Festive Drinks and Merriment

We hosted out Annual Holiday Bash last weekend! Over 30 people RSVP'd! We had promised "Food and General Merriment" on the invite, so we had to deliver. One of my favorite things to make for a large party, or any party really, is Sangria! It is very impressive and so easy to make! Also easy to increase the amount for a crowd!

Red Sangria

1 750mL bottle Carlo Rossi Sangria Wine
1/4 cup peach shnapps or brandy
1/4 cup triple sec
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 orange sliced thin
1/2 lime sliced thin
1/2 lemon sliced thin
1 apple (unpeeled) sliced thin
1 bottle ginger ale

Mix all ingredients except gingerale together in a large pitcher and let sit overnight! Serve over ice and top with ginger ale. The fruit in this can be switched out for different seasons. For my summer party I used all the citrus fruits and granny smith apples. For the Holiday I used pears and cranberries. The cranberries added a festive element and looked so pretty!

Drinking sangria while decorating cookies is fun too!

Cook It Up Quick!

There are some nights where I don't mind taking an hour to cook a delicious meal. But then there are the rest of the nights when I want it over and done in 30 minutes! This recipe seems like it would take a while too cook, it has 13 ingredients after all! But it cooks up in no time and is very tasty. Would be good over pasta with more of a sauce, or cold as a quick salad. 

Seared Shrimp with White Beans

Serves 2

Ingredients

8-10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 can canellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chicken stock
1 sprig of fresh rosemary 

Olive oil

1 small yellow onion, small dice

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of fresh diced grape tomato
2 handfuls baby spinach, rough chop
1/2 tsp dried basil or 4 fresh leaves chopped
1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Pinch red pepper flakes

Cook beans and chicken stock in a skillet over low heat with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Keep the bean mixture over low heat, it will thicken up a bit. Don't forget to stir and add more chicken stock if needed.

In a separate pan heat one tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. When pan is hot add shrimp all at once, cooking about 1 minute on each side. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. 

In the same pan as the shrimp, heat another tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and saute until softened. Add garlic, basil, and red pepper flake, let cook until softened, then add tomatoes. When the tomatoes have let out most of their juice add the contents of this pan to the bean mixture. Add shrimp and spinach and cook until heated through, add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste. Serve in bowls with a piece of crusty bread.

I made this dinner into a date night with the help of candles and sparkle!

Easiest Crowd Pleasing Appetizer

Well the holidays are upon us! Sorry to have left you all in the dark, battling a cold kept me from cooking meals and then out social calendar blew up and we have been eating away from home! But I am back with one of my favorite easy appetizers. This is a good one to bring to a crowded party, they are good room temperature and are vegetarian.

Stuffed Mushrooms

1 large box button or cremini mushrooms
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 red or green pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
garlic powder
dried or fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Clean and stem mushrooms, reserving stems. Set mushroom caps in a 9x13 pan. Chop pepper and reserved mushroom stems into a small dice. Melt butter in frying pan. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook until softened, seasoning with garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Add remaining breadcrumbs until mixture is just comes together and is able to be used as stuffing. Using a spoon pack filling into mushroom caps, I like to mound it up because it will shrink during baking. Dot pan with butter and bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.

Little army of party pleasers!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

What to do with the extra cans of pumpkin I bought for Thanksgiving? After making pumpkin pancakes I thought of muffins! But with the holidays upon us I didn't want these to be a dessert, we have to keep something healthy! Without many changes to the original recipe I was able to accomplish this without losing one ounce of flavor!! These muffins are moist and delicious, a big hit with the hubby!

mmm look at that chocolate goodness

Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
makes 12 muffins

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour
3/4 Cup all purpose flour1
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or walnuts
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line or spray muffin tip cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full). Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Crazy Pizza Bread

When I came across this recipe I wasn't sure what to expect. It seemed odd and like the name, a bit crazy. But Thanksgiving was coming up and I wanted to try something new to have while watching the Dog Show. Boy am I glad I made this! I have a feeling it is going to become famous at my parties from now on! Check out the recipe below and the changes I made.

Why yes, that is ooey gooey cheese bursting out the side of the loaf!

Crazy Pizza Bread

Ingredients
1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped small ( I used stick pepperoni, red peppers, green peppers, sauteed garlic)
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the toppings and combine well. Dough will be tacky.  Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese over top. Then, using the Silpat or paper, fold into thirds the long way. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.

Next time I make this I will add roasted garlic and caramelized onions. This bread is best served hot, I personally liked it as a pizza "biscotti" where I sliced the loaves into one inch pieces and toasted before serving. I would also serve with marinara sauce next time. This is seriously good stuff people.

Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries!

No, really....crunchy sweet potato fries! It's possible, with a little magic! Thanks to Martha I now know the secret behind them. I will save you the suspense, its egg whites! Read on for the recipe.

 

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder

Heat oven to 400° F. Peel sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices. Whisk egg white until frothy, add spices and whip to combine. Toss sweet potato sticks in egg white. Transfer in a single layer to a parchment lined baking sheet, shaking to remove excess egg. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.

I served these up with a simple grilled flank steak, corn, and spinach. What a tasty meal!

Pumpkin Pancakes

For some inexplicable reason Oprah's pumpkin pie recipe calls for one and a little bit of another can pumpkin puree. This left me with a little Tupperware of pumpkin puree sitting in my fridge just waiting to make something yummy. What better on Sunday morning than pumpkin pancakes? Next time I would leave out the chocolate chips, or use much less. With a drizzle of maple syrup these are wonderful, they are even good toasted the next day!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pancakes
makes 14 medium cakes

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cups lowfat milk
1/2 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, chocolate chips, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin, and vanilla until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Lightly oil or coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Pour the batter onto the hot skillet using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, forming 4-inch pancakes. Cook until bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancakes and the bottoms turn golden, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the other sides are golden, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining cooking spray and batter.

Thanksgiving Dessert Explosion!!

Pies, Pies, Pies! What really makes Thanksgiving great is not the turkey, but the desserts. I was in charge of making the desserts for the family and turned to the holiday's favorite flavors; pumpkin and apple. But I was not about to make just any dessert, I aim to impress when I make my food and this was no exception. Below find the recipes used, the changes I made, and how they were received.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie
First up is Oprah's Favorite Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie!! To get a feel for that, say it out loud in your best Oprah voice, "ITS THE BEST PIE EEVVVEEERRRR!!!!" It was more of a custard consistency than a regular pumpkin pie, but tasted so good! I took out the walnuts and substituted more cookie crumbs.

Ingredients:
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups canned 100% pumpkin
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup whole milk
3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 325° F. In a small bowl combine cookie crumbs and butter, transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Press crumb mixture firmly and evenly into bottom and sides of pan (I used the bottom of a glass to pack in). Bake 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack.

In a large bowl, gently whisk remaining ingredients together. The mixture should be smooth and have no bubbles. Place cooled piecrust on a baking sheet; pour in pumpkin filling. Use an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon to smooth the top; transfer to oven. Bake until pumpkin filling is set but still has some wiggle in the center, 60 to 75 minutes. (If edges of pie get too dark toward the end of baking, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack.

For the decoration I traced a turkey cookie cutter onto a piece of card stock and cut out shape leaving all edges intact. Lay paper over pie plate. Place 1 Tbsp powdered sugar into a sifter or sieve and dust sugar 5 inches above over paper cut out. Carefully remove paper from pie.

Voila! An easy touch to fancy up a pie!

Say it with me now in your best Oprah voice, "YOU GET A PIECE! YOU GET A PIECE! YOU GET A PIECE!"


French Apple Pear Tart
I knew immediately the apple dessert I wanted to make was Ina's French Apple Tart. Lately my husband has been wanting pears, so I substituted two pears for two apples. I cut back on the sugar and butter in this recipe, it bubbled over and burned with the amount called for in Ina's (I made the changes in the recipe below).

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
2 Granny Smith apples
2 Bosc pears
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, small diced
1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
2 tablespoons water

For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. Peel the apples and pears and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baler or spoon. Slice the apples and pears crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples and pears diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with slices. Sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the water and brush the filling and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Leftover Hand Pies
One of my favorite parts when baking pastry like pies is what to do with the leftover dough. Sometimes I will make small "cookies" out of it, this time I made small hand pies.

Ingredients:
Left over dough
2 Tbsp filling of your choice
(apples, pears, chocolate chips, jam)
1 egg beaten with a touch of water
Sanding sugar for decoration

Roll out the dough and add cut into two matching shapes per hand
pie. For the filling I finely minced pears, mixed with cinnamon and sugar. Place filling in between layers of dough. Brush egg wash around the edges, pinch to seal. Brush the top of the shape with egg wash, cut slits for steam, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the oven with your pie or in a toaster oven until cooked through. Keep an eye on it, it will cook quickly. Eric was so impressed by these "leftover" creations!!

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Nothing goes better with pumpkin pie than whipped cream. And I thought it would be so much better with a touch of cinnamon!

Ingredients:
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Start by placing the bowl and whisk attachments in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. When ready to make the whipped cream start by slowly mixing the cream. As you speed up the mixer add the remaining ingredients and whip until soft to medium peaks form.

I think its needless to say the desserts came out great! Everyone was impressed and I had leftovers for breakfast all weekend!

Welcome to the Hectic Holidays!

Boy has it been busy in this house the last week! And it doesn't look like its going to slow down anytime soon. We have been eating at friends and families the last week. Not too much cooking at home, but have still been eating well and delicious. When we are home its been very light, quick soups or salads to balance the heavy food we are getting elsewhere, and is this an easy, lazy soup! 

Very Quick Tortellini Soup

1 cup beef broth
2 cups chicken stock
garlic powder
onion powder
1 pkg frozen cheese tortellini
fresh parsley
grated Parmesan

Bring stock and broth to a boil, add one pinch each powder. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions. Finish with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

Next time I make this I am going to saute some onion slices to add to the soup, and possibly some frozen spinach.

Thai Chicken Tacos

These are becoming a party staple in this house! I made them for our "Beat the Heat Bash" in August and again last week for a girls' night. They are super easy and all the components can be made ahead of time, which is good if you rush around last minute like me. Now the name is a bit misleading, the pickles are the only "Thai" part of these, but if you added in some peanut sauce they might become a bit more authentic. If you are not serving as a meal feel free to cut burrito sized tortillas into 2 inch circles and make a two bite snack.

Thai Chicken Tacos
makes 15 tacos

Small Flour Tortillas
1 lb chicken tenders
Thai Pickles (recipe follows)
1/2 red cabbage, shredded finely
2 carrots, shredded finely
Toasted sesame seeds
Sesame garlic Asian sauce (I used Simply Enjoy, from Stop & Shop)

Toss the chicken tenders with 3 Tbsp sauce and let sit for 1 hour. Heat skillet over medium heat, add sesame seeds and cook until the turn a golden brown. Remove immediately and set aside. In the same pan cook tenders until done, you do not want a crunchy crust, just cook through adjusting temperature if they are getting too brown. Let chicken cool for 10 minutes, then shred into a bowl using two forks or your hands. Add 1-2 Tbsp more sauce to taste and set aside. To build your tacos layer the ingredients starting with chicken, veggies, then pickles. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Thai Pickles
1 Cumber
1/4 small red onion
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flake

Slice cucumber in half the long way and seed. Cut into paper thin slices. Slice onion into thin slices. Place into a Tupperware. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumber and onions. Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours then drain and serve. The pickles are good on fish tacos as well!

Why Cooking for You Feels Sooo Good!

Is there really a payoff to cooking at home? For most people its a way to save money, some enjoy the process, but does a home cooked meal really have deeper rewards? That is what "Why Making Dinner Is a Good Idea" attempts to prove. Using the well known scientific process and some lab mice, they set to prove working hard at something reaps a better reward. Check out the article and tell me what you think.

My question is this: does my food taste better to me because I made it, or does it taste good to others because they know the effort that went into making it. Something to ponder next time I have a dinner party. 

Mac and Cheese

I have been wanting mac and cheese since the date night catastrophe. Where I failed at the fancy pants recipe, I know I can make a basic macaroni and cheese, after all, my mom taught me well!

Easy Mac and Cheese

1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 lb American cheese (from the deli)
2 cups small macaroni

Set water to boil. In a small pan melt butter over medium-low heat. When melted add flour and whisk until a light blonde color, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add milk whisking constantly. Return to heat and cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir cheese into sauce until melted. Mix macaroni into cheese sauce, season with salt and pepper. Makes 2 dinner portions or 4 sides.

Weekly Budget Update!

Leftover week is here! After diligently cooking for the last month my freezer runneth over! And we need to eat some of that food. Because almost all my meals are made for this week my grocery bill was really low this week, I spent $29 at Stop and Shop today. This evens out the extra money I spent on extravagances last week, notably a $15 flank steak and a $10 block of Gruyere cheese. There is still over 2/3 of the cheese left and 1/2 lb steak in the freezer!

No good deals or major purchases at the store, just milk, eggs, potatoes, and bread.

Meal Planning this week is also going to be easy. I will pretty much just choose something out of the fridge every morning and surprise Eric at dinner! Tonight we had sausage and pepper sandwiches! I am also playing cards with my girlfriends this week, stay tuned for what I bring!

Sausage and Peppers

Tonight starts freezer week! We are kicking this week off the same you would the big game - sausage and pepper sandwiches! Served with the left over arugula salad from date night!

Sausage and Peppers

1 lb sweet italian sausage links (you can mix in hot if you like), sliced into rounds
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium peppers (I use a mix of red and green), sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
olive oil
1 large can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 cup red wine

In a skillet or dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage rounds and cook through. Remove from pan and drain fat (you can use the rendered fat from the sausage here if you like, I try to keep it a bit healthier and drain it). Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and add garlic, peppers, onions, and red pepper flake . When the peppers and onions soften add the wine, let cook off a bit and add tomatoes and spices. Return cooked sausage to the pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Sausage and peppers is a versatile meal; you can serve it over pasta, with a salad, or on a torpedo roll! This recipe makes about 6-8 servings and freezes very well! 

can you smell how good this looks?

Date Night Friday!

Well, date night did not go exactly as planned this week. I bought all the ingredients to make Ina's Grown Up Mac and Cheese, a nice flank steak from Whole Foods, and arugula for a salad. Unfortunately the roux for the mac and cheese didn't come together as planned and it was ruined. Thinking quickly I decided to use the leftover cheese and make a big salad topped with steak.

I had the butcher at Whole Foods cut me a night piece of flank steak, about 3/4Lb. Rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flake, and Worcestershire sauce. Tossed arugula, red peppers, Craisins, and walnuts with homemade honey mustard dressing. Thinly sliced the steak and arranged on top. This was so filling I almost didn't miss the mac and cheese!

Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients:
 2 Tbsp each Honey, Dijon Mustard, Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

Whisk together everything except oil. Once combined continue whisking while slowly adding the oilve oil in a stream. Season to taste.

This dressing has been a huge crowd pleaser and is not full of sugar and who knows what from the bottled kind!

Leftovers Again!

Usually when you hear that phrase its someone complaining about having to eat the same thing again...not in this house! It should read, "Leftovers again? WOOOOOO!" I usually will wait a day or two before eating leftovers, or they go into the freezer for another time. But the Cassou-Lazy was too good to wait! We ate the rest last night, and it was so easy to heat up! I had saved the leftovers in the cooking container. Place the casserole dish in the oven while preheating to 350°.  Cook for 40 minutes. It was warm and bubbly, and ever more crispy on the top! My belly is sad that we can't have it again tonight too! I'm sure it will be on the menu in the months to come!

ignore the impending avalanche!

Speaking of leftovers, I took inventory of our freezer last night and I think I don't have to cook next week! Just reheat and go! To give you an idea of what we have to choose from check out this list!

• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 serving pea soup (from my mom for Eric!)
• 4 servings beef stew
• 4 servings chili
• 1 serving lentil soup
• 2 servings chicken cacciatore
• 7 pizza crusts
• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 lb chicken tenders
• 2 1/2lb pork tenderloins
• 2 can's worth black beans
• 4 cups white rice
• 4 servings sausage and peppers 
• 1/2 lb kielbasa
• 3 chicken breasts
• package of goyza
• frozen shrimp
• and much, much, more!

We sure like our frozen veggies!

I think we will have an easy grocery trip this weekend! Check back Sunday to see how we made out!

Chicken and Sausage Cassou-Lazy!

Thanks to Healthy Delicious for sharing the wonderful recipe for Cassoulet with White Beans, Sausage and Turkey. I have made some slight changes due to my pantry missing ingredients, I would recommend using what you have on hand to save a trip to the store and some money! I have listed my changes to the recipe below.

While talking about this dinner a friend pointed out that this is not a genuine French Cassoulet (oh la la) and I should not call it that on my blog. He dubbed it Cassou-Lazy. I was going to argue with him (this dish takes some work after all) but I looked into what a cassoulet really is and was quite surprised.  The Internet told me that a traditional French cassoulet is a slow cooked peasant food with white beans, tomatoes, ham, pork sausage, and duck. It would cook in the fire for up to 3 days using any scraps they had left over. Three days!! Well there is no way I have time for that! This dinner only takes about 1 1/2 hours. I was even able to make sausage and peppers for another night using the left over ingredients from it! Cassou-Lazy it is!

Two dishes in one night means less work later!

 Cassoulet with White Beans, Sausage & Chicken

2 links sweet Italian sausage, taken out of casings

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 carrot, diced 

6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped (or a large can of plum tomatoes, drain and save sauce for another time)

1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped 

2 springs fresh thyme, chopped 

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1 can Cannelini beans

4 ounces roasted chicken thighs, rough dice

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 Tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook through. Remove the sausage, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook in the sausage drippings until they begin to soften — about 5 minutes, add more oil if needed. Add the carrot and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally to help break down the tomatoes, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans.

Spoon half of the tomato and bean mixture into a 3 quart casserole dish or dutch oven. Scatter the turkey and sausage over it, then top with the remaining beans. Sprinkle the bread crumbsover the top, then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and the bread crumbs have browned (if necessary, you can put it under the broiler for 5 minutes at the end to help brown the breadcrumbs). Let sit for 15 minutes prior to serving.

mmmm look at those crunchy breadcumbs!

This dinner was so good I wish you could be here to taste it! This is a warm you to the bones, delicious, crowd pleasing dish to be shared with friends and loved ones. I will be making this all winter long, you can call me Cassou-Crazy!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

 Whole Wheat Pizza
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 packets yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp honey or sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups AP flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

Combine water and yeast, let sit for approximately 5 minutes until foamy. Oil large bowl, set aside. Mix yeast mixture, honey, oil and salt. Stir in flours with wooden spoon until sticky. Transfer to oiled bowl, brush oil over the top of dough and cover with a dry dish towel. Let rise 1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 8 pieces. Work each piece into a 5 inch circle. Place on a corn meal dusted sheet pan and place in freezer over night. To store layer pizza dough and parchment paper in a ziplock bag. Keeps for 3 months. You can also make two larger pizzas from this. I like to do the individual size for easy weeknight dinners or lunches.

Pizza Party at my Place!!

My Easy Pizza Sauce
1 8oz can unsalted tomato sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp each onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and dried parsley

Mix together. This freezes extremely well. The individual pizzas use about 1 tablespoon of sauce.
red pepper flake to taste

To bake, preheat oven to 450°. If you are using a pizza stone leave in the oven while preheating. Do not take pizza crust out of the freezer until you are ready to bake, it will defrost and get messy. Get your toppings ready, I like to use sauteed mushrooms, pepperoni, peppers, chicken, pesto, cheddar, mozzarella, whatever you have on hand is going to be good on the pizza! Once oven is preheated bake on a pizza stone of sheet pan for 15 minutes. The crust will be golden brown and delicious!

This was our dinner tonight, and we have 6 crusts left in the freezer along with at least 4 more soup servings! Talk about time savings, and money savings!

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

Bah, November...I have not seen the sun in almost 5 days. It is cold and cloudy, and I am cranky! The best remedy for this is a pot of homemade soup and bad movies on the couch! This is one of my new favorite recipes! Its plentiful, easy to make, and CHEAP! Thanks to The Kitchn for posting it last year!

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup
1 head garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
3 cups chicken stock
1 large white potato, peeled and diced
1 inch cube Parmesan or small piece of Parmesan rind
1 cup milk (2% or whole is best)

Heat the oven to 400°F. Slice the top off your garlic and place on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, and wrap foil up around it. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the cloves are very soft. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Before Roasting...

Delicious Goodness!

Melt the butter in the bottom of a saucepan. Add onion and thyme to the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the stock and potato. Squeeze half the garlic cloves out of their skins and into the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until potato is very soft. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup or use a regular blender. Return to heat and stir in the milk. Cook until just heated through. Taste and season with additional garlic or salt as desired. This serves 4-6 depending on bowl size.

And now, I am on the couch not feeling so grumpy, thanks soup and pizza!

Warm Up for Thanksgiving!

I wanted to make an easy cassoulet this week which calls for roasted chicken thighs, so tonight I had to make.....roasted chicken thighs! Thinking about sides for this I was drawn to Thanksgiving dinner inspiration! Lucky for me stuffing was on sale and I had veggies on hand.

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (my package had 5)
1 carrot chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 celery stalk chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 slices lemon
3-5 sprigs of thyme and rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400°. Layer all ingredients on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Make foil into a packet and bake for 30 minutes.  Open foil packet and bake 15 more minutes. I served with individual casseroles of stuffing and veggies.

For dessert I made baked apples with raisins. Slice one large apple (or two) and mix with raisins, cinnamon, and sugar to taste. Butter inside of casseroles and layer apples mixing raisins in between layers. Bake at 400° along with dinner. Eric was very happy to have something sweet at the end of dinner!

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a dish that I always try to keep on hand in the freezer. It had just the right amount of sweetness and is hearty enough to warm up when you don't have time to make a meal. This is another recipe handed down to me from my mom. Hope you like it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 - 3 lbs chicken tenders, cut in half the short way
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium red pepper sliced
1/2 box cremini mushrooms sliced
1 large can whole plum tomatoes
1 8oz can unsalted tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil

Add all ingredients except chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer 40 minutes. Add uncooked chicken pieces and simmer 20 more minutes. Serve over pasta, with salad and bread, or as a sandwich!

What a Deal!

Here at Delicious Recession we are all about saving money! Not just on food but on every day items. Sometimes there are deals that are so good we can not pass them up!

Meet my new lover, Le Crueset 5.5 quart casserole!

Usually over $235 we found this at a steal for $149.99 at Homegoods! Merry early Christmas to me!!! Just think of all the great things I will be able to make in this! In a way I guess its also Merry Christmas to Eric!

Weekly Budget Update!

This weekend I spent $63 at Stop & Shop. We are still going to eat from the freezer, that lentil soup was great this weekend and we still have 2 more servings!




Major Purchases: package sweet sausage, chicken thighs, and chicken tenders.

Good Deals: 1L Flavored Seltzer water for $0.75 each! 

Meal Planning:
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Thighs with Stuffing (so what if we are preparing for Thanksgiving!)
White Bean and Sausage "Cassoulet"
Shrimp Stirfry
Pizza and Soup
Steak with Sweet Potato Fries and Arugula Salad (Date Night!!)
????

As much as I try and plan out my weeks, there is almost always a night that I can not pin down. This week we will have had red meat, chicken, seafood and vegetarian meals. Who has a suggestion for night 7?

Lemon Garlic Tilapia with Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

I made a slightly different version of this dish a couple of weeks ago and liked it so much I knew I wanted to make it for date night. This is one of my favorite ways to make potatoes, you can switch the seasoning to match any dish.

2 fillets tilapia (about 6oz each)
3 medium red potatoes
1 cup baby carrots
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
fresh chopped parsley
garlic powder
paprika
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450° (I use my toaster oven for this). Cut potatoes into one inch pieces, cover by 1 inch with water, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes and mix in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spread out in a pan lined with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Boiling them for a short amount of time gives the insides a fluffy texture and roasting makes them so crunchy and delicious!

15 minutes before serving slice the baby carrots in half. Place in pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until tender.

Fish cooks so quickly so you will want to start this right before serving. In a large nonstick skillet combine 1 tsp butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When butter has melted add 1-2 cloves crushed garlic. The garlic is just to flavor the oil so don't worry about chopping or mincing, just place your knife blade flat over the clove and bang with your fist. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place fish into pan and cook 4 minutes. Flip with spatula, add 1/4 cup white wine, squeeze of lemon, and chopped parsley. Remove fish after two minutes. Heat remaining pan sauce over high to reduce, remove garlic and pour over fish to serve.

This is a quick and easy dish that can be made for a date night or weeknight! Enjoy!

COOKIES!

Well, the Halloween candy is running low and Eric's sweet tooth is still craving something yummy. He requested cookies but I was not willing to slave over the stove, the timer interupting my night every 12 minutes, so cookie bars it was! I added 1/2 cup craisins and 1 cup walnuts to the standard Tollhouse Recipe. Make these in a jelly roll pan or a 12x17 if you have one. Man were they good!

Alright, maybe it was my sweet tooth too!