Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup

I love when a dish screams the season of its ingredients. This soup is all about the fall with it's apples and butternut squash, and I especially enjoy it during cold, wet weather. Apples, cheddar, and butternut squash may seem like an odd combination, but it works and does so amazingly well. This soup is savory, but has a hint of sweetness and is bright in flavor. Served with some crispy prosciutto (Italian bacon), it goes great as a brunch dish too.

If you aren't familiar with prepping butternut squash, it is important to know that it can cause "contact dermatitis" for many people. This is a minor skin allergy caused from contact with the flesh of the squash. If you experience this, just apply Cortisone cream and it should clear up in a day or so. If you have sensitive skin, you may just want to take the precaution of wearing latex gloves. Many places sell butternut squash already cut into small squares, but you'll pay a lot less if you buy a whole one and prep it yourself.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 3 medium apples (any kind, but nothing too tart, i.e. no Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• 8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 oz prosciutto, sliced thin

1. First cook the prosciutto. You can fry it up like bacon on the stove top, but you will need to add a little bit of butter to the pan first. What I like to do is bake it though. Place on wire rack over a sheet pan and bake at 400 until crisp. Set prosciutto aside. 
2. Heat butter in large soup pot. Add squash, potato, and apples and saute until everything starts to soften. 
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add flour, stirring well. Cook for 3 minutes. 
4. Add chicken stock and water. Liquid should just cover the the veg. Increase heat and bring to a boil. 
5. Reduce heat back down to a low simmer and cook until squash and potato is fully cooked. 
6. Puree soup using an immersion (stick) blender. Add cheese and milk and stir well. 
7. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls garnished with crispy prosciutto. 

Southern Dumplings with Chicken

The combination of chicken and dumplings is universal (wonton soup, matzo ball soup, spatzle, tortellini, etc.), but nobody does it like they do in the southern United States. It became popular during the Great Depression because it was cheap and filling, but it's now a typical comfort food especially in the South. My husband has some Southern heritage so on holidays his family would serve dumplings in a blond gravy along side the turkey or ham. I had originally developed this recipe for him, but I love it as much as he does.

My recipe for Southern style dumplings with chicken is in a gravy-like broth so it is rich. I flavor it with a simple mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) and add lots of ground pepper. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and brine it to keep it super moist. I cheat a little bit by buying refrigerated biscuits (like Grands) for the dumplings which is a nice short cut and I don't miss the homemade dumplings much.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
• 1 quart cold water
• 1/4 cup table salt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 package refrigerated biscuits
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. First get your chicken in the brine. Add the salt and sugar to the water and mix. Place the chicken in the brine and refrigerate for 45 minutes. 
2. Heat oil in a saute pan and cook the chicken until it's done. Set to the side to cool. 
3. In soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery until starts to soften.
4. Add flour and stir. Cook for  couple of minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and broth should start thickening. 
5. Cut biscuits into small pieces (they puff up a lot when cooking). Add to broth and allow to cook for 5 minutes. 
6. Dice chicken into bite size pieces and add to pot. Add milk and season to taste. 

Better-Than-Fried Jalapeno Poppers

I love jalapeno poppers. Spicy jalapeno peppers filled with melted cheese and fried to crispy deliciousness. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Problem is that they are almost always ultra greasy and gut-busting from being deep-fried. Can you create a lighter, yet still delicious, jalapeno popper by baking instead of frying? You sure can!

These baked jalapeno poppers maybe too good. My husband and I ate an entire batch of these one night and we paid for it dearly. He still won't go near one. These are better than any of those fried jalapeno poppers I've had before. The cheese filling is creamy and full of flavor and doesn't dribble down your chin when you bite into the jalapeno. The panko bread crumbs give it a great crunch too. Spicy, cheesy, and crunchy, but light and fresh, these babies are awesome!

Ingredients:

• 16 jalapeno peppers
• 4 oz light cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup four
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups Ppnko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ranch dressing, for serving

1. Pre-heat over to 350.
2. Halve the jalapenos and clean out the seeds and ribs.
3. Mix together the cream cheese, jack cheese, and garlic powder. Fill jalapenos with cheese filling.
4. Mix together in small bowl the flour, salt, and pepper. In separate bowl, beat eggs and milk. Spread panko bread crumbs on a plate.
5. Lightly dredge each jalapeno in flour, then eggs, and then panko before placing on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 40 minutes and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with ranch dressing. 

Pastel de Tres Leches

My husband and I just spent a weekend in San Francisco. One of my favorite places to go while I'm in that area is a market in Oakland just across from the Rockridge BART station. It has the most breathtaking selection of meats, cheeses, wine, and an amazing little bakery. Having never tried tres leches cake, but hearing about it more and more, we went for a slice of it. One slice was apparently not enough because the day we got home my husband decided he is going to make a tres leches cake.

While cake soaked in milk sounds soggy and kinda icky, it is actually delicious. It's something you have to try to believe. Tres leches cake is a vanilla pound cake or butter cake that is soaked in 3 kinds of milk: heavy cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. It is moist and decadent, but not mushy. A light Chantilly cream (a fancy way of saying sweetened whipped cream) is the perfect topping for this rich cake. Tres leches cake is extremely popular in Latin America where it originated. Nestle claims they created the cake in an effort to increase canned milk sales, but it's history is unclear.

He picked out an Alton Brown recipe (isn't he amazing, by the way?) which you can find here. We did change up the whipped cream topping though. Using an electric mixer, we beat the cream on medium until thickened and you have soft to medium peaks, being careful not to over whip or it becomes grainy.

Creamy Spinach and Chicken Pasta

Pasta tossed with spinach and chicken in a creamy garlic sauce is one of my husband's signature dishes.The creamy sauce is made from low fat milk and a small amount of Parmesan which gives it a deceptively rich taste. This dish always reminds me of the time he made it for us while on our honeymoon in the Bahamas. After a long day at the beach it was delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk (1-2%)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 lb chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 cups farfalle pasta, cooked
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet, sweat the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is slightly browned, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the milk and broth, and bring to a simmer. Sauce will start to thicken in 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken, and return to a simmer. Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.
4. Add in spinach and allow to cook for just 1-2 minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add pasta and Parmesan cheese, and toss well. Serve with more Parmesan sprinkled on top if desired. 

Mac N Cheese Soup

Mac n cheese soup might be my ultimate comfort food. I came up with this recipe while experimenting with cheese soups (Guinness and Irish cheddar, yum! but I digress) last year and it is always a hit with kids and adults alike. Plus it does't pack as many calories and fat as it's lighter in cheese and pasta than the regular mac n cheese, and I sneak in some pureed vegetables too.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups mirapoix
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups low fat milk
• 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you want)
• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni, cooked

1. In soup pot, melt butter and sautee mirepoix until tender. 
2. Stir in flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add in chicken stock and (increase heat) bring to a low simmer. Soup should begin to thicken. Keep at a low simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and add in milk and cheese. Puree with immersion blender. Season to taste.
5. Stir in macaroni and serve.

Ernie's Tijuana Torte

I love potlucks at work because my coworkers make some awesome food! One of the many stars at these potlucks is Ernie's Tijuana Torte. It is a Mexican version of lasagna, layering tortillas with tomato meat sauce and cheese, and it is delicious! Ernie was kind enough to share his recipe with me which I made exactly as instructed (because you don't mess with perfection!).

My Tijuana Torte came out really saucy and the layers didn't really hold up, but I tend to have the same problem with traditional lasagna too. I think I put too much filling in between my layers so be sure to go light when you make this. Despite it's sloppy appearance, it tasted delicious! Now that I know how easy this is, I don't have to wait for a potluck next time I'm craving Ernie's Tijuana Torte. Thank, Ernie!

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1-1 lb can of whole tomatoes
• 1-8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1-4 oz can diced green chiles.
• 1 packet of taco seasoning, or make your own by combining cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika, etc.
• Flour tortillas
• 1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
• 1.5 cups sour cream

1. In large pan, saute onion in oil. Add ground beef and brown. Next, add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles, and seasoning, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Spoon the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, creating a thin layer. Place a layer of tortillas over the mixture, tearing them if necessary. Spread more meat mixture over the tortillas and then a layer of cheese.
3. Continue to layer tortillas, meat mixture, and cheese. Before adding the last layer of tortillas, spread the sour cream over the mixture.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 or until bubbly.