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.

Sausage and Peppers Sandwich

This is a super easy dish and it satisfies two things we love here; sandwiches and sausage. First I chop up a bellpepper and an onion. Then I sauté them in a pan with some spicy turkey sausage. Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and place on a hoagie roll. Then top with the sautéed vegetables and some pasta sauce. Top with provolone cheese and place under a broiler to melt the cheese.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m not that big on baking but I do enjoy making the occasional cookie recipe. Matt loves chocolate chip cookies so I try to make them every once in awhile. It was Fall when I decided to make cookies so a great twist on the original chocolate chip cookie recipe is to make them with some Pumpkin puree. I love anything that has pumpkin in it so this recipe was a natural fit.

1 cup Pumpkin Puree

1 cup white sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk

1 T vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped walnuts

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda in milk and add to wet mixture. Combine wet and dry ingredients and beat with a mixer until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Bake 12 mins at 350 degrees. (makes 3 dozen small cookies)



Mascarpone and Strawberry Caprese

This meal was inspired by a Groupon that Matt bought. We went to a winery in Scottsdale and we had some appetizers. We ordered a Caprese Salad and Strawberry’s stuffed with Mascarpone cheese, both of these dishes were drizzled with the most amazing balsamic vinegar reduction. The chef had reduced some aged balsamic down to a syrup consistency and it was so delicious and sweet. So I recreated the dish by cutting some strawberry’s in half and filling them with mascarpone cheese which is like a cross between cream cheese and ricotta cheese, it’s very rich. Then I just cut up a large tomato and layered it with fresh mozzarella and basil. To make the reduced balsamic place a sauce pot over low heat and pour about a cup of balsamic in the pot. Then allow to simmer over low heat for about an hour and a half. The result is a rich and syrupy sauce that can be drizzled over just about anything.

Grilled Tri Tip Steak with Demi Glace

We wanted to grill some steaks the other night but I couldn’t find any great cuts of meat. So I saw this large 2.5 lb Tri Tip Roast. I have never cooked a Tri Tip before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The final product was absolutely delicious. I am definitely a believer in slow cooking a roast on the grill, you get some great flavor you can’t get in the oven. I also wanted to make a Demi Glace sauce to serve over the meat. On the side we had a potato and mushroom gratin. I won’t include the gratin recipe since it didn’t turn out all that great. I will post another one later when I have a better version.


Grilled Tri Tip
2.5 lb Trip Tip Roast
2 T salt
2 T pepper
3 T garlic powder
1 T dried parsley

Rub oil and spice mix into the roast. Leave out for an hour to marinate and reach room temperature. Heat a gas grill to high (about 500 degrees) and make sure to thoroughly oil the grill. Sear each side of the roast for 3 – 5 mins being careful not to burn it. Turn off half the burners on the grill and place the roast on the cold side of the grill. Close the lid and keep the temp at 350 degrees. Cook for 30 mins on each side. Remove the roast from the grill when the internal temp reaches 130 degrees.

Demi Glace
4 cups reduced sodium beef broth
2 carrotts (cut into 6 pieces)
4 cloves garlic (each cut in half)
Handful of fresh parsley
½ cup red wine
6 T butter

Simmer broth and vegetables on low for 75 mins. Strain broth and remove vegetables. The broth should be greatly reduced at this point. Add ½ cup red wine to the broth reduction. Simmer for another 20 mins until further reduced. Turn off the heat and chop the butter up into small pieces. Stir the butter into the broth/wine reduction until melted and thoroughly combined with a whisk. Serve demi glace over any type of steak.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Caramelized Red Chard

This is my take on a stuffed pork chop. I just use stovetop stuffing and apples to stuff this pork tenderloin. Then I tie it up and bake in the oven. This time I served some red chard on the side which is delicious when sautéed and very healthy. It has more vitamins and minerals than spinach!


Pork Tenderloin
2 lb pork tenderloin
1 box stove top stuffing
2 granny smith apples
1 onion
6 fresh sage leaves chopped

Sauté the apples, onion, and sage until slightly softened. Combine with the prepared stovetop stuffing. Butterfly the pork tenderloin in half. Place the stuffing mix inside of the tenderloin close the sides and tie with kitchen twine. Bake the tenderloin at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 mins until the internal temp reads 160 degrees.

Caramelized Red Chard
1 bunch Red chard
1 Red onion

Caramelize the onion in EVOO for 10 minutes. Add chopped Red Chard (try to remove some of the hard spines) and cook for another 10 mins until thoroughly softened and caramelized.

Black Bean Soup

I decided to try this recipe out right after I got married. It was inspired by the black bean soup they serve at Tia Rosa. Matt was working there at the time and I wanted to recreate the recipe at home but I think my recipe is actually a lot better :) (mostly because of all the extra bacon I add). Eat your heart out Tia Rosa!


10 slices bacon finely chopped
1 ½ med onions chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 1/3 T ketchup
1 1/3 tspn Worcestershire
2/3 T chili powder
2/3 T cumin
1 tspn oregano
3 cans black beans drained
Salt and pepper
1 bunch cilantro (1 squashed cup)
Juice ½ lime

Put bacon in large pot and brown for about 5 mins. Add onion and cook about 5 more mins., stir in garlic and cook another minute. Add broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir in 2 cans of the beans whole and 1 can mashed. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and lime juice and cook another 5 mins. You can use an immersion blender to puree the soup a little more if you like a soupier consistency.

Wild Mushroom Beef Stew

This is a great recipe that can be made in the crock pot. In fact I found this in the recipe booklet that came in the box with the crock pot. That’s a great way to find excellent recipes. Always check the little booklets they give you with any kitchen appliances, you can find some really great stuff in there. Matt really loves this stew, he says it reminds him of “winter”.


2 lbs beef stew meat (cut in 1 in. cubes)
1/8 cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp paprika
4 shitake mushrooms sliced (or more if you love mushrooms like me)
2 carrots sliced
2 med potatoes diced
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped

Combine beef, flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag and shake to coat all the pieces of meat with flour. Pour seasoned beef in the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or high for 5 hours.

Balsamic Braised Brussel Sprouts

This is a really simple recipe and it makes Brussel Sprouts delicious.


1 lb brussel sprouts
1 red onion
5 slices of bacon
2 T EVOO
2 T Balsamic Vinegar

Chop up the bacon into small pieces then brown in a pan. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and brussel sprouts to the bacon fat in the pan and caramelize over med/low heat for at least 10 mins (more if you have the patience). Once they are caramelized add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and sauté for a few more mins. Just before you take the mix out of the pan stir in the chopped bacon, then serve!

Baked Mac n Cheese

I made Baked Mac n Cheese for Matt right after we got married. He really didn’t like it and wouldn’t eat any of it. This was mainly because he was really picky at that time and wouldn’t eat anything “bad” for him. So 5 years later I decided to give it another try and this time he loved it! The recipe turned out really well and we both enjoyed the addition of chopped bacon to the traditional mac n cheese dish. Also I use panko bread crumbs instead of traditional for the topping since they have a little more crunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe and relive your childhood!


½ lb elbow macaroni
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 T powdered mustard
3 cups milk
½ cup onion finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tsp paprika
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
8 oz gruyere shredded
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
10 slices bacon browned and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta 5 mins to al dente. In a separate pot melt the butter, whisk in flour and mustard. Keep the mixture moving for 5 mins and make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in milk, onion, paprika, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 mins and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the cheddar and gruyere cheeses and melt. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in macaroni and chopped bacon. Pour mixture into 2 qt greased casserole dish. Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top. Spray Pam over topping so that it browns in the oven. Bake at 350 for 30 mins and allow to sit 10 mins prior to serving.