It is fall....hence time to dig into my favorite cool weather foods.  I recently discovered that I love butternut squash.  So as an ode to my new found love, I made butternut squash soup.  This recipe is large enough that you will have leftovers, so plan accordingly.

Butternut Squash Soup with Sweet Potato and Apple

1 Butternut Squash
1 Tart Apple
1 Sweet Potato
1 quart of chicken or veggie stock
1/2 onion
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sour cream or half and half to garnish, if desired

Peel squash, apple and sweet potato.  Cut up onion.  Place all in large stock pan with stock.  Cook until all are tender.  Using immersion blender or regular blender, blend soup until it is at the desired texture.  I like mine quite smooth.  Finish off with a swirl of sour cream or half and half if desired. Serve with a salad and a crusty bread, warm with butter.

I even took time to take a picture today....Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

Tonight I made Shepherd's Pie for the first time. This was super easy and super tasty!  I meant to take a picture because it was beautiful, but alas, I forgot. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees!!!

First:
Boil six red potatoes as you would to make mashed potatoes...peel and cut, then boil.  You can use any type of potato; I just like the flavor of the red. 

Step two:
Cook 1lb of ground beef with a half of a grated onion and salt and pepper to taste.  Add a cup of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, etc.) when beef is nearly done. 

Step three:
Make a gravy by heating 1 cup of beef broth and adding 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour when broth comes to a boil.  Add flour slowly and through a sifter for best results.  Whisk quickly to avoid lumps.  When thickened add to beef mixture.

Step four:
Make mashed potatoes by adding a tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tbls of sour cream to drained potatoes.  Mash.

Step five:
Assemble.  Take a deep dish pie plate and put beef mixture on bottom.  Cover with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning lightly on the top for an earthy flavor.  Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are light brown.

Enjoy with red wine!

Easy, Tasty Breakfast

So this morning it is poached eggs, over ham on a toasted English muffin.  Quick, healthy, and easy!  What did you eat this morning?

So this week, I found turkey breasts on sale for a great price.  Since white meat is one of the healthiest meats one can eat, I stocked up.  Tonight's dinner will be a Roasted Turkey Breast.

Roasted Turkey Breast Dinner for One
1 half breast season with salt and pepper and sliced onion
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1.5 hrs

When finished drain drippings and make a gravy.  Easily done by combining equal parts flour and water in a jar and shake.  Put through a sieve into the boiling drippings.  Add flour and water mixture slowly until at desired thickness.

Serve with white rice and fresh broccoli.  Prep time is about 20 min.  including the cooking of the gravy.  Tasty dinner in a flash.  Enjoy!

Valentine's Day ~ Chicken Parmesan

So this is the meal I had every Valentine's Day growing up. It is truly fabulous and tastes like you spent hours in the chicken. It is one of the easiest dinners ever.

Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Breasts - boneless
Club Crackers
Parmesan Cheese
3 eggs
Oil
1 jar of Classico Pasta Sauce
Mozarella Cheese - 1 Package
Rotelli Pasta

Oven 350 degrees. Crush crackers then add a handful of parmesan cheese, put mixture aside. Beat eggs, put aside. Pound chicken just a bit. Dip in egg, then in crackers. Lightly fry both sides of chicken in non-stick pan. You are not cooking it through, just giving it a crispy coating. When golden brown place in baking pan that has a thin layer of pasta sauce on the bottom. Pour remaining pasta sauce over the top of the chicken. Top with mozarella cheese. Bake until bubbly and cheese is light brown.

Serve over rotelli pasta.

I like to serve with salad, garlic bread and a green vegetable. This year it will be asparagus or brussell sprouts.

This freezes really well, so make lots of extra and pull it out when you want to pull your hair out!

Wintertime Steak Dinner

Steak can be just as flavorful cooked on a stove in the winter as it can be on a grill in the summer. Tonight's dinner is Seared Sirloin Steak with a White Wine Mushroom Sauce. This dinner is fabulous and is easy to prepare.
You will need:
1 lb Sirloin Steak (Room Temp)
1 quart fresh white mushrooms
1 onion
1 cup white wine (I used Pinot Noir) Marsala would be an excellent choice as well.
1/2 cube of butter (1/4 cup)
1 TBLS flour
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Saute onions in olive oil. Add mushrooms when onions are almost tender. When mushrooms are soft add white wine and let simmer until it is 2/3 of it is gone. Set aside.
Salt and pepper steak to taste. Sear in hot pan on cooktop for 4-5 min a side. Turn once only, Turning over and over will make steak tough. When done let sit for 5 min before serving.
Put onions and mushrooms back over heat. Whisk in flour and butter. Serve over steak.

I served baked potatoes and a green salad with this dish, but asparagus would be wonderful as well.
Enjoy!

Turkey Burgers

So one of my favorite meals is turkey burgers. Jennio sells 100% white meat turkey burgers that can be found at Sam's Club. These have a wonderful flavor and only take a few minutes to prepare. I cook them on an outside grill when I can, but otherwise I use the George Foreman. Top with your favorite hamburger toppings. I like to make a nice green salad to go with them. Try Ken's lite Olive Oil Vinegarette. It goes well with the fresh mozzarella, avocado and tomatoes I like to add.