Fall is back, so what'll it be?

With the fall harvest come thoughts of cinnamon apple pies baking in quaint kitchens, steaming pumpkin lattes, and bonfires sending sparks into the early night skies. There is not a more romantic time of year; the leaves are changing, the chill isn't just a dream, and we can finally pull that pile of knitted sweaters back out. Heaps of blankets have migrated from the depths of the cupboard, firewood has crept its way back inside, and football fills our nights again. Most Americans can agree, there is no better time than fall. So, since fall is back, what'll it be in the kitchen to beckon our beloved season back into our hearts?


Today I'm starting with what I have, a left over veggie tray, an onion, frozen sage sausage, and four red skin potatoes to make a simple but rustic pot of soup. It's raining so soup will really hit the spot for dinner tonight.

Country Sausage & Potato Soup

I started with a mirepoix: I used a whole white onion (which was 1/2 the mirepoix), the baby carrots, and the celery (carrots, and celery 1/4 of the mirepoix each). I sauteed that down with a couple of tablespoons of butter. After 15 minutes I added in 12 cups of water with 5 teaspoons of chicken bouillon. Boil this down for about 20 minutes, then add in potato chunks. Brown sausage in saute pan, then scope meat out of grease, and add to the soup. I'm leaving the soup on the stove on low for about 3 hours but it's not necessary. Add cream, salt, pepper, and parm to taste at the end.

1 cup white onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 chopped celery
4 tbsp butter (2 for mirepoix and 2 to finish)
12 cups water + 5 teaspoons bouillon

1 package sage sausage
4 red skin potatoes
1 cup of 1/2 & 1/2
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
salt and finely grated pepper to taste

Serve with crusty bread!

My Maui Zaui

My friend is in Hawaii and my husband was bringing craft beer home, so I had pizza and the islands on my mind. I knew I had chicken, bacon, and pineapple, so I set out to make my own version of the Round Table Maui Zaui pizza, and it turned out great.

I started by making the crust: SO EASY...All Recipe Crust

Then I prepped a 1/4 of a white onion (cut it super thin) for the topping, crisped up some bacon, chopped a chicken breast I'd been thawing in some Soyaki and threw it into a saute pan for about 6 mins on medium heat with the marinade. The chicken should be tender DO NOT OVERCOOK IT!

Turn your oven to 400 degrees and heat your pizza stone. Pizza stones are essential to a great crust. If you don't have one use your most heavy-duty pan and preheat that. You have to preheat the pan!

Ingredients:

For Sauce:

5 cloves Garlic
1/4 white onion
1/4 Mae Ploy (sweet chili sauce)
Tbsp White Vinegar
Tbsp White Sugar
1/4 Honey
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce or Soyaki Marinade
1 tsp ground ginger
ground pepper

I sauteed the onions and garlic in a splash of olive oil. Then added the sauces and used my immersion blender to make the sauce smooth. Then I reduced the sauce to thicken it. Reduce the sauce simply by cooking it longer but keep a close eye on the temp, you don't want to burn it. Stir frequently. (If it seems too runny add more honey).

For Toppings:

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3/4 Cup Cheddar
1/2 Bacon (cooked crispy)
1 chicken breast
1/4 white onion
Fresh pineapple 
sprinkling of cilantro

Roll out your crust on a pizza peel with corn meal so it won't stick, then transfer the crust to the hot stone when you're ready to assemble it. (I use the same method of transfer that you would for a pie crust...once it's rolled out fold it in half like a taco, then fold that in half, transfer it to the hot stone, and unfold).

I started with sauce, then chicken (putting the chicken below the cheese and other toppings ensured it didn't dry out). Then cheeses, onions, bacon, and finally pineapple. Then I crank the oven to 420 and bake it for 20 minutes. Your crust will be crispy, and the toppings will be perfect.

Enjoy!

Sorry about the cell phone pic...

Organic Coconut Flour & Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

I found a recipe a while back for peanut butter dog cookies, of course I modified it about twenty ways, made them four different times, and finally got the perfect dog cookie, so here they are...healthy dog cookies made with peanut butter, organic coconut flour, and flax seed!

Organic Coconut Flour & Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

1/3 cup steel oats

1/2 cup ground flax seed

3/4 cup coconut flour

1 cup flour (whole wheat or all purpose)

1/3 cup peanut butter

11/4 cup HOT water

Stir dry ingredients together. 

Eye-ball the peanut butter measurement because it's not worth dealing with trying to get it in the measuring cup and back out again. Add hot water. 

Mix together, then roll dough out. I used more coconut flour to keep the dough from sticking to my board. Perfect moment for a doggie photo-bomb.

 

Roll the dough until it's a little thicker than a saltine cracker, and cut out the cookies. 

These cookies don't spread out, so feel free to crowd a greased cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I keep a close eye on them to prevent the tails from burning. Check them and watch for hot spots. Ultimately, if they come out a little too brown, your dog is not going to care. Enjoy my furry friends!

Lovin' Leftovers!

I can't believe I'm writing a blog about leftovers. I used to despise leftovers. Now, a with a new job, tighter budget, and different outlook, I'm saving money, re-purposing leftovers, and loving it. My mom used to make rissoles all the time when we were kids, and now I see why.

Rissoles

I used leftover mashed potatoes, one pre-cooked hamburger patty, a tbsp of ketchup, 1/2 an onion, about a cup of breadcrumbs, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, seasoning salt, butter, and olive oil, and the leftovers were transformed.

This is a very flexible recipe, and I don't think any two rissole recipes were ever the same in our house. These turned out very crispy and delicious so here's mine, but feel free to leave ingredients out, or add any in. Note that as with any potato pancake type of recipe an egg will be necessary as the binding agent and what keeps the potatoes together. Be careful when handling and flipping the patties because they are still somewhat fragile.

Ingredients

1. Mashed Potatoes (about 3 cups)
2. Ground Beef (I used one already cooked burger patty - you can use as much as you want or have)
3. 1/2 diced white onion
4. 1 egg
5. cup of breadcrumbs (1/2 in mix & 1/2 for coating)
6. tbsp ketchup
7. dash of worchestershire sauce
8. salt, pepper, seasoning salt all to your own preferences
9. tbsp olive oil
10. tbsp butter

Mix first 8 ingredients together only using half of breadcrumbs. Once you've formed the patties, coat with remaining bread crumbs. Heat pan to medium low, add 1/2 of the oil and butter. Add two patties, cook about eight minutes per side. They should be a deep golden brown, once you flip them. Cook the other side for eight more minutes. Remove first two and keep them warm, then repeat with the remaining rissoles.

This made four large rissoles.  We served them with a little tomato basil salad, with ketchup and grainy mustard for dipping.

For a weeknight meal rissoles are super easy, tasty, and so cheap. Enjoy!

Pesto Chicken Pizza

I love to make homemade pizza, it has a totally different vibe than anything you can buy. I make the dough but cut corners with pre-made pesto and rotisserie chicken. This recipe makes two good sized pizzas. Enough for at least 4 people. Skip the dough if you don't have the time, and buy a pre-made one (I've never bought one, so I can't advise which are the best, but I would say avoid those already baked crusts and see if you can just buy dough).

The most essential part of a great pizza crust is a super hot oven, and hot pizza stone!

Pizza Dough:

3 1/2 cups flour (bread flour is best but you can sub all purpose)
2 teaspoons salt
1 package of yeast
1 teaspoon sugar

1 &1/2 cup of 110 degree water
2 tbls olive oil + 2 tbls olive oil for the bowl

Mix dry ingredients in a stand mixer or bowl (I used my kitchen aid with the dough hook attachment), then add warm water and oil with the mixer on the lowest speed. Let the dough come together. Pull it out, form it into a ball, pour olive oil in the bowl, and put the dough back into the oiled bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and cover for 1 hour.

Once the dough has doubled in size, set it on a floured board and cut it in 1/2. Cover it again for ten more minutes. Then your dough is ready!

Pesto Chicken Pizza:

Two Pizza Crusts
1 Rotisserie Chicken
12 ounces Mozzarella (grated)
Jar of pesto (I used the Costco jar and I have a ton left) 
2 sliced Roma-tomatoes
1/4 sliced white onion
Fresh basil for garnish

Sprinkle with parm & red peppers.

While you wait on the dough, prep the rest of your ingredients. Pull chicken off of the rotisserie (you want the pieces fairly small or they will dry out), grate whole milk mozzarella (doesn't have to be the fresh wet kind just make sure it's not the pre-grated dried out variety), slice Roma-tomatoes into thin slices, and white onion into thin slices. Julienne the basil (cut into thin strips).

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees, and put your pizza stone (or pan in the oven). This step is essential to a crispy crust that can stand up to the rest of the ingredients. Without a super hot oven, and pre-heated stone, your dough will be chewy.

Toss, stretch, and press out the dough. Once it's about 12 to 14 inches, you're ready. Fold it in half. Pull the pizza stone out and transfer your dough to the stone. Unfold it. Now assemble the pizza on the stone. This process allows the crust to begin the cooking process while you work. Work fast. I start with large spoonfuls of pesto spread in a thin even layer, then add chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and onions. I added grated parm to the tomatoes before cooking.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes! Pull it out and garnish with basil, parm, and red peppers!

It's so good. Enjoy!

Homemade Pasta

I usually make fresh pasta for Spaghetti Carbonara, Chicken Parmesan, and Fettuccine Alfredo. Because Carbonara and Fettuccine Alfredo are such simple dishes, the fresh pasta takes center stage. Alfredo is one of America's favorite Italian inspired dinners, and there's no way you can do this dish justice out of a jar or packet. The nice thing about homemade pasta is you only need three ingredients: flour, eggs, and salt. So dust off that old pasta machine, or ask for one for your birthday, because dried pasta just can't match up. 

Nothing makes me feel like an old Italian lady quite like kneading dough, and cranking it through my pasta machine; it takes a lot of elbow grease and patience, but it's so worth the work! I always pour a glass of vino, play some Frank Sinatra, and burn a few candles to really enjoy the experience.

Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs
tsp salt

Directions:

Form a well with your flour, (I use an ice cream scoop to make the well). Carefully add the eggs to your well, and salt the eggs. With a fork carefully stir the flour into the eggs. By the time your well brakes, you should have a pretty silky runny dough. Then, trying not to make a mess, incorporate the left over flour with the silky egg dough. The dough will be firm, and tough, and you'll have to knead it at the end to get it all incorporated. Now use a rolling pin, then cut the dough into strips to fit it into your pasta machine.

After you've transformed your dough into noodles make sure to flour them or they will stick together and you'll have to start over (I know I've done that).

Boil for 3 to 4 minutes in salted water. Test a noodle to make sure they're at your desired level of doneness. 

What's for Dinner

Fish Tacos

If you're not a fish lover, these are the fish tacos for you! I don't like anything fishy smelling, flaky, or slimy, so when it comes to fish, I'm pretty limited.

I'm using Alaskan Halibut for my tacos, but cod or mahi will work too. A tip my mom taught me is to always dry your fish before you coat it with anything. I let it thaw then wrap in paper towels in the fridge for a few hours, changing the paper towels when they're soaked.

The marinade is made with garlic, lime, and cilantro which takes care of any fishy taste if there ever was one, and they come out really flavorful and these tacos couldn't be any faster! You're looking at twenty minutes cooking and marinating time!

 Alaskan Halibut Fish Tacos

1 lb white ocean fish
1 bunch of cilantro
lime juice from 2 juicy limes
1 clove of garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil
pepper
tbsp. orange juice

white corn tortillas
sliced avocado
cabbage or shredded lettuce
hot sauce or salsa

1) Once your fish is thawed and dried with paper towels, cut the skin off, and an areas that look dark. The white flesh is the least fishy, the red parts will taste more like the skin. Just run your knife along the inside of the skin. Discard anything fishy immediately! Cut fish into pieces about 2 1/2 inches long and about an inch thick. *You have to turn it on your grill pan so make sure the pieces are big enough that you can move them tongs, and you want to see nice grill marks.

2) Make the marinade by combining the bunch of cilantro, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and oj in a blender, food processor, or with an emulsion blender. It's going to look like a salad dressing or runny pesto.

3) Let the fish marinate no longer than 15 minutes. *The lime juice will start to cook the fish, so any longer than 15 minutes can make it tough.

4) Rub a grill pan with veg. oil and turn to medium high. You want your pan nice and hot. Add the marinated fish, cook 3 minutes MAX on the first side, and two on the bottom side.*Basically as soon as the meat of the fish goes from that translucent look to white, it's ready to turn! Watch it carefully, if it's overcooked it's not as good!

5) Wrap your corn tortillas in a damp dish towel, microwave them (in the towel) for 1 minute. You're steaming them, and they turn out nice and soft in a minute.

I like to serve mine on little white corn tortillas, with a light cabbage slaw or shredded butter lettuce, slices of avocado, and Tapatio.