Pappa Al Pomodoro

I think I am one of the very few who love this time of year, cool weather, shorter days, football, pretty fall colors, and the first dusting of snow.

Nothing is better after a long day of work then to come home and enjoy some nice warm soup. This was a crowd favorite. The only note I have is to make more toppings, b/c it's so yummy!!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 2 onions)
• 1 cup medium-diced carrots, unpeeled (about 3 carrots)
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and medium-diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes, crusts removed
• 2 (28-ounce) cans good Italian plum tomatoes diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

For the topping:

• 3 cups (1-inch) diced ciabatta cubes
• 2 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, chopped
• 24 to 30 whole fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel, and garlic and cook over medium
low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the ciabatta cubes and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the topping, place the ciabatta cubes, pancetta, and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crisp, which is perfectly fine. Reheat the soup, if necessary, beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Sprinkle parmesan over soup once bowled and serve hot with topping.

Sooo yummy thanks Ina Garden!

Chicken Spaghetti

A friend mentioned to me recently that she'd had chicken spaghetti for dinner.  YES, I thought.  I hadn't had of or even thought of that dish in ages.  So I popped online, picked out my favorite recipe version, tweaked it, and tried it out.  The results were quite favorable at my house and for your trying pleasure, here it is:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (I went for the 98% fat free stuff and it still tasted great)
• 2 and a half cups cooked, cubed chicken
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs

Directions

1. Begin boiling water to cook spaghetti.  When boiling, add the noodles and cook as directed on packages.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Saute chopped onion, celery and peppers until tender
4. In a large bowl, combine cooked noodles, cooked chicken, sauted veggies, shredded cheese, and soups.  Mix to coat well.
5. Empty mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish
6. Top with bread crumbs and drizzled butter
7. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through

Fiesta Turkey Skillet

Do you ever buy ground turkey instead of ground beef?  You should.  It's so lean and healthy.  We've got organic beef in our freezer so it is not as huge a concern but when I see that Jennie-O turkey go on sale, I buy it up and use it as a beef substitute in many ways.

My most recent new turkey recipe is below.  It is both a treat for the eyes as well as the mouth.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey*
• 1 half red onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (a green and a red), sliced into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup non fat sour cream
• 16 oz jar salsa
• 4 cups cooked pasta of choice - I used macaroni but penne would have been great too

Directions

• In a large skillet or wok (remember all this food will end up in there....choose something big enough to fit everything!), brown turkey over medium heat.
• When turkey is half-cooked, add the onion and garlic, continue cooking until turkey is done and onions are soft.
• Add remaining vegetables, saute 10 minutes

• Add pasta, sour cream and salsa and heat through

*Disclaimer: Many of you may be from states that are having recalls on ground turkey right now.  If so, please shop wisely and, if necessary, go ahead and use beef instead of turkey until things calm down.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

You should have on hand:

· 2 cups all-purpose flour

· 2 cups white sugar

· 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

· 2 teaspoons baking soda

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 4 eggs

· 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

· 3 cups grated zucchini

· 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

· 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

· 1/2 cup butter, softened

· 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Sorry not picture but I feel like most people have seen a chocolate cake with "white" frosting!

Stuffed Yellow Summer squash…

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow summer squash (about 8 oz.)
• 1 small zucchini
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped (I used red)
• 1 pound lean ground turkey (I used lean ground turkey sausage)
• 2 cup chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (If you used canned I would drain off more then half of the “juice”)
• 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth – Ok it calls for this but I had to much moisture so I would not use this if at all helped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup dry Italian-style bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Preparation

• Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cut squash and in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and stringy pulp from each squash half, leaving a large cavity for stuffing. Place in boiling water. Bring back to a boil; cook until slightly softened, 5 minutes. Transfer squash to ice water. Cool for 2 minutes. Remove; pat dry.
• Arrange snugly in a large, lightly oiled ovenproof baking dish.
• Warm 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook, stirring to break up until crumbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Grate the zucchini and add to the mixture. Stir in tomatoes, broth (if needed) and thyme. Stirring often, until turkey is thoroughly cooked and some of liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• I scraped most of the summer squash out of the cavity leaving just enough to help hold it together (left about ½ to ¾ of an inch
• left in the squash). Cut up what you scraped out into small bit sizes pieces and mix in with the cooked turkey mixture.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place equal amounts of filling in each squash half, piling it high in center. Mix bread crumbs with Parmesan, then sprinkle mixture over squash and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

I know this is not the best picture! Sorry all I had is my cell phone!

Chicken with Mole Sauce

Mole sauce?  What's that?

If you are asking yourself that question, you are in the same boat I was not too long ago.  First of all, it is pronounced with a Spanish pronunciation: moe-lay.  Let's just get that straight so you don't embarrass yourself.

Mole is a sauce that can be served several ways but the most common thing I've seen is it being poured over chicken and rice.  It is a spicy sauce with a flavor that is enhanced by a bit of chocolate.  I realize this sounds odd and have to admit that I used to shy away from it.  But once I gave it a shot, I found it to be quite flavorful and good.  See for yourself....

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 4 servings rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/3 cup white onion, very finely chopped
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (grated dark chocolate can also be substituted and would probably be better!)
• 1.5 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 and a half tbsp fresh chopped cilantro)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chile peppers

Directions

• Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat
• Saute chopped onions until tender
• To onions, add chocolate, spices, garlic, soup, cilantro and green chile peppers
• Bring to boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes
• Serve over chicken and rice

Chipotle Honey Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potatoes Plus Fiery Grilled Asparagus

 Two great recipes for the price of one in this post!  This recipe was shared with me a year ago by Tonia but I finally pulled it out and gave it a shot.  It got a big thumbs up at our dining room table and hopefully will at yours too!

Chipotle Honey Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin
• Chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Toss cubed sweet potatoes with oil and place into a large casserole dish or roasting pan
• Place potatoes in oven for 20 minutes

• Into a small bowl, combine minced peppers, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cinnamon and cumin to make a thick paste.
• Rub paste evenly over each chicken breast
• When the potatoes have finished their 20 minutes in the oven, place chicken on top of them and return to oven for an additional 30 minutes or until chicken is done

Going into the oven!

• Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Fiery Grilled Asparagus

Here's a recipe that I picked up from one of those recipe cards in the grocery store.  It's definitely worth making again....and SOON!

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar - I didn't have this so used regular white vinegar instead and it seemed to work just fine.
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted - I also didn't have this and omitted them but am sure they would be a nice addition
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat grill to a medium heat and coat with a non-stick cooking spray
• Trip and discard tough ends of asparagus
• In a shallow dish, combine asparagus, oil, red pepper flakes, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper
• Let stand 15 minutes
• Place asparagus on grill and grill 5 minutes, turning once
• After grilling, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve

And here's the picture of the delicious meal: