Tomato Gnocci Dish

Six years ago today, my husband asked me to be his girlfriend. =)  I remembered a few days ago, but I was very busy at work today and completely forgot. He cleaned the house, went grocery shopping, and made dinner (tasks that fall to me 95% of the time).  He made this yummy meal tonight that doesn't really have a name:

 He's not one for measuring, so it was just eyeballed. Here's my best estimate:

1 1/4 c. gnocci (measured dried)
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes
1/4 c. sundried tomatoes (in oil), sliced
1/4 c. mozzarella & prosciutto, chopped (he bought a "loaf" of mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto at Wal-mart)
3 Tbsp dried basil (*fresh would be better)
Good extra virgin olive oil

Boil gnocci until they float to the top of the water, about 3 minutes, then drain and rinse with cool water. Add remaining ingredients to medium size mixing bowl. Coat with olive oil. Refrigerate. Serve cold.

This serves two people with no leftovers, which is much more economical for us because we usually let our leftovers go bad...

It was good and the best part was I didn't have to make it or clean up after it! =)

Enjoy!

Apples, anyone?

I went to an apple orchard festival with some friends today and left with a peck of apples. I got 17 apples in various varieties, including red delicious, golden delicious, winesap, granny smith, pink ladies, and Arkansas black apples. I am on a hunt for good apple recipes. I'd like to can something, preferably fried apples or apple butter. The rest, we can eat with peanut butter.

Today, I made "spicy" apple sauce. It was really easy!

4 apples (I used a mixed variety)
1 c. water
1/4-1/2 c. sugar (I used 1/4 c.)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
Secret: pepper

Just simmer everything for 15 minutes, then mash. Serve warm or cold.

Pumpkin & Sausage Pasta

Looking for something out of the ordinary and perfect for fall? Look no further! This delicious pumpkin & sausage pasta sauce is earthy, slightly sweet, nutty, and perfect for 4 people as a main course. I mainly followed Rachael Ray's recipe, but I altered it slightly. Here's how I made it:


1 lb. bulk sweet Italian sausage (sweet is key to the flavor in this dish. It's not supposed to be spicy!)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a sweet onion)
5 cloves garlic, minced (she called for 4)
1 c. canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 c. chardonnay
1 c. chicken stock (I used broth because I had it on hand)
1/2 c. heavy cream (I used whipping cream because it was cheaper)

and for the spices (clockwise, from top):

)

6 sprigs fresh sage (I piled mine and sliced it very fine, then turned it the other way and sliced it)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg (she called for 1/2 tsp, but mine wasn't freshly grated)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 bay leaf


First, brown your sausage, then pile it on a plate with a paper towel to absorb the grease:

Add onion & garlic to the pan. Saute 3-5 minutes. Then add wine and spices/herbs. Allow to reduce by half.

We used an inexpensive ($4.98) chardonnay. It's disgusting. But it worked for this dish lol:

Then, add stock, cream, and pumpkin. Stir slowly until incorporated. Add sausage back to pan. Allow to simmer 15 minutes. When done, it should look like cheddar cheese sauce with sausage chunks in it.

We served it with mini bowtie pasta. I didn't get a picture of it on the plate because we had company over for dinner. I hope you give it a try! We loved it! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

At only 50-some degrees today, we were in a fallesque mood to make something pumpkin. Pie it is!

I wish I took a picture of a slice of this pie with whipped cream and cinnamon on top... but we took it to a friend's house, so I didn't want to take pictures there.

This was the recipe on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin Puree can, but I added a little extra spices. I used a storebought graham cracker crust and have enough filling left over to make 2 more pies. Overall, I love this recipe. It tastes perfect and it's a cinch to make. I especially loved the compliments from our friends that it was the best pumpkin pie they'd ever had. Yay! The only thing that I didn't like (at first) was how runny the batter is. I guess it's supposed to be like that because it turned out great!

1  29oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling! They're different products.)
2  12.9 cans of evaporated milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or make your own)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon   (these three + cloves are all in pumpkin pie filling

Pour into 2 graham cracker crusts. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 for 45 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve warm or refrigerated.

Healthy Taco/Burrito Options

I love tacos as much as the next person. Unfortunately, tacos are often severely and unnecessarily high in fat, sodium, and chemicals. I understand that the FDA allows certain hard-to-pronounce chemicals to be used in the production of food, but really? We can't pronounce it and we don't know what it is, but we'll eat it? I'm not going to start an organic/all-natural diatribe here. Aaron and I often eat organic/all-natural food. One of our favorites is tacos. We have gone from making the Ortega taco kit a few years ago to making much healthier and even tastier tacos, now. Here are some ideas:

1. Make your own seasoning. Just read the ingredients list of a taco seasoning packet and this will be a no-brainer. This homemade seasoning is simple to make and tastes so much fresher than seasoning packets.
               1 Tbsp chili powder  (smokey, warm)
               1/4 tsp garlic powder (salty, herby)
               1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (spicy)
               1/4 tsp oregano (earthy)
               1/2 tsp paprika (sweetly warm)
               1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (smokey)
               1 tsp sea salt
               1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (much fresher than pre-ground)
*Either add onion flakes... or add fresh onions to the meat.

2. Use healthy wraps instead of flour tortillas. This is a great way to watch the ingredients and add some flavor. Why eat plain tortillas? Spinach, sun-dried tomato, and whole wheat are good. This time, we used Jalapeno and Cilantro wraps.


3. Add some vegetables. We like spinach, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes on ours because they fill you up without adding fat.

4. Use lean ground beef. I cannot stress this enough. I understand that some people have the philosophy of Well, the 80/20 kind is cheaper. Well, when you consider that you'll be clogging your pipes draining off all that fat, leaving you with less meat, maybe you'll reconsider.

5. Make your own refried beans (or substitute) sans lard. It's so easy! Use a can of organic cannellini, black, or pinto beans, rinsed and drained, and run them through the food processor with a little olive oil and chili powder.

I hope you found some interesting ideas! Enjoy!

Voila! Our healthy tacos.