Pillowy Ricotta Gnudi, by Cheryl

I was looking for a ricotta recipe that wasn't lasagna and came across this! I don't know what I was thinking this would be except a big ball of gooey warm cheese, but that's exactly what it is. I made it with a butter sage sauce, which was good, but I think a marinara sauce like the recipe stated would be better. These would be great on some doughy pieces of bread! I liked it a lot, but it's not for dinner. Maybe an appetizer? I'm still not sure how I feel about it. And I have about 12 balls leftover. Yum? 

Ingredients: 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

30 oz ricotta cheese, (1 large container, or two small)

2 large eggs

1.5 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups all purpose flour, divided

Sauce: 3 cups marinara sauce or butter with sage

Directions: 

1) Place Parmesan cheese in large bowl with the ricotta cheese. Add two large eggs, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and stir until just combined.

2) Dust a rimmed baking sheet with 1/2 flour. Scoop out a golf ball size gnudi and place them on the sheet. You may have around 35 balls. Sprinkle the top with the other 1/2 cup flour. Place is refrigerator for 20 minutes. 

3) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

4) Gently place the gnudi one by one into the boiling water without overcrowding. Boil until the gnudi float and are firm to the touch, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the gnudi to the serving bowls.

5) Spoon the sauce over the gnudi. Garnish with chopped basil. 

Asparagus Caprese Salad, by Diane

 

I was clearing out the fridge and whipped this creation up, it was so good and I think it would be a great summer salad or side dish. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, roasted with EVOO salt and pepper, diced

1 container grape tomatoes, quartered

1 small container mozzarella balls, quartered

1 small pack basil, leaves minced

1/4 cup turkey pepperoni, quartered

Balsamic and EVOO (I had meyer lemon EVOO which worked great)

Coarse salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Directions: 

Mix all and adjust to taste.

Zucchini Breadwich Sandwiches, by Diane

 

This week for dinners I tried the viral zucchini breadwich trend, which I tried before with pickles and it was a serious hit! This time I used summer zucchini, and flipped the way I cooked it so the cheese was on top instead of below and got super crispy! I filled the breadwich with smoked honey turkey, pickled red onions (I saw a hack online to place leftover red onion in leftover pickle juice!), and a diced pepper tomato spread (roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and yellow cherry peppers diced for some smoky heat and flavor!) with arugula and summer basil. While this combo was absolutely a hit, the zucchini still got too soft and it was easier and less messy to eat with a knife and fork. Still delicious!

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, sliced thin on a mandolin

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning and salt/pepper

Directions:

On a baking sheet, top with parchment paper and stack zucchini slightly overlapping to form the shape of a square as in photo above. Top with cheese and seasoning, cooking for about 25 min at 300 (I used my airfryer)3, or until golden and bubbly. Let cool then flip and fold over your fave sandwich ingredients!

Healthy Roasted Veggie and Egg Breakfast, by Diane

 

While at the beach visiting a friend, I made breakfast using a few leftovers from the fridge. This turned out to be a serious hit, and I've been having it for lunches all week- Yum!

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):

2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 rounds

1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 small container portobello mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas and removed the stem)

10 or so brussels sprouts, halved and stem removed

6 eggs, cooked over medium

1 cup fresh tomato sauce, or eggplant pepper spread from TJ's

12 fresh baby mozzarella balls

Directions:

1. Roast the veggies with salt and EVOO until browned. Set aside in a bowl with the mozzarella balls, letting them melt into the veggies.

2. Cook eggs until yolks are just set, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

3. Combine eggs, veggies and cheese with sauce and enjoy.

The Best Fall Salad, by Diane

This is my latest lunch obsession, so quick and easy to meal prep and packed with autumn flavors! I've decided the formula for this to work best is two roasted veggies, one protein, something crunchy (usually nuts or seeds), something sweet (usually apples, dates or dried cranberries), a leafy green, and my dressing creation which seems to remain the same because it goes with everything!! This version is the best so far, so I'm posting it to remember in the future! 

This can make about 3 salads for the week if you use one whole squash, 2 apples, 1 bag of pre-grilled chicken, and about 1 lb of sprouts (dressing amounts remain the same). If meal prepping- combine the veggies and the chicken and cheese, then on the day of eating chop the apples so they stay fresh and add the arugula (so it won't wilt) and pecans (so they stay crunchy!). 

PS- delicata squash is my most favorite veggie of fall, you can eat them with the skin on and when roasted and browned they get almost caramelized. My favorite way to eat them is here, roasted in coconut oil until both sides are fully browned, then tossed with sea salt and rosemary powder (not dried rosemary)- it tastes like thanksgiving and I can eat a whole squash in one sitting!

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced grilled chicken (I use pre-grilled strips for ease)

Coconut oil

Roasted delicata squash

Powdered rosemary

Salt

Brussels sprouts, halved and trimmed

Gala apple, chopped

Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Chopped pecans

2 cups arugula or a large handful

Dressing: 2 roasted shallots, 4 tbsp EVOO, 1 tbsp maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp or more ume plum vinegar, 1 tsp dried thyme, water as needed

Drizzle blackberry balsamic vinaigrette on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 and place coconut oil (about 2 tbsp each) on two trays while the oven warms.

2. When the oil is melted, toss the sprouts and shallots with salt and oil on one tray, and the squash with salt and rosemary powder and oil on the other. Coat well and roast until charred, flipping halfway.

3. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients and whiz until creamy. This will stay creamy in the fridge for days. Add the water or more oil if the consistency needs to change, and feel free to adjust the vinegar too.

3. When the roasted veggies are room temp, toss with chicken, apples, cheese, pecans, arugula and dressing. Mix well then drizzle balsamic on top and enjoy!

Fall Chopped Salad, By Diane

 

I came up with this recipe the other week before traveling as I needed something quick and healthy, and the weather was just starting to turn to feel like fall. This has been an amazing meal to have prepped in the fridge ready to go! I also made it when I got home from traveling and it has been really nourishing. The ingredients are easy to swap out, and sometimes I can reduce cook time by heading to Whole Foods bar and grabbing a few of the roasted veggies- they always have roasted butternut squash with herbs and roasted brussels with apples on their bar! That combined with pre-made chicken strips makes this super easy to chop up and prep. YUM.

This recipe makes 3 servings (b/c I work 3 days a week and need quick lunches!)

Ingredients:

2 breasts grilled chicken (I just buy one pack of grilled chicken strips)

One head red butter lettuce

12 Dates

1 small butternut squash, cubed and roasted with evoo/poultry seasoning/salt until browned

1 large golden beet, cubed roasted w evoo and salt until browned 

1 large red apple, roasted until softened

2 cups brussels sprouts, roasted w evoo and salt

6 tbsp blue cheese, crumbled

6 tbsp chopped pecans

Drizzle blackberry balsamic vinegar

Champagne vinaigrette to taste

Directions:

1. Roast all the veggies together with noted seasonings and allow to cool- the squash, beets, apples, brussels.

2. Combine lettuce, roasted veggies, chicken, dates, and cheese on a large cutting board and chop finely all together.

3. Divide into 3 bowls and store until ready to serve. This makes great meal prep!!

4. When ready to serve, add in chopped pecans, balsamic vinegar, and vinaigrette and combine well. 

Zucchini Pizza Bites, by Diane

 

We wanted a healthier appetizer option to balance out the rest of our superbowl party and found these online. Overall they were good, but next time I would follow my instincts and draw the water out of the zucchini or use an air fryer on these as they were a bit wet. Otherwise you can't go wrong with this flavor combo!

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4 thick rounds

pepperoni

mozzarella cheese

pizza sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 and assemble the zucchini with sauce, pepperoni and cheese.

2. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and set the broiler to high.

3. Broil on high for 5 more minutes or until the cheese browns. Serve warm (but they are also great cold as leftovers!).

Turkey Wraps, by Diane

 

I got hooked on these for lunches this summer as a quick, healthy option! They were a really cool combo of flavors and I craved them for weeks!

Ingredients:

3 slices smoked turkey

1 large flour tortilla

2 tbsp tzatziki sauce with cucumber pieces (if you can't find this add your own!)

2 slices smoked gouda

1/4 cup shredded carrots

2 tbsp pickled red onions

4 large red butter lettuce leaves (my ultimate trick here is to put each leaf into a bowl of ice water in the fridge- they will last and be cool and crispy all week long!)

Directions:

Start by layering the sauce on, then the turkey, cheese and toppings. Roll into a burrito and enjoy!

Mediterranean Chicken Salad, by Diane

I decided to make these salads for dinners this week using the recipe for the Mediterranean Chicken Skewers. You can throw whatever you want in, but this is what I decided for this round. It was really good and a great summer evening meal that came together quickly!

Ingredients:

2 cups greens (I used baby kale and arugula)

1 chicken skewer

1/4 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 roasted red pepper, cut into cubes

3 tbsp pickled red onions (I used my recipe here)

1/2 cup hummus (I used my recipe here)

1/4 cup feta crumbles

Directions: Toss all ingredients together and enjoy!

Baked Brie, by Cheryl

Um, yum. That's all I need to say about this.I literally used crescent rolls, a wheel of Brie cheese, and canned cranberry sauce. Oh and an egg to brush on top to give it a nice color when it cooked. I think I ate half of this just on my own. Yum!!

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls

1 can cranberry sauce

1 wheel Brie cheese

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325. In a pot add the cranberry sauce with a couple of tbsp of water. Heat and break up the sauce. Let cool.

2) Unroll the crescent rolls. Form a square with half of them. Set aside the other half. Place the Brie in the center the dough. 

3) When the sauce has cooled spoon about half of it onto the Brie. 

4) Fold the bottom rolls onto the top while using the other half of the rolls to spread along the top. Mine didn't look pretty, but it worked! Don't close it completely. 

5) Use a basting brush to brush the egg mixture over the dough. 

6) Cook for 35 minutes or until top is brown and cheese is melted. 

Juicy Lucy Burgers, by Diane

 

Forming the burgers

Looking good....

The final product!

I saw this burger on a cooking show, it's known all around Minneapolis as a juicy cheeseburger that leaks cheese sauce everywhere when you bite it! The secret is that the cheese is stuffed inside the burger patties rather than being laid on top, and as the burgers cook the juice of the meat blends with the melting cheese. We tried this for our latest cookout along with some homemade thousand island made with grilled diced onions (to mimic in-n-out burger!), and man were these a hit!!! We also paired them with lightly grilled King's Hawaiian rolls. These will be on heavy rotation this summer for sure, and were a nice change from the normal cheeseburgers on rotation.

PS- all recipes call for processed American cheese singles, but we want to experiment to see if other cheeses melt differently!

Ingredients (this made 3 burgers):

1 lb Ground beef (make sure to use 80/20 as the fat content helps the cheese)

Seasoning (we used a blend but salt and pepper would also work)

3 slices American cheese singles

3 Kings Hawaiian rolls

Thousand Island dressing (we blended ketchup, mayo, 1 tsp vinegar, salt, minced garlic, sweet relish, and pan fried white onions- YUM)

Sliced raw white onions

Directions:

1. Season the ground beef and separate into 6 portions. Form each one into a thin patty (these will be 3 big burgers so each patty is half a burger). It helps if you slap the meat to make sure it's held together!

2. Break each cheese slice into 4 squares and place in the center of 1 patty, then top with the remaining patties and seal the edges so the cheese sauce doesn't leak out. See first photo for reference!

3. Grill patties until cooked well on each side, flipping only once so as not to disturb the cheese. 

4. Serve immediately so the cheese sauce stays hot on a grilled bun slathered with your dressing and raw onion slices. Bite carefully- the sauce will be hot and spill everywhere!

Creamed Spinach, by Cheryl

Every year for my wedding anniversary I make my pistachio crusted rack of lamb. And each year I switch up the sides to try to add some pizazz. This year I made this delicious creamed spinach! It was super easy to make, was mighty tasty, and paired with the lamb well. Yum!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp kosher salt, divided

1 tsp coarse black pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup flour

3.5 cups half and half

2.25 pounds fresh spinach or 1 pound frozen

1 cup mozzarella cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tsp of salt. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about one minute. Drain the spinach in a colander.

2) Rinse with cold water until cool and squeeze out any excess water. Chop the spinach into pieces that are less than an inch.

3) In a large skillet melt butter with garlic and onions. Cook on medium until translucent, about 8 minutes. 

4) Add in the remaining salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5) Add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon over low heat and cook for about 2 minutes.

6) Add in the half and half and cook until boiling. 

7) Add in the mozzarella and cream cheese. Cook for 6-8 minutes until it has thickened.

8) Add in the spinach and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. 

Kid Friendly Vegetarian Pasta Carbonara, by Cheryl

So this is NOT a carbonara dish, but the sauce is made from eggs, cream cheese, and butter, but has no bacon so that's the name I put with it. My sister-in-law makes this often for her kids and once I tried it I knew it was the best comfort food for me and a yummy dish for the kids! Super easy and delicious! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 box rotini or macaroni

A couple of eggs

Cream cheese

Butter

Salt for taste

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to box directions.

2) After straining the pasta, mix with the rest of the ingredients until creamy. 

Grilled Pizza with Summer Corn and Tomatoes, by Diane

This pizza recipe has been on my list of summer foods for 3 years, and it was so worth it!! Super fun to make, and the whole family loved it for a Labor Day cookout!

Ingredients:

15oz can pizza dough

3 ears cooked corn, kernels chopped off

4 tbsp evoo

Salt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp grated garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 large tomatoes, sliced thick

1 ball Buffalo mozzarella, sliced 

Handful basil leaves

Directions:

1. Stretch the dough to desired size, brush with evoo and sprinkle with salt. Set aside at room temp for one hour.

2. Combine corn, 2 tbsp evoo, Parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor until creamy. Set aside.

3. Preheat a grill to medium, cook dough for 6 min covered, watching the bottom so it doesn’t char. 

4. Flip the dough over, spread the corn sauce on, top with tomato and mozzarella slices. Grill covered for another 6 min. 

5. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and top with basil.

Ham and Cheese Sliders, by Cheryl

I don't know how this came about or why I had two out of three main ingredients, but this was super easy to put together and delicious! It was especially great dipped in the tomato soup that I made. Also, the sauce that is brushed on top is key to kicking this up from just a plain slider to something very special. Yum!

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced ham slices (I used honey ham)

Thinly sliced Swiss cheese

One 12- count package of Hawaiian sweet rolls 

1/2 stick unsalted butter

Some honey Dijon mustard

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

2) Slice the rolls in half so you have a large top half and large bottom half. Don't pull them apart. Place bottom half on pan. 

3) Evenly layer the cheese, then the ham, and then the cheese again. Add the top half of the rolls. 

4) In a small bowl microwave the butter. Stir in 1-2 tbsp of Dijon honey mustard. Pour the mixture over the tops of the rolls, letting some pool in the middle, and use a brush to make sure the tops are covered. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

5) Cover with foil and bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Take foil off and bake uncovered for about 2-3 minutes. Slice into individual sliders and enjoy! 

Cheese Fondue, by Cheryl

Must eat cheese. All of the time. Cheese fondue is my absolute favorite. I've made it several times in the past couple of years and I feel like each time I do I improve on it. The key to making great fondue is using great cheese and adding a little bit of cornstarch so it doesn't get clumpy. The last fondue recipe I posted on here was from 10 years ago (wow!) and definitely needs to be updated as the one I made last night is soooo much better! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1/3 pound gruyere

1/3 pound fontina

1/3 gouda

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup dryish white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

Assorted fondue dippers: apples, bread, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sausage, mushrooms, etc. 

Directions:

1) Grate all of the cheeses. Combine the cheese with the cornstarch thoroughly. 

2) Bring the wine and garlic to a light simmer over medium low heat. Add the cheese a little bit at a time, stirring after each addition. This is important.. add slowly and in handful amounts. 

3) Once mixed thoroughly, enjoy dipping your food into the cheese! 

Baked Eggplant with Mushroom and Tomato Sauce, by Cheryl

I needed to use stuff in my fridge in order to fit more food in it. This meal kind of just came together with the ingredients I had on hand. I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to make with it and then used this recipe to help execute. I would have been fine with this as the main dish, but Jon needs some extra oomph to a meal so I added some pasta on the side. This was super delicious and very easy to put together! Yum! 

Ingredients:

1 peeled eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 cup chopped onion

cooking spray

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package of sliced mushrooms

2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant slices on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Broil for 3 minutes per side.

2) Preheat oven to 375.

3) Heat a pan with oil and cook the onion and everything through the mushrooms for 7 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to high and cook for 2 minutes or until water evaporates. 

4) Spread half the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish coated with spray. Arrange half the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella. Spread remaining mushroom mixture on top. Arrange the rest of the eggplant slices on top. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with remaining tomato sauce.

5) Cover and bake for 1 hour. 

6) Sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake, by Cheryl

It's pumpkin season! This was very easy to make and delicious to eat! I'm all about pumpkin everything right now so I needed to include a new dessert for us to munch on besides all of the kids' Halloween candy, ugh! Pair this with a nice topping like whipped cream or a caramel sauce and you'll definitely want to get another slice. Yum! 

 Ingredients (recipe from ) 

For crust: 

1.5 cups grahama cracker crumbs 

6 tbsp melted, unsalted butter 

1 tbsp sugar 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

For filling: 

3 8-oz cream cheese packages, room temperature 

1.5 cups light brown sugar 

15 oz canned pumpkin 

4 large eggs 

1/4 cup sour cream 

2 tbsp all purpose flour 

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

1/4 tsp salt 

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

Directions: 

1) Pulse graham crackers in processor until crumbs form 

2) In a bowl, stir together all of the crust ingredients with crumbs. Transfer into a 9-inch springform pan and press into the pan going up about 1/2 inch on the sides. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool to room temp. 3) Beat the cream cheese and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy about five minutes. 

4) In a separate bowl whisk together the rest of the filling ingredients. Add this mixture to the cheese and sugar mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. 

5) Transfer mixture to the pie crust and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour. Turn off heat, prop the door open, and let the cheesecake sit for about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temp, then transfer to fridge for more than 4 hours.

Cheesy Baked Chicken with Portobello Mushrooms, by Cheryl

This was so easy to make and delicious... what more could you want?! I made a couple of substitutions - an onion for the shallot and shredded cheddar cheese instead of sliced mozzarella. The chicken came out super tender and the mushroom/onion mix under the cheese was super yummy. It didn't come with a sauce and I thought it needed something so dipped it in some specialty BBQ sauces that Jon has been trying out, while the kids had it with ketchup, as per usual. I'm definitely making this again. Yum!

Ingredients (recipe from here)

2 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg beaten
1 small shallot, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425.

2) Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish.

3) Dip chicken in the beaten egg and then the bread mixture.

4) Place chicken in baking dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.

5) Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium high in pan. Add shallot and saute until soft.

6) Add mushrooms, parsley, and pepper, cooking about 5 minutes.

7) Top chicken with mushroom mixture evenly over each piece. Place mozzarella slice over each piece.

8) Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until juices run clear.

Charcuterie Board, by Diane

I made this cheese and charcuterie board over the holidays, and while it’s not exactly a recipe we thought it would be a good thing to post as it takes some thought to select the right ingredients and arrange them. I’ll list what I got below, but you want a mix of salty/sweet/spicy/soft/hard to satisfy all your taste buds. Ideally you want meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits (fresh or dried), and pickles or olives. My board has the following:

-Meats: mild hard salami sticks, spicy salami slices, salty prosciutto slices, and peppery capicola slices.

-Cheeses: a sharp rumrunner cheese that was a bit boozy and harder in texture, and a soft cows milk cheese with garlic and herbs.

-Crackers: plainer crackers such as flatbreads, and fruit and nut crackers made with brandy

-Salty items: pickles and olives (I forgot olives but would have included a few kinds)

-Sweet items: soft things like grapes, crunchy things like spiced pecans, and a jam (I used fig jam)



To assemble, you want to start with a pretty plate or platter (I didn’t have one so I used a baking tray covered in holiday tissue paper and topped with clear plastic wrap to separate the paper from the food). Then you want to spread out things that are of the same taste (salty/sweet/crunchy/soft) as well as color to make it more visually appealing. If you don’t have enough ingredients or your plater is too big you can make multiple piles of the same items just spaced out. Finally, for things like meats that are sliced you want to display them by folding in 1/2 then 1/2 again and make a ribbon, or swirl them into flower shapes (I did both). Don’t forget a fancy knife for your cheese!