Tomato, Squash, and Red Pepper Gratin

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since the last time I did a blog post! Time goes by so fast, and I have no excuses!

So a few days ago I received the latest Cooking Light magazine in the mail, and it had the recipe for this Tomato, Squash and Red Pepper Gratin, and I had to try it! Johnathan and I had a cookout over at our friends house last night, so I brought this along as a side dish. I wish I had an after picture of the casserole dish, because it was cleaned out! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the dish, so I thought I'd share the recipe!

Tomato, Squash and Red Pepper Gratin

• 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided 
• 2 cups chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 1 pound yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic 
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 3 ounces aged Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray 
• 1 1/2 ounces French bread baguette, torn **
• 1 (12-ounce) beefsteak tomato, seeded and cut into 8 slices
• 
  
• Preparation:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. 2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 4 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 3 minutes. Add bell pepper; cook 2 minutes. Add squash and garlic; cook 4 minutes. Place vegetable mixture in a large bowl. Stir in quinoa, 1/4 cup basil, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
3. 3. Combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, milk, cheese, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to vegetable mixture, stirring until just combined. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
4. 4. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until coarse crumbs form. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until toasted. Arrange tomatoes evenly over vegetable mixture. Top evenly with breadcrumbs. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until topping is browned. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil.

**note: Instead of making my own breadcrumbs, I used store-bought croutons. I crushed them and placed them on top of the casserole before baking. Definitely a time saver! 

{Recipes} - Linguine and Meatballs

Hello friends! I wanted to share with you a fun, healthy recipe I tried the other night! I was watching the Food network (shocker!) and saw this recipe on Cooking for Real. Typically when cooking pasta dishes you use a tomato based sauce and add some form of red meat, but when I saw the recipe called for whole wheat pasta, ground chicken, and collard greens turned into pesto, I thought to myself "I have to try this!" I thought it turned out very well, and I know it must have been a success since my husband went back for seconds, and thoroughly enjoyed leftovers the next night!

Collard Green Pesto Linguine

1 pound bunch collards, ribs discarded, leaves roughly chopped
1 (13-ounce) box whole-wheat linguine
1/4 cup pecans
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 cloves garlic
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Blanch collards until bright green, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to shock, saving the boiling water for cooking the pasta. Remove the collards from the ice water and pat dry with paper towels before transferring them to a food processor.

Add the linguine to the pot of salted boiling water and cook according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a dry skillet, over low heat, toast the pecans until fragrant. Transfer to the food processor with Parmesan, olives and garlic. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until pesto comes together. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

To serve, put enough pesto to coat the pasta into a large serving bowl. Drain the pasta and quickly add it to the bowl. The water still clinging to the pasta will loosen up the pesto. Toss to coat. Add more pesto, if needed. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and garnish with Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

Zesty Chicken Meatballs

1 pound ground chicken

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg, whisked

3 tablespoons unseasoned whole-wheat bread crumbs

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Hungarian or hot paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, about 1 small sprig

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, about 5 sprigs

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 lemon, zested

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, gently mix the chicken, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, Worcestershire, paprika, onion powder, oregano, thyme, brown sugar, lemon zest, 2 healthy pinches of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl. Form into mini meatballs, slightly smaller than a golf ball; it should make 28 to 30 meatballs. Warm the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the meatballs to the pan and do not disturb for 3 minutes to brown well. Turn, cooking another 3 minutes without disturbing. Keep cooking until browned and cooked on all sides, but still juicy and plump with a spring to the touch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve atop Collard Green Pesto Linguine, if desired.

Enjoy!

{Recipes} - Warm Artichoke and Green Onion Dip

Hello Friends!  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I am loving the beautiful weather we have had the past few days, and I can't wait til the weekend gets here when we might actually get some Fall weather down here! 

So, I can't believe I haven't shared this with you before, but this recipe is definitely my go to recipe for parties and get togethers. It comes from the Bride and Groom cookbook from Williams Sonoma, which also has other great recipe ideas too.  This is so quick and easy, and seriously every time I make it, I get a request for the recipe!   A lot of the ingredients you may already have on hand, but if not, its not expensive to make!

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz.) cans water-packed artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups finely grated high-quality Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sliced green onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme OR 3/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more as needed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/3 cup of green onion, the garlic, thyme, kosher salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.  Mix and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

3. Transfer mixture to 8-inch square glass baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese overtop.

4. Cover and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Increase the heat to broil and cook until the top is bubbly and golden brown, another 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and garnish with the remaining green onion just before serving.

7. Enjoy with warm bagel or pita chips, French bread slices or crackers!

Do-Ahead: The dip can be assembled one day ahead but not cooked.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

{Recipes) - Breakfast

Hello Friends! I am going to apologize in advance for the random post and the poor quality picture taken with my phone, but I wanted to share with all of you what I have been loving for breakfast recently! I absolutely love Chobani yogurt. I have seriously been eating one for breakfast every morning for the past couple of weeks. It has 14 grams of protein and is all natural! I am not a huge fan of the plain flavor, but the ones that have fruit on the bottom are so good! 

In addition to the yogurt, I typically have a granola bar or cereal. Well, I was watching Barefoot Contessa yesterday and she made Homemade Granola Bars. I have always been intimidated about making my own granola, because it normally turns out weird or doesn't taste very good, but let me tell you, these turned out really good! The recipe is listed below:

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup flax seed (the original recipe called for wheat germ, but I didn't have that on hand)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Spray with parchment paper with cooking spray once lined in the pan.

On a separate sheet pan, toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flax seed.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the raisins, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

{Recipes} Peanut Butter Granola Bars

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (cranberries & raisins)

In a small saucepan over medium, heat  honey, peanut butter & butter. Stir until loosened and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cereal, oats and dried fruit.

Drop mixture by the tablespoon into mini paper cupcake wrappers. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

These are such a great snack to have on hand, and they are so easy to make!  Next time I am going to double the recipe and spread the mixture in a 9x13 dish to make bars for a slightly larger snack!

{Recipes} - Soup Frenzy

Lately I have been on a soup craze - I have made three different types of soup in the past week! I have made Cauliflower Soup, Beef Stew, and White Bean Chicken Chili. To me, its just such an easy thing to do - throw everything in the pot, let it cook, and then there's plenty to eat with a bunch of leftovers! Johnathan and I love having extra to put in the freezer on those days we just need something quick. So, here are the three recipes - I hope you'll try these out!


Cauliflower Soup (from The Pioneer Woman) 

1 stick Butter, Divided
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste


In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. 
**Side note** This soup came out a little thicker than I had expected. I was hoping that the vegetables were going to break down more than they did, so I took my immersion blender and mixed the soup to thin it out. I really liked it this way! In the future, I will either continue to do this at the end, or be sure to dice the vegetables finer than I had at the beginning.


Crock Pot Beef Stew 

3 lbs. Stew Meat
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 small bag of baby carrots
1 onion, diced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
Potatoes – red or Yukon, diced (add at the end, so eyeball how many you need!)

Spray a large skillet with PAM and sauté the stew meat to brown on all sides. While the meat is browning, put the 4 cans of soup into the crock pot (add a little bit of water if you like the sauce thinner). Add the whole bag of carrots, the diced onion, and celery. Once meat is browned, drain and add meat to the crock pot. Dice up as many potatoes as you’d like and throw those in on the top. Toss together. Add salt and  pepper to taste, and any additional seasonings you’d like. Cook for 10 hours on low heat.  

White Bean Chicken Chili

2 tbsp. Butter or olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

1 –2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 can chopped green chilis

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. oregano

fresh black pepper to taste

salt to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional for more heat)

2 28oz cans navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 32 oz. container chicken stock

3 lb chicken, roasted/boiled and pulled (Or buy a rotisserie chicken and just pull the meat off for a super quick soup)

Heat butter/oil in a large stockpot and add the onions; sauté until tender- about 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic, green chilis, and spices and sauté until fragrant. Add the beans and chicken and cover with chicken stock. Let simmer at least one hour until all flavors have combined. 

Enjoy!

{Recipes} - The Best Lasagna Recipe!

I made this lasagna the other night for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! It is from the Bride and Groom cookbook I got for our wedding! 

8 ounces Ground Beef 
8 ounces Italian Saugage (I used Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles - much easier!)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Pepper
2 jars (26 ounces each) Marinara Sauce
8 ounces Ricotta Cheese
8 ounces Cream Cheese at room temperature
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 package (12 sheets) "No Boil" Lasagna Noodles
1 cup lightly packed fresh Basil Leaves, torn into small pieces
2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese 


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Combine the ground beef and sausage in a large saute pan over medium heat. Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the meat is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a medium bowl. Add the marinara sauce to to the meat and stir to combine. Set aside.


Mix the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Set aside.


Cover the bottom of the prepared cooking dish with 1 cup of the meat sauce. Arrange a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (3 sheets) on top of the sauce. Spread 1.5 cups of the meat sauce evenly on top. Add half of the cheese mixture by spoonfuls evenly over the meat sauce, then scatter half of the basil leaves on top. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, 1.5 cups of the sauce, the remaining cheese mixture, and the remaining basil. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, 1.5 cups of the meat sauce, and a final layer of lasagna noodles. Spread the remaining sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. 


Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.


Enjoy!

{Recipes} - Mascarpone Oreo Snowflake Cookies

The other day I saw a post on Kevin and Amanda's blog for Mascarpone Oreo Snowflake Cookies. The looked so enticing, and the recipe looked so easy, I just had to try them! I made a batch the other night during the National Championship Game - they were a huge hit!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup butter
3 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2.5 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
5-7 crushed Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cream the butter and mascarpone cheese  for about 3 minutes. Slowly beat in the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla, then slowly beat in the flour until mixed. Stir in crushed Oreo cookies. Scoop or spoon cookie dough on to a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 


Enjoy!

{Recipes} - Crab Risotto

Last night I made Crab Risotto for dinner. I had bought all of the ingredients on my last trip to the grocery store, but we have been so busy I just got around to making it! I absolutely love risotto, but I was nervous about making it for the first time since it is kind of a tedious process. It turned out really good though! 

Here are all of the ingredients

Bring the chicken stock to a low boil in a separate sauce pan - meanwhile, brown the garlic and shallots in the olive oil and butter.

Add the risotto to the sauté pan, and gradually add the chicken stock one cup (or one ladle) at a time, stirring constantly.

Finished! It was so good and creamy, definitely a good dish!

Ingredients

2 cups Parmesan Cheese

2 cloves Garlic

½ cup (2) shallots

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 pound Arborio Rice

8 cups Chicken Broth

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Chives, Chopped

1 lb. fresh, lump crab meat

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Peel and finely dice 2 cloves of garlic. Dice 2 shallots.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil. Then add 1 tablespoon of butter. Throw in the garlic and shallot and sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add 1 pound of Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice thoroughly. Adding 1 cup at a time, add 7-8 ounces of chicken broth, stirring constantly after each addition. As soon as it appears that the rice has absorbed each helping of broth, add in the next helping. Do not stop stirring. This process will take at least 20 minutes. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite.

When more of the broth is absorbed pour in 1 cup of heavy cream. Next add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly. Gently stir in the crab meat. Add in plenty of fresh cracked pepper, lemon juice and about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped chives. Add salt to taste.

{Recipes} - I've caught the bug ...

The cooking and baking bug! It all started last Sunday when I decided to make a huge batch of homemade minestrone, and since then I haven't been able to stop! On Monday I made the Chocolate Pumpkin Bars that were featured on Bakin' and Egg's, along with Renee's blog, and I made banana bread from Sister Scheubert's cookbook. Last night I made a chicken a rice dish in the crockpot, and Monster Cookies, which I found on Pioneer Woman's website!  I love searching for new recipes online and through my cookbooks. I think one of my favorite things has been tweaking the recipes to make them my own. 


The monster cookies have been my favorite so far! They were so fun to make, you literally throw everything into the recipe except for the kitchen sink! I think I was most excited about FINALLY opening my Kitchen Aid Mixer! My parents gave it to me a few years back for Christmas, and I am just now using it for the first time! 

Yea! Finally I have a kitchen for my mixer!

Here are a few pictures of the preparation process and the final result!

Mmm, butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla mixed!

Flour mixture, M&M's, quick oats, chocolate chips, and raisins mixed in!

Rice Krispies added - mmm!

The final product!

Recipe

• 2 sticks (1/2 Pound) Butter (salted) Softened
• ½ cups White Sugar
• 1-½ cup Brown Sugar, Packed
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1-½ cup Oats (either Quick Or Regular)
• ½ cups M & M's (more To Taste)
• ½ cups Pecans, Chopped (more To Taste)
• ¾ cups Chocolate Chips (milk Or Semi-sweet)
• ½ cups Peanut Butter Chips
• 2-¼ cups Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix till combined. After that, add in remaining ingredients in whatever quantity you prefer. Add more nuts if you’d like, or more M & M’s, more peanut butter chips or chocolate chips. Add Rice Crispies at the very end, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix! Use a cookie scoop to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown (approximately 12 minutes), then cool on a rack.

Easy, Delicious Dinner!

Yesterday Johnathan and I did our weekly venture over to Brunswick to (1) give donations to Goodwill, and (2) do our grocery shopping at Publix! I just love that grocery store - I haven't been able to switch to Winn Dixie or Harris Teeter, which would be convenient since they are on the island, but I know Publix so well from being in Atlanta. 


After an hour in the store and dropping $147 on groceries (yikes!), we made our way back to St. Simons around 7:30. Johnathan had already made plans to get together with some of the guys for a cookout, so since I was making dinner solo and it was getting late, I wanted something quick and easy! We purchased some fresh salmon from the seafood counter, so I decided that was a good main course. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees, placed the salmon in a small pyrex, and added soy sauce, maple syrup, and topped it was a few sprinkles of brown sugar. Bake for about 15-17 minutes, depending on how rare or done you like for your taste. Be sure to pour any of the remaining sauce from the pan on top of the salmon - its delicious! 


While the salmon was cooking, I prepared my side items. I knew I wanted a starch and a vegetable, so I checked our fridge and saw we had some left over cous cous from a previous meal. It was pretty plain last time I cooked it, so I decided to spruce it up a bit. I diced up about 1/4 of a shallot and threw the shallot in a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Once the shallot had cooked down, I threw in my vegetable - some frozen broccoli (you could use green beans, zucchini, squash, etc.) and let that cook together for about 5 minutes, covered. Then I threw in the pre-cooked cous cous so all of the flavors from the shallot could infuse together and heat up.


Here is the finished product! I should have taken an after picture of my plate which was totally clean!