by | November 23, 2012 · 9:25 am

Haute Apple Pie in Taste of Home!

Well now that Thanksgiving is in our short, but distant past, Christmas season is rolling in with full force. We are excited to kick it off with a picture of Stef, with her son and niece, gracing the pages of the December/January issue of Taste of Home magazine! And also online, HERE. 

Honey Crunch Cookies are a great alternative to an Oatmeal Scotchie. Made with rice cereal and butterscotch chips, they are a great option to add to your holiday cookie tray. For the Taste of Home recipe, click here.

We look forward to sharing holiday gift guides, cookie recipes, party ideas and other Christmastime cheer with you over the next month!

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by | November 19, 2012 · 8:38 am

Smoky White Bean Soup with Rosemary

I have a tendency to experiment with cooking more when the hubs is out of town. He’s not a picky eater by any means but when he sees “bean soup”, “kale salad” or “veggie pesto” on our menu board he tends to think the “healthy” stuff will leave him still hungry and feeling like a rabbit.

As far as veggie-based soups go, this one is pretty hearty and doesn’t even seem veggie-based thanks to the rich beans and smoky bacon. Plus it was easy to make. I’ll be resurrecting this again – whether the hubs is around or not!

white bean soup
Smoky White Bean Soup with Rosemary
5 slices smoked pepper bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 15 oz cans cannellini beans
3 1/2 C low sodium chicken broth
1 C chopped kale
1 Tbsp sherry
1/3 C parmesan cheese, shredded
1 spring rosemary, chopped
kosher salt, to taste

Place chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until bacon begins to crisp and brown. Add in onion, celery and garlic. Drizzle in olive oil if extra fat is needed to prevent burning. Some browned bits on the bottom of your pan are ideal though! Let vegetables and bacon cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes.

Next, add 1/4 C of chicken broth to the pan and use the moisture to scrape and release browned bits into the liquid. This will add additional flavor to your base. Add in sherry, beans, remaining broth and rosemary. Let simmer over medium low for 10-15 minutes.

Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor to puree soup until smooth. Mix in parmesan and chopped kale and stir. Season well with salt until flavors pop and let simmer until kale is cooked.

Serve with french bread or pretzel rolls.

white bean soup

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by | November 13, 2012 · 2:51 pm

Meatballs and Marinara Sauce

My sister-in-law gave me the most amazing recipe for meatballs and marinara sauce. One bite and I was in love.  I just adore simple and basic recipes like this one. The best part was the simplicity of cooking the meatballs – no browning or baking! They just simmer away in the marinara sauce and become deliciously tender and flavorful. This recipe is a keeper.

 

Sauce:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 Tbsp dried oregano
3Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Meatballs:
1lb ground beef
1 egg
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Add oil to a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Lower heat to the lowest setting and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the mixture cooks, make the meatballs. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until just combined. Shape into 1 inch balls. (The recipe makes about 15 meatballs) Drop the raw meatballs gently into the sauce and cook, covered, for about 1 hour on low heat. Stir the pot occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom.

Serve over pasta or spoon meatballs onto sub rolls and top with cheese.

Adapted from Can you stay for dinner

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by | November 13, 2012 · 1:49 pm

{Fall Cocktail} Apple Jack

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, a soul warming cocktail is a must. My friends and I shared this warmed up adult treat after a chilly night of trick or treating. It is a perfect pre-Thanksgiving meal drink to prep your tummy for turkey or post-Thanksgiving meal drink to sip on while you lay on the couch and watch football.

Using Jack Daniel’s Bourbon will make it a true Apple Jack, but you can easily replace it with other bourbon or whiskey as achieve the same result.

Apple Jack
4 C apple cider
1 1/2 C bourbon or whiskey
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
Ginger ale

In a medium saucepan, heat apple cider, whiskey and cinnamon just until it simmers. Ladle mixture into mug, three-quarters full. Fill the rest of the mug with ginger ale. Add a dash of cinnamon. Garnish with an apple slice if desired.

This year we are participating in the Food Network’s Thanksgiving potluck! So pull up a chair and find a seat at our table with all these wonderful blogger recipes for the upcoming holiday!

Cocktails, Appetizers, Salads and Breads:
Cooking With Books: Spiced Couscous and Walnut Salad
Mooshu Jenne: Honey Bacon Potato Pops
Food For My Family: Roasted Beet and Lacinato Kale Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette 
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Super Seeded Cornbread

Main:
FN Dish: Black Pepper-Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Turkey

Sides:
Feed Me Phoebe: Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing With Hazelnuts and Cranberries
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chorizo, Cornbread and Tortilla Dressing
Sweet Life: Apple Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
And Love It, Too: Paleo Green Bean Casserole
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Sweet Spiced Winter Squash Casserole
Red or Green?: Corn, Peppers and Onion Saute
Simple Bites: Honey Pomegranate Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Virtually Homemade: Fresh Orange and Cranberry Sauce With Toasted Walnuts
What’s Gaby Cooking: Sweet Potato Gratin
The Heritage Cook: Cauliflower Gratin
Creative Culinary: Creamy Mushroom Bake With Parmesan and Panko
Bacon and Souffle: Spicy Carnival Squash

Desserts:
I Am Baker: Pumpkin Bars in a Jar
Add a Pinch: Caramel Pie
Chez Us: Pumpkin Cheesecake With Chocolate Swirls

Happy Thanksgiving!

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by | November 7, 2012 · 8:49 pm

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

With the holidays just around the corner, I’m still hanging onto the last little bits of fall. Let’s face it, as soon as it slips away it’s going to be awhile before us cold climate people see signs of outdoor life again without freezing our fingers off.

As an homage to all the best fall flavors, I’m sharing these Pumpkin Apple Streusel muffins that my mom used to make for us as kids. Consider them tasty little bites of autumn that you can bust out when the winter blues set in…or just for every weekend prior.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins
2 1/2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C pumpkin
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 C peeled, finely chopped apples

Preheat over to 350. In a large bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Beat in dry ingredients, working in flour and sugar one cup at a time. Stir until batter is fully mixed. Using a spatula, fold in apples. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

Streusel Topping
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp butter

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of batter in each muffin cup. Bake for 25-30 minutes.


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by | November 5, 2012 · 2:04 pm

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

It is no secret that I love to bake muffins. Who doesn’t love a fresh warm muffin with their morning coffee? Adding veggies to muffins is a great way to get those required veggies into your diet (or your toddler).

I decided to mix it up this time and make it an inside out piece of carrot cake. It is a lightened up recipe, using a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, golden raisins, oats, carrots, yogurt and applesauce. Using substitutes like applesauce and yogurt creates gives the muffins a nice, sweetened taste and moist texture. However, the consistency of these muffins will be a little chewier than a fluffy oil, flour and butter muffin.

These muffins would be just fine without the frosting middle, but for a little extra fun and a tiny bit of effort (and calories) it is well worth it!

Carrot Cake Muffins
1 C shredded carrot (about 2-3 medium-sized carrots)
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 golden raisins, chopped
1/2 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 C applesauce
1/2 C plain yogurt (regular or Greek-style)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest
1 8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
2/3 C powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add oats and raisins until combined. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla. By hand, add carrots and lemon zest. Mix until combined.

Fold wet mixture into dry mixture until just combined.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy.

In a greased muffin pan, add one tablespoon of batter to each cup. Top with about one teaspoon of cream cheese frosting. Top with another tablespoon of batter. You will likely have a little bit of frosting left over.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning pan half way through. Remove from oven and cool slightly on cooling rack.

Go ahead and sneak one right out of the oven, they are delicious warm!

Enjoy some more sweet and savory carrot recipes from these fabulous bloggers as part of Food Network’s Fall Fest!

Feed Me Phoebe: Root Vegetable and Black Bean Chili
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Carrots With Chile and Agave
And Love It Too: Vegan Carrot Cake Coconut Macaroons
Virtually Homemade: The Silver Palate’s Carrot Orange Soup
From My Corner of Saratoga: Copper Pennies aka Glazed Carrots
The Heritage Cook: Maple Roasted Carrots, Apples and Onions
Made By Michelle: Carrots and Caramelized Onions
Thursday Night Dinner: Braised Carrots
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Carrots
FN Dish: Best Carrot Sides for Thanksgiving

 

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by | October 31, 2012 · 4:47 pm

Happy Halloween!

Be a good little monkey…

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by | October 30, 2012 · 1:26 pm

Green Smoothie

I often find myself eating breakfast on the run which usually results in me downing a granola bar, a handful of cereal or some kind of cookie.  Great way to start the day, huh?  I needed a better option so I started to experiment with smoothies after my inlaws so generously gave us a vitamix.  This thing is amazing and makes some of the best smoothies because it literally pulverizes anything you put inside.  We have tried a ton of different combinations, but this green smoothie is, by far, my favorite.  The best part is that the spinach and carrots are almost undetectable and you would never know by the taste that they are even in there.  My husband and my daughter drink this without hesitation.  I love it because I can start my day off with a good dose of fruits and veggies and it is incredibly filling.


Green Smoothie

Serves 2 adults 

2 bananas, peeled
1/4 pineapple, chopped
1 fresh peach or 8 slices of bagged frozen peaches
1-2 cups of spinach
2 whole carrots, peeled and chopped
3 TBSP Chia Seeds
1/4 – 1/4 cup coconut water or regular water

Place the ingredients in your blender and blend until combined.  Add ice if you like your smoothies chilled.  We pour ours into to-go cups with straws so they are the perfect breakfast on the go!

I had mentioned before that we used a vitamix for this smoothie.  It is an incredibly powerful blender that pulverizes anything you put inside.  That is why the carrots are undetectable.  If you are using a blender that is not as powerful, you might want to leave the carrots out.

I also feel the need to mention that this post was not paid for by vitamix.  I just really love my blender!

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by | October 22, 2012 · 8:00 am

Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Italian Sausage

We are bursting with fall ingredients in my house right now. I believe I had some form of squash at every meal for five meals straight. I really can’t get enough of these flavors. Pumpkin and other types of squash make a great creamy base that works as a super healthy substitute to some of the fattening cream sauces we love so much.

Thickening up the parmesan sauce with greek yogurt and pumpkin makes this creamy pumpkin penne pretty guilt free. You can also substitute chicken sausage for italian sausage if you are looking to lighten it up even more. The greek yogurt may make the sauce a little less smooth than a big cup full of heavy cream, but it tastes delicious and is great for you!

Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Italian Sausage
8 oz whole wheat penne pasta, cooked al dente
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 C pureed pumpkin
1 C plain greek yogurt
1/4 C fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 whole roasted red pepper, chopped
3-4 italian sausage links
red pepper flakes (optional)
shredded parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sausages and boil for 15-20 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet. Reduce to medium high heat. Add butter and garlic. Move garlic continuously for one minute. Add pumpkin and stir until heated through. Add greek yogurt and whisk until smooth. Add parmesan cheese and continue whisking until combined and smooth. Reduce heat. Add whole wheat pasta and combine with sauce.

Heat a skillet. Add some non-stick cooking spray and place the sausages in the skillet, browning on all sides. About five minutes. Remove to cutting board and cut into chunks (if desired). Add to pasta dish. Remove dish from heat. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if desired, for a little extra kick.


Our friends at Food Network are crazy about pumpkin too! Check out these sweet and savory pumpkin savvy dishes from these fabulous foodies.

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Chez Us: Pull Apart Pumpkin-Pecan Bread With Maple Bourbon Frosting
And Love It Too: Vanilla Pumpkin Swirl Cake With Vanilla Palm Sugar Glaze
Feed Me Phoebe: Roasted Pumpkin Wedges With Chili, Lime and Cotija
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Pumpkins
From My Corner of Saratoga: Chocolate-Pumpkin Cake
Made By Michelle: Pumpkin Scones
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Pumpkin and Black Bean Stew With Chorizo and Pepitas
Devour: 5 Delicious Ways to Use Pumpkins After Carving
Virtually Homemade: Pumpkin Pancakes With Maple Cream and Candied Vanilla Pecans
The Heritage Cook: Gingery Pumpkin Mousse With Whipped Ginger Cream
Thursday Night Dinner: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie
Cooking With Books: Pumpkin-Bacon Brussels Sprouts
FN Dish: Primping Up Pumpkin

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by | October 17, 2012 · 10:25 pm

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup

I have a serious thing for butternut squash. I would call it a problem if it weren’t for the fact that it’s a healthy obsession to have.  Last weekend I made this butternut squash soup that tastes so rich and satisfying that it sets a new standard for “health food”.

As a bonus, my one year old also gobbled it up and, besides the tedious vegetable chopping, the rest of the process is pretty hands-off – perfect for a weekend afternoon.

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup
2 medium buttnernut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 small or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 bulb fennel, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
4 C low sodium vegetable stock
2 Tbsp sherry
1/2 C half & half (optional)
2 sprigs thyme
kosher salt, to taste
cracked black pepper

Optional toppings:
dried cherries
pepitas
pancetta

Trim and chop squash, sweet potato, fennel and onion. Place vegetables, plus peeled garlic and thyme sprigs, on cookie sheets and toss with olive, salt and pepper until lightly and evenly coated. Roast vegetables at 400 for 40 minutes, removing part way through to flip for even browning.

Transfer half of roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender.  Begin pulsing the food processor and slowly incorporate two cups of vegetable stock, processing until mixture is smooth. Scrape into a Dutch oven or stock pot. Move the other half of vegetables into the food processor and repeat process of incorporating stock.  Add in sherry and puree until smooth.  Transfer second batch to the Dutch oven.

Heat puree over medium-low heat.  Season with salt to taste and stir in half and half if desired. Let soup simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Serve with pepitas, dried cherries and pancetta if desired.


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