Ginger Cookies

I usually only make these around Christmas, and it never fails that people ask for the recipe when I make them.  They are deceptively simple and delicious.

1 1/2 c. crisco
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
2 beaten eggs
4 c. sifted flour
4 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. ginger

Roll into ball about th eisze of a walnut.  Roll in sugar.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Giada Rigatoni with Squash and Sausage.

Ingredients

• 1 pound mezzi rigatoni pasta
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups roughly chopped baby arugula

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until just al dente. Drain well reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

In a large skillet,cook the sausage breaking it up with a wooden spoon into bite sized pieces, until the sausage is cooked though. (drain fat). Add the diced squash to the pan and stir to combine. Add the water and season with the salt. Using the wooden spoon, make sure all of the squash is submerged. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender and the liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and 3/4 cup parmesan. Stir vigorously to combine, breaking up the squash slightly as you go and thinning with pasta water as needed until the pasta is coated in a light and creamy sauce. Stir in the arugula.  Cook just until the arugula is wilted. Serve topped with the remaining Parmesan.

(Giada calls for lots of olive oil that I cut out.  She also did not mention to drain the fat from the sausage so I put that in.  I think it would be healthier with turkey sausage and also some whole grain pasta, but whatever way you like it).  

10 crockpot freezer meals

So I've been wondering how I can be better at planning meals, and thinking of ways to make meals for when the baby comes. I found this blog post on Pinterest, and it's pretty easy to do! More crockpot freezer meals.
http://ashleynoelbarnes.blogspot.com/2013/05/10-freezer-to-crockpot-meals.html

Apple Butter and Croissants

I made these on Saturday for an apple-themed potluck dinner, and they were awesome! I really loved this. I want to make them again... just need to get some more pastry sheets. This recipe comes from Southern Living--I saw it while I was at the doctor's and took the page with it (oops! But I'm actually using it instead of just leaving it there to be recycled...) The apple butter really just seems like applesauce, but still delicious.

Easy Apple Butter
Ingredients:
3 lb. crisp and sweet apples (Gala, Honeycrisp, etc.), peeled
1 cup apple cider
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1. Cut apples into one-inch pieces. Bring apples, cider, and 1/2 cup sugar to a rolling boil in a Dutch oven (or a big pot) over high heat. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, and boil 20 minutes or until apples are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated; stir every 5 minutes.
2. Process cooked apples and cooking liquid in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender) until smooth. Stir in cinnamon, cloves, and remaining 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered and stirring often, 15 minutes or until thickened. Cool about 45 minutes, and then spoon into airtight containers and refrigerate up to 2 months or freeze up to 6 months.

Note: I'm not sure why the puffs recipe tells you to do it all in two stages. I did them all at once--it makes a lot more sense. You can fit them all on one large baking sheet.

Apple Butter and Cheddar Puffs
Ingredients:
1 (17.3 oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup Easy Apple Butter
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unfold pastry sheet, and cut into 9 rectangles or squares. Brush edges of rectangles with a small amount of egg whites. Stir together apple butter and thyme leaves, and spoon about 1 tsp apple butter mixture into the center of each rectangle. Sprinkle each with about 1 tbsp cheese. Fold 2 opposite corners together, and pinch to seal.
2. Gently transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush pastries with egg whites, reserving remaining egg whites for second batch; spring each pastry with about 1/2 Tbsp cheese.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. While first batch bakes, repeat procedure with remaining pastry sheet, egg whites, apple butter, and cheese. Serve immediately.

Creamy Vegetarian Enchilada Pasta

We made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was FANTASTIC--crazy easy, cheap, and took absolutely no prep at all. We all loved it!

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/08/creamy-vegetarian-enchilada-pasta/

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
• 2 cloves garlic $0.16
• 1 (4 oz.) can green chiles $0.87
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels $0.60
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto (or black) beans $1.19
• 1 tsp cumin $0.10
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes $0.02
• 8 oz. wide egg noodles $1.46
• 2 cups vegetable broth $0.27
• ½ cup sour cream $0.71
• 3 green onions, sliced $0.20
• ¼ bunch cilantro (optional) $0.25
• 2 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese $0.69

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic and sauté it in a skillet with olive oil over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Add the can of green chiles (with juices), frozen corn kernels, can of beans (rinsed and drained), cumin, and red pepper to the skillet. Stir well.
2. Add the uncooked pasta and vegetable broth to the skillet. The broth will not fully cover the noodles. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and allow the liquid to come up to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the skillet simmer for 10 minutes, stirring well half way through.
3. While the skillet is simmering, slice the green onions, roughly chop the cilantro, and shred the cheese.
4. After ten minutes of simmering, the noodles should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Stir the skillet well, then add the sour cream and stir until it has fully coated the pasta. Stir in most of the sliced green onions and cilantro, reserving a little to sprinkle over top.
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the skillet, place the lid back on top, and let the residual heat melt the cheese. Once melted, add the remaining green onions and cilantro to the top of the pasta. Serve hot.

Easter Ham (from PW)

We really liked this Easter ham recipe from Pioneer Woman. It turned out a lot better than last year's ham for us, so I wanted to save it so we could try it again next year.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Fully Cooked Bone-in Ham (15-18 Pounds)
•  Whole Cloves
• 3 cups Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1 can Dr Pepper Or Coke
• 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern about 1/8-inch deep. Place cloves in the middle of each diamond. Place the ham in a large roasting pan with a rack, tent it with foil, and bake for 2 to 2/12 hours---or longer, depending on the package directions. (Some hams may require 3 to 3 1/2 hours at a lower temp; just check the package.)

Heat the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and soda in a small saucepan until bubbly. Cook until reduced and a bit thicker, about 15 minutes.

After about 2 hours of baking time, remove the foil and brush the glaze on the ham in 20 minutes intervals (put the ham back in the oven, uncovered, in between) until it's nice and glossy. Remove from the oven and allow to rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

Black Bean Soup (with dry beans and lime)

We had a bunch of dry beans we were looking to use up before we move, and I found this recipe from the Food Network website that looked good. And we really liked it--it was a lot better than some other black bean soups we've tried, just with the extra flavor of the ham and jalapeno and green pepper. Delicious! The only suggestion I would make is to simmer it even a little longer than the recipe suggests. The beans were fine once I pureed a lot of them, but they still seemed a little dry at first.

Black Bean Soup
Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans
4 cloves garlic
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh oregano
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 smoked ham hock
1 jalapeno, split
1 3/4 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lime zest
Lime wedges, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Pick through the beans and discard any debris - wash under cold running water. In a food processor, add garlic, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.

Set a large pot over medium heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add the oregano and cumin. Add vegetable puree and saute until just fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Add beans, ham hock, jalapeno, and stock. Slightly cover and simmer for 2 hours until beans are tender.

When cooked, remove bay leaves and take out ham hock. Cut ham meat off the bone, cut into pieces and set aside.

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree just enough of the beans and stock (about a third of the total pot) to thicken up the soup and bring everything together. Season with salt and pepper and fold ham meat back into the soup.

Make the crema by combining sour cream and zest. Serve each soup with a spoonful of lime crema, a squeeze of lime and some fresh cilantro.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/black-bean-soup-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback