Butternut Squash Risotto

If you are wanting a change-up from a classic or mushroom risotto, try this one! It's another great way to use butternut squash. I must confess, I ate all the leftovers - a HUGE portion - in one sitting today. It's that yummy!

The original recipe is from Barefoot Contessa's Ina Garten.

Butternut Squash Risotto
1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
3 strips of bacon (or 2 oz. pancetta), diced
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 green onion, chopped

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the squash, remove seeds and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a pot. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
3. In a skillet or large pan, melt the butter and saute the bacon, shallots and garlic, until the shallots are transparent but not browned - about 7-10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter.
4. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring frequently. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Cook until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total.
5. Off the heat, stir in the cheese, butternut squash and green onion. Mix well and serve.

Julie's Pot Roast

You know that amazing meal your mom made every Sunday? Well, this is it. It's another crock pot meal (yay!). After 5-8 hours of slow cooking, this meal transforms into the most moist and tender meat, and flavorful veggies.

I definitely looked forward to my mom making this every week. With five kids running around, this had to have been one of, if not the easiest meal of the week. I'll say it again...crock pot meals, gotta love 'em! Thanks to my mom for this delicious recipe, it is a regular in our house! And a favorite of our friends.

Julie's Pot Roast
1 rump roast
2 celery stalks, chopped
4-8 carrots, chopped
2-4 potatoes, chopped (Yukon Gold are yummy in this!)
fresh or frozen green beans
1 can cream of chicken soup (Healthy Request kind from Campbell's)
1 1/2 cup water (use the soup can as your measuring cup)
1 packet Lipton onion dry soup mix
salt & pepper
cornstarch (if making gravy)

Directions
1. Combine soup, dry soup mix and water in crock pot. Stir together.
2. Add a small handful of celery, carrots, potatoes and green beans.
3. Season all sides of rump roast with salt and pepper. Place roast in crock pot, fat side up.
4. Place remaining veggies around and on top of the roast. Salt and pepper.
5. Cover, and cook for 5-6 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low.
6. With one hour left of cooking, slice meat and return back to crock pot. This produces very tender cuts of meat that are soaked thoroughly in the juice. You can also add frozen green beans at this point if you prefer them over fresh green beans.
7. Serve with meat ladled with juice, and enjoy.

Kathy's Lazy Daisy Cake

Think mixed berries, yellow sponge cake, and homemade whipped cream.

It's kinda like family chats on the deck, the cool, summer morning breeze, and running through crisp grass at dusk in barefeet.

That's what this cake is all about. The slight tartness of the berries are PERFECT with the sweetness of the spongey-cake (which has the most amazing texture).

And, it's so simple. Seriously. Five or 10 minutes, and it's in the oven.

Thank you to our good friend Kathy from Collinsville, OK for this recipe!

Kathy's Lazy Daisy Cake
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag mixed frozen berries

Homemade Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
2-3 teaspoons powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, except for berries. Mix together until smooth.
2. Put mixed berries in bottom of 9x9" (or similar size) baking dish.
3. Pour cake mixture over berries, making sure you cannot see any berries poking through.
4. Bake 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. Once cake starts to brown, cover with foil to prevent burning.
5. Make whipped cream by first putting mixing bowl and mixing attachment in freezer for 5 or more minutes. Pour cream into bowl and mix at the highest speed. When very soft peaks form, add in sugar and vanilla while mixing, to taste. Continue to mix until you reach desired consistency.

Decadence Bars

Today is Valentine's Day. So I made sure to bake Luke's favorite dessert: Decadence Bars. They are so good I had to include two pictures. Seriously, these are delicious. To celebrate V-Day, here is a poem about why I LOVE these bars:

Oh four layers of gooey goodness
How I love thee
Crumble crust, chocolate chips, coconut, pecans
Baked till caramelization
All I can say is...YUMMMM!
Divine little morsels, salty and sweet, 
I could eat the whole pan,
Of this most delicious special treat.

Decadence Bars
1 stick butter, cut into tablespoons
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped pecans
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
1. While preheating oven to 350 degrees, melt butter in 9x13" baking pan. Once melted, take pan out of oven.
2. One layer at a time, sprinkle graham cracker crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips and pecans.
3. Pour (or drizzle with a spoon) the sweetened condensed milk all over.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Restaurant-Style Mushroom Pancetta Pasta

We've been making this pasta dish once a week - that's how good it is. This serves two people, so double if you are cooking for more. You can use any type of pasta - papardelle, fettucine, spaghetti, gnocchi or tortellini - whatever your tummy feels like!

Restaurant-Style Mushroom Pancetta Pasta
1 box/bag pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pound baby portabella mushrooms, sliced thinly
50 grams pancetta, small cubes
1/4 cup white wine
150 ml heavy whipping cream
1 spring onion, sliced
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
freshly shaved parmesan, to serve

Directions:
1. Put butter and olive oil in a large nonstick pan, and heat over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain (don't rinse!).
3. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the white wine to the pan and cook until the alcohol has cooked off, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Pour in the whipping cream and add in the spring onions. Stir well and bring down to medium low heat. Cook gently for another 8 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
6. Put the cooked pasta into the sauce pan and combine well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese and parsley, and enjoy!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Crock pot meals - gotta love how easy they are. This was our first try at BBQ pulled pork in a slow cooker, and it was a success. Double or triple the recipe to serve to a large crowd. The original recipe is from Good Housekeeping Magazine, but I did use some substitutions because I didn't have all the ingredients at home. Enjoy!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup (or tomato paste)
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

2-4 pound boneless pork shoulder blade roast, cut into 4 pieces OR 1.7-2 lb tenderloin

Directions
1. In 4 1/2- to 6-quart slow-cooker pot, stir onion, BBQ sauce, ketchup, vinegar, applesauce, brown sugar, paprika, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, and pepper until combined. Add pork to sauce mixture and turn to coat well with sauce.2. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook pork mixture on low setting as manufacturer directs, 8 to 10 hours or until pork is very tender. (The one I did was a 1.7 lb tenderloin, and it was done around 4-5 hours)
3. With tongs, transfer pork to large bowl. Turn setting on slow cooker to high; cover and heat sauce to boiling to thicken and reduce slightly.
4. While sauce boils, with 2 forks, pull pork into shreds. Return shredded pork to slow cooker and toss with sauce to combine. Cover slow cooker and heat through on high setting if necessary.
5. Spoon pork mixture onto bottom of sandwich buns or bread, and serve.

To-Die-For Brownie Cheesecake Tarts

Chewy chocolate brownie-like cups. Light and slightly tart cream cheese filling. Fresh, sweet strawberries on top. How much better can it get? These little bites of heaven are probably the prettiest, and arguably the best tasting dessert I've made (my husband loves his Decadence Bars!). They are perfect for a bridal or baby shower, or a girly or family get-together. 

I got this recipe from a friend named Samira, and I hear the original recipe is from Real Simple Magazine (I'm trying to give credit where credit is due!)...but I haven't ever found it online.

Enjoy these beautiful morsels. 

To-Die-For Brownie Cheesecake Tarts
1/4 cup light corn syrup
50 Nilla wafers rolled into crumbs
1 package cream cheese, softened (either leave at room temperature for a few hours, or put in microwave for about 15 seconds)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pint strawberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions
1. On medium heat melt butter, corn syrup and chocolate chips until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in wafer crumbs. While still warm divide evenly among mini muffin cups. Press with tart shaper (if you don't have a tart shaper, press with the end of a French rolling pin or citris reemer, or something that has a 1" flat circular end). 
2. Chill for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside to chill more.
3. Beat together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fill each tart with mixture (pipe it in to make it look really nice).
4. Slice strawberries with an egg slicer and place slices on each tart.