Like virtually every other family in existence, from time to time we get stuck in a big dinner rut. Tacos, pasta, chicken, lather, rinse, repeat. So recently I decided that it was time to break the streak and make something new and different for dinner. I pulled out cookbooks and cooking magazine and started to label recipes that looked good. I surprised even myself by marking and eventually selecting this recipe as the winning newcomer to the dinner repertoire. You see, pork, and pork chops especially, have never been my favorite thing. Bad pork chops are just sooo bad. Dry, flavorless and just plain gross. Turns out, that’s only when they’re overcooked with a stinky recipe (light bulb, right?). These came out perfectly. So flavorful and juicy and lovely and the sweet butternut squash combined with the cinnamon and cloves just screamed fall.

Spiced Pork Chops with Butternut Squash
Serves 4

printable recipe

Ingredients:
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 butternut squash (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Directions:
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops evenly with pumpkin pie spice, black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Sauté the pork in the skillet for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Meanwhile, poke several holes in the butternut squash with a fork and cook in the microwave for 1 minute, then using a vegetable peeler, remove the skin. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the inside and seeds and discard. Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes.

Re-coat the skillet with cooking spray and add the squash, cooking covered for 7 minutes. Add onion to the pan and sauté the squash and onions for 5 minutes. Pour the water into the pan, scrapping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and chopped mint.

Serve pork with squash spooned on top.

Source: Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals

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Leave it to me to take a relatively healthy concept like a chicken burger and do this to it. And in advance, you’re welcome!

By a long shot the most-viewed recipe on here is Chicken Cordon Bleu with Creamy Parmesan Sauce. And rightly so. It’s one of my favorite dinners. Relatively easy to put together and delicious. The highlight of the recipe? The sauce. Sure, the chicken itself is great. But the sauce. Oh the sauce. It, in my opinion, is the food symbol for all that is good in the world. Trust me on this one.

So a few months ago, while making chicken burgers I had the idea of adding the sauce to the burger. A few days later this gem was born. The flavor of chicken cordon bleu with half the prep work involved. I love when I can have dinner prepped and cooked in 20 minutes. I love even more when I have an excuse to use heavy cream and cheese.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers & Creamy Parmesan Sauce
printable recipe
Serves 4

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burger
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli ham, cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
burger buns for serving

Directions:
In a large bowl mix together the ground chicken, ham, cheese, thyme and garlic. Gradually add the bread crumbs until the mixture is well-combined.

Shape into four patties. If the mixture is sticking to your hands rinse your hands under cold water between each patty.

Cook on a grill, a pan or broiler until no longer pink in the center.

Source: An original Laura’s Recipe Collection creation

Creamy Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2-3/4 C half-and-half or heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup white wine
salt & pepper
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then sauté the garlic for a minute or two. Add in the and continue to simmer for another 1-2 minutes.

Whisk together the half-and-half with the cornstarch. Slowly pour into the sauce pan and mix until it is smooth and thickened.

Add the cheese, salt and pepper to the sauce pan and cook until melted.

Drizzle the sauce over the breasts just before serving.

Originally posted under Chicken Cordon Bleu with Creamy Parmesan Sauce, Source: Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations

Risotto is one of those foods that I just can’t live without. Put me on a deserted island (or better yet, a dessert-ed island) somewhere and I think I’d really need pasta & or Arborio rice, parmesan cheese and heavy cream to survive. I feel about risotto the way the clichéd woman feels about chocolate. Happy Anniversary, darling. I brought you some rice cooked in wine to show how much I care. :Swoon:

This risotto has quickly become on of my very favorites in my repertoire for a few reasons. First, of course, it’s amazing. The flavors meld so beautifully. And second, it’s a typical side dish made into a hearty comfort-food-ish main dish. And I can say from experience that it makes amazing cold leftovers- my favorite.

And because chicken sausage has quickly stormed into my heart, too, I make this with Italian chicken sausage to make it ever so slightly healthier (or as healthy as rice cooked in wine covered in cheese can be)

Italian Sausage, Red Pepper & Mushroom Risotto
printable recipe

Ingredients:
5 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons butter
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed, or ground sausage, broken up
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped (I often use baby bellas since they’re what I tend to already have on hand)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

Directions:
Simmer the broth in a medium saucepan. Cover and keep warm.

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan. Crumble the sausage into the pan and saute until golden. Add the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms to the pan and saute until tender, scraping the bottom of the pan while stirring, about 8 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to coat, about a minute.

Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid has nearly absorbed, about 2 minutes, add in a half-cup of the chicken broth. Stir frequently until almost all of the liquid has absorbed. Continue adding the chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, letting the liquid nearly completely absorb between additions. Stir frequently.

After about 25 minutes the rice will be tender and creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in 3/4 of the parmesan. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and the remaining cheese. Serve.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Other favorite risotto recipes:
Chicken Marsala Risotto
Garlic Parmesan Risotto

One Year Ago on Laura’s Recipe Collection:
Spinach Feta Pizza

This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to do this.

Me, Mario and my friend Kelly.

“To Laura, Pasta is love. Mario Batali”

Pasta is love. He knows me so well already.

Kelly and I were standing in the very long line to meet Mario and I started flipping through my new copy of his newest book. I turned to the back cover and saw this delicious looking pasta dish. “What is that? Monday night’s dinner. That’s what it is” I said to Kelly. And indeed it was. This was a great weeknight dinner. Quick to come together and oh so yummy.

Pasta alla Papalina
printable recipe

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 ounces prosciutto, cut into 1-inch squares
10 ounces (2 cups) frozen green peas, thawed
1 pound penne rigate
4 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for serving
Coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:
Boil 6 quarts of water in a large pot. Add 3 Tablespoons of kosher salt.  Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain.

While the pasta cooks, cook the prosciutto in a large pan with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil, stirring occasionally, until the prosciutto is golden brown and has rendered some of it’s fat, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the peas.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs well, then beat in the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water.

Stir the pasta and the prosciutto and pea mixture together. Pour the egg mixture into the pasta and mix together well to cook the eggs with the heat from the cooked pasta. Gradually add a bit more of the pasta water if needed.

Stir in the Parmigiano, season with pepper to taste, and serve.

Source: Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner

At the rate we’re going, Brian’s venison is going to be gone before bow season even ends! This was our 2nd attempt at a new venison recipe and, sadly, I can take very little credit for this. The entire concept was Brian’s (which I believe he adapted from his brother). Kudos, men. It was fabulous. The only change I made to Brian’s concoction was to add the thyme and pepper. And, in case you were wondering, this was even better cold the next day!

Ingredients:
1 ½ venison backstrap (or any kind of steak)
½ lb bacon
kosher salt
pepper
thyme

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Lightly salt and pepper the venison. Wrap the bacon strips around each piece of venison steak and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle with a touch more ground pepper and a dash of thyme.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until just slightly pink in the middle (or longer for a more well-done steak).

Source: Original Brian recipe, adapted from a concept by my brother-in-law.

Also known as Sausage, spinach, and roasted cherry tomato pasta. But that’s a super-wordy name. A mouthful (get it. food? mouthful? I’m hilarious, I know. I crack me up)

Brian’s Aunt Pam is just one of those women- Her home is gorgeous and always immaculately clean, she makes 5 star quality food without a recipe (and thus can’t tell you exactly how to recreate it), she’s kind, generous and sweet. Hear that? It’s envy calling my name.

So when we were at her house a few weeks ago for a huge family gathering and she whipped up a pasta dish so summery and fabulous that I wanted to move into her kitchen to live for ever and always, I knew I had to figure out a way to at least TRY to recreate it.

When I asked her what was in it she replied “Oh. Gosh. I know I put in a basil leaf in the pasta sauce this time….” That’s all she could remember. Someone needs to set up a hidden video camera in her kitchen so I can steal her secrets.

This pasta isn’t exactly like the one she made (I think that’s going to end up as one of those mysteries of the world) but it was close- and exact or not, it is fantastic. Even Brian, who claims he doesn’t like tomatoes, eats half the batch of tomatoes with his pasta.

Ingredients:
angel hair pasta (or pasta of your choosing)
1 lb italian sausage
pasta sauce of your choice. I used this one
4-5 cups raw spinach
parmesan cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil for drizzling

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350°

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a 13×9 pan, drizzle with olive oil and add the garlic to the top. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, or until they are slightly shrivelled (lovely, right?).

While tomatoes are cooking, brown the sausage, steam the spinach, and heat the pasta sauce.

Once everything is done cooking and drained, mix together the pasta, sauce, sausage, and spinach. Add tomatoes and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Source: Original Laura recipe, inspired by Brian’s Aunt Pam

Ingredients:
3/4-1 lb pork, cut into bite sized pieces (I also use chicken, as in the photo above)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
vegetable oil
1/2 C soy sauce (I recommend lower sodium. otherwise this gets salty)
1t. ginger
1 t. sugar
2C water
4 slightly rounded T. cornstarch
1 head of broccoli

Directions:

Saute the pork and garlic in vegetable oil until the pork is no longer pink.

While the pork is cooking, mix together the soy sauce, ginger, sugar, water, and corn starch. Mix in with the pork and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, steam the broccoli. Add into the pork mixture and serve over rice.

Source: My mother in law- original source unknown

As usual, comfort food makes for ugly pictures

Remember how I said that I used to not like stuffed shells? Well, now I can’t get enough of them!

I concocted these when I had a package of sausage out of the freezer that I had intended on using for something else which fell threw. The spinach needed to be used so I dreamed up these. They were so good, and in my opinion better left over than they were the first time around.

Ingredients:
1 lb sweet Italian pork sausage
4C mozzarella cheese
1/2 jar pasta sauce
16oz ricotta cheese
4C cooked spinach
1/4 t. rosemary
1/4 t. oregano
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. parsley

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Cook the shells according to package directions and drain.

Steam the spinach (I used a microwave steamer for about 5 minutes) then drain excess water.

In a fry pan, brown the sausage and remove from heat.

In a large bowl blend the spinach, sausage, cheese & egg mix along with  1/4-1/2 C of sauce and  1/2 the mozzarella.

Stuff the mixture into the shells and place in the pan, open-side up.

Pour additional sauce on shells, then top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melty.

Source: Original Laura recipe

Ingredients:

2 pork chops (I 3 since they were small-ish)
2 tsp. herbs de Provence
salt and pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Direction:

Pat the pork chops dry and rub each side with the seasoning, salt and pepper.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cook the pork chops until just slightly underdone, then remove from the pan.

Heat the pan to medium-high heat and deglaze with the vinegar, scraping the bottom as it cooks. Reduce vinegar by half, then add the syrup.

Add the pork chops back into pan and finish cooking until cooked-through.

Drizzle the pork chops with any additional glaze not soaked in and serve.

Source: Elly Says Opa

For the stuffing:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped Golden Delicious or other  baking apple (I used Northern Spy apples)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I used 3 smallish cloves)
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apples or 1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots (I used apricots)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup apple cider

For the Pork:

1 boneless pork loin, 2 1/2 lb.
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup apple cider, plus more as needed
2 tsp. cornstarch

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400º

To make the stuffing, in a large fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the apple and onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the dried apples (apricots), raisins and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Add the apple cider and boil, stirring occasionally, until the cider is absorbed by the stuffing, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Position a rack in the center of an oven. Have ready 4 pieces of kitchen string, each about 18 inches long.

Butterfly the pork loin by making a slit down its length, cutting just deep enough so that the loin opens up to lie flat like a book. Do not cut all the way through. Spoon the stuffing evenly onto the meat. Close up the loin and, using the strings, tie at even intervals so it assumes its original shape. Push in any stuffing that escapes from the ends. Sprinkle the surface with the thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Place the loin in a baking pan and add 1/2 cup of the cider to the pan.

Roast the loin for 30 minutes. Baste with the pan juices and add the remaining 1/2 cup cider to the pan. Continue to roast, basting at least twice with the pan juices at regular intervals, until the meat is firm to the touch and pale pink when cut in the thickest portion, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 150°F, about 45 minutes more.

Transfer the loin to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Scrape the pan bottom to dislodge any remaining bits, then pour the pan juices into a measuring pitcher and add additional cider as needed to measure 1 1/2 cups total. In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of the pan juices and the cornstarch, and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Then add the remaining pan juices. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Pour the sauce into a warmed bowl.

Cut the loin into slices and arrange on a warmed platter. Serve the hot cider sauce on the side. Serves 8.

Source: Williams-Sonoma