Month: October 2012

Dinners

Recipe—Stuffed Acorn Squash

Diva di Cucina

Fall is in the air and I am having a blast experimenting with all the different types of seasonal squash I’ve been getting in my produce boxes. I will admit this was my first time cooking an acorn squash. When I was looking at recipes it seemed like most people douse them with sugar and butter and bake them. I was looking for a healthier approach since I’m trying to watch my carbs, I know, I’m boring. I found several stuffed squash recipes so I took bits and pieces from many of them and came up with this. It made for a delicious fall dinner and it’s fun because the squash itself is an edible bowl. The filling is packed with all sorts of veggies and I used extra lean ground turkey making it low cal. Don’t worry I added cheese to help balance that out. For a healthy dinner option this certainly wasn’t short on flavor. Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS
2 acorn squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c chopped mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 lb ground turkey
2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 bunch chard, chopped
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c panko
1/4 c parmesean

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • Carefully cut acorn squash in half and using a spoon clean out the seeds and stringy pulp.
  • Season the squash halves with salt and pepper.
  • Place halves on a baking sheet cut side up and cook for 1 hour.
  • When the squash have 30 minutes of cook time remaining start your stuffing. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
  • Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pan and cook until softened.
  • Add the ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes making sure to break it up into crumbles.
  • Stir in all of your seasonings and add in the chard.
  • Cook stuffing mixture for another 10 minutes.
  • Add in broth and panko and cook at a simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.
  • Remove skillet from heat and allow to sit until squash is done cooking. (Be sure to taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.)
  • When the squash is done it should be easily pierced with a fork.
  • Remove squash from the oven and spoon your stuffing mixture into each half.
  • Top each with parmesan cheese and place under the broiler for 5 minutes until cheese is a nice golden brown.
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Diva di Cucina

My name is Rebecca and I am a cheesecakeaholic. There I said it and boy does it feel good to get it off my chest. I love the stuff. Cherry cheesecake is my kryptonite. I could sit there and eat filling by the spoonful before it even hits the crust. One of the many reasons I LOVE this recipe is that it is quick and effortless to make. There is no need to wait for cooking and cooling for hours like a traditional cheesecake. This takes less than 20 minutes to make and just an hour to cool. It just doesn’t get any easier. The Cool Whip makes it incredibly light and fluffy unlike some of those dense baked cheesecakes. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do! I have a feeling you just wont be able to get enough.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
½ c sugar
½ c butter (1 stick), melted
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
8 oz tub Cool Whip
3 c powdered sugar
2-21 oz cans cherry pie filling (I like the ones with more fruit)

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl combine graham crumbs, sugar, and melted butter and stir until well mixed.
  • Pour the crumb mixture into a greased 9” x 13” baking dish.
  • Using the backside of a spatula press the mixture down to pack it into a thin crust.
  • Bake crust in the oven for 15 minutes.
  • Remove crust from oven and allow to cool.
  • While crust is cooling use a hand mixer and beat together the cream cheese, cool whip, and powdered sugar until smooth.
  • Spread the cool whip mixture over the crust.
  • Next, spread the cherry pie filling over the cream cheese base.
  • Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
  • Devourer!
Brunch

Recipe—Dutch Apple Pie Muffins

Diva di Cucina

The last couple of weeks I have had some beautiful apples in my produce boxes. Not quite enough to make applesauce or an apple pie though. So I thought, why not try to whip up some apple pie muffins! This recipe calls for brown sugar rather than any white sugar giving them a rich caramel apple flavor. These are not your typical light and fluffy muffins, they are actually dense and really moist, sort of like a pound cake. A perfect treat to enjoy during chilly fall mornings with a big cup of joe. Not that we have had any mornings like that this season in California though. My Halloween decorations are up and I don’t think we have had a day under 90º. This girl is ready to break out her scarves and boots! Nonetheless, I will continue pretending like it’s fall weather when cooking in my kitchen. This weekend I am headed up to Apple Hill for our annual family pumpkin picking trip where I will be sure to get a big bag of apples. My next mission, crock-pot applesauce!

Note: This recipe makes one dozen delicious muffins.

TOPPING INGREDIENTS
1/2 c brown sugar
7 tbsp flour
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sour cream
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 c diced apples

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Grease your muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.
  • In a small bowl combine all topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl mix together sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and sour cream.
  • In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Slowly stir the flour mixture into the batter until combined.
  • Add the diced apples mixing until evenly distributed.
  • Distribute the batter among the 12 muffin tins. It’s okay if they are fairly full. These do not swell up really big.
  • Generously sprinkle the muffins with the topping.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
  • Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5–8 minutes before removing and then transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board.
Dinners

Recipe—Shrimp and Pesto Pizza

Diva di Cucina

The other day I made some homemade pesto for the first time ever. I really wanted to create an awesome pizza combination to use my pesto on and this is what I came up with, a delicious shrimp and pesto pizza. Yes it is a complete departure from your typical pizza and yet it was ahhh-mazing! It was really light and refreshing. The shrimp were cooked to perfection and went so well with the pesto. I didn’t go too crazy with the toppings. I just wanted to keep it pretty simple and it really allowed all the flavors to come through. We love making homemade pizzas during the week because they are incredibly quick and easy and usually cheaper than ordering one from your local pizza parlor. This may have just been my best homemade pizza to date!

Note: If you don’t have the time to make my homemade pesto recipe, I recommend getting the store bought kind and stirring in a splash of lemon juice. The hint of lemon really sets off the shrimp.

INGREDIENTS
1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust
12 large raw shrimp, cleaned and peeled
salt
lemon pepper
1/2 c pesto (see my recipe here for homemade pesto)
2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 thin slices red onion, cut into quarters
1 tomato, chopped
Italian seasoning

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • Slice your shrimp in half lengthwise. This will help them to cook quicker and will be easier to eat.
  • Season the shrimp with slat and lemon pepper and set aside.
  • Unroll the pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet.
  • Starting at the center press, the dough out until it is your desired thickness.
  • Spread an even layer of the pesto onto your dough.
  • Top with cheese, onions, shrimp, and tomatoes.
  • Dust your pizza with Italian seasoning.
  • Bake in the oven for 12–14 minutes or until crust is a golden brown.
  • Turn on the broiler for an additional 2 minutes to given the cheese some nice golden brown spots.
  • Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing.