purpose and 1.5 whole wheat)
2 tsp. Baking Soda
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 pkg. Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Beat first 6 ingredients. Sift dry ingredients-mix together. Add chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto lined or greased baking sheets. Bake at 275 degrees for 11 minutes. Yields approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bars

This weekend, I had the urge to decorate for Autumn (which ended up turning to Halloween!) and bake. Aahhh....Fall is in the air-I LOVE it! This recipe is from Buttercup Bakes at Home by Jennifer Appel. The bars were very good! I didn't have a 9x9 pan, so used an 8x8 and adjusted the baking time.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bars

Ingredients:

1 C Pecans, toasted & chopped finely

2 C Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice (I used Nutmeg)

1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger

1/4 tsp. Salt (I omitted this)

1 C Unsalted Butter, room temperature (I used salted)

1 C Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 C Pumpkin Puree

1-1/2 C Dried Cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x9 pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the butter & sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in the pumpkin until combined (the batter will look curdled at this point). Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing only until combined. Stir in the pecans and cranberries. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes (mine took about 50) or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cook. Cut into squares-enjoy!