Stromboli

First guest appearance, featuring Laura's stromboli. A few weeks ago our good friend Laura cooked dinner for a group of us- supper club! This is her family's traditional Christmas Eve dinner, so we're sharing it just in time! Enjoy this easy, delicious, and warm meal!

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (we used one ball bought from Michelangelo's)
• Tomato sauce
• Toppings of your choice (we used pepperoni, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms)
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Olive oil
• Dried basil

Directions:

Roll out the pizza tough about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4 rectangular pieces and brush with olive oil. Spread tomato sauce on dough then add toppings and cheese. Roll up the ends of the dough so they come together, then fold up the edges. Brush top of dough with olive oil and sprinkle basil on top. Bake in oven on 425 until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Serve with tomato sauce on the side and a salad if you so desire!

Yield: 4 servings

Lemon-Herb Chicken and Acorn Squash

Both of us have heard so much rave about acorn squash lately, so we decided to try it tonight. The taste was a lot like a butternut squash but the texture was a little strange. Next time we want to see if it turns out differently by taking the slower (but possibly better) route of roasting it in the oven instead. The spices and taste of the squash was great and definitely worth trying again. With minimal preparation and ingredients, the chicken was simple and quick. If you have these spices in your kitchen then all you'll need is a lemon to whip up this tasty chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• Tsp of butter or zero-cal butter spray
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Cooking spray, olive oil (or canola if it's all you have)
• 1 lemon
• Dried oregano
• Dried parsley
• Dried basil
• Salt
• Black pepper

Directions:

Cut acorn squash in half. Scoop out seeds and extra flesh. Place in a small dish and microwave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly spray a skillet and turn to medium heat. Squeeze juice of the lemon into the skillet. Add a dash of oregano, parsley, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken breasts on the skillet and cook through on medium-high heat.

Remove acorn squash from the microwave. Spritz or spread butter over the flesh. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar over the two halves. Return to microwave for another 2 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings

Shrimp and Broccoli Linguine

Adapted from Simply Recipes.

This is a pretty quick meal that can easily be adapted to suit the ingredients in your pantry or your taste buds. The broccoli and sun dried tomatoes could be substituted for other vegetables and more garlic and/or pepper could be added.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. of linguine (or serving size on box)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/4 lb. peeled, deveined, cooked shrimp
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets cooked
• 1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Dried parsley flakes to season

Directions:

Combine cream, garlic, pepper, and wine in skillet on high heat. Once simmering reduce to medium heat and continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes or until sauce thickens. While sauce is cooking, boil linguine. Add shrimp to sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add broccoli and sun dried tomatoes. Serve over linguine and season with parsley.

Yield: 2 servings

Chicken and Butternut Squash Risotto

Adapted from This Week for Dinner.

Risotto can be intimidating, but it really just takes time and patience – so grab a friend or two, pour yourself the wine left over from the recipe, and make an evening out of preparing this dish! Along with our butternut squash risotto, we made a delicious salad with spring mix, pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts, and caramelized pears. For the dressing we tossed the leaves in balsamic vinegar. This particular spread was specially chosen for a small dinner party at our place last weekend, celebrating the reunion of three travel companions. It was a wonderful meal for friends, fun, and fall.

Ingredients:

• 1 small-medium butternut squash
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 cups chicken broth (may need the extra when cooking the Arborio rice)
• 2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups Arborio rice
• 2 cups dry white wine
• Nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (we grated it ourselves, but you can take a shortcut and use Kraft Parm!)
• 4 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tsps fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper; either boil until tender (about 45 minutes) and shred, or sauté on a large skillet with olive oil and cut and shred into small pieces.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise into halves. Remove the seeds and pulp by scooping them out with a spoon. Peel the squash and then cut it into small chunks. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and roast in oven for about 45 minutes to soften the squash. Before moving on, make sure the chicken is shredded and the squash is cut up and roasted.

Pour the chicken broth and 2 cups of water into a large saucepan and turn stove to medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn to a simmer.

Heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When it starts to ripple, add in the onion and garlic and stir occasionally for about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice and stir occasionally for 3 minutes. Finally, stir in the wine and continue stirring until it’s fairly evaporated, about another 3 minutes.

Add 4 ladles of the heated chicken broth to the rice, stirring until the liquid evaporates. Pour in the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring and watching to see that the stock is absorbed before adding more. Overall this should end up taking around 20 minutes, and if the rice isn’t continuing to soften then pour in a little of the extra broth.

When the rice only needs a few minutes more to cook, stir in the squash. Season with a dash of nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Cut the heat and stir in the cheese and butter.

Yield: 8 servings

Apple and Balsamic-Glazed Pork

Our goal for tonight’s meal was to avoid a trip to the grocery store before Thanksgiving break (and of course to cook and enjoy a wonderful dinner!). We had a Gala apple, fresh thyme left over from a weekend meal, and just enough pork tenderloin for two in the freezer. We crossed our fingers and hoped this combination would be good. While we were cooking, the smells reassured us that it would be! A bit to our surprise, the blend of flavors was nearly perfect.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ onion, thinly sliced
• 8 oz pork tenderloin
• 1 apple, sliced
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• ½ tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut pork into 6 equal slices. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn slices over and cook about 2 minutes more or until slightly pink. Remove the pork from the pan.

Add onion and thyme to the skillet. Once onions are golden brown, add the apples and sauté for two minutes. Stir in the orange juice.

Place the pork back in the skillet. Reduce to medium-low heat and cook until the apples have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Pour balsamic vinegar evenly over the pork slices.

Yield: 2 servings