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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,…

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…

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.

Pork with Fruit Chutney

Sear seasoned pork tenderloin in a frying pan with evoo. Take pork out and cook on Traeger or in oven at 400 for 20 minutes (cooking times vary depending in your tenderloin). In the same pan that you seared your pork add more evoo and sauté one yellow onion until tender. Add 1/2 cup apple cider 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2-3 Tb sugar hot pepper flakes cinnamon stick one thinly sliced apple a bag of dried mixed fruit (prunes, apricots, cranberries) Stir until incorporated and fruit is very soft. Add one bunch of Rainbow chard chard until wilted. Add zest of one orange and cook for another minute or so. Top pork with chutney and Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese with fig jam and caramelized onion

Still dreaming about these kicked up grilled cheese sandwiches I served as appetizers last night. I wish there were leftovers because we will be doing takeout until Monday! Use your favorite thick sliced bread (I used a wheat seedy one that worked great). Butter both slices of bread and sprinkle seasoned salt on buttered side of one slice. Layer with: Fig jam Grated sharp cheddar cheese Carmelized Onions Very thinly sliced Granny Smith apple Cook on hot griddle and serve.

Waffle with Candied Bacon

Breakfast for dinner is never a bad idea especially with this maple candied bacon crisped on the Traeger! Make your favorite waffles (my family loves Kodiak Cake’s Power cakes that are whole wheat with extra protein). Add bacon and an egg on top with kosher salt, ground pepper, and a lot of maple syrup. Serve with a fruit salad so you don’t feel so guilty. Maple candied bacon- buy extra thick cut bacon (a must). Throw the strips in a bowl with maple syrup and brown sugar and toss until all coated. Lay out on a rack over a cookie sheet and then grind pepper and cayenne pepper if you like spice with your sweet (you do). Grill or bake at 400 until you get it as crispy as you like. You may want to broil the bacon at the end if you like it extra crispy. Finally, a word of WARNING. My daughter was inhaling the bacon on her way to dance last night and started choking. We pulled over and I had to swipe down her throat to…

Lobster Roll and Homemade Fries

Cooking for people I love is one of my greatest loves! Steam, grill, or broil lobster. Add crab or langostino to add volume so you don’t have to use all lobster. Mix with mayonnaise, a dash of Dijon mustard, lemon juice, chopped chives, green onion, and s&p. Chill in fridge for a couple of hours before eating. Butter roll and put on a dash of seasoned salt then broil. Homemade baked French fries- slice russet potato and soak in water. Dry then drizzle on Evoo (more then you think) and seasoned salt (more then you think). Bake at 450-500 then broil to get crispness. Keep adding seasoned or kosher salt. Potatoes need more salt then you think.

Chicken Pot Pie

My parents are taking off for the airport and I thought this was the perfect goodbye meal. This chicken pot pie is amazingly easy and you probably have all the ingredients in your freezer! Start with Evoo, chopped garlic, and diced onions in a large sauté pan. I added a mirapeux mixture and fresh mushrooms I had as well. Sauté until soft then add around 3 spoonfuls of flour until the flour dissolves and is mixed in with other ingredients (Wondra works great as well). Add any frozen veggies you like. I used a green bean, carrot, and pea mixture and added frozen corn as well. Stir and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper or any seasonings you like until cooked through. Add around 1/2-3/4 of a carton of chicken broth and let simmer until it starts to thicken. A rotisserie chicken works great in this or any type of shredded chicken breast you like. Add chicken and continue simmering. (This mixture is great on rice or as a low carb lunch so make extra!) My favorite pie crusts are…

Citrus Butter Scallops

8 tablespoons salted butter, melted 1 clove garlic, finely minced Zest from 1/2 small orange Juice from 1/2 small orange 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or tarragon 1-1/2 to 2 pounds large dry-packed scallops Freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste Put a cooling rack or wire grid on a rimmed baking sheet. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and arrange them on the rack on baking sheet. Put the baking sheet with the scallops on the grill grate and smoke for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and set aside. In the meantime, increase the temperature of the Traeger to 400 degrees F. Preheat for 15 minutes. Return the baking sheet with the scallops to the grill grate and roast the scallops until just opaque and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. The time will depend on how thick the scallops are. Do not overcook. In the meantime, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, orange zest, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes. Keep warm….