Sausage Sandwiches

One of the simplest weeknight dinners I have ever made is also the one meal that my boyfriend has ever truly expressed any excitement over. My boyfriend, I may have stated in an earlier post, is a guy and, therefore, he does not gush (I gush about anything and everything, so it is amazing to me when he does not have an opinion on absolutely everything!).

This meal, though was totally different. It's quick, simple, and involves very little skill in the kitchen.

You will need:

A few bell peppers 

(I like the yellow and orange ones, they're sweeter)

One yellow onion

One package of chicken sausages 

(Not all sausages are created equal - I buy the Al Fresco garlic and/or the sweet Italian sausages)

Rolls, not hot dog buns

You will need two skillets going at once, which is the only tricky part if you're a beginner.

Start by cutting your chicken sausages in half the long way and cook them in one of the skillets - you may need a little vegetable oil so they don't stick. Cook until golden, flipping half way through so that they are browned on both sides.

While those heat on a low setting, cut the peppers into thin strips. 

Next, peel the skin off of the onion and cut it in half cross-wise so you get half-moons, not rings. Slice the onion into thin strips as well.

Place the peppers and the onions in the other skillet with a little bit of vegetable oil. Sautee until they are soft and slightly golden.

Serve with rolls and whatever condiments you like (we like spicy brown mustard).

This is also great tailgate or football party food.

Happy eating!

Once

Chocolate Croissants

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. I think I could eat breakfast three meals a day and be completely content for the rest of my life, in fact.

One of my favorite things to do is to invite people over for brunch. I get to cook a wide array of items and dishes and everyone has the opportunity to try a little of everything.

One of the easiest things I make for brunch or for a quick breakfast are Chocolate Croissants. I'm sure that sounds a little intimidating but it's so easy there isn't even a recipe to share - just step by step instructions.

You will need:

One package of store-bought croissant or crescent roll dough

One bag of chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, milk, whatever you like)

Start by separating the dough - usually into triangles - and lay it all out flat

Next, sprinkle a few chocolate chips over each triangle of dough. Remember that the chocolate will melt when you bake them, so you don't want to cover every inch of dough. Also, keep away from teh edge or the chocolate will run all over your pan as it melts and will burn.

Next, roll the dough into little crescent shapes, just like you do at Thanksgiving.

Last, bake according to package directions and voila! You have easy, "home made" chocolate croissants.

Happy eating!

Busy Week!

By this time you will have noticed that I haven't posted in a week or so - life has been so busy!

In the spirit of everyone's busy lives and hectic schedules, this week I'll be posting quick and easy, shortcuts, and make-ahead items. Who doesn't want a fantastic meal they can sit down to that is nearly effortless to prepare? That's right, no one. 

As it is the weekend and this is the only time of the week I get to eat anything for breakfast, look for a quick and easy breakfast offering in my next post today.

Happy eating!

Hearty Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Not exactly a soup, this chowder will still warm your belly!

You will need:

4 slices bacon, stacked and diced
1 each medium onion and red pepper, diced
3 TBSP flour
1 lb red-skinned potatoes, cut in ½ inch chunks (3 cups)
2 cups milk (no more than 2%)
1 can (14 ½ oz.) chicken broth (low sodium)
1 can (14 ½ oz.) whole-kernel corn, drained
1 TBSP fresh (or 1 tsp dried) thyme leaves
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut bite-size
 

Heat a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. When you cut the bacon, I like to use kitchen sheers - they make it a lot easier to cut the bacon into pieces without tearing it to shreds.  

Add bacon; cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well on paper towels and reserve.

Drain off all but 1 TBSP fat. You can pour the fat into a jar and keep it in the fridge to use for other things (like pancakes!).  

Add onion and red pepper and cook, stirring as needed, 5 minutes or until soft. It's important that the veggies are soft but not browned. Once they start to soften, keep an eye on them because the color will turn quickly.

Add flour; stir until blended with fat. Stir in remaining ingredients except shrimp.

Bring to a boil, stirring bottom of saucepan and taking care to get into corners. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. It's really important to keep your eye on this step. You want the potatoes to be tender but not mush.

Add the shrimp and simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until cooked through. When shrimp are cooked, they change color - they'll turn opaque instead of clear. 

 Ladle into soup plates, sprinkle with bacon and serve immediately.

Happy eating!

Tarragon Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Rachel Ray would call this a "stewp" because it is thicker than a soup but not as substantial as stew.

I prefer my soup to have lots of body but if you like your soup a little thinner, start with 6 cups of chicken stock and add water as needed. You can also add sherry to it, if you want a little extra flavor.

 

You will need:

4 tbsp butter

3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3-4 TBSP flour
4-6 cups chicken broth

1 cup wild rice, cooked 
4 cups chicken breast, cooked
1 cup low fat milk (add more as needed)
1 cup tarragon, chopped 
Salt and pepper for seasoning
12 oz. fresh mushrooms (sautéed in extra butter)
 

Heat olive oil in soup pot. Sauté the carrots, garlic, onion, and celery until softened.  Add
chicken broth and wild rice. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes. 

While rice cooks, make a white sauce by melting butter in pan; whisk flour; slowly add
milk. Stir until thick (8 to 10 minutes). 

Add white sauce, cooked chicken, and sautéed mushrooms to soup pot with rice. Add
tarragon, salt and pepper and cook until just heated through. 

Happy eating!

Black Bean and Corn Soup

This recipe comes to you courtesy of Sue Edy, one of my coworkers. She calls it her "can't go wrong" black bean soup - and she's right!

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onions, chopped

2 cans black beans
1 med jar of chunky salsa 
1 can of corn
1 cup of broth (chicken or vegetable)
 
Soften onions in oil.  Mash one can of black beans. Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. Do not drain cans. Heat to desired temperature and enjoy. 

I also add two finely chopped jalapenos because I like the heat.  

Sprinkle grated cheese on top and serve with a few tortilla chips.

You can also add a few cups of cooked chicken or ground turkey or beef. This would make it a lot more like a chili. 

Happy eating!

Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Autumn is my favorite time of year! I love the colors and the smells and how it gets crisp and cold at night. But mostly I love that it's cold enough outside to do some cooking!

In honor of autumn, you will find a week of soup recipes - some of my favorites for dinner on a cold night. The boyfriend and I just picked up a bunch of apples, so I will definitely be making this one soon!

To start, one of my new favorites,  

Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.

You will need:

4 tablespoons butter  

2 cups yellow or white onions, chopped  

1 stick of celery, chopped  

4 teaspoons curry powder   

2 medium butternut squashes, peeled and cubed  

3 Honey Crisp or MacIntosh variety apples, peeled and chopped  

1 cup apple cider  

Salt and pepper, to taste 

In a heavy pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions, celery, and curry powder. Cook until vegetables are tender, approximately 5-10 minutes. 

Add squash, apples, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until squash and apples are tender. Drain, reserving liquid. 

Return one cup of liquid to the pot. Using a hand mixer, puree the apple-squash mixture. 

Add cider and mix by hand. Add additional reserved liquid until you have the consistency soup that you want. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Happy eating!

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

It has been a rainy, cold, wet couple of days here in the northeast. The kind of days that let you know winter is not far off and it's going to be quite some time before spring and warmth return. I thought that, since the cold is starting early this year, I would share with you readers one of my favorite cold weather breakfasts.

This is a great thing to throw on before you go to bed or to put on as you leave the house for a long day of skiing or hiking. It makes your house smell fantastic and it's just the thing to warm you all the way through once you come back inside from the cold.

You will need:

5 ½ c. water    

1  c. steel cut oats   

½ c. regular barley (not quick-cooking) 

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger 

¼ tsp. salt 

¼ c. brown sugar 

2 medium apples, chopped 

1 cup raisins (optional)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-7 hours. If you cook it any higher, the sides will burn.

To serve: top with chopped pecans, honey and/or milk, if desired.

Makes 8 servings

Happy eating!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from my friend Philip and have since modified it slightly.  

The pumpkin in this recipe makes the cookies soft and moist, as does the oil. I prefer a cookie with a little more body, so I have substituted the oil for butter, which makes a more traditional cookie.

You will need:

1/2 cup olive oil (or substitute butter, softened)
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 TBSP vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 bag chocolate chips (I like mini semisweet chocolate chips)
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, soda, powder, and cinnamon. Add to cookie mixture in thirds, being careful not to over mix. 

Mix in chocolate chips by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.
 
Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop teaspoon-sized balls of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges turn golden.
 
Remove from cookie sheet to cool on wire rack. I put paper towels on top of the wire racks because they absorb some of the fat from the butter.

Happy eating!

Spaghetti Squash

The final part of our Columbus Day meal - the star of the show - Spaghetti Squash.

I mentioned in an earlier post that the boyfriend and I picked up a couple of spaghetti squash at a local farm last weekend that inspired us to create the meal you've been reading about this week. This is undoubtedly the easiest part of the meal.

To make the squash, followthe steps below:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cut squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds, being careful not to scrape out too much of the flesh.

Place squash cut side down onto lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until you can easily insert a fork into the squash.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.

Using a fork, scrape the flesh out of the squash, creating the strands that resemble spaghetti.

Season to taste and/or serve with the marinara from yesterday's post.

Happy eating!

Super Easy Marinara

If you've been following the blog this week you know that this post is the third in a series of four posts
about a fantastic meal my boyfriend and I cooked on Columbus Day.

I originally got this recipe from Fresh365 - one of my favorite online food and recipe sites. Since then I've modified it to include some ingredients from my parent's marinara recipe.  

My mom and dad got their marinara recipe from The European, which was the best Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston. We used to visit it regularly while I was growing up and I think the three of us
mourned the day it closed, as I am sure many others did as well. I am sure that someone out there must
know the history of the restaurant or where I can find some information on the place, so if you do please pass it along!

The Fresh365 recipe is called "Grandma's Gravy" and is as follows:
3 T olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 28-oz cans Pastene Kitchen-Ready ground peeled tomatoes
1 can water (optional)
1 bunch basil, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium. Add garlic, and sauté 3-4 minutes, until garlic begins to
brown. Add tomatoes, water (if using) and basil. Cover and simmer at least 2 hours. Season, to taste.

The European's marinara called for some additional ingredients:
1 tsp sugar
1 cup each onions and celery, ground and sauteed in butter
about 1 lb carrots, ground and sauteed in butter
Italian spices (basically whatever you want: one or two fresh bay leaves, some oregano, basil...this is
another "how much you like it" instance)
 

As I said, my marinara is a combination of these two recipes. I use:
3 T olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup each onions and celery, ground and sauteed in olive oil
about 1 lb carrots, ground and sauteed in olive oil
2 28-oz cans Pastene Kitchen-Ready ground peeled tomatoes
1 bunch basil, coarsely chopped
Italian spices, salt and pepper, to taste
water as needed  

First, I sauté the onions, celery and carrots in olive oil. When that is mostly soft I add the garlic. You don't want to add the garlic too early or it will burn.
 

Then I add the tomatoes, basil, and whatever spices you're using.
 

I check it about every half hour and stir it so it doesn't stick to the bottom. After about an hour you may
want to add a little water. You could add some red wine if you wanted but it doesn't really need it.  You'll want to let it simmer at least two hours.

Be sure to taste test the sauce whenever you stir it so that you know if it needs anything else. It's easier to adjust as you go than wait until the end.
 

As I said in an earlier post, I added my turkey meatballs to the sauce with about 30 minutes to go. We then served the meatballs and marinara over spaghetti squash. Look for instructions for the squash tomorrow.

Happy eating!
 

Turkey Meatballs

This is my mother's recipe for the fastest, easiest meatballs you ever want to make. You could certainly add whatever else you like to them as meatballs are basically itty-bitty meatloaves. Meatloaf and meat balls are great catch-alls, so feel free to experiment.

You will need:

One package ground turkey, approximately 1 lb

Two Eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ to ½ cup yellow onions, chopped and sautéed 

1 to 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Before you even get started, let me say a couple of things about the ingredients. 

Ground Turkey: When you buy the ground turkey, you will have multiple options regarding fat content. Try to buy the ground turkey with the higher fat content. Remember that turkey isn't as fatty as beef, so you really need the fat so your meatballs don't dry out.

Bread Crumbs: Not all bread crumbs are created equal. Make your own bread crumbs for these meatballs, using ONLY Butter Top White bread. (I think it's made by Pepperidge Farm.) They end up more moist than the packaged kind and they're more flavorful than any of the bread crumbs you can buy at the grocery store. Don't waste your time with the store bought variety, they will make your meatballs too dry.

Onions and Seasoning: These two ingredients fall into the "how much you like it" category. I like lots of onions, so I add more than the recipe calls for. Sometimes think that the seasoning needs a little oomph, so I add a generous amount of salt and pepper and whatever else looks good at the time.

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Sautée onions in oil until tender but not browned. Remove from pan, discarding oil.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, using your hands. Form meatballs by hand and drop

onto lightly greased cookie sheet. You can make them as large or as small as you want, the most important thing is to make them all the same size so that they cook evenly.
(If you're cooking with your kids, let them do this step. They'll love to get messy!)

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. You may want to stick them under the broiler for a few minutes to help the browning along. Remember, you are working with turkey so they will be lighter in color than traditional beef meatballs.

When we finished the meatballs, we removed them from the oven and added them into the marinara for about 30 minutes. They don't really need to keep cooking but we didn't want them to get cold while we finished the rest of the meal. 

Look for the marinara recipe tomorrow, followed by the instructions for the spaghetti squash on Friday.

Happy eating!

Adventures in Cooking (a.k.a Team Dinner #1)

Oh, how I love long weekends! Last night, day three of our Columbus Day Holiday Weekend, the boyfriend and I made dinner together. This was a first for us.

The day before, we had picked up a couple of spaghetti squash at a local farm and were both itching to use them. Truth be told, the original offer was for the boy to cook me dinner but it became apparent pretty early on that this was going to be a team effort.

My boyfriend is a guy. He's in the Army, he plays rugby, he builds things out of wood. He is wonderful and has many fantastic qualities that would make you go "aw" if I told you but not one of those strengths is cooking. In truth, food is generally not his strong suit.

He will probably kill me when he reads this but he has what my mother calls a "young pallet." Before I came along, he was content to eat guy food: pizza, wings, pasta, Taco Bell, Chinese take out, any take out, really. I think he probably would have been happy with guy food forever had I not yelled, "I need a vegetable!" on about our third date.

So, while his offer to cook me dinner did make my heart melt, the reality is that this was very much a joint venture.

I mentioned earlier that we had picked up a couple of spaghetti squash at a local farm. In addition to the squash, the boyfriend also picked up a great cookbook for beginners called The Healthy College Cookbook. It's all about how to set up your first kitchen, how to stock your pantry, and what tools are essential. Between the cookbook and the squash we had our inspiration.

The menu for Team Dinner #1 was:

Spaghetti Squash

Quick and Easy Marinara

Turkey Meatballs

The boyfriend is doing a paleolithic diet at the moment - you eat only fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and poultry - so we skipped the cheese that I would normally add to a meal like this. Truth be told, it was so flavorful that I didn't even miss the cheese.

The recipes will follow over the next couple of days, so check back until Friday to get them all.

Happy eating!