Quick Aussie Meat Pie

I am not sure what I am more excited about - to share this recipe with you, or to find out from my Australian friends if this anywhere close to what they would consider a meat pie. This recipe comes to you by way of Rachael Ray and this is her "quick" version of an Australian Meat Pie. And to be honest, it is very similar to a Sloppy Joe, and very tasty!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Sheets Puff Pastry, defrosted, but kept chilled
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour, all purpose
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
  
• 1 cup of beef stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (I actually mixed up my own - 1 tsp each of sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder)
• ketchup for garnish (which I forgot)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (which I didn't use)

Let's cook!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the thawed but chilled pasty sheets into 4 squares each (total of 8 squares if you cook both sheets of puff pastry at the same time). Season the squares with salt and pepper. Bake the pastries for about 12-15 minutes until fluffy and golden brown!

Meanwhile, heat a skillet with the olive oil and butter and add to that the ground chuck and brown. (NOTE: The recipe did not say to drain the liquid from the cooked meat, however, I did. Just cuts down on the amount of grease.)

While the meat is browning, in a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and tomato paste and set aside.

Back to the meat! Toss in the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until tender. Next add in the flour and mix it into the meat and onions. To the meat and onions, add in the Worcestershire/broth/tomato paste/brown sugar mixture and incorporate. Finally, add in the grill seasoning. Once everything is hot, you are good to go!

Let's plate it! Place one square of the puff pastry in a bowl. On top of that, add some of the meat mixture. Add ketchup if you prefer, and top with another puff pastry. Enjoy!!!


I have to say, this recipe is a keeper. But, I am VERY interested to see how this measures up to the wonderful Meat Pies my friends in Australia make! I want to hear from you!!!

Thanks for reading!

Sausage, Mushroom, Olive Polenta "Lasagna"

Is it breakfast? Dinner? I will let you decide because it can go either way! We made this recipe Saturday night for dinner and it is very versatile! It comes to you by Rachel Ray and has 5 different versions that change the taste of the dish!

This meal can easily be made into a vegetarian meal! Here is what you do: Omit the sausage. Swap Dry White Wine for the chicken stock/broth, and add 2 additional portobello mushrooms and 1 jarred roasted red pepper (Drained and Chopped).

Let me make one note before beginning - the olive tapenade can be omitted if you prefer. That was one of the versions presented and we decided to make it that way. So, let's see what the ingredients are to make it with the sausage.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 lb sweet bulk sausage
• 1 portobello mushroom, stem removed and thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
• 4 tablespoons store bought olive tapenade (if you want to make your own like I did, see this post)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 24oz tube prepared polenta, cut into 21 disks about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Preheat a large skillet with the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add in the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage starts to brown, add in the portobello mushrooms and incorporate with the meat. Next add in the onions, garlic, and rosemary. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Finish cooking the sausage and once the mushrooms and onions have wilted, add in the stock/broth and lemon juice. Bump up the heat to high and cook for 3-4 minutes until the liquid has almost evaporated. Give everything a taste and adjust salt/pepper/red pepper flakes if needed.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the following: Ricotta Cheese, 1 egg, lemon zest, Parmesan Cheese, bread crumbs, and the olive tapenade.

NOTE: Before I continue... if your tastes prefer, you can omit the olive tapenade and use pesto in it's place. Or remember, you don't even have to use either of those!!!

Brush a 8x8 baking dish with a little olive oil and place 7 of the polenta disks on the bottom of the dish. Divide the cheese mixture into thirds as well as the sausage mixture. Now you will layer like a "lasagna". First 7 disks of polenta, 1/3 cheese mixture, 1/3 sausage mixture. Repeat two more times, finishing with the sausage mixture. When you are finished, top with the mozzarella, cover with foil, and bake 15-18 minutes until everything is nice and hot!

The last thing is to enjoy! Like I said, this dish really works for breakfast or dinner. The photo doesn't make this meal look like anything snazzy, but let me tell you, it is so yummy. You can really taste all of the elements to this dish! I hope you will give it a try!

Thanks for reading and I hope you try something new for dinner tonight!

Citrus Biscotti

So for my Birthday this year (Dec 21), my husband bought me Giada de Laurentiis' first cookbook. Let me say that I am in heaven. I have 6 recipes set for this week that are from her cookbook, three of which have already been made. So, hunker down and get ready for some Italian!!!

On a whim on Monday, I decided to make some Citrus Biscotti. Sure the orange and lemons sitting on my counter are for other recipes, but I really wanted some Biscotti. I figured the grocery store isn't going anywhere! I also did not have any pistachios so I used cashews and almonds. I figured that any nut would work :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (from about 1 orange)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped shelled pistachios

Let's get started.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until they become pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the orange and lemon zests, then the flour mixture, and beat just until blended. A soft and sticky dough will form. Stir in the pistachios and let stand for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and spread on the cookie sheet. Moisten your hands with water and shape the dough into two 11 inch by 4 inch logs. Bake until the logs are lightly browned (35 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. Arrange the Biscotti cut side down on the same baking sheet and cook for 13 minutes. Take out the pan, flip all of the pieces so the other cut side is down and make for 12 more minutes, until the cookies are pale golden. Let cool before serving.

If you want to add chocolate, just get some Bakers Semi Sweet Chocolate (white or dark) and melt using the microwave or double boiler.

Let's have a look!
Doesn't that look great?? Get into the kitchen, whip this up, put on a nice pot of coffee and enjoy!!!

Mushroom Marsala with Artichokes and Orecchiette

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and since I had some Marsala wine left over from another recipe, I decided to make it. The recipe calls for thimble pasta (which is really just any small type of pasta). I chose to go with Orecchiette. In Italian, "ear" is orecchio, so this basically translates as "little ears". I guess my Italian in college comes in handy sometimes.

So, let's see what you need to create this simple, easy meal!!!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 3/4 teaspoon
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1 pound thimble pasta
• 1 can of artichokes, liquid drained
  
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Let's cook.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. You want to get your mushrooms tender. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala, and onions. Or you can use a Spider strainer like this one that I got for Christmas this year!

Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan, and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the parsley and pepper.

Easy, right? Let's take a look.

Simple! Can't ask for anything better for a weeknight dinner! Enjoy and thanks for reading.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

I love Lasagna. So I was more than pleased when I found this take on it a few weeks ago (by Giada de Laurentiis). It made tons for my husband and I. We even had some to freeze for dinner "for the future".

Oh, this recipe calls for amaretti cookies. They are crisp and crunchy on the outside and sorta soft and airy on the inside. I did not find them at our regular grocery store so I went to our Fresh Market to find them. I would imagine that you could use Ginger Snaps just the same if you can't find these cookies. But I recommend you look for them because they are so good to snack on!!!

So, let's see what you need to get started.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• Pinch nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Let's cook and layer!!!

In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil. To that, add the squash, coat with the oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet, cover, and cook over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes). Cool slightly and transfer the squash to a food processor. To this, add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook your lasagna noodles according to package directions (unless you are lucky enough to find the no-boil kind). I like to season the water with some salt!

Over medium heat, in a saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. It takes about 5 minutes, but whisk often. Don't walk away or your milk will scorch. Finally, whisk in the nutmeg.

Cool the mixture slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender (be very careful when blending hot liquids - A tip: Release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.). Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish, spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese (I used more to be honest). Drizzle 3/4 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Putting Lasagnas together can be alot of work, but are well worth it. I really hope you will give this one a try. Let's see what it looks like.

You know you want to make this dish! I hope you will. I promise, you will not be sorry! Enjoy and thanks for reading.

Jeremy’s Mediterranean Shrimp

I love unexpected surprises. This is the perfect example of a meal created with leftover items. My husband “created” this one weekday night when we had no clue what to have for supper. Since that first time, he has added a little of this and a little of that to create this simple weeknight meal!

Ingredients
➢ 1 lb medium shrimp, deveined and cleaned
➢ 16 oz pasta sauce (your choice)
➢ 14 oz Artichoke Hearts, draining half of the liquid
➢ 20 Kalamata Olives, pitted
➢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
➢ 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
➢ 1/2 red onion, chopped
➢ 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
➢ 8 oz Linguine

Let’s get saucy! Add the pasta sauce and garlic to a skillet and heat over medium high heat. Once the sauce simmers, turn down the heat to medium. Add the bell pepper, onion, olives and artichoke hearts. Cover and cook for 12 minutes stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile cook the linguine according to package directions.

Finally, add the shrimp to the sauce mixture and cook until they are pink (usually takes about 4-5 minutes). Serve over the pasta!
Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage and Wild Mushrooms

For a few weeks, I was on a serious mission to find a good pumpkin pasta recipe. I finally found one! This recipe turned out to be a pleasant surprise (created by Rachel Ray). I thought this was a creative and unique way to have pasta without your normal pasta sauce. Plus, it’s a great way to sneak a serving of vitamin-rich vegetables into dinner without tipping off the kids! Aren’t you curious just from looking at the ingredient list? (If you don’t like sausage, you can always use ground turkey/chicken/beef.)

Ingredients:
➢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
➢ 1 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage (we used sausage with sage, which works well, too)
➢ 1/4 lb shiitake mushroom caps (we used button mushrooms)
➢ 2 portabella mushroom caps, halved and thinly sliced
➢ 3 garlic cloves, minced
➢ 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (I used a red onion)
➢ Salt, Black Pepper
➢ 1/2 cup dry white wine
➢ 1 cup chicken stock
➢ 1 14oz can Pumpkin (100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
➢ 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
➢ 2-3 tablespoons fresh sage, thinly sliced
➢ 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
➢ A pinch of ground cinnamon
➢ 3/4 lb penne pasta

Let’s get started! First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add and brown the sausage and crumble it with a wooden spoon. Push the sausage over to one side of the pan and add the mushrooms, garlic and onion. Cook until the mushrooms are brown. Season with salt and pepper.

When your pasta water begins to boil, add the pasta and a dash of salt and cook according to package directions.

Combine the veggies and sausage and pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken stock and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin slowly. Once it is incorporated, add the cream, sage, nutmeg and cinnamon. Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 min to let the flavors meld together.

When the pasta is finished, drain the water and add to the sausage mixture. To serve, plate the pasta and top with the cheese and chives!
Enjoy!