Butternut squash & sausage hash

Last week, weather changed over night and it almost feels like winter some days. I know we only get to enjoy spring and fall for a very short period of time but it's really going too fast. Just like how babies grow so fast. *sniff*. 

So now, my mini started her solids. She is really growing too fast. Way too fast. Having a baby who needs to be introduced to new foods every couple of days is actually a good thing though. That means I have to plan. No more "throw whatever I have and make a meal literally 30 minutes before dinner HAS to be served". I was a better meal planner when my tot was just starting solids. Because I had to introduce different foods every 3-4 days, I had to shop accordingly. He would only eat about 2oz at a time, so I would have to use the same ingredients for our meal. Then as he started to eat with us and I sometimes got lazy. Actually let me rephrase it, I got busy and more spontaneous. Okay, that sounds much better. 

After my mini had rice cereal for the first few days, I wanted to let her taste some fall flavor. And we love butternut squash. Roasted, sautéed, wrapped in bacon, soup, you name it. Sure enough, my girl absolutely loved it! She finished the first serving of butternut squash with big smiles accompanied by some squeals. So proud of my big girl. 

And with leftover squash, we made yummy hash. I like to use chorizo instead of Italian sausage too. It gives a depth to the flavor. But my tot prefers Italian sausage as chorizo can be a little spicy for him. I made this for dinner at 4pm, thinking I'd heat it up and serve it at dinner time but I ended up snacking on the whole dinner portion and that was my dinner. And of course, I had to go ahead and grab a bottle of hard cider for this fall themed "snack time". I was so happy with the harmony of the flavors. Now this is my happy hour. 

I make this for one skillet dinner a lot but it's also great to serve it as a hearty snack or breakfast with some toasted baguette. Dip a slice of toasted baguette in the soft runny yolk and top it with some hash. Oh my gosh. Delicious!

Butternut squash & sausage hash

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed(1/2" cubes)

8 oz Italian sausage(3-4 links, out of casing)

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste 

eggs to top the dish - optional

Directions :

1. On a heated skillet, brown the sausage on medium high heat and crumble it while stirring occasionally.

2. When it starts to brown and render the fat, add cubed butternut squash and onion. Sauté for a few minutes and add salt, pepper, paprika and apple cider vinegar and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 6-7 minutes. 

3. Check if squash is done to your liking and add spinach. Cook just until wilted and make small wells for the eggs to stay. Crack an egg in each well, sprinkle salt and pepper, cover and cook just until the eggs are set. Serve immediately.

*Or you can scoop the hash into an individual serving vessel, crack an egg each and broil until eggs are set. This way, you get a little more browned hash which I love. 

*You can make ahead the hash, warm up and finish with the eggs before serving. 

Simple Tzatziki

The other day, Steve was flipping channels on TV and we naturally stopped when we saw my big fat Greek wedding on. It's such a great movie with super low budget and is loved by so many people. As we were watching that movie, I randomly saw someone's facebook post that they're making a sequel. WHAT?! That is awesome!

Steve has some Greek friends and they confirmed that a lot of the stereotypes of Greeks are true including windex. Haha. That's pretty funny. Maybe I am wrong but I find them very similar to Italians. Big families, like to have fun, lots of yummy food and so on. They're both mediterranean, so it's probably natural just like different asian countries share somewhat similar culture. 

Mediterranean food is so refreshing, Steve and I used to be obsessed. Now that the movie has brought us back to the memories, we should make more of Greek food. Steve used to make Greek salad for dinner every single day and not get tired of it, plus he lost a lot of weight. We have a new neighbor who are Greeks, we brought some cookies the day they moved in and met them. Maybe I should bake some more and knock on their door and learn to cook some real Greek food!

Tzatziki is not only great for gyro and simply grilled chicken, it makes a fabulous dip for crudites, baked pita, potato chips, you name it. Creamy, garlicky yet, refreshing with a whole lot of cucumber. When I want something simple for entertaining without making multiple dips for veggies and chips, I always go with this. Because it develops such yummy flavor as it sits in the fridge, you can make ahead the night before entertaining. Make ahead dishes are always the best when you entertain, aren't they? =) Here's how you bring your guests to Greece at a bite!
  

Simple Tzatziki

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt(fat free works just fine)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 English cucumber, peeled

1 Tbsp olive oil plus to drizzle on top

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp dill, chopped

Directions :

1. Scrape the seeds from English cucumber and grate it through large holes of cheese grater. Squeeze grated cucumber to remove liquid and let it sit on a sieve.

2. Mix rest of the ingredients in a bowl and stir in cucumber. Drizzle a little olive oil on top before serving. 

*It's a perfect make ahead dip as the flavor develops as it sits in the fridge. Serve it with crudité of your choice or toasted pita.

Creamy parmesan and spinach orzo

Long holiday's over and it's almost time to get back to reality. Having Steve home for over a week totally put me in a vacation mode and I think I'll have a hard time getting back to normal life. Especially my tot. He absolutely enjoyed having daddy around all the time. About 50 times a day, he says he loves daddy so much and he's sad when daddy goes to work. Sweet boy. 

We hosted Christmas and cooked a lot of stuff but as most people's Christmas dinner especially involving kids, it was so chaotic by the time food came, I had no chance to take pictures. It's a shame because Steve cooks this killer prime rib every year that I wanted to share. We made a few veggie side dishes and my favorite side was prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Super simple and yummy. 

Anyway, after a few heavy meals over the past week or so, we got to the point where we wanted to whip up something simple and enjoyable. Like our normal week night meal. I've always wanted to try this recipe ever since I first found it. I love every element of this dish. Orzo, spinach and who doesn't love cheese? It's a great side for a nicely grilled steak or chicken. It's somewhat like a marriage of creamed spinach and mac and cheese. I added more spinach than suggested amount to trick myself to think it's healthy. Haha. And we love spinach. If you put cubed grilled chicken or something, it can very well be a quick week night dinner on its own.

 

Creamy Parmesan and spinach orzo

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 cup orzo pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 - 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.

2. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook garlic and onion until onions are translucent.

3. Add flour and stir until lightly browned about a minute. Whisk in milk and cook while stirring constantly until slightly thickened. About 3-4 minutes.

4. Add spinach to it and cool until just wilted. Stir in Parmesan until melted. Add drained orzo, salt and pepper to taste and toss gently. Serve immediately.

*Recipe from Damn delicious.

Caramelized onion & cranberry chutney

 Christmas is just a few days away. And we truly had a very holiday like weekend last weekend. Had some friends over for dinner, delivered gifts to the family we adopted, went to see Santa and even saw Santa passing by on the fire truck. It's funny how every year, my tot's reaction to Santa is different. Our tradition is to go to Macy's which is the first place he ever saw Santa. The first year, he was not even one and just slept on Santa's lap. So precious. Last year, he didn't cry but he was not too sure and asked me to come sit close to him. Now his third year, he's a pro. As soon as he saw Santa, he ran right up to him and sat on his lap, seemed like he was talking to him. Turned out, he told Santa what he wanted. He loved the experience. Thank goodness for the express pass. If we had to wait for 2 hours like a lot of people, none of us would have enjoyed it. Well..it's never going to happen because without the express pass, we are not going anywhere near Santa land. Haha

And for more festivity, I made some caramelized onion and cranberry chutney. It's great with roasted chicken, pork roast, baked brie, crostini and the list goes on and on. This can be done days ahead as it keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or so. Great homemade condiment to add a little shine to the meal without having to stand by the stove while rest of the chaos going on at holiday meal. 

Caramelized onion & cranberry chutney

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp butter

8 oz cranberries

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, only the leaves

Directions :

1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally. It took me a little over 15 minutes with one small onion.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil while stirring so sugar dissolves. 

3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook it down for 8-10 minutes until cranberries pop and mixture reduces slighly, while stirring occasionally. 

4. Cool completely and keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks. Take it out 30 minutes before serving. 

*Adapted from Go bold with butter.

Potato leek soup

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As it's getting chilly. Naturally, we cook stew and soup more often these days. This potato and leek soup has been my family's favorite for a long time. Especially my mom LOVES it with some broccoli florets on top as it makes her feel like she's eating healthier. Haha Leek gives such nice flavor to the dish, yet it's mild. And I like the texture of sauted leek with the smooth soup, that's why I save some for garnish. 

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It makes good 3 portions for adults, so I had a little leftover in the fridge. The next day, I was looking for some snack as I was suddenly starving and little bit of chilled potato leek soup just hit the spot. People serve chilled potato leek soup shooter as appetizer anyway. My tot is a huge fan of variety of soups, I served this creamy soup without heavy cream and chicken wings for lunch and it was a huge hit. I cooked the wings with our newest addition to the kitchen, electric pressure cooker and I am absolutely loving it. Whatever I used to do with slow cooker for 6hours can be done in 30 minutes with the same result! Maybe next time I have a chance to post stew or something, I'll write more about it. By that time, I'll probably experiment more recipes with it. 

Potato leek soup

Printable recipe 

*Makes about 3 bowls
 
Ingredients :

2 leeks - white and light green part, chopped

3 medium sized potatoes, sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

3 cups chicken or veggie stock or water

1 cup low fat milk

Shredded cheddar for garnish(optional)

Directions :

1. In a pot, heat up the olive oil and saute chopped leek. When softened a little, set aside 2-3 Tbsp of leek for garnish.

2. Add potato, salt, pepper and stock/water and bring it to boil. Cook on medium heat with the lid open, until potato's fork tender. Using immersion blender(or regular blender) puree until smooth. 

3. Stir in milk and simmer for a few minutes. Scoop in the bowl and garnish with sauted leek and cheese if desired.

Butternut squash & Israeli couscous salad

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Yesterday was my tot's Halloween party at school. He went to school in Darth Vader costume with a mask as well. What a big difference a year makes. Last year, I had to beg and bribe him to wear his Mickey mouse costume. This year, I asked him not to wear the mask as he won't be comfortable in class but he insisted. 

When I went to pick him up, he was all hyped up with sugar. Teachers thought it's so funny how he's running around the classroom which he never does. According to them, he's usually mellow. That's a bit of a surprise. Well, he's not overly wild anyway, so I guess outside of home, it makes sense that he's a little more calm.

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When it was his nap time, it took him FOREVER to fall asleep. He just couldn't settle. I blamed all the sugar he took especially because he usually doesn't get to eat any candy at all. But he had a hard time today too. I still wanted to blame the sugar but I think I have to face the reality. Maybe he's getting ready to ditch the nap. If I'm right, this is absolutely tragic. His nap time is just too precious to me!! Well, anyway, I will face it when I really have to but until then, I am going to deny it. So this kid took a very short nap today, and even though he's still tired, of course he wanted to help cooking dinner. He basically made this dish. And..ate half of the butternut squash that was roasted while waiting for the couscous. This is a great side for roast chicken. I love the color combination of yellow, red and green too. It's totally fall. =)

Butternut squash & Israeli couscous salad

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 cup Israeli couscous(pearl couscous)

1 1/4 cup water or stock

3 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, diced

2 cups butternut squash, cubed

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss butternut squash, 1 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder together and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

2. In a skillet or a deep sauce pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil and saute the shallot. Add couscous to it and stir until lightly toasted. Add water and salt. Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. When done, uncover, fluff with a fork, and let it cool for a few minutes.

3. Add 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper, juice of 1/2 lemon, pine nuts, dried cranberries to couscous and toss it together. Add butternut squash and parsley and toss gently. Serve.

Corn & bacon mac N' cheese

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On one lazy Sunday afternoon, Steve said, "Let's eat something nice but simple for dinner. How about steak?" O..K..I knew where this was heading. He will grill the steak and I will end up making minimum of two sides. Haha "simple" meal.

It's OK. Because..I actually liked the idea! I didn't mind at all to make two sides as long as he brings me a piece of perfectly medium, nicely marbled, grass-fed rib eye. We like simple sides with steak. Our go to steak sides at home are sauted spinach and mac and cheese. Knowing how much my hub loves his mac and cheese, I made extra portion, and we had last minute guests. Lucky I made extra, I didn't have to go crazy. Phew! This easy to make side is always a perfect fit for a great steak.

 

Corn & bacon mac N' cheese

Printable recipe 

*Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients :

1/2 lbs elbow pasta

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1/2 cup corn kernel

3 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk, room temperature

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

3 oz American cheese, shredded 

3 oz sharp cheddar

topping

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp olive oil

Directions :

1. Cook the pasta as package directions.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the shallot. Add flour to it, stir to make it smooth. Add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper and let it simmer to thicken for about 2 minutes. 

3. Turn the heat off and add cheeses, corn and bacon. Mix in the cooked pasta. Transfer it to an oven safe skillet. Preheat the oven to 375F.

4. Make topping - Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or top is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Grilled corn soup

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After having 4th of July party and my MIL's birthday party on the same weekend, we were left with a lot of food. I wanted to use all the fresh food before they had to be thrown in the freezer. There's only so much two adults and a toddler can eat and some ended up in the freezer but I did a pretty good job using up most leftover ingredients from the party this week. From corn soup to sausage pasta and so on.

I used leftover grilled corn and basically stumbled upon a hint of charred flavor. But boiling corns will do too if you don't have already grilled corn and don't want to heat up the grill. Soup itself doesn't call for cream but it already has a pretty creamy body due to texture of the corn but a dollop of creme fraiche never hurts. =)

Grilled corn soup

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

5 ears of grilled corn, shucked(made heaped 2 cups for me)

2 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp butter

1 small shallot, diced

salt and pepper to taste

chives, creme fraiche for garnish(optional) 

Directions :

1. In a large sauce pot, melt the butter and saute the shallot until translucent.

2. Add the corn, chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring it to boil, then turn the heat down to medium low until thickened for about 5-7 minutes.

3. Using a blender or immersion blender, puree until smooth. If you want even smoother texture, pour it through a course sieve, pressing it with a spoon. 

4. Depending on the consistency you like, you can serve it as it is or simmer it for a few more minutes to thicken it. 

5. Garnish and serve.

Garlic and herb smashed potatoes

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This is such an easy side dish for steak, chicken or anything. My usual potato sides were roasted cut up potatoes, basically like potato hash but these little potatoes are so cute and I love how creamy yet crispy it turns out. 

This is one of the favorite side dishes of my tot's. If I let him, he would just sit there and snack on them. You can make them with rosemary or any kind of different herbs you would like. I made it with thyme today as my tot said we should use some thyme for the "Ittle potatoes". He still has a hard time with the L sound with some words, it's so cute. He used to call our dog Chloe, "Ko-ee". =)

Anyway, accompany this easy "ittle potato" side with any of your meat dish, you will be satisfied.

Garlic and herb smashed potatoes

Printable recipe

Ingredients :

24oz dutch yellow baby potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic,roughly chopped

1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. 

2. Place potatoes, some salt and enough water in a large pot and cook the potatoes. About 15minutes. Drain well.

3. Smash the potatoes with a bowl or a masher and put them in a bowl, add olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper and mix gently.

4. Place them on a baking sheet in one layer and bake for 20-25minutes.

* Recipe from damndelicious.

 

Kale mushroom quinoa

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A few days ago for lunch, my tot said he wanted Chilean seabass at sushi's house. What kind of two year old is this boy? How about some grilled cheese? But nope. It still had to be in that seafood category and after convincing him, I managed to "downgrade" it to a quick sushi lunch. He started to ask for more and more fancy stuff he can think of nowadays. So, for dinner that night, I wanted something simple and doesn't require anything fancy that we have all the ingredients at home.

 

Quinoa it is. Quinoa is such a great side dish but with a little extra touch, it can surely be a fabulous light meal on its own.

I love meat and fish but vegetables just as much, if not more. I actually have to have some kind of vegetable every meal otherwise I don't feel satisfied. Like when I'm having pizza, I have to have anti pasta salad to feel like it's a meal. So I had no problem eating a bowl of this as my main course for dinner.

 My tot called this a very yummy dinner and said he liked eating it because it would give him lots of energy. He's right. This protein packed grain has great texture and it would give you lots of energy. Haha

I halved the recipe and it made a hearty portion for me and my tot for main. As a side dish, full recipe will make about 4 servings. Recipe adapted from damndelicious.

Kale mushroom quinoa

Printable recipe

Ingredients : 

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 bag of kale leaves(12oz), torn into pieces

1 lbs cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese 

Direction :

1. Cook the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add garlic and kale.

3. When kale start to be wilted, add mushrooms and thyme.

4. Season with salt and pepper and stir in quinoa.

5. Top it with parmesan cheese(if desired) and serve.