Roasted Butternut Soup

I'm not a huge fan of soup, but I honestly could not stop eating this! The key is to roast the butternut first before you puree it with all the other goodies. The end result is a darker colored soup, not those bright orange traditional butternut soups you've had before. This one is smoky and so flavorful!!

Roasted Butternut Soup

1 medium butternut, peeled and cubed

olive oil

salt 'n' peppa

1/2 cup carrots, cubed

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or enough to cover vegetables

1 Roast cubed butternut with olive oil and salt 'n' peppa at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

2 While the squash is roasting, saute the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a pan with some olive oil.

3 Once the vegetables are getting soft, place the roasted butternut in the same pot and cover with stock.

4 Close and simmer for about 20 minutes until all vegetables are soft. Use a stick blender to blend everything together until smooth. You could go the extra step and press it through a siev, but I didn't.

5 Serve piping hot and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Smoothie

Good Morning! Breakfast smoothies make me feel so good and give me a jump start on my day. This one is so smooth and creamy, you can even add chocolate chips for your sweet tooth.

I started with 2 chopped bananas.

I ground up some oats and threw in a tablespoon or so for some healthy bulk. You could add ground oats to almost anything — soups, yogurt, ice cream, and meatballs for example.

Then I added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (chunky or creamy is fine) and 1/2 cup of milk (I used skim).

And there you have it! There are millions of ways to make smoothies with bananas as the base. Avocado and banana smoothie anyone? Try it! It's delicious.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

I'm on my day off from work and I haven't been able to leave the couch because of Bravo's evil marathon of Real Housewives. Why? Why must they do this ALL week long?! I can't resist to watch, even if I know I've seen that episode a million times...ughgh. BUT, I did get up once to make these biscuits because I wanted to wake up the next morning and have fluffy biscuits for breakfast. These were sooo good smothered with mascarpone and strawberry jam.

Brown Sugar Biscuits

adapted by Joy the Baker

makes about 12 biscuits

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick and a half)

1 large egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.

2 In a mixing bowl, sift flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper.

3 Grate cold butter and incorporate into flour with your hands until it resembles coarse meal.

4 In another bowl, combine egg and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork.

5 Add to flour mixture all at once and mix until incorporated.

6 The dough is very sticky so dump it on a floured surface and knead a few times until is comes together.

7 Pat the dough into 1 inch thickness. Cut into a 2 inch rounds, reuse scraps to make more biscuits.

8 Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes.

Baked Shrimp with Feta

I found this photo when I was going through my old recipe photos and I can't believe I never posted it! I love shrimp so much and am almost always in the mood for it. It's such a hearty meal with just a hunk of bread to soak up the sweet nectar at the bottom of the pan. It also makes an impressive statement at the table for guests. Baked Shrimp with Feta adapted by Ina Garten heavy oven proof pan 4 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/4 cup white wine 1 can diced tomatoes, drained 1 tsp dried oregano kosher salt 1 lb shrimp, deveined and peeled, but tails left on good quality feta 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 3 tablespoon minced parsley 1 tsp grated lemon zest 1 lemons 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in oven proof skillet over medium heat. Saute minced garlic until tender. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Cook until reduced by half, 2 or 3 minutes. 3 Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat, 10 to 15 minutes. 4 Arrange the shrimp in one layer on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet. 5 Scatter feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle evenly over shrimp. 6 Bake shrimp for 15 minutes. 7 Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over shrimp.

Chicken Couscous bowl

So this is another example of a random ingredients thrown into a bowl and called dinner — Israeli couscous, jerk chicken thighs, scallions, avocado and toasted cashews. It was SO tasty! The jerk chicken was spiced (jamaican jerk seasoning), grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces which gave lots of flavor to the rest of the bowl. And the avocado was the perfect balance of creamy and cool to the spice of the chicken, while the cashews gave a nice crunch.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts

Whoa, I'm alive. I know its been way way too long but I've been planning my wedding for the past year....oy. It was a whirlwind, to say the least, and now life is starting to feel normal again.

Tonight I felt like cooking a bunch of random things and put it on one plate and call it 'dinner.' I started with these brussel sprouts, which I roasted in the same pan as the hazelnuts. Whenever I cut the ends off of the cabbages, some of the leaves usually become loose. Dont throw those away! Those get extra crispy and are like chips after they're roasted. I like my brussel sprouts on the burned side so keep a close watch if you dont want them too black.

My next random dish was........potato salad. I know, its fall and I was craving the most summery picnic salad ever, but I couldn't help it! I needed sour cream/mayo/dijon smothered red skinned potatoes more than ever. Next was hard boiled eggs. Again, random. But so satisfying!!!

Don't be afraid to switch up your meals with random dishes that you love. Another example coming up tomorrow!

Focaccia

Hi all. Sorry the photo's aren't that great quality, It's been a while since I picked up a camera and there was so much going on at the party, it was hard to concentrate on taking good photos.

I'm here with the highlights from Meshy's birthday party. It was so much fun to get everyone together and all the food was a success. I want to focus on the focaccia's I made for the party. They are the easiest dishes to make and are also fun to eat for a casual get-together. The trick it to buy a ball of pizza dough from your local grocery store (near the baked bread section). It tastes great and saves you a ton of time rather than making dough from scratch. I made two focaccia's for the party – one topped with goat cheese and zucchini and the other pesto and eggplant. It was delicious, I think I like the zucchini one a little bit better because I looovee goat cheese but both were superb and eaten right up. I just rolled it out the dough as thin as I could (which didn't end up mattering because the dough puffed up so much anyways) topped it with the toppings and baked both at the same time for 12-15 minutes. It's the perfect party food because it doesn't take much time if you already have your ingredients prepped. I sliced and roasted the eggplant the night before, and sliced the zucchini before as well. Some other party foods on the menu was pea pesto, stuffed mushrooms, and kataifi wrapped shrimp and fennel and orange salad. What are some of your party food favorites?

I'm alive!

Hi everyone! It has been sooooooo long since I have posted. And there is a good reason, I promise. I got engaged! Adam proposed on October 17 during our vacation in hawaii. It was incredible to say the least and I still think about that special moment. Of course I've been cooking since October, but have been so busy with wedding planning. Me and my parents have been a great team and I cannot wait for the big day! September 4, mark your calendars! I figured this would be a great time to post because I'm hosting my dog's birthday party this sunday! She is turning 5 years old and we're having my parents, sister and future in-laws over for lunch. Just a good excuse to get everyone together and nosh. I'm planning a great menu, just have to get it all done. I will post photos and recipes soon after the party. Can't wait!

Zucchini Carbonara

I was planning on making zucchini bread for brunch this weekend and I misread the amount for zucchini's and bought way too many! 3 too many to be exact. So what did I do? Combine my favorite pasta dish, pasta carbonara, with soft luscious zucchini's. I was out of turkey bacon so I left it out but added plenty of garlic to make up for it. I just cubed up 3 zucchini's, sautéed them with garlic and salt and pepper, and added them to the pasta. Then at the end, hit the pasta and zucchini with the egg/parmesan mixture. Delicious!!!!

1/2 box of pasta, any shape

3 zucchini, cubed

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 Boil water for pasta. Beat 2 eggs in a separate dish and mix with parmesan.

2 While water is boiling, heat olive oil in deep skillet and throw in minced garlic and cubed zucchini and cook together for about 7-8 minutes until softened.

3 Drop pasta into boiling water. Cook until al dente and drain.

4 Once zucchini is softened, mix the drained pasta into the deep skillet with the zucchini.

5 Pour egg/parmesan mixture over the pasta and zucchini and quickly, using tongs, mix thoroughly until egg sauce is shiny and thickened. Serve with more grated parmesan on top. Enjoy!

Caramel-Spiced Apple Butter

I am so happy Fall is here! I love autumn flavors and colors and the bright crisp in the air. Recently, my co-worker was telling me about her canning equipment. "That sounds so cool!" I said, "I would love to make my own apple butter..." The next day she brought me her canning pot, rack, tongs and a great recipe book by Ball. I was so excited to experiment! I ended up making a caramel-spiced apple butter, perfect for sunday morning toast.

I used a recipe from Ball Jar's Blue Book. Here is a similar one. It is exactly the same except I used 3 lbs of apples instead of 4, and cut the rest of the ingredient in half.

It yielded 3, 1/2 pint jars. These are great holiday gifts for friends or family. Enjoy!

Butter Bean & Artichoke Tomato Sauce

There's nothing like the smell of homemade tomato sauce. You really feel like you made a gourmet healthful meal pus it is SO easy. The stuff in the jar works for last minute meals but if you have some times please please try making your own. You will love yourself for it. All you need is high quality crushed tomatoes in a can (I used an Italian brand from my local grocery store), garlic, salt and thats it! The rest is up to your imagination. I dumped in a can of artichoke hearts and a can of butter beans. The butter beans gave sort of a smokey undertone which I liked. I also threw in some sliced kalamata olives. Absolutely delicious!

Simple Dessert: Honey Figs

I was perusing the farmers market during my lunch break the other day, as I often do, and spotted these gorgeous juice-filled figs. They are wonderful sweet or savory. A great savory party appetizer could be a grilled fig topped with goat cheese. However, for a simple dessert you don't have to think about, halve the figs and drizzle with honey. It's is a refreshing, sweet summer dessert without the oven heat.

What is your favorite oven-less dessert?

10-minute Asian Soup

I was grocery shopping with my sister this past weekend and saw her grab a smallish bag of soba buckwheat noodles. Thats a good idea, I thought, so I grabbed a bag as well. When I think of soba noodles I instantly think of the soup that you would get in sushi restaurants. Salty flavorful broth with slurpy noodles and fresh slivers of spinach. Absolutely satisfying. I recreated it at home and it tasted exactly the same! I couldn't believe how easy and quick it was. You can also put some bok choy or cubed tofu in as well. You really won't believe how this tastes!

Soba Noodle Soup

adapted by savvy vegetarian

1 bundle of soba noodles (usually comes 3 bundles in a package)

4 cups broth

1 pint baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

few handfuls of fresh spinach

fresh ground pepper

1 Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the noodles. Buckwheat noodles cook rather quickly, so about 4-5 minuter for a bundle should be enough. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain again.

2 While the noodles are cooking, combing the broth, mushrooms, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and ginger in a soup pot. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

3 Stir in fresh spinach until wilted but still bright green. Stir in noodles and add about 2 cups fresh water. Season with pepper to taste.

White Bean Dip

I recently had an extra-small dinner party of 4. There was a mediterranean theme going on and I wanted to start off the meal with a dip and some homemade spanakopitas (not pictured). This white bean dip is packed with flavor and is hard to stop going back for more. I like that it has some color from the herbs and is not only white, which is not as attractive, especially next to a beige cracker. This would also be great with pita chips rubbed with garlic and dried oregano. I just opted for simple seeded crunchy crackers that I had at home. It was a hit!

White Bean Dip

adapted via Giada De Laurentiis

1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup parsley

1/4 cup greek yogurt

salt

black pepper

1 Combine all ingredients in the work bowl of the food processor. Pulse until smooth, but still a little bit chunky.

2 Serve with pita chips or crackers.

Oh, and here's a peek of what I served for the dinner party: Lamb and shrimp kebabs, bell pepper salad and israeli couscous salad with olives and roasted tomatoes.

Pizza Bake-Off!

A few weeks ago, my friend Amy and I planned a pizza bake-off party. Each of us would bake our own pie's at her and Michaels place while the boy's played with the dogs, drank beer and took some shots of us prepping. It was so fun!!

Here's how it went down:

This is Amy. She is sweet, kind and a fantastic cook.

This is me stretching out my dough.

This is amy stretching out her dough. She split hers in two to make two different pizza's: one she was going to grill and the other to bake. Just for kicks!

This is me brushing my dough with garlic infused olive oil. Mmmm.

Oh. I should probably introduce the pooches. This is my dog, Meshy. She is hyper, loves food, and loves to snuzzle.

This is Maddie, Amy and Michael's dog. She is super affectionate has the sweetest smile!

This is Amy's baked pizza with sauteed mushrooms and onions. Delicious!

This is Amy's grilled pizza with homemade tomato sauce basil and mozzarella! The tomato sauce really made it special.

This is my pizza with roasted tomato, basil and goat cheese. I loved the warm golden goat cheese on top. Next time I might add tomato sauce or pesto instead of tomato slices.

Overall it was a great night and so much fun making dinner with friends. What pizza would you make for your own pizza bake-off?

Tomato-Gorgonzola Bruschetta

Me and my friend were talking about bruschetta the other day. We were wondering — is bruschetta referring to the bread? or the topping? Should this post be named bruschetta with tomato & gorgonzola instead of tomato-gorgonzola bruschetta? If one of you knows, do share!

Either way, this is fantastic finger food. I especially love the tomatoes warm and collapsed on the crispy bread. Right before serving, I crumbled gorgonzola on top and lightly tossed so it'll slightly melt the cheese. Amazing!! As for the bread, I used up the ends of a sourdough loaf I use for sandwiches. Any bread will work. I put a pat of butter on each slice and sprinkled it with rosemary (I only had dried) and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. Please try this, its quick, delicious and definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Tomato-Gorgonzola Bruschetta

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

salt 'n' peppa

1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash tomatoes and drain. Halve each tomato lengthwise and place on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Toss all together.

2 Bake for about 15 minutes until tomatoes have collapsed. Right before serving, crumble gorgonzola on top and lightly toss. Arrange the crispy bread around the tomatoes and serve.

Crispy Rosemary Bread

1 Slice bread and arrange on baking sheet. Put pat of butter on each slice and sprinkle with rosemary.

2 Broil for about 5 minutes until golden brown.

And the winner is...

Congratulations Jessica! Email me your mailing address to claim your prize! ;)

A Refresher

It's scorching outside and I have a feeling you need something refreshing and cool. Just like this carafe! It's a great looking glass bottle for water or wine. That means it can go from a casual patio lunch to a late night cocktail party. I love the elegance and shape of the bottle and it also comes with a handy solid-glass stopper. It's from CSN Stores which has a great selection of home good sections like bathroom vanities, cookware, and modern furniture design.

I can't wait for one of you to have this carafe for 4th of july weekend!

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what your favorite 4th of july food is. It can be a snack, dip, drink, whatever you like.

Winner will be chosen using a random integer generator and will be announced Thursday evening.

Open to residents of the U.S. or Canada.

Tale of Two Sandwiches

Adam and I have different views on food. Of course he loves the food I prepare, but if I weren't in the picture, he would be eating easy mac, hot dogs and cheese dip every night. I'm sure some of you understand what I mean;) So, Sunday afternoon Adam and I were making lunch together and he was set on making grilled cheese — buttery bread and all. Here's how it went down:

How about some mustard on the bread, too?

Nope, just cheese.

Tomatoes?

Nope, just cheese.

Pesto?

Nope, just cheese.

Fine!

I ended up making myself toast with pesto, fresh mozzarella and salted tomatoes (all the ingredients Adam declined) and it was delicious! Of course, Adam loved his grilled cheese, too.

Which sandwich would you choose for yourself?

Apple Crisp

I don't normally bake, but today I looked over at my fruit basket and saw a high pile of apples that I left for Adam when I was out of town this week (he did not eat any of them!) So, I instantly thought to make apple crisp because it's gooey and delicious and I love that crunchy topping. Plus, my favorite part — no pie crust to worry about! This is a spectacular dessert and very easy, even for an amateur baker like me.

You start with some cinnamon sugar mixture tossed with about 7 peeled sliced apples.

Then the streusel topping. Flour, brown sugar, butter and oats!

And into the oven it goes at 350 for about an hour. And it comes out like this: Hot and bubbly and crisp on top.

And of course, a la mode is highly recommended.

Yummmmmm.

Note: I did sort of step-by-step photos for this recipe because it was easy to transport the baking dish to my large window in my living room. I usually don't show step-by-step photos when I cook because it is too difficult to take the pan, skillet, saucepan to the living room every step for a photo. I hope I have a window in my next kitchen! Let me know if you like the step-by-step or not. I will try to do more if you do. Enjoy!

Apple crisp

via joy the baker

about 7 apples, any type will do, peeled, cored and sliced

3 tbs sugar plus 1.5 tsp cinnamon mixture

Topping:

1 1/3 cup flour

1 1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter, slightly softened

1 Preheat oven to 350. In an 8x8 baking dish, arrange a layer of apples and top with some cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat, alternating apples with cinnamon/sugar until all apples and remaining mixture are in the baking dish. Toss all together.

2 In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter. Using your hands, mix well together until butter is evenly mixed throughout. Take a handful and mix the topping in with the apples. Sprinkle the rest on top, covering all the apples.

3 Bake for about an hour until bubbly and hot. You might want to bake it on top of a baking dish in case the liquid bubbles over while baking. Serve warm with ice cream.

Shrimp Scampi

Ohhhhhhhhh yeaaaa.........come to mama.

Thats exactly what you were thinking when you saw this photo, right?

Or maybe you're thinking that you could never make this at home because it will never compare to your favorite shrimp scampi at your local Italian restaurant...

Well, I'm here to tell you that this DOES compare to your favorite shrimp scampi. It is delicious and perfect for a crowd or even just for two. It is great for left overs (cold!), too. You start with 1 lb of frozen raw deveined peeled shrimp. I have tried both roasting and stir frying shrimp. I can tell you that I much prefer the convenience of roasting because they cook more evenly and quickly, but I love the golden color and crust of stir fried shrimp. The taste is exactly the same, so if you have a few more minutes go the stir-fry route. I will explain each way in more detail below.

1 lb frozen deveined peeled shrimp, raw

Seafood seasoning (mix of paprika, garlic salt, onion powder)

3 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup white wine

1 lemon, juiced

angel hair pasta

1/2 cup chopped parsley

freshly grated parmesan

1 Thaw previously frozen shrimp (of course, you can buy them fresh at the seafood counter as well) and pat dry. Season well, both sides of shrimp.

2 Heat a large skillet with olive oil and butter. Sauté minced garlic until it infuses the oil with garlicky goodness. Lay the shrimp in one even layer (you can do this in batches if your pan isn't big enough). The shrimp must sizzle or your pan isn't hot enough. Cook the shrimp until pink on one side, then flip to the other side, one by one. About 2-3 minutes per side

3 Set aside your shrimp once cooked. In the same pan, add about 1/4 cup white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bits of shrimp garlicky nuggets from the bottom of the pan. Add another tablespoon of butter and the juice of 1 lemon.

4 Boil water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

5 Pour pasta in the pan with the liquid and coat the noodles with the sauce using tongs.

6 Add in chopped parsley and plenty of grated parmesan.

7 Toss the shrimp with the noodles, serve with more parmesan.