Pesto Aioli

TOTAL CHEATER HERE!!

The other night I made salmon and wanted to mix it up a bit. So - I got my go to Kirkland brand pesto sauce and the mayo out of my fridge. I mised equal parts together and VOILA! Pesto Aioli!!

Serve on top of Simple Salmon - gourmet dinner in less than 5 minutes flat!

Dinner In A Pumpkin

Every October, usually a few days before Halloween I make this recipe. The kids get so excited!!
I wasn't going to post this picture - b/c the dinner just doesn't look appetizing - BUT as my husband says "this is the best prison food I've ever had!" (because of the way it looks) but I promise it'll make up for it's terrible appearance in TASTE - and since you'll be stuffing your face with this - that's all that matters!!
Dinner In A Pumpkin
1 1/2 lbs ground sausage (hamburger or turkey)
1 onion, diced
2 T vegetable oil
2 T Soy sauce
2 T Brown sugar
1 can cream of chicken(mushroom, etc)soup
1 1/2 c cooked rice
1 can water chestnuts, diced

Cook ground sausage. Add all other ingredients together and put into a cleaned out pumpkin.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until pumpkin meat is tender.

I'll post a picture as soon as that baby comes out of the oven!

*When you clean out your pumpkin, just get all the seeds and stringy yuck out. Leave as much flesh as possible - if you haven't eaten pumpkin before - it's good - similar to squash.
**I add whatever else I have on hand - corn, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Feel free to go crazy!!

Cheesy Onion Soup

I've been making this soup for a few years and I haven't come up with a better name - any suggestions??

I came up with this soup because of my love affair with onions - and my love of cheesy, hearty soups...

Roux
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 1/4 c half and half
Soup
1 medium onion thinly sliced
2 T butter
16 oz chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/3 c diced Velveeta (packed down)

Make the roux first. In a small sauce pan, on medium heat, let the butter melt and add the flour - whisking so there are no lumps and whisk until the mixture becomes thick and comes away from the side of the pan. Slowly add half and half stirring constantly. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan sautee butter and onions until the onions are transparent - but not browned (careful here!) Add chicken broth, boullion cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Add the roux (white sauce) and Velveeta cheese. Simmer on medium to low heat until cheese is melted and all ingredients are blended. Turn the heat up to medium and let cook an additional 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Garnish with shredded cheese.

Roasted Tomatoes

IF you are a fan of tomatoes - especially roasted tomatoes - you'll love this recipe.

I happen to be a BIG fan of them - hubs, not so much - but even he agreed that these little babies were yummm....
Roasted Tomatoes
Tomatoes on the vine (doesn't matter what kind - or how many)
EVOO
Fresh cracked black pepper
Kosher salt

Cut tomatoes in half or in quarters (depending on the size of the tomato - you want them to be a big bite sized)

Place tomatoes cut side down on a cookie sheet and drizzle them with olive oil, black pepper and salt.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes - just until the tomatoes are soft and warm. Serve as a salad itself, on top of a pizza, on top of a green salad, on top of a crunchy baguette slice - any way you want.

Spinach Pie

I've been wanting to make this recipe F.O.R.E.V.E.R. I finally did and it was delish!
Spinach Pie – Barefoot Contessa
3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
6 extra-large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons dry plain breadcrumbs (I LOVE panko)
1/2 lb feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 lb salted butter, melted
6 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium saute pan on medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until translucent and slightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly.
Squeeze out and discard as much of the liquid from the spinach as possible. Put the spinach into a bowl and then gently mix in the onions, egg, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, feta and pine nuts.
Butter an ovenproof, non-stick, 8-inch saute pan and line it with 6 stacked sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with melted butter and letting the edges hang over the pan.
Pour the spinach mixture into the middle of the phyllo and neatly fold the edges up and over the top to seal in the filling.
Brush the top well with melted butter.
Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the filling is set.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

**I also added a few layers of phyllo on top for extra crunch:)

Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostinis

I got this recipe from Giada De Laurentis on Food Network - yummy!!
Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostinis
Ingredients
Soup:
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crostini:
1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 cup (2 ounces) grated fontina cheese
Kosher salt
Directions
In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.

Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.