Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

I love soups and stews and white beans always add a creamy texture to any dish. Of course sausage is one of my favorite things so it’s really good in this recipe. Serve this with some French bread and sprinkle with parmesan cheese to warm up on a chilly winter night.

4 links spicy Italian sausage
1 large onion diced
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
½ cup chopped parsley
1 T fresh thyme chopped
1 T fresh oregano chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans cannellini beans
2 carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup tomato sauce

Mix everything together in a crock pot and cook on high for 4 -5 hours. Serve over rice or with French bread.

Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

My favorite type of cookie is chocolate with white chocolate chips. I love the creamy texture and taste you get from the white chocolate chips. I’ve never made this type of cookie before so I thought it would be fun to bake them on a cold winter night. Since we were eating leftovers that night we had time to bake these. I asked Matt to help and he was really excited to participate. He mixed all the dry ingredients together and he helped to drop about 2 trays of cookies on the cookie sheet. It put us in the Christmas spirit :)

1 cup butter softened
1.5 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl mix together wet ingredients; butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat until fluffy. In separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded spoonful onto cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes at 350. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Gnocchi, Chicken, Mushrooms, and Pearl Onions in Basil Pesto Sauce

There is a farmer’s market here in Walnut Creek that I like to go to every Sunday. There is a stand that makes homemade pastas that are to die for. You have not lived until you have enjoyed fresh pasta or gnocchi. The texture is so rich and soft it can’t even be compared to a hard pasta. For this dish I just lightly boiled the fresh gnocchi for about 5 minutes drained and then set aside. Then I halved the pearl onions and sautéed them in a pan with crimini mushrooms. Grill the chicken in some Italian seasoning and slice into strips. Combine the sliced chicken, gnocchi, onions, and mushrooms in the pan together and heat through. Transfer the mixture onto a plate and spoon some fresh basil pesto over the top.

Basil Pesto Recipe:
1.5 cups chopped basil
½ cup EVOO
¼ cup pine nuts
1 T Brazil nuts
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 T garlic
¼ tsp chili powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until pureed and thoroughly combined.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I made this dish as an appetizer for Thanksgiving. We served it over slices of fresh baguette and tortilla chips. This is inspired by the dip my family always orders at Charlestons. It ended up being a huge hit! Also it is cooked in the crock pot which is great for a party because you can keep it warm while serving.

2 8 oz packages of cream cheese softened
¾ cup half and half
1 T onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic minced
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 box frozen spinach defrosted and drained
1 13 oz can of artichoke hearts rinsed drained and chopped
2/3 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Combine cream cheese and half and half in bowl until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and stir well. Pour the mixture into the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Sprinkle with the cheese and allow to melt while keeping the dip warm.

Stuffed Tomatoes and Chicken Drumettes

We’ve always wanted to make chicken wings at home and since we can’t seem to find a decent chicken wing place in CA we decided now is the time to try it out! I bought a package of chicken drumettes and we put some oil and salt and pepper on them then they cooked in the oven at 500 degrees for 20 minutes. By cooking at such a high temperature the skin on the outside of the chicken gets really brown and crispy almost like it’s fried. Once the chicken is done cooking place it in a large bowl with some hot wing sauce and mix to coat all the wings. The tomato recipe is something I’ve been making for a long time. I really love the combination of spinach, bread crumbs, cheese, and bacon in the soft tomato.

Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe:
2 large tomatoes
Salt and pepper
3 slices bacon
1 shallot sliced
1 box frozen chopped spinach defrosted and drained
Nutmeg
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup bread crumbs

Cut the tomatoes crosswise and dig out seeds, season with salt and pepper and place cut side down on paper towel to drain. Cook the bacon over medium heat and set aside. Cook the shallot in the bacon fat until soft, add the spinach and nutmeg to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon and add to the mix in the pan. Mix in the parmesan and breadcrumbs. Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture. Then broil on high until thoroughly heated through and golden brown on top about 5 – 10 minutes.

Scallop and Candied Pecan Salad

This salad was inspired by an amazing meal we had in Lake Tahoe at the Lone Eagle Grille. The restaurant overlooked the water and we had a great view of the crystal clear lake. The salad consists of spinach, cranberries, candied pecans, pears, scallops, gruyere cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. At the restaurant the salad was topped with sea scallops but those were really expensive so we opted for wild bay scallops which are much smaller. The scallops are sautéed in some EVOO, salt, and pepper for just a couple minutes then placed on top of the salad so the warmth of the scallops wilts the spinach and melts the cheese a little. The result is a really healthy and refreshing dinner.

Butternut Squash Cannelloni in Brown Butter Sauce

In the fall I love to cook with butternut squash. It has such an amazing sweet flavor without any seasoning on it. I could eat it plain and roasted right out of the oven! This dish is inspired by a dinner we had at Il Fornaio. I ordered a pumpkin ravioli dish with tomato sauce. I was actually disappointed with how they cooked the dish and I knew I could improve upon it. A few years ago I had a similar entrée at Olive and Ivy and I used that as my inspiration to improve the dish. After preparing this I really think my version is delicious and better than the restaurants.

Cannelloni Recipe:

1.5 cups mashed butternut squash
2 T EVOO
3 garlic cloves chopped
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup grated parmesan
1.5 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp pepper
8 manicotti rolls

Brown Butter Sauce Recipe:
8 T unsalted butter
12 whole sage leaves
½ lemon juiced

Cut squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Bake flesh side down 45 mins at 400 degrees. Allow to cool and scoop out flesh and mash. Heat EVOO in pan and sauté garlic until soft. Combine squash puree, garlic, cheeses, salt, pepper, nutmeg, chopped sage, and walnuts together in large bowl. Boil manicotti for 5 mins until soft. Spray a baking dish with oil and fill manicotti with squash mixture. Place in dish and pour ¼ cup of pasta water over manicotti in dish. Cover tightly and bake for 25 mins at 350 degrees. For the brown butter sauce heat 8 T butter in pan until it turns light brown and smells sweet. Stir in the whole sage leaves. Remove from heat and pour in the lemon juice. Immediately spoon over the manicotti and serve.