Happy Halloween!

In honor of Halloween, here are some of my new favorite pumpkin items!

Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Cheesecake - 

a great alternative for those of us who don't like pumpkin pie

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake & Waffle Mix - YUM!!

Fall-Inspired Roast Chicken

I love taking something as standard as oven-roasted chicken and changing the ingredients to reflect the current season.  Here is an easy 'meat-and-vegetable-in-one' meal that is quickly prepped and cooked for a weeknight meal.

Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Onions

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 medium yellow onion cut into large chunks
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken stock)
Seasonings - salt, pepper, paprika
Extra virgin olive oil

In a 9x13 baking dish, combine sweet potatoes and onions.  Sprinkle with salt/pepper, drizzle with olive oil and gently stir to combine.  Place chicken on top (I used leg quarters in the above picture).  Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika (as much of each as desired, sorry I don't use exact measurements) and rub spice/oil into chicken.  Pour white wine into bottom of pan.  Bake initially at 350 for 30 minutes until potatoes begin to soften.  Increase oven temperature to 425 to finish cooking and browning, approximately another 30 minutes, but check meat to make sure it's fully cooked.  Serve, enjoy and hope for leftovers!


Here are my tips 'n tricks:
- Ok, so there aren't really exact measurements for this recipe - sorry!!  Just season to your own liking!
- Any cut of chicken will work, just be sure to roast until meat is completely cooked through.

Hummus

"You actually MAKE your own hummus?"  Words once spoken to me, with the response of "Yes, and if everyone knew how easy and inexpensive it is to make yourself, so would they!"  This has become one of those staple, go-to's for me that I no longer look at the recipe and have ventured into some different variations.  Here is the original recipe, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.  

Ingredients

• 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons tahini paste
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more, for drizzling
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini paste, and garlic. Process until smooth. With the machine running, add 1/4 cup olive oil, a little at a time. Season with salt and pepper.

Here are some tips 'n tricks:

- Mince the garlic before adding to the food processor, otherwise you'll still have large chunks.
- The hummus will likely dry out after a few days, just drizzle some more olive oil on top prior to serving.

- The garlic will intensify the longer it sits, so plan accordingly!

- Use this as a base recipe for other varieties:

• Roasted Red Pepper (one of my faves!) - add 2 jarred roasted red peppers to base, but omit the lemon    juice and reduce the amount of olive oil added

• Roasted Garlic - peel 2-3 cloves of garlic and put into aluminum foil wrap, drizzle with olive oil, seal packet and bake at 325 until garlic is soft, roasted.  

Try it and share your own varieties!

Butternut Squash Soup

At this time of year, the farmer's markets are overflowing with fall/winter squash.  I was able to put together a great soup using my farmer's market finds, along with my staple refrigerator items.  Easy to make, filling, nutritious and delicious - a wonderful combination!

Butternut Squash Soup

(this will serve ~4 small portions)
2 medium butternut squash- peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium yellow onion - cut into large pieces
3 carrots - peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water (if needed)
2 Tbsp. milk (I used soy milk but whatever you like)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. chives

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a 9x13 baking dish, combine butternut squash, onion and carrot.  Coat with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft and cooked through.  Remove cover and continue to cook until vegetables begin to brown a bit, approximately 20 minutes.  Remove from oven.

In a blender, combine half of the vegetable mixture with 1/4 cup orange juice.  Blend until smooth, adding some water if needed to puree.  Pour into medium saucepan.  Blend the other half with juices from the pan and the rest of the orange juice.  Add that pureed mixture into the saucepan.  Warm over low heat, stirring in milk, cayenne pepper and chives.  Taste and season with additional salt/pepper if needed.


Here are my tips 'n tricks:
- you can substitute vegetable or chicken stock for the orange juice
- I liked the sweet/spicy combination that happened between the oj and cayenne
- take the time to roast the vegetables, it gives a more complex taste

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Earlier this summer I raved about my love of summer sorbet. Well, now that fall is here, and we had our first cooler day today, that does not mean that my ice cream maker needs to move to the back of the cabinet until next summer.  No, it just means that I need to alter the flavors to reflect the season.  So in honor of all things fall, here is a great recipe for Cinnamon Ice Cream - perfect as a topping for all of the pear and apple pies and crisps to be made over the next few months.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%, but anything from skim to whole to half-and-half will work depending on your fat-level preference)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (or 4 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. dark rum (optional)

In a medium saucepan, bring milk and sugar to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Make sure to stir occasionally so that the mixture doesn't stick and burn.
In the meantime, whisk 2 eggs together in a mixing bowl.
When milk/sugar mixture is simmering, slowly add it to the eggs in the mixing bowl. You MUST whisk as you go so that the eggs don't curdle.  When fully incorporated and slightly foamy, return mixture to the saucepan.
Stir in the heavy whipping cream.  Stir continuously over medium-low heat (I like to use a wooden spoon here) until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon without the liquid running off.  It should be like a thin custard.
Remove from heat and thoroughly whisk in the cinnamon, vanilla and rum (if using).
Pour mixture into a bowl and chill completely before adding to ice cream maker.
Pour into ice cream maker, following the directions for your machine.

Celebrating Oktoberfest

During the end of September/beginning of October, people around the world visit Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest.  Here in the US, the closest many of us will come to this festive event is a visit to the Festhaus at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA.  So, here, I offer you a way to bring a little bit of this celebration into your own home.   

 

Beer Bratwurst

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
2 banana peppers, remove ribs and seeds and slice thin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half (if you have some)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. black pepper
4 bottles of beer (plus a few for yourself!)
1 package bratwurst

Directions:

In a medium-large pot, bring onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, red/black pepper and beer to a boil on medium-high heat.  Add sausage and cook for 15 minutes or until brats are cooked through.  Remove brats and continue cooking onion/pepper mixture until liquid has evaporated and vegetables are caramelized. 

In the meantime, preheat oven on broil.  Place brats on a broiler pan.  Broil for approximately 5 minutes, turn and continue for another 5 minutes until brats are browned.

Serve bratwurst topped with caramelized onion/peppers.  Add jarred sauerkraut and brown mustard, or serve on a toasted bun  for an even better finish.

Braciola

Until recently, all I knew about Braciola was that it was some type of Italian entree, frequently enjoyed by the Soprano family.  It always looked delicious but I had no idea what it was!  When I found myself with an extra piece of flank steak (from another wonderful dish to be posted later!) I knew there had to be something great I could make with it.  I was looking through my arsenal of cookbooks, as I set out to do when I started this project, looking for anything interesting with flank steak.  Yes, I could have just grilled it, but where's the challenge in that?  And then - as if the food gods knew I needed them - I came across this recipe and knew it was meant to be!!

For those of you other non-Italians reading this, Braciola is basically flank steak rolled with a breadcrumb mixture and braised in a rich tomato sauce.  And I am here to proclaim that this was one of the best things I've ever eaten!!!! You MUST try this!

Braciola Recipe from Everyday Italian by Giada DeLaurentiis 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/3 cup grated provolone
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows

 

Directions

Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 to 6 basil leaves
• 2 dried bay leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
• In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.
• Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

My slices, topped with plenty of tomato sauce and served with a side of Risotto

I have no tips/tricks for this meal! Other than, yes, you can use your own Marinara recipe or your favorite store-bought jar and I'm sure it will be just as great.  And not being one to enjoy leftovers, this was just as good reheated the next day.  This is not your everyday weeknight meal, but great for a Sunday night dinner!  Try this recipe and you will be completely satisfied!  I hope your family enjoys it as much as we did!!