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Spicy Spaghetti Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

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Knowing how to make a good spaghetti sauce is a necessity in every at home cook’s life.  There are plenty of spaghetti sauce jars to pick from at the grocery store that are okay in a pinch, but nothing compares to a homemade sauce that spent all day on the stove perfecting.  This is a spicy sauce that is hands down the best I’ve ever made.  I added turkey meatballs while cooking, which were perfect and flavorful.

Sauce Ingredients:

– 2 Tbsp butter
– 2 tsp fresh sage, minced
– 2 tsp fresh parsley, minced
– 2 tsp fresh basil, minced
– 1 Tbsp dried oregano
– 1 Tbsp dried basil
– 2 tsp red pepper flakes
– 1 dash of salt
– 1 tsp pepper
– 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
– 1 onion, diced
– 1 red bell pepper, diced
– 1 green bell pepper, diced
– 1 jalapeno, diced
– 1 hungarian pepper, diced
– 1/4 cup red wine
– 4 15oz cans of tomato sauce
– 2 cups chicken broth

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Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan turn heat to low/medium-low and brown butter with the fresh herbs for a few minutes.

2. Add the dried herbs, garlic, onion, and peppers and saute for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Add red wine and simmer for 5 minutes before adding tomato sauce and chicken broth.

3. Allow sauce to simmer on low for 1 hour, then puree with an immersion blender or transfer to stand up blender and blend in batches.

4. Continue to simmer while making meatballs.

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Turkey Meatball Ingredients:

– 1 lb ground turkey
– 1 lb hot sausage (jimmy Deans)
– 1/2 lb ground pork
– 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
– 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
– 1 medium onion
– 1/2 jalapeno, diced
– 1/2 cup bread crumbs
– 1 large egg
– 1 tsp red pepper flakes
– 1 tsp oregano
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp pepper
– 1 tsp garlic, minced

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Meatball Directions: 

1. Combine all ingredients except for the meat in a large bowl, mix well.

2. Add meats and mix with hands thoroughly before rolling into balls.

3. Place meatballs into pureed sauce and simmer on low for 2+ hours, stirring occasionally.

2013-10-04 16.40.45 2013-10-04 16.47.57I served the sauce over thin spaghetti noodles, but it is also excellent over spaghetti squash as a healthy alternative.  Expect leftovers if you are serving less than 10 people.  The turkey meatballs are perfect for a meatball sandwich the next day.

Enjoy!

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Split Pea Soup

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After making a bone in ham, the next natural meal is split pea soup.  Making the soup in the crock pot makes for an easy weekday meal.  I found this recipe online a year ago from Whole Foods, very simple and flavorful.  I prepped everything the night before so starting the slow cooker in the morning would be as easy as can be.

Ingredients:

-1 (16oz) package of dried green split peas, rinsed

-1 meaty ham bone

-2 cups of diced ham

-1 cup sliced carrots

-1 cup chopped yellow onion.

-2 ribs celery plus leaves, chopped.

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 bay leaf

-1/4 cup fresh parsley

-salt and pepper to taste

-6 cups chicken broth.

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(Everything prepped to go in the refrigerator for morning)

Directions: 

1. Layer in crock pot in this order, do not mix or stir.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

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2. After the soup has cooked remove the bone letting meat fall off into the soup, remove bay leaf and stir well.

Enjoy!

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Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

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When I think of ham, I think of large holiday gatherings with family and friends.  Making a ham is easy, healthy, affordable, and a perfect gateway meat to leftover meals.  In addition to a delicious meal, I find making a large roast on the weekend can be a huge help to week night meals.  This weekend we made a ham, taking care to save the bone to use a few days later for split pea soup.

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Ingredients:

– 1 fully cooked bone in half ham, 7-8lbs

– 25-30 whole cloves

– 1/4 cup brown sugar

– 2 Tbsp mustard

– 2 Tbsp (+) fresh lemon juice

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Directions:

1. To prepare ham, place cut side down in roasting pan and score through fat and skin.  Make cross-hatch lines about 1 inch apart, taking care to not cut down into the meat.

2. In the center of cross-hatch marks, pierce with whole clove.  I do this to the entire exposed surface of the ham.

3. Cover ham for the first half of cooking with foil.  Bake at 325 for 2-3 hours or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees (as long as the ham was purchased fully cooked).  If you are cooking a ham that was not fully cooked, you will want to cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

4. When there are about 30 minutes left in cooking time, drizzle ham with a glaze made of mixed brown sugar, mustard, and lemon juice.

2013-09-29 17.52.295. Let the ham rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

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Roasted Garlic Red Skin Mashed Potatoes

No Fall or Winter feast is complete without mashed potatoes.  Ever since I was a kid I have been a mashed potato snob, I always demanded the real thing, none of that boxed stuff.  While I love classic mashed potatoes, I can’t help but try to enhance it.  I recently gained a new appreciation for roasted garlic, the flavor is soft yet powerful at the same time.  If roasting garlic seems frivolous or too time consuming, try popping a few cloves in the oven with a main dish to roast for sides (such as this one) or smearing on bread.  The process is totally worth the effort in my opinion.

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Ingredients:

– 2 lbs of red skin potatoes, diced evenly

– 1/4 stick of butter (or more to taste)

– 2 Tbsp fresh chives, roughly chopped

– 1/4 cup of milk (more or less for consistency)

– 1/4 cup of sour cream or plain greek yogurt.

– 3-4 cloves of garlic, roasted and mashed

– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Roast the garlic:  Cut the top off of the cloves leaving skin intact, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Loosely wrap in foil and roast in oven at 325-350 for 45-60 minutes.  I stuck this little foil pouch in with the ham while it was cooking to save time.  To prepare garlic for mixing, remove roasted cloves from oven and push pulp out of skin and mash with a fork or knife.

2. Prepare your potatoes and cover with cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.  Try to not overcook.

3. When the potatoes are cooked, drain water and mix with remaining ingredients in standing mixer or hand mixer, take care to not over work.

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Enjoy!

 

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Roasted Carrots and Fennel

Easy but healthy sides are an important part to every meal.  Roasted vegetables are a great part of winter weather cooking when grilling is not an option.  For tonight’s meal I kept it simple, and the fresh garlic and ginger make it taste like a much more complicated side than it really is.

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Ingredients:

– 6 carrots

– 1/2 bulb of fennel

– 3 cloves of garlic

– 1 Tbsp ginger sliced

– grape seed oil

– salt and pepper

2013-09-26 19.23.42Directions:

1. Slice carrots and fennel, mix together with garlic and ginger.

2. Drizzle with grape seed oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Spread out on cookie sheet and roast in oven for 15 minutes at 350, then mix and turn temp up to 450 to finish roasting about 10 more minutes or until fork tender.

Enjoy!

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Linguica and Ricotta Frittata

Linguica is something I didn’t know anything about until meeting my husband.  Coming from a small town south of Boston, he grew up on this Portuguese meat.  Whenever we are back East, no visit is complete until he has a linguica and cheese omelette at least once.  When I was at the Paulina Meat Market the other day I noticed some homemade linguica sausage in the window, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.  The day I got the sausage we had half of a link thinly sliced with cheddar cheese and bread as a pre-dinner snack.  The next morning I decided to make a breakfast frittata, as I know that I will never be able to make an omelette that compares with what the diners in New Bedford make.

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Ingredients:

– 8 eggs, beaten

– 1/4 onion, diced

– 1/2 jalapeno, diced

– 1/2 cup linguica sausage, diced

– 1 medium tomato, diced

– 1/8 cup of red wine

– 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, center stem removed.  More for garnish.

– Red pepper flakes

– Salt and pepper

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Ricotta ingredients:

-1/2 cup of ricotta cheese

– 1 pad of butter

– 1/2 tsp minced garlic

– 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Make ricotta cheese: Sauté over medium heat in heavy skillet mushrooms and garlic in butter for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir into ricotta cheese.

2. In large oven safe heavy skillet, sauté onions and jalapeno with thyme, a dash of red pepper flakes, and salt/pepper to taste for 5 minutes.  Add red wine and cook.

3. Add linguica and sauté an additional 5 minutes before adding tomatoes.

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4. Turn heat off to skillet and spread linguica and onion mixture evenly on bottom, pour eggs into skillet.

5. Dollop ricotta cheese mixture onto eggs throughout.

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6. Cook in oven at 350 for 20 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

2013-09-28 10.25.12Enjoy!

 

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Pumpkin Spice Latte

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On the weekends we like to make the most of our Breville Barista Express, making what we consider a latte.  We bought it as a Christmas present for ourselves last year and have not been disappointed with the purchase.  It has even turned us into bean snobs, right now we only order in beans from Brooklyn.  You can taste the difference and the grind is so much better than any bean from Starbucks.

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With a little crisp of Fall in the air I wanted to make the ever famous Pumpkin Spice Latte.  I browsed a lot of recipes online before settling with these proportions below.  I tried to make it both healthy and light in flavor as I don’t enjoy feeling like I’m drinking the uncooked filling of a pumpkin pie.

Ingredients: 

– 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened

-1 cup of coconut milk (from a can, I like Trader Joe’s light version)

– 2-3 Tbsp up to 1/4 cup Pumpkin puree (I used the Libby’s brand)

– 2 Tbsp vanilla extract

– 1/2 to 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

-1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground cloves

-a few dashes of nutmeg, freshly ground if you have it

– 2 Tbsp amber agave syrup or maple syrup, more to taste

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Directions:

1. In a small heavy sauce pan heat above ingredients (I used heaping proportions of spices and agave) without bringing to a boil for 5 minutes.  Mix well.

2. Use as a creamer in coffee, steam for a latte mixed with a shot of espresso, or pour over ice with a shot of espresso for an iced version.

3. Since the mix can be light depending on how heavy you are with proportions, you will want to add a bit to the coffee for a fuller pumpkin spice flavor.  I added half coffee and half heated creamer.  The best flavor match-up is a shot or two of espresso and a cup of the creamer, warm or over ice.

4. Garnish with pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg.

5. Store the extra in the fridge for a few days in a sealed container.

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Enjoy!

 

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Tomato Cooked Chicken with Shiitake Ricotta Topping

For dinner tonight I wanted to make something that had a lot of flavor as well as used up some random vegetables and ingredients I had in the fridge.  The dish turned out even better than I thought it would, so much flavor and depth.  My husband was pretty reluctant to let me put kalamata olives in it, but it really brought the dish to a new level.  If you are really opposed to the olives, you can add some capers to enhance the flavor or skip altogether.  To serve I roasted some vegetables on the side, but it would go great over a bed of rice or roasted spaghetti squash.

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Ingredients:

– 4 chicken breasts

– 1/2 cup white wine

-2 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced

– 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

– 1/2 onion, diced

– 1 hungarian or green pepper, diced

– 2 roma tomatoes

– 1 8oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice

– 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme, center stem removed

– 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

– 8-10 kalamata olives, sliced

– 1 cup ricotta cheese

– 10-12 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Brown the chicken breasts in a hot skillet coated with olive oil about 4 minutes on each side, remove and set aside.

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2. Add garlic, ginger, and thyme to pan and saute a few minutes, add white wine and de-glaze the skillet.  Simmer for a few minutes to cook off the wine.

3. Add onions and peppers to skillet with a 1/2 tbsp of butter and saute with red pepper flakes.

2013-09-26 19.47.464. Add diced tomatoes and can of diced tomatoes with olives, stir and simmer until heated through.

5. Place chicken back in skillet and reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes flipping once.

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6. While the chicken is simmering make the ricotta topping.  Heat small cast iron skillet and saute 1 tsp minced garlic and shiitake mushrooms with a pad of butter.  Simmer for 5 minutes before removing from heat.

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7. Mix mushroom mixture with ricotta cheese and dollop on top of chicken.

8. To finish dish, put skillet in the oven on broil to heat the ricotta for a few minutes, garnish with fresh thyme.

2013-09-26 20.31.03The mushroom and ricotta cheese topping was a complete after-thought.  I wanted to put the mushrooms in the red sauce, but forgot about them.  Turns out mushrooms, garlic, butter, and cheese is delicious,  I will definitely use this again in other dishes.

Enjoy!

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Wine Cooked Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes

The slow cooker is not to be under rated.  Making the main dish in the slow cooker allows for time to make sides, such as a soup and dessert for a complete gourmet meal.  I have a recipe from a good friend of mine that involves baking pork chops in white wine and chicken broth, the flavor in that dish is something I really love this time of year.  I used some of the basics from that dish to make this crock pot meal.

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Ingredients:

– 2 lbs of pork tenderloin

– 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

– 1 tsp red pepper flakes

– 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, center stem removed

– 1 Tbsp butter

– 1 sprigs fresh thyme, whole

– 3/4 cup of white wine (I used a bottle of Chardonnay, which I don’t traditionally like for drinking but it works magic in this dish)

– 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

– 1 red onion, sliced into rings

– 2-3 large sweet potatoes

– Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:

1. In a large skillet on medium heat, melt butter.  Add garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes  stirring until fragrant.

2. Add pork tenderloin to skillet and brown on all sides.

3. Line the bottom of the crock pot with half of the onion rings, place pork with all of the pieces of garlic, thyme, and pepper flakes on top and fill in the edges of the pot with potatoes.

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4. Top with the rest of the onion and thyme sprigs and pour in the wine and broth.

5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

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The smell of this cooking was out of this world, something about cooking with wine perhaps.  The pork did not get a chance to rest, as when I pulled it out of the pot it was falling apart, so the moisture escaped to a degree.  I also cooked it for 6 hours, I think it would have been better to stop cooking at 4 hours.  Pour the extra juice from the pot over the pork when serving, if you are feeling ambitious you can make a gravy.  It was also spectacular tossed in with the “Curry Butternut Squash Soup”, the flavors compliment each other well.

Enjoy!

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Gourd Centerpiece

Entertaining is about more than just the company, just the food, or just the celebratory event itself.  As I get older and have friends over for dinner or host a party, I try to make it more of a special event rather than a last minute occasion.  To truly entertain I like to go above and beyond to pull everything together.  The drinks should enhance what you are serving, music and lighting can set the mood, appropriate serving ware and food presentations make everyone feel special.  Decor doesn’t need to be anything grandiose, a little bit can go a long way.  I like to have fresh flowers around the house to bring a little more to the table (literally), but come Fall flowers are not as vibrant as they were throughout the spring and summer.

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I saw a picture of a centerpiece consisting of a hurricane with 3 little pumpkins in it and I thought it was so cute and festive for Fall.   So I took it a step further and bought a basket full of gourds to fill up the tall flower vase on our buffet.  Picking out the gourds was the best part, there are so many shapes, colors, and sizes.  To give it more height I added some willow branches I got from the grocery store.  I think it turned out pretty nice and it could not have been easier.  As long as I don’t get bored with it, I plan to keep it out all the way through Thanksgiving!

2013-09-20 18.31.52As the weekend approaches, hopefully you will be inspired to add a little taste of fall to your home…even if it’s just for you to enjoy.

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Curry Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is a staple at my parents’ house during the fall.  A hearty favorite to warm you up on those brisk days after picking apples or working in the yard.  Of course I had to make some small changes, to add a little something special.  With the shiitake mushrooms fresh from the farmers market as a garnish the soup is over the top.  This is best to make this soup when you have time to let it simmer before blending to enhance flavors.

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Ingredients:

– 2 medium-large butternut squash

– 2 Tbsp butter

– 1 large onion, diced

– 3 large cloves of garlic, sliced

– 2 1/2 tsp curry powder

– salt and pepper to taste

– 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

– 2 Tbsp fresh chopped ginger

– 6-8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

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Garnish Ingredients:

– 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

– olive oil

– 1 clove garlic, minced

– 1 tsp fresh thyme, center stem removed

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the squash into 1-2″ cubes.

2. Over medium heat in a large pot saute onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and butter for about 5-10 minutes.

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3. Add curry and let the fragrance develop over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes.

4. Add squash and stir well, heating about 5 minutes.  Add broth and bring to a simmer for 2 hours if able, at least 30 minutes if you are short on time.

5. Puree with immersion blender until silky smooth.  If you haven’t invested in an immersion blender, you are really missing out.

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6. Make garnish for serving:  Slice shiitake mushrooms and heat in a small heavy skillet with butter, garlic and thyme for 10 minutes on medium-low heat until cooked through.

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This is the complete first of fall meal: Wine cooked pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes (recipe to come later this week),  topped off with homemade apple pie for dessert.2013-09-22 19.29.27

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Apple Pie

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Last year I got a recipe book that belonged to my Mimi, a very well loved Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.  When I was leafing through the book a recipe fell out for apple pie.  No regular apple pie, according to the article (a cut-out from Family Circle) it is the “Best of the Best”.  I have adopted this as my standard apple pie recipe.  Above is a picture of the first time I made the apple pie, so beautiful!

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As for the apples, I’m not exactly sure what type of apple is a good “baking apple”.  I’m very spoiled by the orchard at my parent’s house, we usually get several large bags of apples from the hundreds-thousands they pick every year.  I only know which ones to bake with after my mom separates them for me and instructs me on what to do with them.  Since I don’t have any apples from my parents yet, I went to the store and bought the cheapest apples I could find to bake with today.

 Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 pounds of apples peeled, cored, and sliced very thin.

– 1/3 C firmly packed light brown sugar

– 1/3 C granulated sugar

– 2 Tbsp flour

– 1 tsp ground cinnamon

– 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

– 1/4 tsp salt

– 1 pkg pie crust mix

– 2 Tbsp butter

– water or milk

– sugar for sprinkling

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Directions:

  1. Place apples in a large bowl, mix sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Gently toss to cover apples and let sit for 10 minutes until a juice forms.
  2. Prepare pie crust according to directions and roll into 2-12’ rounds.
  3. Pour apple mixture into pastry and dot with butter.  Moisten bottom edge of pastry with water and cover with other pastry round.  Pinch edges to seal and cut slits into top.
  4. For crispy top brush with milk or water and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
  5. Bake in oven at 425 F for 40 minutes.

2013-09-22 16.33.02So you may notice that a few of the slits on this pie are extra wide…that would be because I forgot to dot with butter and had to sneak it through the slits after it was in the oven for about 5 minutes…oops!

I have found that the pre-made pie crusts are just as good tasting as homemade, so I definitely go with store bought to save time and effort.  I have also found that it is worth it to buy the name brand, such as Pillsbury.  It seems to get a nicer golden hue when baked compared to the generic brands.  I used a generic today completely on accident, note the lack of awesome hue in the crust compared to the first image of this blog.

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Mango Mint Smoothie

After my first fall morning run I wanted a satisfying and refreshing smoothie to continue the healthy start to my day.  The best part about a smoothie is that the combination possibilities are endless.  Today I used some fruits found in the fridge and fresh herbs from the balcony, the combo was everything I wanted and more.

2013-09-22 12.12.08Ingredients:

– 1 Kiwi, peeled and quartered

– 1 Mango, peeled and sliced

– 1 cup red seedless grapes

– Juice of 1 grapefruit

– 12 mint leaves

– 4 basil leaves

– 1 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds

– Soda water and Ice as needed for consistency

2013-09-22 12.05.57Directions:

Pt everything in the blender and blend until smooth.  Garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.  Makes 3 smoothies, so share with a friend or two!

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Meaty Lasagna

I make lasagna not because I love it, but because it is my husband’s favorite meal.  If we are ever out at an Italian restaurant and lasagna is an option, he will order it 8 times out of 10.  The remaining 20% of the time he will order a spicy seafood pasta.  I like to keep the lasagna simple but fresh, so I followed the recipe I grew up on with only minimal changes.  I did make this extra meaty, which you may or may not appreciate.  You will have extra sauce for serving and you can cut back on the meat as you see fit if 2 pounds of meat seems excessive to you.

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Ingredients:

– 9-11 Lasagna noodles

– 2 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese

– 1 1/2 cups mozzarella-shredded

– 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

– 2 eggs-beaten

– 1 lb ground beef

– 1 lb hot sausage

– 1 tsp oregano (dried since I didn’t have fresh)

– 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

– 5 leaves of fresh sage, chopped

– 5 sprigs fresh thyme, center stem removed and chopped.

– 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

– 5 cloves garlic, minced

– 1 large onion, diced

– 1 red pepper, diced

– 1 green pepper, diced

– 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

– 1/2 cup red wine

– salt and pepper to taste

– 2-3 28 oz cans tomato sauce (use 2 cans if you want thick sauce, use a half can or a full 3rd can if you want it a little more saucy)

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Directions

1. Make Sauce: In sauce pan, brown ground beef and sausage then drain.  Remove the meat and add a little olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan to saute the onions and peppers.  When they look a little sweaty, add oregano, garlic, red pepper flakes, sage, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and simmer in the red wine.

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Add meat and tomato sauce, heat through simmering at least 30 minutes to develop flavor.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F

3. Cook lasagna noodles al dente and set aside.  Better yet, buy the “no cook” version!

4. Make filling: combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and eggs.  For an added touch I folded in the 2 Tbsp of fresh chopped basil.

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5. In 9×13 pan alternate layers of noodles, sauce, and filling starting with sauce on the bottom.  Top with extra cheese.

6. Bake 40 minutes.

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I have to say with all the fresh herbs I was pretty excited for this dinner.  It was fresh and filling with good depth overall.  I did find it best to add extra sauce as the no-cook noodles probably absorbed a bit of moisture and the sauce was extra thick and meaty to start with.  Adding the red wine to the sauce really does a lot to develop flavor in a short amount of time.  You can add a little sugar to improve the depth of the sauce of you don’t have red wine available.  We picked a deep red and drank the rest with dinner, complimented the meal wonderfully.

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Stir-Fry Stuffed Acorn Squash

Today was the ideal fall day, despite the fact that it is technically still summer.  The air was crisp and cool but in the sun you melt to a comfortable temperature.  This dinner took a little advanced planning and did require a bit of chopping, but worth the efforts.  Anytime I can convince my husband to eat a dinner (and go back for seconds) that is primarily vegetables and lean meat without dairy, grains, or processed foods it is win.  This dinner sort of came together as I was making it, trying to utilize the vegetables in my refrigerator that needed eaten.  This is my best recap of what happened.

2013-09-16 19.30.12Ingredients:

– 2 acorn squash

– 2-3 boneless pork chops ( you can use pork shoulder, pork loin…even chicken or beef), cut into bite-sized pieces

– 5 carrots, peeled and sliced in thin strips

– 5 stalks of celery, sliced

– 3/4 cup of shiitake mushrooms, stem removed and sliced

– 3 Hungarian peppers (I had some red and some yellow), thinly sliced in rings

– 1 1/2 heaping Tbsp of minced fresh garlic, plus 1 tsp for marinade

– 1/2 tsp ginger powder

– 1 bay leaf

– 1/3 cup soy sauce

– 1 1/2 heaping Tbsp of minced fresh ginger

– Infused olive oil (infused with dried chili peppers, garlic, and black peppercorn)

– salt and pepper

– 1-2 dashes of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. 12-24 hours in advance put the pork in a marinade: 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp infused olive oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp ginger powder, 1 bay leaf.   I marinated the meat in a quart sized zip lock bag so I could remix easily a few times over the course of the day.

2. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds, then cut into wedges 5-6 per half.  To make the squash easier to cut, I poke holes into it and put in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften it up.

3. Spray the wedges with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, place on pan cut side down and roast at 450 for 15 minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional 15 minutes.

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4. While the squash is roasting get to work chopping the garlic, ginger, peppers, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.

5. In a hot skillet over medium heat add some infused oil to coat the bottom of the skillet and saute the fresh minced garlic and ginger (make sure the pan is not too hot like mine was on the first round, it will instantly burn the garlic and ginger).  You want a light brown with good fragrance before adding the sliced Hungarian peppers.  Cook until the peppers get a little soft, about 5 minutes mixing constantly.

6. Remove the peppers from the pan leaving behind some oil and garlic/ginger as able.  Add more infused olive oil as needed to coat the pan then add the pork, cook until nearly fully cooked.

7. Add the peppers back to the pan when the meat has just a few minutes left to cook, stir together and let cook for 2-3 minutes.

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8. Remove the peppers and meat from the pan and set aside.  Add more oil to thickly coat the bottom of the pan and saute the rest of the vegetables.  I sprinkled a few dashes of garlic powder and red pepper flakes in with the vegetables.  Depending on how thin you were able to cut your carrots, they will be the longest vegetable to cook.  I covered the vegetables for part of the cooking process to speed the cooking of the carrots.

9. When the vegetables are nearly finished cooking, add the peppers and meat back to the dish.  Stir well, cover, and let cook on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes to finish cooking and fuse the flavors.

10. Plate with the squash so it can be eaten in place of rice with the stir-fry.

I think in future I would add the mushrooms at the same time as the Hungarian peppers to have more of the mushroom flavor enhance the meal.  Otherwise I was pretty happy with the way these vegetables worked together to make the meal full of flavor without any one ingredient overwhelming the dish.