Leek & Potato Pie

 I had some leeks and one gluten free pie crust that needed to be used so I perused the web for a leek and potato pie recipe. I found this Jamie Oliver recipe and swapped out the puff pastry it called for and used the gluten free pie crust I had. It turned out really good! You can serve it as a side, it would be good with a roast or it can be the main, served with a side salad.

Leek & Potato Pie

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 large leeks, washed and sliced (be sure to clean them well to get the sand out)

600g potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, minced

100g grated sharp cheddar cheese

300ml heavy cream

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 gf pie crust (or 1 sheet of puff pastry)

salt & pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 400* and grease a large pie dish or baking dish with butter or oil.

 

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced leeks and cook for 5-7 minutes, until they are soft and starting to caramelize. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside. 

Meanwhile, boil the potato slices in salted water for about 10 minutes until they are just tender, but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes.

In a large bowl, combine the leeks, potatoes, grated cheese, cream, mustard, and thyme. Stir everything together until well mixed. Season with more salt & pepper to taste. Transfer to the prepared pie dish, spreading out evenly. Place the pie crust on top, trimming any excess and press down the edges to seal the pie. Cut a small slit in the center to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the filling is hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cook a few minutes before slicing and serving.

I don't remember the exact website this was from and it's not on the copy I printed out.

Rainbow Chard Bowls

This is an easy, quick dish that Sarah and I really like. With her celiac diagnosis she needs to make it with gluten free orzo or quinoa instead of orzo these days. I have some chard growing in my garden and I'm hoping to make this someday soon with it.

Rainbow Chard Bowls

serves 2

 

1 c orzo

1+ Tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

a few squeezes of lemon

1 small bunch of rainbow chard (4-5 stems)

1/3 c feta cheese

1/4 c toasted walnuts

sea salt & fresh black pepper

Prep your chard by slicing off the coarse parts of the stems and dicing them. Coarsely chop the greens and set aside. Cook orzo in a pot of salted boiling water according to package directions (or about 9 minutes).

In a medium bowl add 1 tablespoon olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon, salt, and pepper. Once your orzo is done cooking, drain it and add it to this bowl and toss. Taste, adjust seasonings and set aside.

In a medium skillet, heat a few teaspoons of olive oil, then add the chard stems, salt and pepper. Next, add the chard leaves and toss until just wilted. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and remove from heat.

Assemble bowls with orzo, chard, feta, and toasted walnuts. 

from Love & Lemons

Changes in the Kitchen

Some changes are coming to Debbi's Kitchen, my actual kitchen which (theoretically) will be reflected here. Through a string of events that started with my brother-in-law being extremely sick and hospitalized it was discovered that Bob has celiac disease as well as at least one of the girls. That means that I'll be making changes in the kitchen so that he can eat gluten free. It will be challenging since I don't have to and generally won't be. I'll be sharing some gluten free recipes that worked for us and tasted good, a combo that from what I hear can sometimes be hard to find. We've been doing some research, including price checking, looking at various gluten free pasta and bread options but it's all still very new. Eating out is a bit of a challenge, there's lots of pasta and breaded things at restaurants along with hidden gluten. So join us for this food adventure.

German Chocolate Angel Pie

 This pie recipe is one my mom has made for years. She got it when she was taking cooking classes through the county with a friend. All sorts of chocolaty goodness!

German Chocolate Angel Pie

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c finely chopped nuts

1/2 tsp vanilla

for the filling:

8 oz German Sweet chocolate

3 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla

1 c heavy cream, whipped

Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar til foamy. Add sugar 2 tablespoons at a time and beat until very stiff. Carefully fold in copped nuts and vanilla. Spoon into well greased 8" pie plate to form a shell. Build up sides 1/2" above the sides of the pan. Bake 55 minutes at 300*.

Melt chocolate and water, cool until thickened. Add vanilla and whipped cream by folding into chocolate mixture. Pile into meringue shell. Chill 2 hours.

Can be made early in the day but not the day before or the shell will get soggy.

Beer Cornbread

This a perfect pairing for crockpot chicken chili. 

Beer Cornbread

makes 1 loaf

2 c flour

1 c - 1 Tbsp cornmeal

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp honey

12 oz can/bottle beer (room temperature)

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease a 9-inch loaf pan.

Mix all ingredients except butter just until combined. Pour into loaf pan and top with melted butter.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until golden brown. 

Notes:

-Use your favorite beer, although lighter beers are best.

-Can also be baked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet

-Add in your favorite cornbread additions - corn, sharp cheddar cheese, jalapenos

Roasted Veggie and Orzo Bowl

This could either be a salad or a bowl, a main dish or a side, you decide. We had it as a bowl and everyone here really liked it. Super easy and quick, once you're done chopping the veggies. If you're not a fan of the veggies in the recipe feel free to substitute ones you do like. I think it'd be really good with butternut squash instead of the sweet potatoes.

Roasted Veggie & Orzo Bowl

Serves 6

 

1.5 c orzo

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved or quartered, depending on size

1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

Olive oil

Salt

15 oz canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed

1 c walnuts

 

Dressing

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 

1/3 c dried cranberries

 

Preheat oven to 425*. Cook the orzo according to the package directions until al dente. Put the sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, and red onion into a large bowl. Toss with a generous drizzle of olive oil and salt to taste. Transfer to a large nonstick rimmed baking sheet (you may need two so the veggies can lay in one layer). Roast about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Toss after 10 minutes so they cook evenly.

 

Toss the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and put on a small rimmed baking sheet. Also toss the walnuts with olive oil and salt and put on the other half of the baking sheet. Roast with the veggies on the lower rack. Remove the walnuts after about 5 minutes or once they are golden and fragrant. Continue cooking the chickpeas until the vegetables are ready.

 

Meanwhile add the dressing ingredients to a small jar with a lid. Cover and shake until well combined.

In a large bowl, combine the orzo, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, red onion, chickpeas, and walnuts. Add the dressing and cranberries, toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

This can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

from Cooking for Peanuts

Meat Marinade

 For years my family has used McCormick's Meat Marinade, mostly for flank steaks. It is the flavor of my childhood cookouts. Alas they have discontinued it. After some digging on the internet my brother found a recipe that is pretty similar in flavor although not an exact match.

Meat Marinade

makes enough to marinade about 2 pounds of steak

 

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp minced onions

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

 

1/4 c vegetable oil

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp water

Mix the seasonings together then add the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, and water. Use either a 9x13 glass pan or mix in a bowl and put into a large resealable bag.

Pierce tougher cuts of meat a few times with a fork and add to marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for more flavor. Remove steak from marinade; discard any remaining marinade.

Grill, broil, or roast until steak is cooked to desired doneness. 

Note: you can use powdered soy sauce and make a big batch of the seasoning mix. Be sure to keep in a sealed container. No need to add extra water if using powdered soy sauce. If doing a big batch use 2 Tbsp and 2 1/2 tsp of the season mix.

Shopping & Eating on a Budget, Part 2

 In the first part of this series we talked about generally saving money, how combining errands, knowing prices, and shopping smart will save you money. Today part two continues that but focusing on saving on groceries.

Tip #1 is to shop store brands. Most of the time they're the exact same thing, made in the same factory as national brands but much cheaper. You can save a lot of money by buying store brands or other "no name" brands. I'll caveat this by saying that I do find there's a few things that I'll buy the name brand just because I find they taste better. Be discerning on how many national brand items (that cost more) you allow into your shopping cart. I much prefer Cherrios to the store brand and Domino's brown sugar; I know people who swear by Kraft mac & cheese but frankly I like the store brand better. You'll have to figure out which national brands you're going to splurge on; it's really personal preference. Keep in mind that that you can save 50c or more by buying the store brand and that can add up to quite a bit of money.

Tip #2 is about club stores such as BJs, Costco, Sam's Club. I'll caveat this up front by saying that you have to pay a membership fee to join although sometimes, at least with Costco you can get a free day pass. You'll have to figure out if it's worth the cost of membership, will you save more in groceries to offset the cost to join? These are places where you'll really need to know your prices to know if you're going to be saving money. 

A few things to consider when shopping at these kinds of stores

• do you have room to store the multi-pack of toilet paper along with the multi-pack of paper towels? 
• will you be able to finish off the big jug of ketchup or all those chicken nuggets before they go bad? 
• do you actually like broccoli enough that you won't get tired of it before the oversize bag goes bad and do you have space in your refrigerator for it? 

Sometimes that oversize product is worth purchasing, even if it ends up being more expensive than buying it at the grocery store. If it's something you go through a lot of (for us it's cat food) it's worth one trip to buy the bigger package vs several trips to the grocery store to buy several packages to get the same amount because the gas savings will offset the slightly more expensive club purchase. 

A note about prices. When I say "you have to know the price" what I mean is that you have to know the price per pound or per gallon or per ounce. That's the only way you'll be able to compare prices. If you know a gallon of the milk you buy at the grocery store is $2.69 you'll know whether or not you'll be saving money at BJs. If you know ground beef is $4.49/lb that'll help when you hit Costco. One thing you need to be careful about is if you know pasta, for example is usually on sale at the grocery store for less than a dollar a box, make sure you know how big the box is so you can compare when you shop elsewhere. I'll admit it's not easy to keep track of prices but at least having a general idea will help when you hit multiple grocery stores and are looking for the best deal.

Banana Pudding

Gotta say, not one of my favorites but I'll put the recipe here for next time I need to make it since it *is* a favorite of someone in my house. This is easy to make and a delicious dessert. I got the basic recipe from Delish then modified it a bit and it turned out perfect. It's good to have a trifle bowl or a glass bowl of some sort so you can see the layers. The amounts of some of the ingredients depends on the size of your bowl.

Banana Pudding

5 oz package of vanilla pudding

1 c milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz Cool Whip

1 or 2 bananas, sliced

Vanilla wafers

Whisk together the milk, pudding mix, and condensed milk. Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes or until set. Mix in about half of the Cool Whip.

 

Cover the bottom of your trifle bowl with vanilla wafers. Top with 1/3 of the pudding, cover with a layer of cookies and a layer of banana slices. Add another layer of pudding, cookies, and bananas and finish with a last layer of pudding. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Top with the rest of the Cool Whip and sprinkle with some crumbled cookies.

You can make it fancy looking by putting the cookies on edge along the outside of the bowl and flat in the middle.

Shopping & Eating on a Budget

With the prices of everything going up again these days - gas, food, paper products - I thought I'd share in a few posts some of the ways to save money at the grocery store and perhaps a few other money saving tips. 

Tip #1 is less about groceries but more about saving gas money while you get your groceries. When you plan your week or day think about what you need to do outside the house and combine trips as much as you can. Don't run out to Target then go back home and go out later to the library and grocery store. Think ahead and try to get to all those places in one outing and plan your trip in a way that makes sense; for me that would mean going to Target first since it's farthest away, stop by the library then the grocery store. If you have multiple errands to run in several different directions see if you can combine them but on different days; one day head one direction to take care of those then later in the week head the other direction. Also try to stop on the way home from work if a store is on the way instead of going home then going back out. 

Tip #2 is about knowing prices. I know some people keep notebooks with pricing of their most often bought items at a few different stores but that's not me. We are fortunate to live in an area with many grocery options - a variety of grocery stores plus Target, WalMart, Sam's, BJs, Costco, in some ways way too many options. Knowing which grocery options are generally less expensive is a good place to start. Next knowing the general pricing of things you buy most often is helpful when you're shopping someplace you don't usually go or say if you're going to Target for something and want to do some grocery shopping, too. I know I can get store brand pasta at my local grocery store for under $1, it tends to be more than that at Aldi & Lidl and national brands are even more at BJs. I know the price of milk and chicken and know the best places to get it, which leads to...

Tip #3, which is time vs money. Sometimes you have to balance saving money with how much extra time (and maybe gas) it will cost you. Is it worth an extra trip someplace to save a bit? Think about the time it will cost you and how much gas it will take and sometimes the savings isn't worth the extra trip.

Taco Chili

Have you ever heard of taco chili? No? Me either. It was a random thought then requested for dinner and since chili was already on the menu for this week I said sure, I'll do a search and we'll give it a try. Yum! I found a recipe, gave it a few tweaks, and here we are. A tasty twist on chili that will definitely be on the menu again.

Taco Chili

serves 6

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz tomato sauce

10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies

2-2 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning (or a taco seasoning packet)

3/4 c chicken broth*

toppings: sliced green onions, tortilla strips or chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro

In a large soup pot/Dutch oven brown ground beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with toppings.

*a note about the chicken broth - add enough to make the chili the consistency you like, 3/4 cup did it for me; more would make it too much like soup and not thick chili.

 

**This can also be made in a crockpot. Brown the beef, onion, and garlic on the stove. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook 4-6 hours on low. 

modified from iowa girl eats

Pizza Sauce

Pizza has pretty much become Friday night dinner, mostly homemade although sometimes I get frozen pizza. Making up the dough is pretty quick and easy, bake, top with sauce, cheese, and any other desired goodies, bake again and done. I have used and really liked both the Classico sauce or Don Pepino sauce. But like many things it's just as easy to make your own, you know what's in it plus some days you just want a white sauce. So here's the two recipes that I use to make my own pizza sauce. 

Tomato Pizza Sauce

makes enough for 2-3 pizzas

 

1 medium onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

26 oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. When softened add the crushed tomatoes and seasonings. Let simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste. If it's too thick add a bit of water.

White Pizza Sauce

makes enough for 2 pizzas

 

3 Tbsp butter

2-3 Tbsp flour

1 1/4 c half and half

3/4 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 c parmesan

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)

salt & pepper to taste

In a sauce pan melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in half and half. Next add the basil, garlic, and oregano. Once combined stir in the parmesan and let sit until melted. Salt & pepper to taste. Turn heat to simmer until ready to make your pizzas. 

I use this sauce on spinach pizza - top the crust with sauce, then spinach and sliced mushrooms if desired, top with shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan then bake.

Chicken Avocado Soup

Well this one was a surprise! Bob was the one that found it, said it sounded good and I should make it. I looked at the list of ingredients and was surprised and really wasn't sure he'd like it but it was a BIG hit. It's a quick and easy recipe.

Chicken Avocado Soup

serves 6

 

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or 3 c shredded rotisserie chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 bunch chopped green onions (roughly 1 1/4 c)

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 14.5 oz cans low sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt & pepper

1/3 c chopped cilantro

juice of a lime

3 medium avocados, diced

for serving - tortilla chips, shredded monterey jack cheese, sour cream

 

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. 

 

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper to taste and chicken breasts. If using rotisserie chicken add at the end. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through (10-15 minutes). 

 

Reduce heat, remove chicken from broth and shred; return to soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice (and rotisserie chicken if using).

 

Add avocados to soup just before serving or to individual bowls. Serve with chips, cheese, and sour cream if desired.  

from Cooking Classy

Crispy Sesame Beef

One night we were watching something on Food Network, no idea what now, but they were making crispy beef and it sounded really good. A bit of searching and I came upon this; I'm not sure where it came from now but this is an easy, really good recipe. 

Crispy  Sesame Beef

serves 4

 

1 c peanut or vegetable oil

1 lb sirloin steak, sliced thin

4 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

 

for the sauce: 

1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp orange juice

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 Tbsp Sriracha, optional

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 green onion, thinly sliced

 

Heat peanut oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

 

In a large bowl, comvine steak and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, tossing to coat and letting the steak absorb the cornstarch. Add remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch before cooking.

 

Working in batches cook steak in oil until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

 

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat combine soy sauce, borwn sugar, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, and sesame oil until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in steak and gently toss to combine.

 

Serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion. 

Turkey Tetrazzini

 A favorite after Thanksgiving with leftover turkey or just because. You can use either turkey or chicken, either is good.

Turkey Tetrazzini

serves 4

 

 4 c cooked spaghetti (about 1/2 lb)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 Tbsp dry sherry

salt to taste

Veloute sauce

2 Tbsp butter

8 oz sliced mushrooms

cooked chicken or turkey - 2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded or sliced; roughly same amount of turkey

1/2 c grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Veloute sauce

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 c hot chicken broth

1/3 c heavy cream or whole milk

salt to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan. Stir in the flour and blend over moderate heat until smooth. Continue to cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook 2 minutes more. Pout in the cream, add salt and heat thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 400* and butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Stir the nutmeg, sherry, and salt to taste into the warm veloute sauce. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until soft. Put the spaghetti, turkey, and mushrooms in the baking dish, stir. Pour the sauce over top and stir carefully again. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Heavily modified from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Creamed Onions

 A Thanksgiving staple growing up I still love creamed onions. I think that's about the only time we had them. I think the trick this year might be finding pearl onions. I'm sure I've seen frozen ones but these days it's hard to find basic frozen vegetables. I haven't seen fresh ones either. I'll be hitting the grocery stores again probably on Tuesday and will see what I can find. 

Creamed Onions

serves 4

 

1 lb small pearl onions

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/4 c milk, warmed

salt & pepper

If needed, peel the onions then cook in a cup of lightly salted water until tender; drain.

To make the white sauce - melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until tlhe paste cooks and bubbles a bit but don't let it brown. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring to a boil, add salt and pepper to taste; lower the heat and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the heat, add the onions, and reheat.

from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook

Boston Brown Bread

 This!! This recipe makes having an instant pot totally worth it! Traditional New England Friday night dinner is hot dogs, baked beans, and brown bread. It took a while but I did find a really good baked bean recipe that we love (and honestly it's become easier with my IP, the dried beans cook quick, add the other ingredients and throw it in the oven for a few hours). I've looked at brown bread recipes off and on for years, wanting to make it at home since only one grocery store around here carries it but it just wasn't something I wanted to tackle. A few months ago I got the idea to make it in my instant pot and poked around the internet to see if I could find a good recipe. I looked a bit, forgot about it, looked some more, found a few, lost them, looked again, found this one, made it, tweaked it, made it again...perfection!

 If you don't know what brown bread is, it's a dense, dark bread baked in a can, filled with raisins, flavored with molasses. Right there, the reason to plan ahead, you need to save 4 15oz size cans to make your bread. Make sure the lids come off cleanly so you don't cut your hand filling the cans or getting the bread out. Four cans fit perfectly in the IP.

While this bread is the perfect companion to baked beans you can also eat it for breakfast or with a cup of tea later in the day. Serve with butter or cream cheese.

 Boston Brown Bread

makes 4 "loaves"

 

1 c raisins & 1 c boiling water (optional)

2 1/2 c wheat flour

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 c buttermilk

2 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/2 c molasses 

Place raisins in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes or until puffed up. drain. 

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk baking soda into buttermilk, whisk in the egg, then stir in the molasses. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated then fold in raisins.

Spray 4 15 oz cans with non-stick spray. Pour batter into cans, filing about 1/2 full. Tap cans on counter to remove any air bubbles. Cover each can with a piece of foil to keep water out. Put 1 1/2 c water in the bottom of your instant pot, add the steamer rack then put your cans on the rack. Put the lid on, set the valve to 'sealing' and set your IP to manual, 35 minutes. When it's done let it naturally release for 10 minutes then manually release any remaining pressure. Carefully take out the cans and use a knife to loosen the bread from the cans. Let cool on a wire rack.

Serve with butter or cream cheese.

Modified from 12 Tomatoes

Vegetarian Skillet Stuffed Shells

This is SO good! It does take a bit of time but is totally worth it. One pan, cooks on the stove, makes plenty for dinner and some leftovers (at least in our family). The shells are stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms, spinach, and ricotta; while the recipe calls for crimini mushrooms I used a mixture of two different kinds of mushrooms because that's what I could get in the amount I needed.

Skillet Stuffed Shells

serves 4-6

 

18 jumbo pasta shells

 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c dry white wine

5 oz. baby spinach

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 c marinara sauce

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 c ricotta

3 oz finely grated Parmesan (about 1 cup), more for serving

2 tsp dried oregano

Cook shells in a large pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally until very al dente, about 9 minutes; drain. Run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain again.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over high. Add mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally, until they release juices, then are dry again and nicely browned, 5-6 minutes; season with black pepper and 1 tsp salt. Reduce heat to medium, add wine, cook stirring until reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add spinach, cover and cook until beginning to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until spinach is completely wilted and most of the liquid is evaporated, 2-4 minutes more. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl.

Cook garlic and butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes. Add marinara sauce and red pepper and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook stirring occasionally until warmed through, 6-8 minutes.

While sauce cooks, add ricotta, 3 oz Parmesan, oregano, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Spoon about 2 Tbsp of mixture into each shell. The shell should be filled to capacity but not overstuffed.

Nestle stuffed shells into hot sauce in skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until shells are warmed through, 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan, serve. 

from epicurious

Oktoberfest Stew

 This is a quick and easy "stew" but more like soup. It's good for those early fall evenings when the cool weather has hit and you want to celebrate Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest Stew

serves 4-6

 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 (14oz) pkg beef smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 small head of cabbage, halved, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp ground caraway seeds

pinch salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 c German lager beer/Oktoberfest variety

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

2 1/2 c chicken stock

1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

 

Place a soup pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add in the smoked sausage and all to caramelize and brown for about 4-5 minutes. When the sausage is browned add the sliced onions, stir and allow the onions to caramelize with the sausage for another few minutes until golden brown and softened. Once the onions are caramelized add in the sliced cabbage, stir to combine and allow the cabbage to soften and take on the flavors of the sausage and onions for a few minutes. 

 

Add the pepper, caraway seeds, salt, and stir to combine. Stir in the garlic and once it becomes aromatic, add in the cup of lager and stir the mixture to combine; allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 3 minutes or so. Add the potatoes and chicken stock, stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil; once it comes to a boil place a lid on (slightly askew) and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer for about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes turn off the heat and finish by stirring in the apple cider vinegar.

Serve in large bowls with some hearty rye bread or rustic rolls.

very slightly modified from The Cozy Apron

Quick and Easy Instant Pot

Still not loving my instant pot like some people out there but it's growing on me and I do use it more. I still find it to be a tool to make ingredient prep easier rather than cooking a meal in it. It's just what works for me. I think I've said it before that I don't have little kids pulling on me, asking when dinner is so I don't really need something where I can throw stuff in, set it, and not worry for 20 minutes. I find for meal making I have other tools that are easier, just as convenient, work better. Just the stage of life I'm in. I wanted to put a few of my instant pot go-to's in one place so it was easy for me to find.

Chicken breasts
2-3 breasts
1/2 c water
Cook 8 minutes fresh/10 minutes frozen; quick release

Hard boiled eggs
6 eggs
1 c water
Cook 7 minutes; quick release

Corn on the Cob
4-6 ears of corn (either whole or cut in half)
1 c water
Cook 4 minutes; quick release