mushrooms

October 11, 2011

Butternut Squash & Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie

mel entree, recipe butternut squash, casserole, chicken, mushrooms

Butternut Squash & Mushroom Chicken Pot Pie

Fall is my favorite season. The temperatures begin to cool off, pfizer holidays inch tantalizingly closer and new ingredients fill the stores. Winter squashes, viagra 40mg apples, gonorrhea pears, sweet potatoes. Comfort food. The best kind of food.

This weekend it was storming out. Granted we’re in Miami so it was more like a Tropical Storm, but it just seemed like the perfect day for a casserole. So I made a big pot pie, but instead of using traditional carrots and celery, I sauteed the chicken with bacon, lots of portabello and crimini mushrooms and onions. Then I swapped the heavy bechamel for a smoked paprika-spiked butternut squash puree.

The mushrooms and the butternut squash melded into the most delicious gravy and the buttermilk biscuit top was just the thing to mop it all up. Not as heavy as your typical pot pie, but just as substantial and delicious. A new fall favorite around here!

March 25, 2011

Creamy Kielbasa & Shells

mel entree, recipe beets, easy, kielbasa, mushrooms, pasta

Creamy Kielbasa & Shells

Once you announce your pregnancy, page everyone tells you that your life will change. Some people tell you how awesome it’s going to be and how much fun you’ll have raising your babies. Others lament the end of sleeping in and late-night partying. But no one warns you about pregnancy. Sure they say your back will hurt and your feet will swell and all that fun stuff. But what people don’t tell you is that eating will become a part-time job.

Now, I love to eat. I used to think “Man, it will be so nice to be able to eat all day!” And that’s still true. I still love to eat. But now I have to eat every 2 hours or so. Not a problem on the weekend when I’m never too far from my stocked pantry, but kind of distracting when I’m at work. I feel like I’m constantly snacking on trail mix, apples, clementines, string cheese, crackers… My coworkers may not remember what I sound like without my mouth full. Packing lunch in the morning has gone from a 5 minute thing to a long thought-out process and my filing cabinet looks more like a pantry than a file repository. So, what does all that have to do with this pasta? Nothing. I’m just so busy eating that I don’t have time to cook! Thankfully, this dish was super easy and super yummy.

I have to say that I wasn’t too sure how this recipe would turn out when I started. It was one of those dishes where you poke around your fridge, pulling things out at random, then figure out how they should go together. What to do with turkey kielbasa, beets and mushrooms? Make pasta, of course.

I swear this recipe only took my 20 minutes start to finish and was surprisingly good. Nothing fancy, but simple comfort food perfect for the middle of a long and busy week. The shallots and beets sweeten and caramelize, and the mushrooms and kielbasa add great texture. Finished off with some cream, I just about devoured the whole thing before I could serve it.

Great, now I’m hungry again. Off to find some more snacks…

February 2, 2010

Caramelized Onion & Shiitake Pasta

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites mushrooms, onions, parsley, pasta, pesto, shiitake, vegetarian

Caramelized Onion & Shiitake Pasta

This is one of those weeknight meals that I’m always a little hesitant about posting. Caramelized onion and mushroom pasta – isn’t that too easy? Are people going to roll their eyes at this? They might. Yes, advice it’s a very simple recipe, medications but everyone needs simple recipes to add to the weeknight repertoire, myocarditis so I’m posting it anyway.

This pasta is just easy enough to make after work, but still interesting enough to make a Tuesday a little more exciting. It starts off with some onions caramelized in butter. Once they start to melt into sweet deliciousness, add some shiitake mushrooms and cook until everything browns and melts together. To brighten it up, make a quick pesto-like sauce with Italian Parsley, olive oil and lemon juice.

Caramelized Onion & Shiitake Pasta

Toss some pasta with the mushrooms and onions, top with some parsley pesto and dust with Parmesan cheese. The pasta gets a nice, deep brown flavor from the shiitakes and an herby lift from the parsley. It’s a really simple, really delicious dish any night of the week.

February 9, 2009

Mushroom, Rainbow Chard & Gruyere Lasagna

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites gruyere, lasagna, mushrooms, parmesan, rainbow chard, ricotta

Mushroom, <a href= capsule Rainbow Chard & Gruyere Lasagna” />

I’m a big fan of any kind of baked and bubbly casserole, capsule especially one covered in melty, browned cheese. And even more if that cheese is an aged Gruyere. Last week I was craving lasagna, but didn’t have the traditional ingredients on hand. Don’t you hate when that happens? Not to be downtrodden, I used whatever I had around and made this mushroom, rainbow chard and Gruyere lasagna.

Portabllo and baby bella mushroom are sauteed with onions until browned and almost caramelized, then layered with whole wheat lasagna and Rainbow Chard, ricotta and Parmesan. Cover everything with shredded Gruyere cheese and bake. Definitely much simpler than a traditional lasagna, and much more weeknight-friendly.

While I loved the richness of the mushrooms, I think I used too many. Next time, I’ll use half the amount and add some spicy Italian sausage or ground beef. I’m posting the recipe as I made it below, but am asking you all for any recommendations. What do you think this lasagna needs?

November 18, 2008

Our Thanksgiving Menu & Two Pie Recipes

mel dessert, entree, recipe, sides & bites apple pie, bread, butternut squash, carrot, chestnuts, chorizo, corn bread, gratin, hazelnuts, holiday, leeks, manchego, mushrooms, pecan, potatoes, pumpkin, pumpkin pie, soup, stuffing, Thanksgiving, turkey, walnut

Carrot Pumpkin Soup
Pie recipes are from last year and I can’t seem to find any photos…will update the post with pie pictures next week!

Thanksgiving is 10 days away. Menus are finalized, hepatitis grocery shopping is in full force. Thanksgiving recipe testing is complete! And so, here’s the final menu and recipes for Pupmkin Mascarpone Pie with a Gingersnap Crust and a Crunchy Apple Pie.

Carrot Pupmkin Soup with Crushed Hazelnuts
…flavored with smoked paprika, shallots and sherry vinegar.

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Roulade
…filled with caramelized onions and figs, goat cheese, toasted pecans and fresh cranberries. Wrapped in peppered bacon and basted in pear jam.

Corn-bread and Chorizo Stuffing from Gourmet
…Olive oil instead of vegetable oil, fresh tarragon instead of dried oregano, chicken stock instead of broth, and probably some dried fruit (apricots?) soaked in brandy.

Potato Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Manchego from Food & Wine
…Probably remove the rosemary (my mom’s not a fan) and replace half and half with whole milk. Maybe add some caramelized shallots too.

Roasted Butternut Squash stuffed with Wild Mushrooms, Leeks and Chestnuts
…Halved and roasted butternut squash, stuffed with wild mushroom and leeks, sauteed in butter and tossed with chestnuts. Sprinkled with panko breadcrumbs and baked until slightly browned.

Pumpkin Walnut bread, Banana Pecan bread, Lemon Poppy bread

Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie with Gingersnap Crust (Recipe below)

Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie (Recipe below)

June 4, 2008

roasted asparagus & pistachio pesto over fettuccine

mel entree, recipe, sides & bites asparagus, mushrooms, pasta, pesto, vegetarian

roasted asparagus & pistachio pesto over fettuccine

I’m not usually a fan of pesto. I never order it, decease and avoid fancy sandwiches that are adorned with the stuff. It’s usually so oily that I can’t taste anything else. And who wants to taste pesto instead of mozzarella or Gouda or prosciutto? Not me!

But I had all of this lovely, bronchi purple-tipped asparagus and I am just a bit bored of roasted asparagus. Since the pantry and fridge were devoid of anything other than grains, help beans and fire-roasted tomatoes, I didn’t have many options about what to do with my asparagus. So, I roasted it and made a pesto, figuring that I could go lighter on the oil because the juicy asparagus would compensate. I also used pistachios instead of pine nuts because it’s what I had, and I threw some roasted mushrooms in for texture.

The dish was much less greasy that its traditional cousin. The asparagus was almost creamy and the pistachios added a nice crunch. Lemon and garlic brightened it up and added a nice bite. I’m not even sure I can call this pesto, but it was darn tasty. It would also make a fabulous sandwich spread or even a dip for crackers. I skipped the meat this time, but I suspect this would be a nice side to grilled steak, chicken or sausage. Or even just a light sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs or chopped black olives or a poached egg. Endless possibilities…

February 14, 2008

mushroom leek pasta carbonara

mel entree, recipe leeks, mushrooms, pasta, vegetarian

mushroom leek carbonara

Wikipedia says that pasta alla carbonara (usually spaghetti, youth health but occasionally linguine or bucatini) is a family of Italian pasta dishes based on eggs, what is ed cheese, tuberculosis cured pork, and other ingredients. I was very much craving the original carbonara, but it’s a bit of a heart attack on a plate. The original requires too much butter and bacon and too little vegetables.

For this dish, I omitted the meat completely and added a healthy dose of leeks and mushrooms. I also swapped the standard white spaghetti for some whole wheat fettuccine. I kept the eggs for protein and the cheese for tang. It was a simple recipe that made for a delicious weeknight dinner.

December 21, 2007

Sausage Bread Pudding

mel recipe asparagus, bread, mushrooms, sausage

Sausage bread pudding

I spied a savory bread pudding recipe awhile back, unhealthy and have been dying to make it ever since. It just seemed like too much for two, for sale so I’ve been waiting until I had company over. Also, I’d never made it before and you never try a recipe out when company is over for dinner. What a quandary. Last night I had a small dinner party for my family to celebrate Christmas since Tom and I will be in Michigan on the actual day. Family is the exception to the never make a new recipe rule. My family loved it, Tom took it to work for lunch, and I’m sorry there’s no more left. I love this recipe. The bread is soft and creamy, the veggies add a nice medium texture, and the firmness of the sausage keeps the dish from being too mushy or soggy. Also, who can resist a bunch of browned and melted cheese? No one.

March 22, 2007

baked deliciousness

mel entree, recipe fennel, mushrooms, pasta, prosciutto

baked gnocchi

I love baked things. I especially love baked things with browned, skincare bubbly cheese and crispy corners. I do not love that when you boil store-bought gnocchi, pregnancy it becomes and soggy mess. The solution? Bake the gnocchi in liquid-y sauce. The baking cooks them through without making them mushy. AND there’s melted cheese all over the top.