Cranberry Glazed Cornish Hens, by Cheryl

This is a Cheryl original! I always keep a pair of cornish hens in the freezer if I'm not sure what to make for dinner one night. It is always a go to meal, and there's not much prep time at all. I always serve it with a side of asparagus and crescent rolls. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 cornish hens
1 can of cranberry sauce
1/2 lemon
brown sugar
baby carrots
celery
chicken broth
salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375. Rinse out both cornish hens. Sprinkle some salt inside the cavity and on the outside of the hen and place in a 9x13 glass dish. Place some carrots and cut celery inside the cavity and in dish.

2) In a saucepan on medium high heat, mix half of the can of the cranberry sauce, about 1/2 a cup of water, and half of the lemon. Once it has turned to liquid sprinkle in a little brown sugar. Mix.

3) Liberally coat cornish hens with cranberry mixture.

4) Fill dish with a mixture of water and chicken broth until the dish is about 1/4 of the way full.

5) Cook in oven uncovered for 80-90 minutes.

6) When it is almost done, heat the rest of the cranberry sauce with water. Pour the cranberry mixture over the cornish hens when they are done.

"Pasteis De Nata"- Portuguese Custard Tarts, by Cheryl

When Jon and I went to Portugal I quickly became addicted to these custard tarts called pasteis de nata. Everywhere we went I had to find them and eat them!! For some reason I was looking up recipes having to do with custard... I then remembered the tarts and started looking up recipes for the tarts. I came across this recipe on foodgawker.com. I would make them again since the custard came out really good, but I don't think I did the flaky dough correctly (or didn't buy the right dough) since it didn't come out flaky at all and had more of a roll like taste to it. Either way, they are worth a try!

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

7 3/4 fl. oz cream (I used 1 cup)

2/3 cup milk

2 tsp natural vanilla extract

1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry

Put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan and whisk together. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until smooth. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skim forming and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin. Cut the pastry sheet in half, put one half on top of the other and set aside for 5 minutes. Roll up the pastry tightly from the short end and cut the pastry log into twelve 1 cm (1/2 inch) rounds. Lay each pastry round on a lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll out until each is 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter.

Press the pastry rounds into the muffin tin. Spoon the cooled custard into the pastry cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry and custard are golden. Leave the tarts in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Shrimp with Mango Sauce, by Cheryl

I absolutely love this dish. I can't remember where I originally found the recipe (I've been making it for over a year now), but it gets better each time I make it. It has a fruity and spicy kick to it and works well with shrimp and/or chicken. I serve it with white rice, but I'm sure brown rice would be just fine. Enjoy!

4 tsp canola oil

½ cup chopped red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cumin

⅛ tsp cinnamon

1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into ½-inch pieces

⅓ cup cider vinegar

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

1-1.5 pounds shrimp

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp garlic powder

Heat 2 tsp oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.

Cook onion, garlic, ginger, ¼ tsp salt, allspice, cumin and cinnamon about 3 minutes.

Add mango, vinegar, lime juice and sugar and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick.

Toss chicken/shrimp with red pepper, garlic powder and remaining ½ tsp salt.

Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until no longer translucent. Serve with sauce and rice.

Sherry Braised Short Ribs, by Cheryl

One word- amazing!!! I've tried a couple of recipes for short ribs before, but none have had the luscious taste that this does (I took it from The Barcelona Cookbook). The meat melts in your mouth and the variety of vegetables is a nice compliment to it. This is pretty time consuming so it's great for a weekend meal (especially with the cold weather). I also changed a couple of things either because I didn't have the ingredient, or because I'm fairly new at cooking and wanted to make things simpler for myself. I would definitely make this again! Yum!

Brine

1 small rib celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 small carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 small Spanish onion, coarsely chopped (I used sweet onions)
1/2 small head garlic, halved
3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (didn't use this)
1 small sprig fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1 cup apple cider
3/4 cup cream sherry or another sweet sherry (I used sherry cooking wine)
2 tbs. sherry vinegar
4 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. kosher salt
six 4 inch long beef short ribs

Vegetables

1 pint (2 cups) pearl onions (I used sweet onions)
2 Yukon Gold potatoes (didn't have potatoes)
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice
1 celery root, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice
1 turnip, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice
3 tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Braising

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Spanish paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
3 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne
3/4 cup olive oil
5 cups veal stock (or half and half of beef and chicken stock)

Marinating the meat:

Mix all the brine ingredients together. Put the ribs, meat side down, in one or more shallow dishes/pans. Pour the brine over the ribs, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to two days. (I used a Ziploc bag and occasionally turned the bag over so that the meat would be evenly marinated.)

Roasting the veggies:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the vegetables except for the onions, put in a bowl and mix with 2 tbs. of olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper and mix well. Spread the remaining tbs. of olive oil in a shallow baking pan and spread the veggies over the pan in a single layer. Roast the veggies for 10 minutes, stir, and roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until they're tender and golden brown. (I included the onions in this step).

Prepare the pearl onions (I didn't do this step and included the onions in the previous step):

Put a pot of water to boil on the stove. Make an x in the root of each pearl onion. Add a generous amount of salt to the water and add the onions. Blanch for 3-4 minutes and drain. Cut off the root ends from the onions. The skin should follow. If the skin doesn't come off by itself, remove. Set the onions aside.

Brown and braise the short ribs:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a Ziploc bag, combine the flour and spices. Seal the bag and shake to mix to flour and spices together. Remove the meat from the brine and pat dry. Reserve the brine. Drop 2 ribs into the bag at a time. Shake to coat well and then remove. (Instead of making the flour mixture, I made a mixture using 1/2 of the spices recommended in the recipe. I dried off the marinated ribs with paper towels and sprinkled the meat liberally on all sides with the spice mixture. Then I dredged them in less than a cup of flour which I had in a shallow bowl before I browned the meat).

Heat a roasting pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and when hot, brown the ribs until golden brown on all sides. You might have to do this in batches, depending on the size of the pan.

Pour the oil from the pan, wipe any cooked flour from the pan, and scrape the edges and bottom of the pan.

Return the short ribs to the pan and pour 1 cup of the reserved brine and the veal stock over them. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bring to a boil. Very carefully, transfer the roasting pan to the oven and braise for 1 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender. Lift the ribs from the pan and set them aside. Set the pan aside to let the braising liquid cool.

Holding a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, strain the braising liquid. Skim as much of the fat from the braising liquid with a spoon or ladle or put the liquid in the freezer for an hour and then lift off the fat that congeals on the surface. (I wish I had this tool to skim the fat off the top, or enough time to let the liquid freeze so I could lift the fat off but it was getting late and we were getting hungry! I tried to do it with a spoon, but had a hard time. I didn't do this step the way it's supposed to be done, but I wanted to!)

Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Put the short ribs, onions, roasted vegetables, and strained liquid into the roasting pan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the ribs comes out hot.

Serve the roasting ribs with the roasted vegetables and some of the liquid. Enjoy!!

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry with a Peanut Butter Sauce, by Diane

I decided to cook stir fry tonight because I wanted something healthier for dinner. The idea of the peanut butter sauce was actually not planned- I had bought stir fry sauce at the store to go with it, but when I tasted it out of the bottle it was WAY too tangy and strong. I needed something to smooth out the taste, which is where the peanut butter came in. Plus- I'm a huge fan of peanut satays, which this sauce sort of came to resemble. I used natural peanut butter to cut down on sugar, and only used 1 tbsp of oil in the whole dish to make it healthier. It's a really easy and quick dinner. I hope you like it, enjoy!

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 bag stir fry frozen vegetables
1 package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 small can bamboo shoots
1 small can water chestnuts
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 packages of thinly sliced stir fry beef, cut into smaller pieces
1 cup raw unsalted peanuts
3/4 cup kikkoman stir fry sauce
1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ginger
3 tbsp raw peanut butter

1. Heat skillet to medium high, coat heavily with cooking spray and add frozen vegetables and mushrooms. Cook until frozen vegetables are thawed, then add in bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Cook until warm. Remove from skillet and place in microwave or cover to keep warm.

2. Pour oil in the skillet, heat and then add beef. Cook until no longer pink.

3. Add vegetables back into skillet along with peanuts, stir to combine.

4. Mix the remaining ingredients into a sauce, making sure peanut butter is well blended. Pour sauce over stir fry and mix to combine.

Pear, Walnut, & Goat Cheese Quiche, by Cheryl

After a long break of not cooking due to a ton of Thanksgiving and restaurant leftovers I finally was able to make something again! I'm not the biggest quiche fan, but when I saw the combination of pears, walnuts, and goat cheese from a recipe on foodgawker.com, I thought maybe it would help me change my mind. I thought it would be sweeter with the pears, but it wasn't. I probably will not be making it again (unless I decide to bring it as a side to a party), but if you are a quiche lover this recipe is definitely one to try. This recipe makes two, cute, individual quiches.

Serves 2

cream cheese pie crust recipe (follows)
custard filling recipe (follows)
1 pear, your choice what kind, cut into sections with skin on
1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles (or more if you really like cheese)
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Cream Cheese Pie Crust

½ cup all-purpose flour
3 TBSP unsalted butter, chilled and cut
4 TBSP cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp apple cider
2 tsp honey

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a food processor, add together all the ingredients. Pulse until it comes together in a ball.

Divide into two discs. Wrap into plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove from fridge and roll out one disc on lightly floured surface to 1/8 of an inch. Lay and shape into either individual quiche dish or mini pie dish. Cut off excess dough. Repeat with second disc.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

Custard mixture:
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
pinch of fresh nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.

To make the quiches:

Divide the pear, walnut and goat cheese in half. Layer ½ the pear slices in one crust, and ½ in the other. Sprinkle ½ of the walnuts over the pears and do the same with the other one. Sprinkle ½ of the goat cheese crumbles over the pears and walnuts and do the same with the other one.

Pour half of the custard over the pears, walnuts, and goat cheese filling. Pour the remaining half into the other crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie with a Dumpling Crust, by Diane

Back to cooking after a break for Thanksgiving week! Today was a snow day, and I had to make dinner using ingredients I already had in the house (with no grocery run in over a week). I decided to make a chicken pot pie, but went for a twist by using the dough to make dumplings as the crust. The idea with this easy pie is to have all of the center ingredients cooked because the crust does not take long to bake. In the end, the dumplings didn't come out quite as moist as I wanted, so I would advise either cooking it for less time or using a tube of crescent rolls (I have made this before and it was AMAZING!) as your dough. Either way, it was a good dinner for a cold snowy day. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 cups Bisquick mix (I always use the lowfat version)
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. milk (I used skim milk)
5 chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp sage or poultry seasoning
3 tsp salt
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
1/2 small white onion (or you can use baby pearl onions in the freezer section)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used the 98% fat free ones)


1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Using half of the bisquick and milk, combine in a bowl until a ball of dough forms using hands. Flatten the dough into a circle and lay in the bottom of an ungreased pie plate. Mold the dough into the pie plate so that it fits over top of the edges, making sure it is not too thick in the center (the dough rises when it cooks and then you won't have any room for the filling!). Poke several times on the bottom with a fork to allow air to escape so the crust doesn't get too high. Bake the bottom layer for about 5 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside.

3. While the dough bakes, cook the chicken with thyme, 1 tbsp sage/poultry seasoning, and 2 tsp salt until the cubes are no longer pink inside. Set in a large bowl.

4. In the same pan, cook the frozen veggies and onion combined with the remaining sage/poultry seasoning and salt (1 tbsp and 1 tsp) until the veggies have cooked and the onion turns clear. Place in the same bowl as the chicken.

5. Add into the chicken/veggie bowl the cans of soup, stir to combine and set aside.

6. Using the remaining bisquick and milk (3 cups and 1 cup + 1 tbsp) make the top shell, pressing out into a large enough circle to cover the top of the pie.

7. Pour the bowl of fillings into the pie, then place the top crust on and pinch sides of crusts together.

8. Bake the pie in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Winter Bean and Ham Soup, by Diane

This soup is one of my favorite, go-to recipes. It's simple, delicious, healthy, and filling- and the BEST to eat and reheat on cold days. It gets better over time, so leftovers are definitely something to look forward to. The batch makes quite a bit as well, so you can be eating and enjoying it for days, which means a break from cooking and packing lunches!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. EVOO
1 sweet onion, chopped
7 stalks of celery, sliced
1 bag of carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large smoked ham steaks, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cans northern beans
3 cups chicken stock
1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
2 tsp. bay leaves (or 2 whole bay leaves)

1. Heat soup pot to medium high, pour in EVOO. Cook onion, carrot, and celery until slightly soft.

2. Add ham and garlic, cook for two minutes.

3. Pour in chicken stock, tomato sauce, stir and add half of the beans, along with bay leaves. Cover and reduce heat to low.

4. Blend remaining beans and soup broth in blender until a thick paste is created, then combine with soup and reduce to warm.

5. Cook for one hour.

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Shells, by Cheryl

Quite an alliteration I have for this recipe! I found this recipe through foodgawker.com. I've never made stuffed shells before, but didn't think it was going to be hard to make at all... I was right! Jon even got into it- he cooked the sausage and onions and we stuffed the shells together. This makes A LOT of shells so it's really good for a family dinner or leftovers throughout the week. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 12-oz. package jumbo pasta shells
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
6-7 oz. fresh spinach, chopped OR 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks (I cut it up beforehand and cooked it that way). Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir together to combine. Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8×8″ pans, or one 9×13″ and one 8×8″). Stuff each shell with some of the sausage and cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.
Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

White Chicken Chili and Cheesy Cornbread, by Diane

This dish is another Diane creation, but I'll do my best to give proper measurements!! I made this on a colder day earlier this week, and it was great to come in after being outside and eat while getting warm! I chose to make this chili creamy, because all of the recipes I was finding online were a clear broth and I wanted something heartier. Although it does have some half and half in it, I made it healthier by adding a lowfat/low sodium broth base and lowfat/nonfat cheeses, as well as lowfat sour cream. The rest of the ingredients are full of protein and really good for you! The chicken I used was ground, because I like the texture in chilis, but you can use rotisserie or cubed chicken breasts as well. I also made the cornbread from scratch, but you can always use a mix if you like. Enjoy!

Chili Ingredients:

2 tbsp. EVOO

1 bunch of green scallions, sliced (use white and green parts)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small can of mild green chiles

1 small bag of frozen yellow corn

3 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. cumin

3 tbsp. salt

6 cups lowfat/low sodium chicken broth

1 cup lowfat sour cream

3/4 of a small container of half & half

2 lbs. ground chicken

6 cans of white beans, mixed varieties (I used navy, cannelini, and northern beans)

1 package of lowfat shredded monterey jack cheese

*

1. In a large soup pot, heat 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Add ingredients through salt, saute for 5 minutes. Add in broth, sour cream, and half and half. Turn down heat to medium, stirring occasionally while the chili bubbles.

2. While the chili is cooking, heat the remaining tbsp. of EVOO in a large saucepan. Add in ground chicken, cook until no longer pink. Drain the liquid from the chicken, stir in the remaining tbsp. of chili powder and tbsp. of salt. Transfer chicken to the chili, stir.

3. Add in four cans of beans (any variety) to the chili, stirring the pot.

4. Take the remaining two cans of beans, plus some liquid from the chili, and liquify in a blender until a thick paste is made. Add only enough liquid so the beans can spin in the blender- this mixture should be thick when finished. Add mixture to the chili, stirring in completely so the chili thickens. Turn the heat to low and let simmer uncovered for about an hour.

*

While the chili is cooking, make the cornbread (the cornbread recipe is from the back of the package of corn meal, called Indian Head, which I recommend, while the cheesy part came from me!):

*

1 cup ground yellow cornmeal

1 cup sifted white flour

1/4 cup white sugar (I add in 2 extra tbsp. of sugar because I like it a little sweeter)

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup shortening (I used butter), softened

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 package of shredded lowfat monterey jack/cheddar cheese

*

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

3. Cut in shortening/butter.

4. Mix in egg and milk and combine with as little strokes as possible until mixture is completely blended. Stir in cheese.

5. Bake in a greased circular or square pan (Indian Head recommends 9x9x2, I used a circular pan because I like the wedges it creates) for 20-25 minutes.

*

During the last five minutes of the chili cooking, add the package of monterey jack cheese and stir until completely blended in. Serve the chili in a big bowl, garnish chili with extra monterey jack cheese and green chilis if some are leftover. You can eat the chili with the cheesy cornbread on the side, or I also love to put margarine on the cornbread and then, after it has melted, crumble it over the chili. :)

Leerdammer and Fruit Compote, by Diane

I got introduced to this snack/appetizer/light lunch while I was in Paris at a tiny winery in the north section of Montmarte. It's really simple, surprisingly addictive, and takes me back to France every time I taste it. I use Leerdammer, which is not a French cheese, but it is a milder and creamier version of the hard cheeses I had in France. Pick any hard white cheese that you like (typically the foreign ones in a rind that are well crafted are best!), or go to Whole Foods and they can help you select the right cheese. For the compote, your favorite flavor is great, but a few of the ones I had in France were pear or fig preserves/compote. For the above photo, I used a compote of strawberries and champagne (storebought!). And, although it's not pictured, this dish is ALWAYS best when paired with white, sweet wine. Bon appetit!

Early Autumn Minestrone, by Cheryl

I first tried this recipe at our friends, Dave and Carla's, apartment and I fell in love with it! He handed me the recipe (which he found from Jamie Oliver on Food Network) and I've since made it three times. It does take a while to make so I would suggest chopping up all of the vegetables the night before... just to get a head start! It is healthy and filling... you definitely get your dose of veggies with this hearty minestrone!

Ingredients:

1 can (or fresh) cannellini beans
1 bay leaf
1 tomato, sliced
1 small potato, peeled
olive oil
salt and pepper
5-7 strips of bacon (or pancetta)
2 small red onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
1/2 fennel chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled/finely chopped
a small bunch of fresh basil
a tin of plum tomatoes (about 6)
1 glass of red wine
2 zuchinni
about 3/4 bag of spinach
2 - 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 sandwich bag of pasta

Directions:

Add the beans to a pan of water with the bay leaf, sliced tomato and potato – this will help to flavor the beans and soften their skins. Cook until tender – check by tasting. They must be soft. Drain and discard the bay leaf, tomato and potato (sometimes I keep the potato and add it to the soup later). Now season with salt, pepper.

While the beans are cooking, cook the bacon. Remove bacon and let it cool. Heat a good splash of olive oil in a saucepan and add onions, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic and the finely sliced basil stalks. Chop the bacon (or pull it with your fingers like I do) and add. Sweat very slowly on a low heat, with the lid just ajar, for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add the tomatoes, zuchinni and red wine and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Now add the spinach, stock and beans. Put the dried pasta into a sandwich bag, squeeze all the air out and seal. Bash gently with a rolling pin to break the pasta into pieces. Empty the contents into the soup. Stir and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked.

If you think the soup is looking too thick, add a little more stock or some of the reserved cooking water to thin it down a bit. Then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the torn-up basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese. Yum!!!

Butternut Squash and Bacon Mac 'n Cheese, by Cheryl

I know we've been using quite a bit of butternut squash lately... it all stems from that amazing lunch Diane and I had at Tower Oaks. Anyways, I was looking for a comfort food type of meal to make tonight... this recipe originally comes from Cooking Light. It took longer than I thought it would to prepare, but once the preparation is done, the food is almost ready to eat. In the future I would make more of a milk/flour/cheese mixture because I don't feel that it covered the whole dish well. This dish works best if you have the butternut squash, bacon, and pasta all in the same bite. Yum!!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I use pre-peeled/cubed)
1 tbsp Dried Rosemary
salt and pepper
1 box pasta of choice (I used rotini)
7 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup shallots, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (1 or 2%)
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan

Directions:
Preheat to 425. Coat the squash lightly in cooking spray, rosemary, and S&P. Roast in a pan for 45 minutes until squash is tender.
While the squash is roasting, cook the pasta, and fry the bacon. When the bacon is done, pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the drippings. Set aside the bacon, and cook the shallots 5 minutes or until translucent in the leftover drippings. Crumble the bacon and set it aside with the shallots. When the squash is done roasting, mix in the bacon and shallots and turn the oven up to 450.
Put the flour in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat and slowly whisk in the milk. When all the milk has been added, bring to a boil for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Combine the pasta and the squash mixture in a 9×13 casserole dish, and pour the milk and cheese mixture over the top. Stir to coat. Top with grated parmesan and pop back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

Creamy Chicken and Butternut Squash Casserole, by Diane

I came across a recipe for butternut squash casserole in one of my favorite magazines, except it called for the squash and blue cheese with little else in the dish. I decided to create my own take on this recipe, added chicken, and made it an instant dinner favorite. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 whole butternut squash
4 tbsp EVOO
1 small sweet yellow onion
2 chicken breasts, cooked (I used store bought rotisserie chicken because of the convenience and I like the taste better)
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup chicken stock
2-3 tbsp sage (depending on your preference- this is my favorite spice so I always use more!)
1/2 block fat free cream cheese
1 tsp salt
1 large store bought roll of soft white bread (can use two slices of white bread as well)


1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Cut squash into small cubes and boil in water until tender, about 10 minutes or so.

3. While the squash cooks, chop the onion into small pieces and saute in a pan over medium-high heat in 2 tbsp. of EVOO for about 5 minutes until tender. Set aside.

4. Cube chicken into bite-size chunks and set aside.

5. Drain squash in a colander, set aside.

6. Blend 1 c. of the shredded parmesan cheese, grated parmesan cheese, half and half, chicken stock, sage, cream cheese, and salt along with 1/3 of the squash in a food processor until creamy.

7. In a large bowl, combine the onions, chicken, remaining squash, and sauce (from step 6) and toss until coated. Pour into a large baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cup of shredded parmesan cheese.

8. Tear the bread into small chunks and blend in a food processor until it turns into small crumbs. Pulse in the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil until blended. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over top of the casserole.

9. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling and the bread has lightly toasted. :)

Turkey Chili, by Cheryl

I went for an easier recipe for my first post. I'm new at the blogging aspect of the internet and didn't want to do anything too extravagant too soon. I chose turkey chili because one, it's Monday and if I'm making chili I like to make it in the beginning of the week so I can take the leftovers to work everyday. And two, it's a filling, hearty, keep you warm, type of meal that one can always turn to in the colder weather.

You'll need:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
1 green (or red) pepper, chopped
minced garlic
2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed
3/4 - 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth
heaping tablespoons of cumin
cayenne pepper
black pepper
salt
olive oil

Directions:

1) Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium/medium high. Saute the onion and pepper until softened (not browned). After a couple of minutes, place the minced garlic in.

2) Cook the turkey in a separate pan.

3) While the turkey is cooking, stir the canned tomatoes and chicken broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add the paste and rinsed beans - stir together. Add the cooked turkey, onions, garlic, cumin, black pepper, and salt - stir together. Add the cayenne pepper as you go depending on how spicy you want it.

4) Simmer on medium low-medium heat for a minimum of 20 minutes. Serve with rolls on the side and/or cheese on top!

Homemade Butternut Squash and Parmesan Ravioli with a Brown Butter, Sage and Rosemary Sauce, by Diane

So Cheryl and I recently had a 'ladies lunch' at Clyde's in Tower Oaks, where we split an amazing butternut squash ravioli dish in a Madras curry sauce. The next day, I was craving leftovers but had none, and didn't feel like going out to the store. I decided to look online at how to make pasta, having never made it before. I have always seen shows on TV where they have these massive pasta rolling contraptions, and hangers to let the pasta dry for days, etc. But, after checking out some recipes, it didn't look too bad! Luckily, we had some butternut squash in the fridge, so I decided to give it a try... The recipe for the filling and sauce came from my head, but I can't take credit for the pasta- although I found I had to add a LOT more flour to the dough to make it less sticky so I could roll it out. Here's the recipe:

Pasta:

2 cups flour
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. salt (I increased it to 1 1/2 tsp because I liked the flavor better)

Combine the ingredients above and knead for 10 minutes, then let sit for 30. Again, I am not sure about the flour, but I must have added another cup in the process because this dough came out extremely sticky. It seemed to work well in the end, although it was tougher to roll out.

While the pasta is sitting, create the filling:

1 package pre-cut butternut squash (MUCH less work!)
2 tbsp. milk (I used skim milk)
1/2 c. chicken broth (I use low sodium, low fat)
1/3-1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sage

Cook squash in boiling water until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain squash and place into a blender/food processor along with the remaining ingredients, blend until creamy. The measurements I gave are approximate, since I don't cook with measuring tools, so feel free to adjust to your liking.

After the pasta has sat for 30 minutes and the filling is complete, it's time to make the ravioli. I chose a round shape, but you can use a square or half moon shape if you like. First, roll out the dough on a floured surface with a floured pin until it is pretty thin. This takes a lot of effort!!! I used a pastry mat and rolled the pasta until the lines were visible though it. I didn't have a circle cookie cutter, so I used the rim of a small drinking glass instead. Cut shapes, and re-roll and cut until all the dough is used. My batch of dough made about 14 ravioli's.

To fill the ravioli, spoon filling into the center of one circle (enough so it won't squeeze out when you put the top on) and place another circle on top. Lightly seal with your fingers, being careful not to push so hard that the filling will come out. Then, go around the edges with a fork, pressing the tines into the dough hard enough to create a seal.

Drop the raviolis into boiling water and cook until tender. Again, this depends on the thickness of your dough- mine took about 15 minutes but I made them a little thicker in the end (I got tired of rolling!!!).

While the raviolis boil, create the sauce:

1/2 stick butter
2 tbsp. sage
the leaves of one stalk of fresh rosemary (1-2 tbsp. of rosemary from the pantry can be substituted if you don't have fresh rosemary)

The sauce is super easy. Put all ingredients into a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stir to blend, and simmer until the butter no longer bubbles (this means that all of the liquid has been removed from the butter and it will now look more like a brown sauce), making sure to stir occasionally. The sauce will turn a greenish brown color (green from the sage!). This sauce also stores easily too, just reheat and it will melt again into sauce. You can take the rosemary out, but I liked the crunch of it with the ravioli (it was lightly toasted when cooked in the sauce).

Plate the ravioli, then top with sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Buon appetito!