creamy parmesan orecchiette with butternut squash and broccolini

From pinchofyum.com

INGREDIENTS

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
   Coupons
• ½ cup white wine (optional)
• 2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or milk
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• lemon juice to taste
• salt to taste

For the Pasta:

• 16 ounces orecchiette (I used DeLallo whole wheat orecchiette)
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
• 3 cups broccolini (I used regular broccoli)
• olive oil, salt, and pepper
• pumpkin seeds
• additional Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. SAUCE: Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until soft. Add the flour and whisk until smooth - let it cook for a few minutes to avoid a floury taste. Add the wine and whisk to incorporate. Add the broth or milk, ½ cup at a time, and whisk to incorporate. When thickened slightly, add more liquid. Finish with the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Sauce should be smooth and light.
2. VEGETABLES: Place the veggies on two separate baking sheets. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.
3. PASTA: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
4. FINISH: Toss everything together (sauce, pasta, vegetables, additional broth as needed to keep it loose) and top generously with pumpkin seeds and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

 

From pinchofyum.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups mirepoix (just a simple mixture of chopped onions, celery, and carrots)
• 1-2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1-2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 2 12 ounce cans evaporated milk
• 2 1lb. packages DeLallo mini potato gnocchi (about 4 cups) 
• 6 slices bacon
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chicken, mirepoix, basil, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt, and broth in a crockpot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken directly in the crockpot.
2. Add the cornstarch mixture, evaporated milk, and gnocchi. Stir and replace cover. Cook another 45 minutes - 1 hour until the soup has thickened and the gnocchi has softened.
3. While the soup is thickening, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Drain on paper towels and wipe most of the bacon grease out of the pan, leaving just a little bit for the spinach/garlic. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat. Add the bacon and spinach to the crockpot. Stir to combine.
4. Add any additional liquid as needed (I added about a cup of water once it started to thicken) and season again with salt and pepper as needed.

NOTES

Be sure to taste and adjust with salt/pepper before serving. It may need more depending on the saltiness of your broth. 

You can use something other than evaporated milk, but I found that evaporated milk has the creaminess of half and half or heavy whipping cream without actually needing to use up all my good half and half in the soup. :)

The leftovers do soak up a lot of the moisture, so you might need to add more evaporated milk depending on how soupy you want it and/or how long you'll be keeping it around.

For Real Homemade Green Bean Casserole

I have never really been a green-bean casserole girl.  But I realized that I don't really like canned green beans very much, but I love fresh ones.  And cream of mushroom soup is always best fresh, right?  So, I found a recipe for the casserole with fresh green beans and homemade cream of mushroom, and it is honestly so delicious.  It is extra work, and the cream of mushroom is rich, but for special occasions, this is such a great recipe!!!

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Preheat Oven to 425.

Green Bean Prep

1 lb green beans, ends snapped, snapped into bite size pieces
1 Tb table salt (author recommends if you don't have table salt, you can use double of kosher or sea salt)
Large pot of boiling water

Prep green beans while bringing water to boil.  Add the salt and the beans to the water, cover, and cook for 6 minutes, or until still crisp-tender and bright green.  The beans won't get much softer after this, so cook them as thoroughly as you like them.  While the beans are cooking, prepare a large bowl full of ice water.  Drain the beans in a colander and plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain the beans again in a colander.  Place the green beans in a single layer on paper towels to dry.

Cream of Mushroom Sauce (I think I may have needed to make more sauce than this, but I can't remember for sure.)

8 oz favorite mushrooms
1 Tb unsalted butter
1 Tb fresh garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tb flour
3/4 C chicken stock
1 Tb dry sherry
3/4 C half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms, break off and discard stems.  Break the tops into pieces. (The author insists that cutting with a knife will change the texture of the soup!) Melt the butter in a skillet or pan.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Cook about 6 minutes, till mushrooms soften, stirring often.  Stir in flour and cook a minute.  Start adding chicken stock and sherry 1 Tb at a time.  Once the liquid and the flour start to gel into a sauce, you can add the stock and sherry more quickly.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the half and half, simmer till the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Stir in cooked beans.  

Place casserole ingredients into a casserole dish.  Top with crispy onions, if you like them, and bake in the oven until cooked on top, about 20 minutes.

Pear and Parsnip Soup

I made this for Mom while she was in town, and she requested I post it.  I do love this soup, and Leigh does too.  Today I had some for lunch and my friend Lisa requested the recipe, so I guess it is time to share!

Pear and Parsnip Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. unsalted butter
• about ½ C diced onion
• kosher salt
• 2 cups parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped (2 to 3 parsnips depending on size)
• about 1 ½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• about 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
• 1 to 2 cups pear, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup half-and-half or cream
• 1-2 drops lavender essential oil
• Pepper, optional

Instructions:

1.    In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add the onions, a pinch of salt, and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the parsnip, rosemary, and pinch of salt and continue to sweat for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the pear, and continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the white wine, increase the heat to high, and reduce by half. Just eyeball it – it should be about 5 minutes.

2.    Add the stock, the Herbs de Provence, and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the half and half or cream.

3.    Transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender, and purée on high speed until smooth. Taste. Add more salt if necessary.

Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

From Cookie+Kate.
So Good!

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower

• 1 large head of cauliflower, sliced into bite-sized florets
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Seasoned lentils

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¾ cup brown lentils, picked over for debris and rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water

Chipotle sauce

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers) or chipotle hot sauce to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Everything else

• 8 small, round corn tortillas
• ½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (cilantro haters, substitute some fresh spring greens instead)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss cauliflower florets with enough olive oil to cover them in a light, even layer of oil. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the florets in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway, until the florets are deeply golden on the edges.
2. Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a dash of salt for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. Add the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the lentils and the vegetable broth or water. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes to 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender and cooked through. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and add more broth or water if the liquid evaporates before the lentils are done. Once the lentils are done cooking, drain off any excess liquid, then cover and set aside.
3. To prepare the chipotle sauce, just whisk together the ingredients and set aside (if you have no choice but to use whole chipotle peppers from the can, use a blender to purée it all).
4. Warm tortillas individually in a pan over medium heat. Stack the warm tortillas and cover them with a tea towel if you won’t be serving the tacos immediately.
5. Once all of your components are ready, you can assemble your tacos! Top each tortilla with the lentil mixture, cauliflower, a drizzle of chipotle sauce and a generous sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

Chocolate Pudding

This is from one of Christina's recipe books. I asked her for the recipe a while back and then had a hard time finding it, so posting it here so I know where to find it next time! It's a keeper!

2 1/2 c. fat free milk, divided
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Place 2 cups milk in a medium, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks, stirring well with a whisk. Add egg yolk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well.

Gradually add half of hot milk to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate, stirring until melted.

Spoon pudding into a bowl. Place bowl in a large ice filled bowl 15 minutes or until pudding is cool, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill.

Roasted Potato Salad with Dijon Dressing and Bacon

From www.melskitchencafe.com/

Roasted Potato Salad

YIELD: SERVES 4-5

I've made this several times and it is delicious with either apple cider vinegar or balsamic (for a deeper, darker flavor). If you don't like the flavor of goat cheese but still want a touch of creaminess, try subbing feta cheese, farmer's cheese or even Parmesan (of course not all of them will melt to the same degree of creaminess as goat cheese but they'll still add flavor and tastiness).

Also, keep in mind that the dressing makes just a few tablespoons in quantity - the potatoes are very lightly coated. If you prefer more dressing, feel free to double the amounts although the recipe is delicious as written so the dressing doesn't overpower the potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Potatoes:
• 2-3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into wedges (or cubes)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse kosher salt and black pepper
Dressing and Garnishes:
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see note)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• Crumbled goat cheese (optional, see note)
• Finely chopped fresh chives
• Cooked, crumbled bacon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. If you want the potatoes crispier on the outsides, pop your large, rimmed baking sheet in the oven as it preheats so it is nice and hot when you add the potatoes.
2. Toss the potatoes with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse kosher salt and black pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon each).
3. Put the potatoes on the hot baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the potatoes and bake for 10 minutes, give or take, until the potatoes are golden and tender.
4. While the potatoes are baking, make the dressing by whisking together the Dijon, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
5. When the potatoes are finished cooking, scrape them into a shallow bowl or serving platter. If using the goat cheese, sprinkle it immediately over the warm potatoes so it melts slightly. Drizzle the dressing over the potatoes and toss gently to combine.
6. Garnish with bacon crumbles and chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sopas... a lesson from our friend Betsa

Yesterday, my friend Betsa was kind enough to come to my house and give me a lesson on how to make what her family calls "sopas". She's taught me before, but I needed a second lesson with pictures and more notes so I can feel confident making them myself. Today, I am writing it all down with the pictures so I can go back and look once we move to Idaho. I thought this would be a good place to get it all down. (Be warned, I am not a great photo taker, and make no claim that my pictures will be loverly. They are to help me remember.)

1st Step: Boil Chicken

3 chicken breasts

half onion (just cut in two and throw it in pot, either white or yellow is great)

3 cloves garlic

half bunch cilantro (just throw in in pot)

1 tsp salt

bring to a boil, add a little chicken broth, shred when cooked through

2nd Step: Create Chicken and Tomato Mixture

6 tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

1 onion, sliced lengthwise

4 cloves garlic, chopped

soften in oil, when soft add chicken and a small amount of chicken broth (you don't want it juicy)

cook until thickened, add salt at this time if you'd like more

3rd Step: Make Tortillas (These aren't really tortillas, I don't know their name.)

In bowl, mix 1/4 a bag of Masa, 1 cup flour

Add water until reaching workable consistency.

Using dough equal to about the size of a lemon, place between two sheets of plastic and flatten with a plate.

Cook in pan (no oil) until browned on both sides.

Inside paper towell, pinch edges of cooked pastry to form edge, also pinch inside to make small "mountains".

Fry in oil, if desired.

4th Step: Red Salsa 

4 whole tomatoes

2 or more whole peppers

blacken in skillet pan

when blackened, blend with 3 garlic cloves, small slices of onion, 1 tsp salt, small amount of water

or 4th Step: Tomatillo Sauce

5 whole tomatillos

2 whole peppers

boil in skins

when softened, remove skin of tomatillos, blend with 3 garlic cloves, onion, 1 tsp salt

5th Step: Black Beans

A few sliced onions

2-3 cans black beans

brown onions in oil (A really pathetic picture for this step.)

add black beans 

squish them with a cup

boil and cook until thickened

6th Step: Extras

Grate fresh Mexican cheese.

Place sour cream in ziplock and cut tip, allowing you to pipe sour cream onto sopas.

Slice lettuce lengthwise.

And when all that's done you get these scrumptious soaps!!!