Butternut Squash and Sausage Lasagne

Lasagne is one of those one dish meals that can be time consuming so I usually save it for a weekend when I can devote the time. This lasagne veers from the traditional in that there is no tomato sauce. The combination of italian sausage and squash with a creamy beschamel is very comforting. I like to serve mine with a green salad.

1 pound sweet italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 fresh sage leaves, minced
2 10 oz packages of frozen butternut squash, defrosted
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 package of lasagne noodles, par boiled
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups fat free half and half
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 cups shredded mozarella cheese
salt and pepper

In a sauce pot, brown the sausage with the onions,garlic, fennel seeds and sage over medium/high heat. Add the squash and the chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. In a medium sauce pot, melt the butter or margarine. Add the flour and stir until combined and the butter is absorbed into the flour. Add the milk and half and half. Whisk until the butter and flour are well combined and there are no lumps. Season with salt and nutmeg. Stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon. Add the ricotta and 1 cup of mozarella. Turn off the heat and whisk the sauce until the cheese has melted.
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray an oblong baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of cheese sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish and lay 3 lasagne noodles over the cheese sauce.
Make sure the noodles are touching each other side by side. Spoon on a layer of sausage and squash. Pour a small amount of cheese sauce over that and sprinkle with some of the remaining mozarella. Repeat the process 2 more times. Finish with a layer of noodles. Spoon the remaining cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle with the last of the cheese. Cove with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to let the top brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and Serve.

Banana Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Honey Frosting

I love banana bread but sometimes I need to shake it up and do something a bit different.

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 large very rip bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream Cheese Honey Frosting

8 oz of marscapone cheese, softened
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 12 cup cupcake pans with paper liners. Put the flour and baking powder into a small bowl, stir to combine and set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and the vanilla. Mix in the mashed bananas. With mixer on low add half the flour mixture, follow with the buttermilk and finish with the last of the flour. Mix until just combined. Using an ice-cream scoop, fill each cupcake liner to 3/4 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Cream Cheese Honey Frosting

Whip the cream until stiff peaks form and set aside in the frig. Whip the cheeses together with the honey, cinnamon and vanilla. Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture. Frost the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a fresh banana slice if desired. Store cupcakes in a covered container in the frig.

Turkey Chili- Cincinnati Style

Our son, Christopher, requested this dish from me. Never having made Cincinnati Chili I had some homework to do. There isn't much difference from the chili I regularly make. But it's the presentation that is different. The chili is served over spaghetti with beans, onions and cheddar cheese. I was skeptical but surprisingly, it was very good. This will be my third pantry meal for the week. I'm making extra to freeze for Christopher to have the next time he's home.


Serves 8

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds lean ground turkey
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups beef or vegetable stock
1 28 oz can of tomato puree
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
salt and pepper

In an 8 quart stock pot, heat the oil over medium/high heat. Add the turkey and start browning, breaking it apart. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is cooked through and the onions are soft. Add the chili powders, cumin, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Pour the stock over all and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat has fallen apart. Add the tomato puree and vinegar. Continue to simmer for 1 1/2 hours more. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serve with cooked spaghetti, cooked kidney beans, chopped onions and cheddar cheese.

Slow Cooker Chicken with Carrots, Fennel and Onions

Here's my second pantry and freezer meal. Any recipe that calls for braising is perfect for the slow cooker. Unlike the braised method, the slow cooker does not have to have a baby sitter during the cooking process. So you can literally prep it and leave it. I plan to serve this with brown rice.

Serves 6

6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs or a whole cut up chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
5-6 carrots peeled and cut into thirds
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 fennel bulbs, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup of dry white wine
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the oil and the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Brown the chicken on both sides. Remove to a plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan and add the onions, fennel and garlic to the hot skillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies scraping the brown bits from the pan as you stir. Spray the insert of a 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the carrots on the bottom of the insert. Spoon the sauted veggies over the carrots. Finish with the chicken on top. Pour the wine over all. Put the lid on and cook on high for 4-6 hours.

Tart Tatin

This dessert is rustic which makes it a snap to prepare. I found a box of puff pastry in the freezer and staying true to my pantry meals this week, I combined that with the apples I bought on sale at the store. But don't just limit this tart to apples. Pears, peaches, nectarines or plums would be equally delicious.

Serves 8

6 medium crisp apples, peeled, cored and cut into 6 slices per apple
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. In a large 12 inch oven-proof skillet over medium/high heat, melt the sugar, water and lemon juice together. Cook stirring often until the mixture reduces and thickens. This may take about 7-10 minutes. Add the butter, stir until melted. Lower the heat to low and arrange the apple slices in a circular design in hot syrup. Raise the heat to medium and let the fruit cook in the syrup for another 7 minutes. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to 11 inches. Turn the heat off of the fruit. Lay the pastry over the fruit tucking in the edges. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 15 miutes. Remove the tart from the oven and let it cool another 15 minutes. Run a kinife around the edge of the tart and carefully invert it onto a serving platter. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.

Grilled Pineapple Salad

This recipe could easily be used as a condiment for fish.

Serves 8

1 large pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into 4ths
1-2 jalapeno peppers ribs and seeds removed and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro diced
1/2 of a small red onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons of chili powder
cannola oil
Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill. Lightly coat the pan with oil. I use a heat resistant brush for this. Lightly dust the pineapple with chili powser and grill until lightly browned. Cut to bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the remianing ingredients to the bowl,toss and serve.

Smokey Ranchero Beans

This dish is a nice change from refried beans.

Serves 6

3 pieces of bacon diced
1 clove garlic
1/2 an onion diced
1 jalapeno seeded and diced
2 15 oz cans of pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pot. Cook the bacon over medium high heat. When the bacon has begun to release some of its fat, add the onion,garlic and jalapeno. Continue to cook until onion is translucent. Add the beans, stock, salt and pepper. Heat until mixture comes to a boil and serve.