Sunset Meals

I love Sunset Magazine. It's always a great day when the mailman delivers it. Even though I live many, many states away from the Western ones (sniff, sniff) I still take my favorite magazine and try out most of the recipes. Now, they are always pretty good... but the last two months have been insanely good. October was filled with one-dish dinners (who needs to make two dishes when you only have to make one?! Um, mom's with newborns). Also in October, lots of recipes that incorporate exotic spices. I made the most delicious chicken dish. And I don't even like chicken most of the time. It was amazing. I served it with a small side of butternut squash soup and frozen garlic naan from TJ's.

Bengali Five-Spice Roasted Chicken

Click here for recipe.

*I marinated the chicken overnight.

Yummmm... Butternut Squash Lasagna

It's official, I have become a casserole mom. I get it now. With limited time to whip up dinner these days I'm all about casserole creations and slow cooker recipes. So what if I'm prepping my dinner around 3:30 pm?! Makes bath time and feeding time that much more enjoyable when all you have to do is pull something out of the oven and pour a glass of wine a few hours later. Here's what I whipped up last night and it was delicious:

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ingredients:

- 2 bags of frozen butternut squash (microwave until thawed and mash with a fork)

- 32 once of part skim ricotta

- 3 handfuls of fresh chopped spinach

- 1 yellow onion (I prefer a sweet onion)

- 2 c of shredded mozzarella

- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, cinnamon, garam masala (all these spices are optional)

- 12 lasagna noodles (regular or no-bake)

Method:

- boil noodles for 4-5 minutes if needed

- saute onion until golden

- mix ricotta, spinich & onion. salt to taste.

- add desired spices to squash puree. salt to taste (i used a good amount as it was quite bland).

- Layer noodles, ricotta, noodles, squash, mozzarella. Continue order until you have reached the top of your casserole dish

- cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes in a 425 degree oven

- remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is golden brown

Summer Salad

I made a tasty summer salad this week with some pretty white & green beans from the farmers market. Pairs perfect with a quesadilla (one of my many cravings).

*trim and cut beans into 1-1.5 inch pieces

*quickly cook beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes

*drain water & let beans cool in an ice bath to stop cooking

*dice a shallot

*crumble some queso fresco

*toast some pepitas seeds (I prefer mine toasted, but it's not necessary)

*dressing: zest of half a lime, juice of one lime, a little olive oil, tiny bit of agave nectar (sugar will do), salt & pepper

*mix together and enjoy!

p.s. I ended up throwing some avocado on there at the end. Optional, but when isn't avocado a good idea?!

Peachy Peachy

I wasn't lying when I said I stocked up on peaches this week. In addition to eating a few peaches throughout the day, I make something yummy with these juicy, fuzzy fruits. I had the pleasure of having my grandma in town this week and yesterday we spent the morning baking an old-fashioned peach cobbler. It was scrumptious, although I tend to fancy a little more crumble with some oatmeal and brown sugar.

Next up, peachy preserves... my grandmother's specialty. Simply wash, peel and slice the peaches. Combine the peaches with sugar (1/2 c sugar/1 cup peaches) over low-medium heat and stir constantly while boiling until you have a very syrupy mixture. Fill hot jars with preserves and make sure the the tin top seals. My favorite way to serve peachy preserves... over vanilla ice cream. Simple.

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches!

Holy moly, I just meandered through my favorite farmers market in town and came home with a huge basket of local, juicy and delicious peaches. I know it's a bold statement, but I'm pretty sure I just tasted the best peaches in the country.

Nothing say's peach season when you have to step outside to eat your peach on your porch because you have juices running down your arm (and in my case, there is a puddle on my ever so large belly). Tonight on the menu: grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream. Tomorrow: peach and blueberry tart. Any other suggestions?!

Garlic Scape Galore

Garlic scapes are delectable vegetables that you probably don't know about if you don't grow them or shop directly from farmers. They are an early summer treat and if you're like me, they are testing my creativity in the kitchen. They are great on homemade pizzas, pasta, breakfast scrambles. However, in order to keep up with the supply of my weekly CSA, I've been coming up with new delicious ways to incorporate these tasty treats into more meals (recipes below). Any other suggestions?

{garlic scape & almond pesto}

10 garlic scapes, chopped

1/2 c of parmesan

1/2 c of olive oil

1/3 c of almonds, chopped

combine garlic scapes, almonds and cheese into the food processor and pulse a few times. Add olive oil, pinch of salt and pulse until desired texture. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Makes about 1 cup.

{garlic scape & basil butter}

this is amazing.

4 garlic scapes, chopped

small handful of basil leaves

1 stick of salted butter, cut into pieces

combine scapes and basil into the food processor and pulse until scapes are broken into tiny pieces. Add butter and mix until well combined. I then transferred butter mixture to a small bowl and sprinkled with sea salt and serve with a good warm bread (i prefer ciabatta).

{summer pasta with scapes}

Note: you can make this pasta with just about any summer veggie. I use whatever is fresh: cherry tomatoes, peas, basil, asparagus, you name it. In the following recipe I used cherry tomatoes and basil.

5-8 garlic scapes, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

pasta of choice (i use farfalle)

1 lemon

one basket of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

handful of basil, chopped

parmesan cheese (i use about 1/4 cup, you can always use more or less)

Saute scapes in olive oil over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tender. Season with salt & pepper. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of salted water. When both the scapes and pasta are done cooking, transfer both to a large bowl. Add grated parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice of one lemon, basil and combine. I then add olive oil and a small amount of pasta water to help incorporate flavors and sauce. Add tomatoes, salt & pepper and enjoy!