Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Sugared Walnuts Served for Evenings

 

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup pancetta, finely chopped (I used bacon)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1¼ cups uncooked Arborio rice
• ½ cup chardonnay
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemon thyme or 1½ tablespoons thyme plus ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Arrange nuts in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes or until toasted, stirring twice. Place nuts in a bowl. Drizzle butter over warm nuts; sprinkle with sugar and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Toss well to coat.
3. Combine squash and 1 tablespoon oil, tossing to coat. Arrange squash in a single layer on jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until squash is just tender. Remove from pan; stir in garlic. Set aside.
4. Bring broth and ½ cup water to a simmer in a saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.
5. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pancetta to saucepan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Add onion; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add broth mixture, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in squash, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Top with cheese and nuts.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits Served in Glass

Ingredients

• 1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 1 T. butter, melted
• 8 oz. cream cheese (I used 4 oz. low fat, 4 oz. whipped)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 14 ounces pumpkin puree
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 4 whole pecan halves
• sweetened whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Crush the gingersnaps to create crumbs. Add melted butter, stir well to combined. Spread on baking sheet. Toast in the oven 3 – 5 minutes until crumbs start to brown. Cool.
2. Process the cream cheese, sugars, cream and vanilla in a food processor until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Process until smooth.
3. Spoon a half of the graham cracker crumbs into four ½ cup-capacity dishes, layer on a few chopped pecans. Divide half of the cheesecake mixture evenly between the dishes and top with the remaining graham cracker or gingersnap crumbs and then more pecans. Divide the remaining cheesecake mixture between the dishes.
4. Garnish with whipped cream and pecans. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Chili-Corn Casserole with Polenta and Sauce

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ears corn, kernels cut off
• Kosher salt
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 3 to 4 cups leftover chili
• 1½ cups shredded pepper jack or monterey jack cheese (about 6 ounces)
• 1 18-ounce tube precooked polenta, cut into 12 rounds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until soft, about 1 minute.
2. Spread the chili in an 8-inch-square baking dish. Top with half of the cheese followed by half of the corn mixture. Lay the polenta rounds on top, then sprinkle with the remaining corn and cheese.
3. Bake until the casserole is heated through and the top is golden, about 20 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Irish Scotchabrownies

Imagine you’re at a social gathering where food is involved.

Someone (probably my mom) has brought Scotcheroos.  And you know there’s inevitably going to be a pan of thick, gooey brownies.

 

How can anyone be expected to decide between the two perfect bars?

If you’re me, you end up eating half of each, because you feel somehow loyal to the perfect brownie, but also loyal to your mom and the family favorite Scotcheroo, which then results in eating two halves of each. Oops.

Scotchabrownies

Author: Pinch of Yum - Adapted from How Sweet It Is

 

Ingredients

• 1 batch brownies
• ½ cup salted peanuts (if don’t have salted, add sea salt)
• 1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
• 1½ cup milk chocolate chips
• 1½ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 1½ cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Instructions

1. Mix brownies and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 9 x 13 pan. They need room on top, so it’s ok if they aren’t very thick.
2. Sprinkle the peanuts and Reeses cups on top of the brownies after baking. Put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes to get everything a little melty.
3. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter, and then stir in the Rice Krispies. Pour this mixture over the top of the brownies.
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Zucchini Fritters & Goat Cheese Sauce from Italy

This is the apron that my husband wore last night.

It was a logical choice; it’s clearly the most masculine apron that I own. I knew he would enjoy the burlap style fabric. And Italia? That’s kewl. He’s kewl.



He went to go put the apron on. He stopped. Set down the apron. Walked to the window and closed the shades. I reconsidered asking for a picture.

Now, to the ultimate question: Why?

Someone needed to bravely confront the hot, splattering oil that was far too intimidating dangerous for this girl. Yes, indeed. He’s a hero like that.

And because of his heroism, we were able to enjoy these golden, crispy zucchini fritters.

Ingredients

Zucchini Fritters

• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• ½ tsp salt
• zest of 1 lemon
• a handful of parsley, chopped
• chives, chopped
• 1 egg
• pepper
• ½ cup flour
• oil for frying

Goat Cheese Sauce

• Goat Cheese, 100 grams
• Plain yogurt, ⅔ cup
• Salt, pepper, and chives (to taste)

Instructions

Zucchini Fritters

1. Mix all but the oil together until it’s no longer lumpy.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet, medium-high.
3. Using a tablespoon, make small balls and drop them into the oil (I’d recommend about 4-5 at a time).
4. Fry on each side, flipping after a few minutes when they are golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towel-lined plates.

Goat Cheese Sauce

1. Mix it all up! Ta da.

Morning Grains Cups

I know many of you are healthy eaters. You like oatmeal with things like protein powder on top. Or something. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I wish I could be like you. 

I have tried to swap my butter habit for a little bit of peanut butter, or maybe fruit? But try as I may, I cannot deny having dessert for breakfast!

 

 

Don’t worry, I still eat fruit for breakfast, too.

 

 

I don’t consider myself a garage-saler. If there’s one thing that annoys me, it’s random and useless trinkets. Well, that might be a little dramatic. There are other things that annoy me more than trinkets. That being said.

I did go to a garage sale once, and for some reason, I couldn’t resist a vintage looking mug-bowl. Why? I have no idea.

I didn’t need it.

I don’t love vintage.

I probably had to struggle through my purse, maybe even walk back to my car, to find the quarters to pay for it.

But believe me, my mug-bowl and I were destined for each other.

Which brings me to the topic of this post. Morning Grains… more specifically, oatmeal. Unlike garage sales, I adore oats. And here’s the thing: I love oats significantly more when they are being eaten from my treasured mug-bowl.

Edamame Hummus Wrap for East

 

Edamame Hummus Wrap

Author: Pinch of Yum

 

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups cooked edamame (or mukimame … just no pods please)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1.5 teaspoon crushed garlic
• salt
• water

Instructions

1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients. If it gets too thick, continuously add water by the spoonful until you reach the desired consistency.
2. Now, for the wrap. Plop some hummus down, top with spinach, and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. For an extra bonus, drizzle ½ teaspoon of olive oil over the top. For an extreme bonus, add crumbled bacon. I would have done this in an instant if I hadn’t already used up all my bacon. Dang.

Notes

You could omit the tahini, or add lemon, or anything else that sounds appealing. I just used what I had on hand.

Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

Ricotta cheese is my new best friend.

I have always made this combination of whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, and broccoli as a fast and healthy dinner…But for some reason, I never really pursued a creamy tomato sauce.

 

Lazy much?

Tonight I was feeling inspired to make my sauce a little thicker, creamier, and more satisfying. And that’s why ricotta is my new best friend.

I’ve used half and half before to creamify my tomato sauce. Let’s just say the sound of the half and half glugging into my pasta sauce does not necessarily make me feel healthy. Not to mention, the consistency never gets quite thick enough for me.

Tomato Ricotta Pasta with Broccoli

 

Ingredients

• tomato sauce
• part-skim ricotta cheese
• broccoli
• whole wheat pasta
• parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Boil noodles.
2. Steam broccoli.
3. Drain.
4. Add sauce, ricotta, and broccoli to pan.
5. Top with parmesan cheese.