My Site » I love food, travel, and being creative in the kitchen. I keep my recipes simple and fresh so you can make them around your table too.

Lasagna

First a tip, then the lasagna recipe. When you’re in the mood for…. Lasagna or whatever it is you’re thinking about cooking, look up at least 5 recipes so you get an idea of the ingredients, how it’s prepped, and the end result. Don’t worry about following any one recipe exactly just gather the gist of how the dish works, and make it your own. This helps if you don’t have all the exact ingredients and will help you become a more creative, confident cook! sauté EVOO, onion, and garlic until it softens add any kind of ground meat you like (extra lean hamburger, chicken, and turkey all work great.) Stir in mushrooms and fish cooking. Add at least one to two bottles of your favorite pasta sauce (I love Rao brand). Make sure it’s pretty soupy so that once again you have moist lasagna. In another bowl combine, ricotta cheese, an egg, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, frozen chopped spinach that has been thawed and drained, basil, oregano, s&p. Start by layering red sauce on the bottom of the dish,…

Peanut Butter and Granola Stuffed Apple

A family approved protein packed snack! Core apple (perfect with pink lady apples that are slightly tart and crisp) fill with a combination of natural peanut or almond butter and your favorite granola.

Kale, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salads

Playing around with my current kitchen ingredients for a Fall salad for tomorrow. Chop kale very thinly Cut pear and apple (Granny Smith is good with this salad) into matchsticks Add toasted pecans or whatever you have in your freezer (you always keep nuts in your freezer, right?) *Toast or candy your entire bag of nuts and then freeze whatever you don’t use and you’ll be ready for your next weekday salad. Add crumbled TJ blueberry vanilla goat cheese (always in my freezer). Dressing- balsamic evoo maple syrup sliced shallots s&p This salad will hold up well because kale doesn’t wilt very fast.

Green Bean Casserole

My Favorite Green Bean Casserole EVER!! Can you say buttermilk fried onions! 2 lbs green beans 2 lb sliced cremini mushrooms 2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms 2 cups chopped oyster mushrooms 1 medium onion, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbs freshs thyme 1 stick butter 1/4 c flour 4 cups milk 1/2 C sour cream 1 c shredded gryere or swiss Dash of nutmeg S&P Directions: 1.Blanch green beans in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove green beans and shock in cold water to stop cooking. For white sauce, melt 5 TB butter. Add diced onions, garlic, half of thyme, and season with S&P and a pinch of nutmeg over medium heat for 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle four over and stir to coat. Using a whisk start adding in milk and mix until lumps have dissolved. Continue to stir until sauce thickens and cook over low for 10 minutes. Add sour cream and the gruyere and stir until dissolved. In a large sauté pan melt remaining butter and drizzle EVOO. Add all of the mushrooms to the pan…

Smoke Roasted Apple Pie Crisp

Use 7-8 cooking apples… I like to use Granny Smith but I also add in some Pink Lady apples which are not quite as tart. Core and slice 8 cups of apples very thinly. You’ll start by mixing in a Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, and anywhere from a half cup to three quarters of a cup of sugar—depending on the sweetness of your apples. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Mix until evenly distributed through all the Apple slices (use your hands!) Press your pie crust into a 9 inch pie plate, I just use a store-bought pie dough…it’s such a timesaver but still tastes great. My secret is a quarter cup of melted apple jelly….I brush it over the crust for added sweetness, and then I pour in all the Apple filling. For a little twist on traditional apple pie, I like to use a crumble top instead of crust…so you get the crust on the bottom but then you get an apple crisp on…

Goat Cheese Stuffed Pears

‘Tis the season for everything pear! These goat cheese stuffed pears look gourmet, are so easy to make and taste amazing. Use any type of pear (I think red pears look best) slice 4 in half and scoop out middle with a melon baller or spoon. Combine 4 oz goat cheese (Vermont creamery apricot and thyme is to die for in these), chopped dates, honey, toasted pecans, kosher salt, a dash of cinnamon, and ground pepper. (Use any type of cheese and toppings you love, the possibilities are endless.) Stuff cheese mixture into pears. Fill baking dish with some apple juice or cider then place the Stuffed pears on baking dish. Cover and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Place pears on top of any type of greens you like. Bon Appetit! For your Traeger: cook on 400 degrees for 20 minutes and it’s twice as good!

Tupperware Snacks

Heading out on a road trip with my four girls this morning and borrowed an idea from my brilliant friend @sarabato. Each child gets their own Tupperware to fill with their favorite snacks for the car ride so there is no fighting, complaining, or sharing needed over the next 5 hours!

Crunchy Pumpkin French Toast

Happy Sunday! Pumpkin crunchy French toast with Buttermilk syrup: Use Texas toast or thickly sliced French bread. Make usual French toast mixture of eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and milk. Add a can of pumpkin pie mix. Crush corn flakes and dip bread in egg mixture and then coat in corn flakes. Make sure to butter your griddle. Buttermilk syrup: 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking soda Mix first 3 ingredients until mixed together then add vanilla and baking soda.

Pumpkin Orzo with Fried Sage

Bringing dinner to a friend on this chilly rainy day. Cook orzo to package directions (I used 16 oz whole wheat orzo and chicken broth instead of water). Drain and set aside. Sauté 3 Tb of butter, fresh sage leaves, chopped onion or shallots, and s&p until cooked through. Add 3/4 C chicken broth and 1/2 C milk and simmer until it starts reducing. Add 1/2 C canned pumpkin (a little goes a long way in this dish) and stir until combined. Add orzo and Parmesan cheese to Pumpkin mixture. Bring grape seed oil or veg oil to a boil and drop fresh sage leaves in for 5 second to fry. Use slotted spoon to remove and salt right away. Use as garnish for the orzo.

Fall Dinner Party

Prepping for a dinner party tonight and can’t get over these colors!