Pasta with Sausage, Peas and Butternut Squash Cream Sauce

Taken from Martha Envy

2 cups (1/2 squash) butternut squash, peeled and cut in to large dice
half package of kielbasa-like sausage
half of a yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup heavy cream
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 cups thawed frozen peas
1 lbs pasta
handful of Parmesan

1. Steam squash and puree in blender until smooth.
2. Brown sausage in large skillet over medium heat. When finished, remove.
3. Add a bit of olive oil to skillet. Saute onions until translucent and then add garlic, cooking for a few more minutes.
4. Deglaze skillet with chicken stock, stirring to get all the browned bits.
5. Add pureed squash to the pan and whisk until smooth.
6. Once sauce starts to bubble, whisk in cream. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cook pasta. Drain and reserve some cooking water.
8. Add pasta to sauce, along with sausage and peas. If mixture seems dry or pasty, add reserved pasta water.
9. Turn off heat. Stir in Parmesan and serve.

Better Rice Krispie Treats

Taken from Cara's Cravings

3 cups (1 ½ 11-12oz bags) butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
12 cups (1 12oz box) crisp rice cereal
4 cups (2 11-12oz bags) semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter, cubed
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 Tbs water

Line the bottom of a 9x13” pan with parchment paper and spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray (tip: use nonstick cooking spray to help the parchment paper stick to the pan – seems to go against the name of the product, but it works.)

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butterscotch chips and peanut butter, stirring. When smooth, remove from heat and add the crisp rice cereal. Stir to coat. Place half of the cereal mixture into the pan and pat down evenly. Place in the refrigerator to let it firm up a bit while preparing the chocolate.

Place the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Melt together in the microwave over medium-low heat, stirring every 60-90 seconds, until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and water.

Spread the chocolate evenly over the cereal layer in the pan, then gently pat the remaining cereal mixture evenly on top. Refrigerate for at least two hours, then cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Steaks with Red Wine and Rosemary Sauce

Taken from Martha Envy

3 Tbs olive oil
2 steaks (ribeye, Delmonico or New York strip)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus two springs
3/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 Tbs butter, cold
1 Tbs Dijon mustard

Heat the oil over medium high in skillet. Heat oven to 250.

Rub steaks all over with salt, pepper and chopped rosemary.

When screaming hot, sear steaks for about 4 minutes per side (and if they're very thick, sear the short sides as well), until thermometer reads 130 degrees.

Place steaks on cookie sheet or oven proof platter in oven while you cook the sauce.

Reduce heat to medium, and deglaze with wine. Add rosemary sprigs. Cook until almost mostly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add stock, and cook a few minutes more until reduced further. Turn off heat and whisk in butter and mustard. Add any accumulated juices on cookie sheet/platter. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over steaks.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Taken from Annie's Eats

For the filling:
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

For the toast:
4 thick slices bread, such as challah or soft Italian bread
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
Unsalted butter

Maple syrup, powdered sugar and additional fresh strawberries for serving

Directions:
To make the filling, combine the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until well blended.

To prepare the toast, carefully slice a pocket into the center of each slice of bread, taking care not to cut all the way through to the other side. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In a shallow baking dish or pie plate, whisk together the egg and milk. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth. Fill the pocket of each slice of bread with some of the filling mixture. One or two at a time, place the filled slices of bread in the egg mixture, soaking about 30-40 seconds per side. Remove the bread and allow the excess batter to drip off. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining bread slices.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat. Add the filled slices of toast to the skillet in a single layer. Cook until light golden brown and crisp, about 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread, adding more butter to the skillet as needed. Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh strawberries as desired.

Herbed Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions

Taken from Annie's Eats

1½ tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
¾ tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 cups Arborio (medium grain) rice
1 cup dry white wine
2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp. minced fresh chives
Ground black pepper

Directions:
Add 1½ teaspoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and sugar, stirring to coat. Allow the onion to cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and caramelized. Remove the onions to a plate and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the chicken broth and water and bring to a simmer. In the meantime, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet used to cook the onions set over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Transfer the chicken to the heated skillet and cook, turning once, until each side is a light golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer the chicken pieces to the saucepan with the simmering broth mixture. Let cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165˚ F or until cooked through (no longer pink). Remove the chicken from the broth and transfer to the plate with the onions.

Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan, stirring to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.

Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. Stir 5 cups of hot broth mixture into the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just al dente, 16-19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

Add ¾ cup of the hot broth mixture to the risotto and stir gently and constantly until the risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir the shredded chicken and caramelized onions into the risotto with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, lemon juice, parsley and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add up to ½ cup of the remaining broth mixture to add moisture and loosen the texture. Serve immediately.

Peppermint Brownies

Taken from Annie's Eats

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ cups unsalted butter
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1½ tsp. peppermint extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 (1.55 oz) milk chocolate bars, broken into segments
1 bag Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, wrappers removed and coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water; heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chocolate mixture with the sugar and eggs until well blended. Whisk in the peppermint and vanilla extracts and the salt. Whisk in the flour just until incorporated.

Spread half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Layer with the milk chocolate pieces. Spread the remaining batter evenly over the milk chocolate pieces. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Remove the brownies from the oven but maintain the oven temperature. Sprinkle the chopped Candy Cane Kisses over the top of the brownies and return the pan to the oven for 3 more minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Chill the brownies until the candy topping has firmed up. Slice and serve.

Short Ribs

Taken from Bon Appetit

5 pounds beef short ribs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup low-salt beef broth
1/3 cup medium-dry Sherry
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 large fresh thyme sprig

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Melt butter in large wide pot over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook beef until browned, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to large rimmed baking sheet. Add celery, carrots, and onion to pot and sauté until beginning to soften and brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add wine, broth, Sherry, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprig; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Season with salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot, propping up on sides and arranging in single layer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour.

Using tongs, turn ribs over in pot. Cover and simmer until ribs are tender and sauce is very thick, occasionally rearranging ribs in pot to prevent sticking, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Uncover and cool 30 minutes.

Transfer ribs to work surface. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprig. Spoon off fat from sauce in pot. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Cut meat into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces, trimming any fat. Return meat to pot. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill until cold; cover and keep chilled. Rewarm just until lukewarm before using.