Japanese Pan Noodles -- posted by Jessica

I love the Japanese Pan Noodles at Noodles and Co. and have been wanting to try to make them at home for a long time, so I searched online and found several copycat recipes. I decided on one I found on Hobbyfarms.com. I cut the recipe in half just in case I ended up not liking it. It turned out pretty good, but next time will use some more veggies, especially if going vegetarian like I did this time. Also, the sesame oil is very strong, so next time I will just use a small amount of it to flavor the noodles along with a bit of veg oil to keep them from sticking. The full amount of the sesame oil was a bit over-powering.

I was not able to get the noodles to caramelize much; maybe using the thick round fresh noodles like they have at Noodles and Co. would help along with a bit more of the sweet soy (I used black soy sauce; I am thinking that are the same as it has molasses in it). I had dried udon noodles that I boiled for about 4 minutes and they are more flat - like pad thai noodles. Next time, I will try to find the thick round noodles. I did not have any mirin so I used rice vinegar and also did not have chili garlic sauce so I used red chili flakes and a bit of hot sauce to taste. Next time, I will make sure to get a bottle of the chili garlic sauce and try it with that
Overall, it is a good starting point to experiment with and try to get a bit closer to Noodles & Co.'s

Here is the recipe as printed from the site listed above:


Japanese Pan-fried Noodles
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 1 pound Japanese soba or udon noodles
• 1 T. sesame oil
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup julienne-cut carrots, julienne
• 1 T. canola oil
• 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced (optional)
• 1 cup julienne-cut peppers, julienne
• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves, garlic, minced
• 2 T. mirin
• 3 T. sweet soy sauce
• 1 T. chili-garlic sauce
• 3 T. fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 tsp. black sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation
Cook soba or udon noodles in boiling water until al dente, following package cooking instructions (usually about 4 minutes). Drain cooked noodles and place in cold water. Drain noodles again, toss lightly with sesame oil, and let sit while preparing vegetables.
Briefly blanch broccoli and carrots in steamer or boiling water, then set aside. If using defrosted broccoli, skip this step for broccoli.
In large sauté pan or wok over medium to high heat, add canola oil and sauté shiitake mushrooms until lightly browned.
To hot sauté pan or wok, add carrots, broccoli, peppers, ginger, garlic, mirin, sweet soy sauce and chil-garlic sauce to stir-fry, mixing frequently. After three to four minutes, add noodles and pan-fry until caramelized and mixed well with vegetables.
Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with cilantro and black sesame seeds.

Butternut Squash Lasagna -- posted by Jessica

I made this lasagna last year and forgot to post it. I had intentions to make a new lasagna every month last year and ended up only making two (3 if you count the one I made for Christmas Eve a few weeks ago, but I had made that one a previous year). I will try and get that recipe posted as well as the Spinach Artichoke lasagna I made last year. Maybe, this year I can get through some of the other ones on my list from last year! There are just so many different and unique ones to choose from!

I saw this one on a cooking show Giada De Laurentiss on the Food Network and it looked so good I decided I should try it. I love butternut squash ravioli so I figured it would be good in lasagna form!

I used a bag of frozen butternut squash to save time (around a 16 oz. bag I think). Also, just used low fat milk as that is what I had on hand.

It turned out pretty good; it was on the sweet side. I think next time, I will add a layer of sautéed mushrooms and maybe some shredded chicken to give it a bit more layers and texture. And maybe a layer of ricotta (that is my favorite part in a traditional lasagna!)  But, otherwise, I really enjoyed it and the leftovers froze really well.

Here is the recipe from the food network website:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

 

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Dutch Apple Pie -- posted by Jessica

This was my pie for Thanksgiving and it was super good! Definitely will make it again! I had a regular pie crust in my freezer, so I used that, but ended up having too much pumpkin filling so I had to back a couple of mini 'pumpkin puddings' I will make sure to use a deep dish pie crust next time!
I found this recipe somewhere online just searching for different pie recipes when I was thinking about what to make for Thanksgiving. I came across this one and thought the two pies in one was brilliant plus I love Biscoff  cookies so I decided to give it a go.
I'm glad I did! So good, especially with a bit of whip cream on top!

Pumpkin Dutch Apple Pie

1 store-bought deep dish pie crust or pie dough, fitted in a deep dish pie plate

For Apple Layer:

• 2 cups peeled, cored and thinly sliced Granny Smith apples
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (I used a bit more; I LOVE cinnamon!)

For Pumpkin Layer:

• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup evaporated milk (not condensed milk)
• ½ cup sugar (I used a bit less; about a 1/3 c or so)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
• ¾ teaspoons cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For Crumble Topping:

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped (I used pecans)
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 speculoos (spiced Belgian cookies  = Biscoff cookies), crumbled
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust on a foil-lined baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, toss together apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon. Pour into the UNBAKED pie crust and arrange into an even layer.
3. In another bowl, whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until well combined. Pour evenly over apple layer.
4. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until just starting to set.
5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine flour, walnuts, brown sugar, crushed cookies and butter until it forms a mixture that resembles wet sand. Set aside.
6. Remove pie from oven and top with crumble. Bake for another 20-23 minutes or until the pumpkin layer is set and the crumble begins to turn golden.
7. Cool for about 30 minutes before cutting for best results.

Spicy Squash Satay -- posted by Jessica

I saw this recipe on the Sorted Food youtube channel last week and it sounded interesting. I had a butternut squash sitting on my counter for awhile now begging to be used so I decided to give this one a try. At first taste, I wasn't sure about it. It was okay, but not great. I added some fish sauce and a bit more hot sauce and chili flakes to spice it up a bit then stuck the leftovers in the fridge.

Now that I have tried the leftovers, the flavors have melded much better and I really like it! Good thing, as it made a lot and I have several containers of it in my freezer for future meals!

It was a bit of a project cutting up the squash (I used the microwave to soften up the tough skin of the squash first before cutting it) and making the cashew butter. I have made cashew butter before and they do not turn into butter very easy! But I had cashews in the freezer to use up and store bought cashew butter is so expensive, so I made a tiny batch of my own. It was just enough for this recipe.

I did change up a few things according to what I had on hand - used a couple shallots and some diced onion from the freezer for the red onion. I did not use the red chili; I put in some hot sauce and some dried chili flakes to taste. I did not use beansprouts; I used three stalks of sliced bokchoy instead. I added the sliced stalks in with the green beans (frozen from the summer garden bounty), cooked for a couple minutes and then added the sliced bokchoy leave in with some chopped basil. I used basil instead of cilantro. I used honey instead of rice syrup and used chicken stock powder for the veg stock.


Here is the Sorted Food recipe:

INGREDIENTS

Veg Base
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 knob of fresh ginger
• 1 red chilli
• 1 butternut squash
• 2 shots of vegetable oil
• 1 handful of green beans
• 200 g beansprouts
• 50 g cashew nuts
Satay Base
• 4 tbsp cashew nut butter
• 2 tbsp rice syrup (or honey)
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 750 ml veg stock

Peel and dice the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli so they are fairly small. Fry them all in a large saucepan with the 2 shots of veg oil over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes until the onions are soft.


Peel and cube the squash into bite-sized pieces. Toss the squash into the pan, turn up the heat a little and continue to fry for another 5 minutes.
 
Spoon in all of the ingredients for the satay sauce, including the stock and heat the mixture to a bubble. Simmer for 20 minutes until the squash is just soft.
 
Top and tail the washed green beans and cut them all in half. Throw the prepared beans into the pan and simmer for a further 2 minutes before stirring in the beansprouts and a generous amount of chopped coriander.
 
 
Toast off a handful of cashews in a dry pan and serve the spicy vegetable satay with a scattering of warm nuts and rice noodles on the side.
 
 

 

Red Beans and Rice...just what the arctic temperatures called for!

So, last summer I was into charcoal grilling chicken with my own maple bbq sauce... fabulous!! One night I cut the meat off the bones so it would cook faster. Once it was done, I tossed the bones back on the grill and left them until the grill was cool. The result was charred meat and smoked bones, which I then threw into a stock pot with some veggies and simmered for 12 hours or so. I've been waiting for the motivation and opportunity to try out the smoked chicken stock, and thought that it would go well with some kind of Cajun cuisine. Using the recipe below as my base, I made red beans and rice for the first (but definitely not last!) time in my life. My modifications are as follows (also marked with * on the recipe): I didn't have dried red beans, but I did have an old 2 lb can of red beans...I used them un-rinsed I also added about half a cup of crushed tomatoes and green chilies from the freezer I cut the cayenne pepper down to a sprinkle...1/8 tsp or less (it was plenty!)  I crushed up maybe 1/2 cup of dehydrated kale and added that as well. I cooked the veggies in olive oil and then added them and the canned beans to the smoky broth and brought it to a boil. Then I added the sausage and transferred it to a crock pot where I let it sit for an hour or so on low. Once it was totally warmed through (and delicious), I threw in 2 cups or so of uncooked rice and let it sit for however many hours it took for the rice to absorb all the water and be tender...not sure how long because at that point I went to bed :-) When I woke up and saw that it was done, I turned the crock pot off and let it cool for the rest of the night. It made TONS...and it is wonderful! Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

Rated: Submitted By: MIAMI BEACH Photo By: Caroline C Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 3 Hours 5 Minutes Ready In: 11 Hours 30 Minutes Servings: 8

"I grew up in Louisiana and love red beans and rice, these are just like I remember - red beans made with Cajun seasonings and andouille sausage. This is a great Sunday supper."

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dry kidney beans *I used 2lb canned beans un-rinsed 1/4 cup olive oil *or however much needed 1 large onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic 2 stalks celery, chopped 6 cups water *I used the smoky broth 2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper *seriously, just, no! a sprinkle will do!! :-) 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon dried sage 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 4 cups water *since I threw the rice right into the broth I omitted this 2 cups long grain white rice

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Rinse beans, and then soak in a large pot of water overnight.
2.	In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes.
3.	Rinse beans, and transfer to a large pot with 6 cups water. Stir cooked vegetables into beans. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, thyme, sage, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
4.	Stir sausage into beans, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
5.	Meanwhile, prepare the rice. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve beans over steamed white rice.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2015 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 1/6/2015

Gingerbread Men Cookies -- posted by Jessica

Well, yet again, I had a holiday pudding mix to use up! Gingerbread flavor this time! I found a recipe on the Jello site for gingerbread people cookies the called for butterscotch pudding mix. I just subbed in the gingerbread one instead and cut back on the spices slightly.
I did find this dough to be a bit crumby and hard to work with. Next time, I would add an egg white to the mix and see if that helped hold the dough together. A lot of the reviews on the Jello site commented on how soft these cookies were, however, mine turned out crispy. But they were still really good and cute! I had not really attempted homemade roll out cookies before, so I think they turned out pretty well for my first try.

Gingerbread Men Cookies

3/4 cup butter softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 box (4 serving size) butterscotch OR gingerbread instant pudding mix
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tb ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Beat first 4 ingredients. Combine the rest of the ingredient and gradually add to the butter mixture. Chill 1 hour or until firm. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut with gingerbread man cookie cutter and placed 2 inches apart on a greased (or parchment lined) baking sheet. Press on raisins or sprinkles for eyes and buttons if desired. Bake at 350 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 3 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Yield: 20 cookies. (I actually got about 2 1/2 dozen. I think my cookie cutter was on the small size)

Candy Cane Pudding Cookies -- posted by Jessica

I think these cookies are some of the best Christmas cookies I have ever baked, and I've baked a ton of different cookies over the years! I had a box of Jello instant pudding mix - candy cane flavor - left over from last Christmas that needed to be used. I wanted to try something different with it rather than just making pudding (although it does make good pudding with a pretty pink color (from all the red 40, I know, I know! LOL) What-ev.
Anyhoo, I found a recipe online for pudding cookies and decided to use that recipe with a few changes. I had a couple of candy canes so I crushed those up on my mini chopper and stirred those into the cookie dough for some extra peppermint punch! These cookies turned out moist and delicious! Very holiday-ish! And so soft and chewy; my favorite kind of cookie!

Candy Cane Pudding Cookies

1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I did not have any yogurt at the time, so I used 1 Tb vegetable oil)
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used 2/3 cup since the pudding mix is already quite sweet)
1/4 cup white sugar (I used 2 Tb)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 box (4 serving size) candy cane pudding mix
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c. flour
2 crushed candy canes

Cream the butter, oil and sugars. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the pudding mix, salt, soda and flour. Gradually beat or stir into the creamed mixture. Stir in the crushed candy canes. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined baking pans and bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Cool for about a minute to set them up a bit then remove to a cooling rack. They soften a bit once they have been put into containers, so layer them with sheets of parchment or wax paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.  I got about 2 1/2 dozen.

Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies -- posted by Jessica

These yummy cookies were born out of a need to use up excess bisquick baking mix and one of those orange shaped chocolates that you smack on the counter and it is supposed to break into little orange shaped segments. Well, this one had gotten a bit melted so the segments would not break apart and needed some coaxing with a paring knife. So, I decided to just chop it up and throw it in cookie dough! The original recipe was a chocolate chip orange cookie from a holiday chocolate cookbook I have. I made a few changes and came up with this version. I noticed that the first batch to bake did not spread too much, so for the next batches, I flattened the balls of cookie dough slightly on the baking sheet with the bottom of a juice glass dipped in sugar. This helped them spread out a bit and gave them a pretty sparkly top! And the dark chocolate orange chips were really delicious! Chocolate (especially DARK chocolate) pairs so nicely with orange!

Dark Chocolate Orange Cookies

1/4 cup butter softened
1 Tb vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar (I cut this down to 3/4 cup)
2 eggs
2 Tb orange zest *
1 Tb orange juice *
*I did not have a fresh orange so I used 1 tsp vanilla and a 1/2 tsp orange extract since my chocolate was already orange flavored
3 cups bisquick baking mix
1 cup chocolate chips (or chop up a chocolate orange)

Cream the butter, oil and sugar. Beat in the eggs and flavorings. Slowly beat or stir in the bisquick and then the chocolate.
Drop by tablespoonfuls (I highly recommend a cookie scoop!) onto ungreased baking sheets (or use parchment paper). Flatten slightly with bottom of juice glassed that has been dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to wire rack to cool.
I got about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies -- posted by Jessica

I'm finally getting around to posting my Christmas cookies! LOL. Better late than never! I always seem to make different recipes every year (often depending on what is in my pantry I want to use up!) I made four different ones this year and I have to say, they all turned out fabulous! Oftentimes, I'll have at least one that is just meh, okay. But these were all really good!
I'll start with the chocolate chip cookies. I found this recipe on the Cream of Wheat website as I had a couple boxes (it was on sale!!) cream of wheat to use up. I had a milk chocolate hazelnut candy bar that I chopped up to use in place of the chocolate chips and I omitted the nuts. To lighten them up a bit, I used 1/4 cup butter; 1/4 cup earth balance spread and 1 Tb vegetable oil instead of a full 3/4 cup butter.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup dry cream of wheat
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup nuts

Combine the dry ingredients. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture, then stir in the chocolate and nuts.

Drop by tablespoonful on greased or parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes. Cool on pan 1 minute then removed cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
I got about 2 1/2 dozen using my cookie scoop.

Two Sauce Lasagna -- posted by Jessica

This is a really delicious recipe I found on the Classico website. I had a bunch of different Classico pasta sauces in my pantry from a really good sale at the grocery store a few months back so I was looking at their site for some ideas on new recipes to try with them and came across this lasagna recipe. I love lasagna and we always have lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner so I decided to try this one. Verdict: It's a keeper! :)

Here is the recipe from the Classico site; note: my lasagna did not look as pretty as the one in their pic. but it was still tasty! I used a different red Classico sauce (caramelized onion I think) and I stirred the spinach into the red sauce rather than having it as a separate layer.

Classico Two Sauce Lasagna

 

                                    

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour & 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 jar (24 oz.) Classico® Traditional Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce
• 1 jar (15 oz.) Classico® Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta Sauce                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
• 1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 pound sweet Italian-style bulk sausage
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, spinach, mozzarella cheese, 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese and eggs. Cover and set aside.
   
   
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage for 4 to 6 minutes, or until cooked through, stirring until small crumbles form. Drain fat if needed.
   
   
3. Spread 1 cup of Classico® Traditional Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce evenly over the bottom of 13x9 baking dish. Layer with 4 lasagna noodles, half of ricotta cheese mixture, 1 cup of Classico® Traditional Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce and half of cooked sausage. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 4 lasagna noodles. Spread Classico® Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta Sauce evenly on top of noodles and sprinkle witht remaining 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese.
4. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for additional 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Easy Toasted Coconut Pie -- posted by Jessica

This is a really easy and tasty recipe found on the back of a box of Jello Coconut Cream flavor Instant Pudding. I made it for the dessert when I made the Pasta e Fagioli. I did not have squares of semi-sweet chocolate so I used about a 1/4 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate as that is what I had). Also, I used natural unsweetened coconut instead of the flaked sweetened kind. Again, that is what I had on hand. The verdict: Healthy? No. Delicious? YES. LOL. And easy!

Ingredients:

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups thawed Cool Whip (I just used the whole container.)
1 6 oz. Graham cracker pie crust (or a home-made 9 inch one)
3/4 c. flaked coconut, toasted
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jell-O coconut cream instant pudding

Microwave chocolate 1 minute stirring after 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted. Add 1 cup cool whip and 1/4 cup coconut. Stir till well blended. Spread onto bottom of crust. Beat milk and pudding mix 2 minutes with whisk. Spoon over chocolate layer. Top with remaining cool whip and coconut. Chill 4 hours.

Pasta e Fagioli -- posted by Jessica

This recipe is a bit time consuming as it uses dried beans, but it is REALLY good, makes a LOT, and freezes well! The recipe calls for dried navy beans, but I used pinto beans as that is what I had in my pantry. I did have to cook them for longer than the recipe specified. Also, I used one 15 oz. can of tomatoes instead of the 28 oz. called for in the recipe and I used 5 cups broth (a mixture of vegetable broth and beef broth that I had in the freezer) to replace some of the water called for in the recipe. I then used a bit less salt since the broths I used were not a low-sodium variety. I would rather add salt if needed at the table rather than end up with a whole batch of overly salty soup. Also, I used a couple of extra handfuls of pasta which made this nice and thick which I prefer over brothy soups.
Serve with salad and a good Italian bread, you have a healthy and filling meal! (thanks to Cooking Light for this recipe)

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried navy beans (or pintos)
1 Tb olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, un-drained
9 cups water [or a combo of water and broth if desired]
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup uncooked macaroni [I used shell pasta]
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Sort and wash beans and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour then drain.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat then sauté the onion, carrot and celery 5 minutes. Add two garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the beans, 9 cups water or broth, red pepper and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour 50 minutes. Add salt, oregano, thyme, and remaining two garlic cloves. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaf

Place 2 cups bean mixture into a food processor and process till smooth. Return puree to pan and stir well. Add the pasta and cook 7 minutes or until done. Stir in parsley and black pepper and serve topped with grated Parmesan.

Yield: 10 servings

Pesto Cavatappi -- posted by Jessica

I had a nice looking basil plant that I wanted to use up before it got too cold with a hard frost so I came across this copycat recipe of Noodles and Company's pesto cavatappi. I love Noodles and CO. but they are on the pricey side so I don't go there often. But I did try their pesto cavatappi once when we ordered from Noodles for a work lunch. I'm not always a super huge fan of pesto, but I really liked their version; it has white wine and cream in it which helps to mellow out the strong pesto flavor. The original recipe just called for using jarred pesto, but as the whole point was to use up my fresh basil, I found a pesto recipe from Cooking Light website that I decided to try. It made about 3/4 cup total and I used 1/2 cup for the pasta recipe. I froze the rest of the pesto by 1 Tablespoonfuls in an ice cube tray. Once they were frozen, I popped them out of the tray and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer for future use.
All in all, the pasta dish turned out really well and was pretty easy to prepare. The only change I would make next time, is maybe use more mushrooms (you can never have too many!) and a bit more white wine as the flavor was mostly lost under the pesto.

Ingredients:

12 oz. curly pasta (I could not find cavatappi at the store but found a similar spiral shaped pasta called cellantani)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I used 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped)
1/2 pint sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup pesto

Cook the pasta to al dente. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and tomatoes in olive oil. When the pasta is almost done, add the wine to the mushroom mixture and let it reduce for 2 minutes. Add the cream and reduce for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the pesto. Drain the pasta and add to the pesto cream sauce. I added a little of the pasta water to thin it out a bit. Top with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 4-6


Basil Pesto

2 Tb. pine nuts or chopped walnuts (I used 1/4 cup of almonds as that is what I had in my freezer, and pine nuts are rather expensive)
2 peeled garlic cloves
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (approx. 4 oz.)
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp salt

Process the nuts and garlic in a food process till minced. Add in the oil and pulse 3 times. Add in the basil, cheese and salt and process till finely minced and blended. 
Yield: about 3/4 cup

Beet Pesto Spaghetti -- posted by Jessica

So, probably, a lot of people would think this is really weird, but I think that red beets are one of the best veggies! They are a beautiful color, healthy, sweet, and taste amazing! So, when I ran across this recipe online, it sounded so unique, I had to try it. It sounds really odd, but it is actually really good! And the spaghetti is a fun and vibrant magenta color! I would maybe use one clove less of the garlic as it was a little strong or maybe the cloves I used were on the large side. It was really good anyway; I do like garlic and, hey, it keeps the vampires away, right? (Especially the stalking Volvo-driving ones!)
The pesto freezes well too, so that is a plus as it makes a good amount. And besides the cooking and peeling of the beets, the recipe is quick and easy to make!

Ingredients:

3 large red beets
3 cloves garlic
1/2 C whole raw pistachios (or almonds)
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 C finely grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb. spaghetti

Cook the beets in boiling water until tender then peel once they are cool enough to handle. Despair of ever getting the red stain off of your fingers. Quarter the beets and toss into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic cloves, nuts, lemon juice and olive oil and run the food processor until you have a smooth spread. Add salt and pepper to taste and fold in the Parmesan.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente, drain and toss with the pesto. I used a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. Serve with extra chopped nuts and Parmesan if desired.

Yield: the original recipe said 4-6 servings, but I would say more like 6-8 servings.

Easy Caramel Sauce--posted by Joy

I LOVE LOVE LOVE caramel in my coffee. I am also BROKE BROKE BROKE....so am getting more creative in how to save money and still enjoy life's little luxuries. This morning as I was talking myself out of a Dunkin Donuts run I wondered, "How hard can it be to make caramel?" Not hard at all, as it turns out. This recipe is brought to you by: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/easy-caramel-sauce-recipe/index.html

I just made it, so I don't know how it is in coffee, but will post an update once it's cooled enough to try :-) I didn't have half and half so I mixed 1/4 cup heavy cream with 1/4 cup 2% milk. And of course I added just a touch extra vanilla because I love vanilla. So we'll see how it turns out... smelled heavenly as I was making it though! (How could it not? brown sugar, cream, butter, salt and vanilla? Yum!!)

Ingredients

• 1 packed cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

Wicked Good Pumpkin Roll -- posted by Jessica

Well, it's that time of year again - Autumn! Cooler weather, fall colors, crunchy piles of leaves to walk through, and, of course, PUMPKIN and those yummy fall spices, cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg... Love it! Pumpkin Roll cake is a new thing for me; maybe it is more of a back East thing? I have noticed them  now in the bakery section of the grocery stores. Maybe they have always been there and I just didn't notice? I dunno, but I can't believe what I have been missing! I ran a Google search for Pumpkin Roll recipes and of course got a ton of them to choose from! I ended up combining a couple different ones to get the spices I wanted and without walnuts thank you very much! I had never attempted a rolled cake before so I was a little apprehensive but it turned out well! And very delicious! Just use a lot of powdered sugar when rolling and also to dust your hands when unrolling to fill and then re-rolling the finished product. I had cut back on the sugar a few tablespoons in the cake and filling part figuring I would get plenty of sweetness from the powdered sugar later and I was right. I would probably even cut back a little more on the sugar next time as I found I had to used quite a lot of powdered sugar rolling up the cake and it was plenty sweet. All in all, this cake was a definite success and got a thumbs up from my taste testers! :)

Ingredients:

Cake:
3 large eggs

1 cup sugar (3/4 cup is fine)

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. all-spice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

 

Filling:

8 oz. softened cream cheese  (I used lite cream cheese)    

1 Tb butter, softened      

3/4 cup powdered sugar (I think I used about 2/3 cup)

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

 

Heat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 15 1/2- by 10 1/2- by 1-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides; coat the parchment with cooking spray.

Beat together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, flour, baking soda, and spices. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is puffed and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes.

Let the cake stand for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a linen kitchen towel with sifted pwd sugar on it. This was a little tricky. I may sift pwd sugar onto the top of the cake and then put the towel on top to invert onto a larger baking sheet. Anyway, then remove the parchment and roll up cake and towel. I rolled from the long side. Some recipes say to roll from the short side. I guess it depends on how long you want your cake. Place seam-side down on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese and butter until combined. Beat in the pwd sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Carefully unroll the cake, leaving it on the towel (there may be some cracking). Spread with the cream cheese filling, reroll into a log removing the towel as you go, and transfer to a serving platter. I found that dusting my hands with pwd sugar helped with this.
Chill and then serve.
Yield: 12 delicious slices of pumkin cream cheese goodness!
I bet adding some espresso powder to the cake batter would also be good; kind of like a pumpkin spice latte! :)

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal -- posted by Jessica

This is another 'borrowed' baked oatmeal recipe. A good fall breakfast! I didn't bother peeling the apple.

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tb oil or melted butter
1 1/2 old fashioned oats
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp baking pwd
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 apple, peeled and sliced very thin

Heat oven to 350. Combine egg, milk, applesauce, and oil. Add oats, sugar, baking pwd and cinnamon. Mix in cranberries and pour into greased 9 inch baking pan. Top with apples and sprinkle with additional sugar and cinnamon if desired. Bake 25 to 28 minutes till set. Serve with milk .
4 servings

Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal -- posted by Jessica

I'm borrowing this recipe from someone else's blog; I'm sorry, I don't remember where I found it! :)
This is a different and tasty take on a standard bowl of oatmeal. I make this with skim milk as that is what I had but serving it with cream would give it actual cream flavor! I just mixed the brown sugar into the oat mixture rather than sprinkling it on top. Though you could probably just leave it out as the peach juice and peaches are already sweet.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup juice from canned sliced peaches
1 Tb oil
1 tsp baking pwd
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups sliced canned peaches
2 Tb brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the egg, milk juice and oil. Whisk in baking pwd then add oats and cinnamon till combined. Pour into greased 9 inch pan. Top with peach slices and sprinkle with brown sugar (and more cinnamon if you are like me and LOVE cinnamon! ) Bake 35 to 40 min till set. Serve with milk if desired.
4 servings.

Peanut Butter Truffle Cookies -- posted by Jessica

This is also a recipe from the Skippy Peanut Butter cook book. These are really good cookies that are quick to make as they have few ingredients. As they don't contain flour, they could be good for a gluten free dessert as long as the p.b. and chocolate chips are g.f. free. I used milk chocolate and p.b. chips and only had a 1/2 cup of creamy p.b. so also used a 1/2 cup of crunchy. The recipe says it makes 4 1/2 dozen??? I only got 2 dozen regular sized cookies (about a rounded Tablespoon of dough each). They have a soft sandy texture and LOTS of peanut butter flavor! I like that they don't have added fat from butter! They do crumble easily so would not be a good choice for mailing unfortunately.

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar (I used 3/4 cup and they were plenty sweet)
1large egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips till blended. Stir in chocolate just until combined. Drop dough by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Do not flatten. Bake 9 minutes or until puffed and golden (cookies will be very soft). Cool on pan on wire rack 5 minutes (I let them set an extra minute or two as they looked like they would break when initially tried to remove from the sheets)
Remove from sheets to wire rack to cool completely.

Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles -- posted by Jessica

I LOVE this recipe! It is soo good and easy! It is from a Skippy peanut butter cookbook. The first time I made it, I used regular creamy peanut butter. This time I used crunchy all natural peanut butter which I recommend! Also, I recommend using extra bell pepper (I used 2) and green onions (I used 5). I did not have fresh ginger, so I used a half tsp or so of ground. I also used 2 cups shredded cooked chicken which made this even faster to prepare. I also added one shaved carrot after sauteeing the peppers a little while. The first time I made this, I used whole wheat spaghetti. This time I used brown rice noodles which I liked better; it seemed more authentic. I highly recommend this recipe!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs veg oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium green or red bell pepper, sliced (or one of each is good!)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (you may need a little more to thin out the sauce if needed)
1/3 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
3 Tb soy sauce
2 Tb honey
1 Tb cornstarch
1 Tb rice wine vinegar
2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 lb Asian noodles, spaghetti or linguine, cooked and drained

Heat 1 Tb oil in large skillet over medium-high and cook chicken till cooked about 7 min. Remove chicken and set aside.
Heat remaining oil and cook peppers and garlic 2 min. medium high heat.
Add broth, p.b., soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, vinegar and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened and smooth, about 2 minutes.
Return chicken to pan, stir in green onion and simmer till heated thru about 3 minutes. Serve over noodles and top with chopped peanuts if desired.

4 servings (I got 6 servings)