Quick Marinara

Everyone has their own version of Sunday sauce. This is my quick and easy version that comes together in about 30 minutes and has lots of flavor!

Ingredients

1/4 cup Olive oil

1 Yellow onion, peeled, diced

4 Garlic cloves, peeled, minced

3 Hot Italian sausages, out of their casings

2, 28 oz. cans whole San Marzano tomatoes

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Method of Preparation

1. In a dutch oven on medium low heat, add the olive oil.

2. Once the olive oil is warm, add the diced yellow onion and minced garlic. Saute, stirring frequently until the onion is translucent. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Remove the sausages from their casings and add to the pot. Break down the sausage into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Saute until the sausage is cooked and starting to brown.

4. Add in the tomatoes. Break down the tomatoes into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Let it simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes. Continue to break down the tomatoes every once in a while with a wooden spoon until it forms into more of a sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

A comforting, bubbling bake to get you through the weekdays. Each pasta shell cradles a creamy mixture of ricotta, sweet butternut squash, and basil which is then coated in marinara, cheese, and baked to golden perfection.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Olive oil

1 Butternut squash (~2 cups), small, small diced

1, 16 oz. container Ricotta, whole milk

1/4 cup Basil, chopped

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1 lb. Jumbo pasta shells

2 cups Italian shredded cheese

4 cups Marinara sauce (can use store bought or homemade)

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel, deseed, and dice the butternut squash into small cubes.

2. On a parchment lined baking sheet, toss the butternut squash with the olive oil. Season with Kosher salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with Kosher salt (like the sea). Boil the pasta about 9-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain once cooked.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, baked butternut squash, basil, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. To assemble, spoon a couple spoonfuls of the marinara in the bottom of a medium large baking dish. Spread out the marinara.

6. Take one of the pasta shells and stuff it with a spoonful of the ricotta mixture (~1 tbsp each). Add it to the baking dish and continue this process until the baking dish has one even layer of the stuffed pasta shells. If you run out of the ricotta mixture, disperse some of the empty pasta shells in the dish.

7. Cover the pasta shells with another layer of marinara and evenly sprinkle the Italian cheese on top.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown on top. Garnish with more fresh basil.

Linguine + Clams

A perfect easy and impressive date night recipe!

Ingredients

1 pound Pasta, linguine

1/2 cup Olive oil

2 Shallots, peeled, finely diced

7 Garlic cloves, peeled, minced

5-10 clams, in shell

1 can Clams, chopped (reserve juices)

1/2 cup Parsley, chopped

1/2 cup White wine

2 tablespoons Unsalted butter

1 Lemon, zested

Kosher salt, to taste

Grated Parmesan (to garnish)

Method of Preparation

1. In a large pot on high heat, boil water (~3 quarts). Season the water with Kosher salt. (Season like the sea)

2. Meanwhile, finely dice the shallots and mince the garlic. Set aside in a small bowl.

3. Chop the parsley. Set aside in a small bowl.

4. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. Stir constantly when pasta is first added to prevent pasta from sticking to itself. Cook about 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and toss with a small drizzle of olive oil. Set aside.

5. In a large saute pan over medium low heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallot and garlic. Salt to taste. Saute until translucent. Stir consistently to prevent garlic from burning.

6. Add a splash of clam juice and the white wine. Add the shelled clams and cover with a lid. Cook about 6-8 minutes or until clams open their shells. Remove the cooked clams and set aside in a small bowl.

7. Add the butter and stir constantly until combined. Sauce should thicken slightly.

8. Add about 2 tbsp. of the chopped parsley, lemon zest, and the chopped canned clams. Stir until combined.

9. Add an appropriate amount of the cooked pasta to the amount of sauce in the pan (about half of cooked pasta). Toss with the sauce.

10. Add the pasta to a serving bowl. Top with the cooked shelled clams, the rest of the parsley, parmesan, and more lemon zest.

Brown Sugar + Oat Pie

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

1, 9 inch pie crust (store bought or homemade) that has been blind baked. How To Blind Bake A Pie Crust

Filling:

1 stick (113 grams) Unsalted Butter, melted

1 3/4 cup (280 grams) Dark Brown Sugar

2 tsp. (4 grams) Cinnamon, ground

1/2 cup (52 grams) Rolled Oats

1/2 cup (120 grams) Heavy Cream

1 tbsp. (42 grams) Vanilla Extract

2 eggs

Flakey Salt, to taste

1 Egg, beaten for brushing pie crust

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.

3. While butter is melting, in a large bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and rolled oats.

4. In a separate smaller bowl, add the heavy cream, 2 eggs, and vanilla extract.

5. Once the butter has melted, add it to the brown sugar mixture and combine with a whisk.

6. Add the heavy cream mixture and whisk until smooth and just combined. Do not over mix.

7. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg until homogenous. Lightly brush the edges of the pie shell with a pastry brush.

8. Add the batter into the pie shell. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt on top.

9. Bake for 40-55 minutes or until the middle barely jiggles when you move the pie dish.

10. Let cool completely before slicing and enjoy with whipped cream or ice cream.

Sour Cream + Onion Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

6 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes

3 cloves garlic, peeled, whole

1/4 cup butter, salted

1 (5.2 oz) Boursin cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

~1.5 tsp. Kosher salt ( I used Diamond Crystal)

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

~1 cup sour cream and onion flavored Ruffles potato chips

Method of Preparation

1. Fill a large pot with enough cold water to eventually cover the potatoes. Season the water generously with Kosher salt. Bring the pot of water to the stove and put on high heat until boiling.

2. While the water is heating, peel the potatoes making sure to get all of the skin and brown marks off. Cut the potatoes into quarters.

3. Peel 5 cloves of garlic. Add both the potatoes and garlic to the pot of boiling water and boil until fork tender(~20-25 minutes).

4. Drain the potatoes and garlic and add them hot to the bowl of a stand mixer (A hand mixer will also work just fine).

5. Add the butter, Boursin, heavy cream, sour cream, and ~1.5 teaspoons of Kosher salt.

6. Start the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on low speed to prevent splashing and then increase to high until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. *Careful not to whip the potatoes too long or the potatoes can get starchy with a glue-like texture. Make sure to stir at the bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure there isn’t chunks of potato stuck in the bottom of the bowl. The best part about mashed potatoes is that they’re hard to mess up! Add more cream if the potatoes need to be looser or more salt if they need to be saltier.

7. Add the creamy mashed potatoes to a serving bowl. Finely chop the chives and sprinkle over the top of the potatoes.

8. Grab a large handful of the Ruffles potato chips and crumble them with your hands over top the mashed potatoes. Serve and enjoy!

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup Granulated sugar

1/3 cup All purpose flour

4 tbsp Unsalted butter, cold

Coffee Cake

1 stick Unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup Granulated sugar

1 Large Egg

3/4 cup Buttermilk

2 tsp Almond extract

1 tsp Vanilla extract

2.5 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

2 cups All purpose flour

2 cups Raspberries, fresh or frozen (frozen preferred so fruit stays whole)

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a 9 inch square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper or greasing with butter.

2. To make the streusel topping: In a small bowl combine all streusel ingredients. With you hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is about pea sized and the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

3. In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed for about 2 minutes or until light in color and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed until they are incorporated. Scrap the sides of the bowl.

5. Add the buttermilk, almond extract, and vanilla extract on low speed until incorporated. It is normal for the mixture to look separated at this point.

6. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter is really thick.

7. Add the frozen raspberries to the mixture and fold until just combined.

8. Pour the batter in to the prepared pan and smooth in an even layer by pressed with a rubber spatula. The batter will be really thick and dough-like from the frozen raspberries.

9. Sprinkle the streusel on top of the batter in an even layer.

10. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake to see if it comes out clean. If so, the cake is completely cooked.

11. Let cool for at least ten minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Lemon Hibiscus Sorbet

8 large lemons

1 cup superfine sugar

3 hibiscus tea bags

1.5 cups water

0.5 cup mint, stems and leaves

Method of Preparation

1. Cut the top third off each lemon. Juice both parts to get 1 1/2 cups juice and pulp combined. Use a spoon to hollow out the lemons, discarding the remaining flesh and pith and being careful not to puncture skins. Don’t worry if you can’t get it all out. Shave a little off the bottom half of each lemon so they can sit upright (again, taking care not to puncture the skin) and arrange them in a baking dish, open-side up, so they are snug and balanced. Freeze the bottoms and their lids on separate trays, while you make the sorbet.

2. Put the lemon juice and pulp, discarding the seeds, into a medium saucepan and add the sugar, hibiscus, and water. Place on medium high heat and simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the liquid is hot. Remove from the heat, add the mint, and let steep for 15 minutes, until the liquid is bright pink.

3. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a wide container and discard the aromatics. Refrigerate until completely chilled, 1-2 hours. Pour the chilled liquid into an ice-cream machine and churn for 25-30 minutes, or until frozen and smooth. Transfer the sorbet into a piping bag.

4. Remove the dish of hollowed out lemon bottoms from the freezer. Cut the tip of the piping bag or zip top bag to create a 1 inch opening. Pipe the sorbet into the lemons to come about 2 inches above the rim. Top each with a lemon lid, pushing them down so they are stable, and return to freezer 1 hour before serving.

Works Cited

Ottolenghi, Yotam. “Max and Flynn’s Lemon Sorbet”. Recipe. “Flavor”. Cookbook.

Chickpea Pita Pocket

Ingredients

The Pita

I used the Pita Recipe from Bengingi. You can also use store bought but this recipe is worth it!

*Here are the measurements I used since I don’t have a scale at home!

1 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 packet + 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

Filling Ingredients

2 cans chickpeas

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp. olive oil (2 tbsp for sweet potatoes, 2 tbsp for chickpeas)

1 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. Za’atar (I used Trader Joe’s brand)

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 large sweet potato, cut into small cubes

Cucumber, sliced thinly

Feta

Pickled red onion recipe

Hummus

Green Harissa Dip (I used Gotham Greens brand)

Kosher salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

Method of Preparation:

To Make Homemade Pita, visit this website.

To Roast the Sweet Potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut the sweet potato into small cubes and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt to your preference (~0.5-1 tsp. kosher salt). Toss well.

3. Roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden brown and can easily pierce with a fork.

4. Set aside.

To Make the Chickpeas:

1. Drain chickpeas.

2. Mince 2 cloves of garlic

3. In a medium large saute pan on medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

4. Add the minced garlic to the warmed oil and stir for about 30 seconds.

5. Add the chickpeas, coriander, zaatar, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, and season with salt to taste.

6. Once the chickpeas begin to brown and crisp up a little, remove from heat.

To Build the Pita

1. Cut the pita in half to make a pocket.

2. Lather a layer of hummus and green harissa dip on each side.

3. Put about 5 slices of cucumber along one side of the pita.

4. Put a few spoonfuls of the roasted sweet potato and chickpeas in the bottom

5. Top with pickled red onion and feta. Enjoy!

Roasted Polenta Skillet Potatoes

Soft pillowy interior, crisp salty exterior. Can’t ask for more from a roasted potato.

Ingredients

1.5 lb or 24 oz. Baby potatoes

2-3 tablespoons Avocado Oil or other high heat oil

2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Corn Polenta

2 cloves Garlic

2 sprigs Fresh Thyme

Method Of Preparation

1.) Fill a medium size pot about 2/3 of the way with water. Boil on high heat.

2.) Add whole potatoes and boil for about 20 minutes or until a knife easily pierces through to the center.

3.) Drain the potatoes and cut in half.

4.) While the potatoes cool and dry out, preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.

5.) Once the oven is pre heated, add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large cast iron pan and put it in the oven for 5 minutes.

6.) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add a small drizzle of oil to barely coat the potatoes. Add polenta and toss well.

7.) Add the potatoes to the hot pan. Do not scrape all of the polenta left in the bowl into the cast iron pan. It will burn. Place cut side of the potatoes face down in the pan for maximum crispiness.

8.) Roast potatoes for 40 minutes total, stirring in 10 minutes increments. After 30 minutes, add the garlic and fresh thyme. Stir and finish baking.

9.) Serve immediately. Potatoes can be boiled in advance.

Pear + Burrata Salad

A delicious winter salad that’s great for easy entertaining and only requires quality ingredients and some chopping.

Ingredients

1 bosc pear, thinly sliced

1, 5 oz. container arugula

1 pomegranate

1, 8 oz. round of burrata

~5 leaves of fresh mint

Maldon salt, to taste

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tsp garlic, minced (~1 small clove)

Salt + Pepper, to taste

Method of Preparation

To Make Dressing:

1. Using a medium mason jar with a fitted lid, Combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon, minced garlic, and salt + pepper. Shake vigorously until well combined.

To Assemble Salad

1. In a medium bowl, toss the arugula with a drizzle of the salad dressing to your preference along with a healthy sprinkle of Maldon salt.

2. Lay arugula across a serving platter and spread pear slices across.

3. Tear the burrata into pieces and add them on top of the pears

4. Sprinkle pomegranate and mint on top. Enjoy!

Holiday Mule

The perfect holiday drink—easy to make, pretty to look at, and delicious to sip down.

Recipe Yield: 1 Drink

Ingredients

2 oz. Vodka

4 oz. Cranberry Juice

1/2 of fresh lime, juiced

Ginger Beer

Fresh Cranberry, Pomegranate, and Rosemary to garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Fill a copper mug with crushed ice.

2. Pour in the vodka and cranberry juice. Top the rest of the way with ginger beer (~2-3oz.)

3. Garnish with a couple of cranberries, pomegranate pearls, and stir with fresh rosemary. Enjoy!

Thai Ramen

A recipe that is on regular rotation in our house. Spicy, flavorful, and a quick 25 minute weeknight dinner that warms your soul.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Butter

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger, minced, about a 1” piece

2-3 teaspoons Chili Crunch (Typically use Trader Joe’s brand)

1 box (32 oz.) Chicken Stock

1 can Coconut Milk, full fat

2 tablespoon Sriracha

2 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

3/4 jar of Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste (found in most grocery stores)

3 cups Spinach

3 squares Ramen Noodles

3-4 Eggs

Green Onions, for serving

Sesame seeds, for serving

Method of Preparation

1. In a large dutch oven or pot over medium low heat, saute garlic and ginger in the butter and olive oil. Saute until fragrant and beginning to soften (2-3 minutes).

2. Add the chili crunch and saute another minute. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, thai red curry paste, Sriracha, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Stir and bring to a boil.

3. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. About a minute.

4. Add the ramen and let cook until just soft, about a minute.

5. Serve with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and soft boiled eggs.

6. For soft boiled eggs: Fill a small sauce pot with water (enough to cover whole eggs) and bring to a boil. Gently add in 3-4 eggs and boil for 7 minutes (exactly!). Place the eggs immediately over cold running water or add eggs into an ice bath. Peel, cut in half, and serve with ramen.