FOOD

Our baby was born!

If you would like more information, our family has a private blog that I can invite you to.

I got home Sunday night from the hospital and my mom made dinner that night:

-Slow cooked pork chops with apples

-Warm bread with brie and apple butter

-Apple salad with apple cider vinegar dressing

-Pumpkin orzo that was AMAZING (she got the recipe from Paula Deen)

SO TASTY!  Thanks, Mom.

On Monday, my friend Susan brought:

-Vegetable Tacos-

Roasted Vegetables

Black Beans

Red Quinoa with Rice

Fresh Toppings

and a tasty dessert

It was perfectly healthy and vegetarian.  It truly was right up my alley.  Thanks, Susan!

Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza

I love roasted vegetables!  I changed some of the vegetables from the original recipe, so check Martha's website if you want to make it how she did :)

(photo from marthastewart.com)

• 
  
• ROASTED VEGETABLES
• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 red potatoes, well scrubbed and quartered
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 3 carrots, halved lengthwise, if thick, and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 
  

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put vegetables and garlic onto a rimmed baking sheet; toss with oil, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Roast until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, tossing them and rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. 

PIZZA

• Olive oil, for baking sheet and drizzling
• Flour, for dusting surface
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, fresh, or thawed if frozen
• roasted vegetables
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, (optional)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Brush a large baking sheet (preferably rimless) with oil, or line with parchment paper, if desired, for easy cleanup.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll and stretch dough into a 12-by-16-inch oval (or as large as will fit on baking sheet); transfer to sheet.
3. Sprinkle dough with half the mozzarella. Scatter vegetables on top, and dollop with ricotta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and, if using, rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.

http://www.marthastewart.com/339872/roasted-fall-vegetables

Pumpkin Baked Ziti

This recipe comes from Paula Deen.  As you can tell, I've been loving the pumpkin lately.

I ended up just making the sauce (no sausage), and pouring it over the pasta, then topping it with the Parmesan.  I didn't end up baking it in the oven.  It was much quicker this way and VERY delicious.
I was literally saying "mmm" the whole meal.
  Biggest and Big liked it with the pumpkin cream sauce, but Bigger just wanted butter and garlic salt on his pasta.  

SORRY I don't have a picture.  I was too busy engulfing the meal, and I don't like the image from the Food Network.

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (obviously optional)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 (15-ounces) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream 
• 1 pound ziti pasta, cooked 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter (8) 8-ounce ramekins.

Cook sausage in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until fat is rendered about 8 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside. Discard any fat from the skillet in excess of 2 tablespoons.

Add onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and oil to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until soft; about 3 minutes. Stir in pumpkin puree, vegetable stock, and sage. Mix together and add salt. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cream and sausage. Simmer until the sauce comes together and is thickened slightly.

Add cooked pasta and parsley to the skillet and gently toss all the ingredients together to coat. Divide the rigatoni mixture between the 8 prepared ramekins. Sprinkle the tops of each ramekin with Parmesan cheese and bake for 35 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-baked-ziti-recipe/index.html

Sticky Finger Cobb Salad

For my recipe, I make two large salads for Lover Boy and I.  

Then I make extra chicken-less nuggets for the kids.

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, rinsed and shredded
chicken-less nuggets from Trader Joe's (or real chicken if you like)
sticky finger sauce (recipe below)
2 hard-boiled eggs (I make them myself, but if you're short on time, they sell them already cooked at TJs)
handful blue cheese crumbles (for Lover Boy...I don't like blue cheese)
3 slices bacon, cooked (for Lover Boy)
1 avocado, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 handful of dried cranberries for each salad
freshly cracked pepper
blue cheese or ranch salad dressing


Sticky Finger Sauce:
When we lived in Utah, we LOVED Winger's.  Such a great restaurant.  Well, we used to buy their wing sauce at Smith's, but I just finished our last bottle a couple months ago.  I found a copy-cat recipe online that comes pretty close, and it's really easy.

1/3 c. Frank's Hot Sauce
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. water

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and heat until brown sugar is melted.



Dip the uncooked chicken-less nuggets in sticky finger sauce and cook in oven according to package.  Meanwhile, prepare salad in individual bowls.  On top of the iceberg lettuce-- group eggs, cheese, avocado, tomatoes, craisins, and chicken-less nuggets.  Drizzle with salad dressing and extra sticky finger sauce.  Add cracked pepper.

WEEK OF OCTOBER 17- OCTOBER 23

Baby #4 is coming this week, 

so please be flexible with me as I plan meals!

MONDAY- Sticky Finger Cobb Salad
TUESDAY- Pumpkin Baked Ziti
WEDNESDAY- Roasted Fall Vegetable and Ricotta Pizza
THURSDAY- Eat Out before baby comes!
FRIDAY- Hospital
SATURDAY- Hospital
SUNDAY- Hospital?


SHOPPING LIST
avocados

cantaloupe
iceberg lettuce
tomatoes
butternut squash
1 bag red potatoes
2 yellow onions
garlic
shallots
fresh sage
fresh parsley
fresh rosemary
pizza dough
2 c. grated mozzarella
1 c. ricotta
vegetarian buffalo chicken
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
vegetable stock
ziti pasta
sticky finger sauce
eggs
milk
cream
whole wheat sourdough bread



I don't know if my readers even care what ingredients I already have.  Is that part helpful, or do you buy ingredients after you see the recipe?!!  Let me know your input.

Tacos

Today is Biggest's birthday.  He loves tacos!  He loves meat in his tacos.  I usually cook up Morning Star brand's Crumbles (fake ground beef) and season it with taco seasoning, but Biggest wanted grilled chicken tonight.  I cooked up some black beans for me.

INGREDIENTS:

-taco-seasoned meat (chicken, beef, or veggie crumbles)
-beans, seasoned
-guacamole
-shredded cheese
-diced tomatoes
-diced onions
-salsa
-sour cream
-fresh lime
-lettuce
-Good Seasons Italian dressing (so good!)
-taco sauce
-freshly fried taco shells (in about 1-in of oil)

Everyone gets to choose their own toppings.

Dutch Babies

My mom has been making these ever since I can remember.  

They are sort of a "special occasion" breakfast.

Hope your family enjoys them as much as I do.

**p.s. they are also referred to as German Pancakes.

1/2 c. butter

1 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

6 eggs

Put half of butter in one glass pie dish and the other half in another.  Set in a 425 degree oven, just until butter is melted.  Do not burn the butter!  I always turn the oven on, put the pie plates in, prepare the batter and by the time the batter is ready the butter is perfectly melted.

In a blender, mix eggs for 1 minute.  With motor running, pour in the milk, then add flour a spoonful at a time.  When all is added, whirl for 30 seconds.

Remove pie dishes from oven and pour even amounts of batter into each dish.  Bake until puffed up around edges for 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Topping ideas: syrup, fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, cinnamon and sugar, lemon juice, jam, anything that sounds good!

For our family, I split the recipe in half and only use 1 pie dish.