Curried Butternut Chicken Bisque

Tonight's dinner left me, my hubby and sister in a very happy and satisfied state. Now all I want to do is hop into my clean, warm and cozy sheets and sleep. Forget that I am still supposed to workout and cycle tonight, get up and nurse my baby twice and then wake up at 6am with my 3 year old. Sometimes a great meal helps me relax and blow off the rest of my to do list for the night. Cheers to good food and it's ability to make me feel satisfied about my day even when I shouldn't be.

PS- The butternut squash and curry pair so well together. If you make this, be sure to garnish with cilantro and cashews, it really completes the meal. Good luck making this at your dinner party tomorrow Derek! If you prepare the squash ahead of time, this is a 20 minute meal.

Serves 4 to 6

1 2 to 2 1/2 pound butternut squash

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon curry

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1 14 oz can/box chicken broth

2 cups, cut up/cubed cooked chicken breast (I used the breast of a rotisserie chicken I bought at the market)

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Hot White Jasmine Rice, prepared as instructed or to your preference. At least 2 cups. The rice should be plain to balance out the curry. I make mine with a little bit of butter and a pinch of sea salt.

Garnish with

Cashews (I used/ like raw the best)

Fresh chopped cilantro

For the squash (you can do this up to a day ahead, which will allow you to make this in about 20 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350

Spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

Cut squash lengthwise and remove seeds and pulp.

Place squash flesh side down onto the baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes.

While squash is baking, make the Jasmine rice (which should take 12 to 14 minutes for 2 cups prepared) and mix together 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon curry powder in a small bowl .

Remove squash from oven and flip the squash right side up.

Sprinkle the quash with brown sugar and curry mixture and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until quash is soft and the flesh can be scooped out.

Scoop squash out into a bowl and mash well with potato masher, set aside until needed.

For the soup, saute onion in olive oil over medium high heat until the onion is translucent and soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.

Add squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken, curry, salt and pepper. Cook soup until heated through.

On the bottom of a soup bowl, hot rice (or more if you like, I prefer less rice, my hubby prefers more) and ladle curry bisque over the rice.

Garnish with plenty of chopped cashews and cilantro (which can be prepared while the soup is heating through/simmering or while the squash bakes if you are making the meal all at once).

Unfortunately, I cannot take full credit for this recipe, it was adapted from a recipe in the Cookbook Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 2003. Which, is a great cook book by the way.

Open Faced Chicken Apple & Muenster Sandwich with Apricot Dijion Spread

I made these twice last week and I still can't stop thinking about them! This was inspired by an old recipe clipping from Cooking Light that I found. The combination of flavors is fantastic. The slight tang of the dijion and the sweetness from the apple and apricot pairs well with the chicken and buttery Muenster Cheese (I love Muenster). This is an easy 20 to 30 minute meal tops, great for a quick weeknight meal. This would also be fun for an easy luncheon with your girlfriends (or guys) paired with a yummy salad.

The following recipe is for two, if you want to have 2 halves (I think it would be sad to only have 1 half). Be sure to double it for 4 people.

4 Tablespoons apricot preserves

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 large good quality white rolls (such as kaiser)

1 large apple, peeled, thinly sliced (Fuji or Gala is a good choice)

1/2 white onion, diced small

1 cup prewashed bagged spinach (if you use fresh make sure you ring it out in a towel after washing, you want the spinach really dry)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied- to make 4 pieces

4 slices Muenster cheese

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat Broiler

2. Make the spread- Combine apricot preserves and mustard in a bowl, stir with whisk, set aside.

3. Prepare the chicken

Heat large skillet over medium heat with a couple swirls of EVOO (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)

Salt and pepper the chicken and add to heated pan.

Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, flip chicken and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. *This is a great and quick way to make moist, flavorful chicken breast, make sure that your pan is hot, that way the chicken cooks quickly.

Set chicken aside, wait 5 minutes and slice the chicken into strips.

4. In the same pan that you made the chicken, reheat and add 2 more tablespoons of EVOO. Add apple and onion and cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally, scraping the chicken drippings into the mixture. Add chopped spinach, cook for 1 minute, until the spinach begins to wilt.

To assemble, layer each of the 4 bread slices in the following order-

Evenly spread 1/4 of the apricot spread onto each slice of bread.

1/4 of the apple mixture

1/4 of the chicken strips

1 slice of cheese

Place sandwiches on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and broil for about 1 1/2 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.

Remove from heat, serve immediately.

This is pretty simple but I have step by step pictures if anyone wants to make this and they feel like the pics would help. Email me @ rhandi@gmail.com and I am happy to send them your way.

Potato & Rosemary Alfredo Pizza

Friends, fellow food lovers, words can not express the deliciousness experienced while eating this pizza. Creamy, earthy, sweet and savory all mixed in to one bite of pure pizza bliss. I tried potato on pizza years ago and finally got around to creating my own. It's almost like having a gourmet, fresh, thick potato chip on your pizza, paired with the rosemary, it can't be beat. This pizza would also be great with grilled chicken, I was just too lazy the night I made this.

For the potatoes

2 small/medium Russet Potatoes cleaned and scrubbed well, cut into 1/4 to 1/3 inch slices

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea salt, to taste

Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Rosemary, to taste

Preheat oven to 40o. Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary making sure to get a little of everything on each potato slice. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes. If you want them a little crispier, bake a little longer. I like it somewhere in between.

Prepare the toppings

1 red bell pepper

1/2 large white onion (yellow or red would be great too)

extra virgin olive oil

Saute bell pepper and onions in olive oil until cooked through but still slightly al dente (a little firmness and color left in the bell peppers). Set aside.

Grate 2 cups mozzarella cheese

Homemade Alfredo Sauce for Pizza

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Melt butter in a small to medium saute pan. Add garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds. Slowly stir in flour, making sure no lumps form. Once smooth, slowly stir in cream, cheese, and salt. Sauce should be thick, a little too thick for pasta but perfect for spreading on pizza.

Pizza Dough

Use basic pizza dough recipe found in the label bread or pizza. Add 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic when you are adding the flour to the yeast and water mixture.

To assemble

Once dough is on baking stone or baking sheet-

Spread thick alfredo evenly over pizza.

Sprinkle mozarella evenly over sauce.

Place 3/4 of the bell pepper and onion mix evenly over cheese.

Place potatoes evenly over the bell peppers and onions

Place the remaining bell peppers and onions over the potatoes, giving the pizza a little color

Top with 2 teaspoons rosemary, rubbing it between your fingers to release the flavors as you sprinkle it on the pizza.

Bake on 400 for 12 to 15 minutes.

Apple & Cranberry Quinoa Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Quinoa (pronounced qeen-wa) is amazing. In case you haven't been introduced to this fabulous "super food", I will give you a quick run down. It is a grain (technically a seed) that is very high in protein. It's very versatile and can be served a million different ways. This salad really is the bomb, I love when I create things this healthy that taste fabulous! It is served slightly warm which may sound strange but it marries the flavors so well! My hubby looked at it with skepticism (which is very very rare) and he loved it and couldn't stop talking about it. I made this with red quinoa which is harder to find, you can use regular quinoa which can be found pretty much anywhere these days. This hard core healthy salad has a fun flavor, tastes great and it will leave you satisfied and full for longer then you expect.

1 cup red or regular quinoa

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/8 tsp ginger

1 tsp butter (to make vegan or vegetarian omit or use a non animal butter substitute)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Place above ingredients except quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and add quinoa, stir, bring back to a boil and place tight fitting lid on the saucepan. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

While quinoa is cooking, prepare the following-

2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped.

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 large granny smith apple, diced

Toasted pumpkin seeds for sprinkling (optional, use another seed or nut if pumpkin are not around)

Vinaigrette

Mix all of the following ingredients together

2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

To assemble the salad, let quinoa cool for 5 to 10 minutes with the lid on. (This salad is served slightly warm which wilts the spinach just a tad and plumps up the dried cranberries.) Add the spinach, cranberries and apple, mix well. Add the vinaigrette and serve warm. Sprinkle each dish with toasted pumpkin seeds

*Leftover salad is great cold. It's just nice to have it warm initially, like I mentioned above, it marries the flavors well, wilts the spinach just a tad and makes the cranberries plump and juicy.

* Red Quinoa can be found a Whole Foods and Good Earth in the bulk bens, it's actually not expensive (at least at Good Earth where I purchased it).

2 Pumpkin Favorites

If I was decent at writing, I would attempt to try and convince you all how wonderful pumpkin roll is, how amazing pumpkin anything is! I particularly love this recipe because it has more spice then the average pumpkin roll recipe. I also love the orange. I put orange in a lot of my pumpkin recipes. It's a secret treasure and everyone wonders why your pumpkin delights taste so darn delightful. Enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Roll

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1 cup flour

3 teaspoons orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup pumpkin (canned or fresh pureed)

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz cream cheese

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan (15 X 10) with wax paper, spray paper and pan with Pam spray or lightly grease.

Sift together dry ingredients (cinnamon through flour).

In your Kitchen Aid, or with a hand mixer, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Fold dry ingredients into wet 1/3 at a time, being careful not to over mix.

Pour pumpkin mixture onto wax paper (in the jelly roll pan) and bake in the oven for 13 to 14 minutes, when sides of cake will pull away from the pan.

Here's where it gets a little tricky, but if you just follow the instructions, it will turn out great.

1. Lay a large kitchen towel (a tea type towel is best, this means the towel has no texture, I always use a cloth dinner napkin)

2. Sprinkle the towel with a nice layer a powdered sugar. Use a generous amount, this will make rolling much easier.

3. Flip the cake pan over onto the powdered sugar towel.

4. Remove pan, and carefully remove wax paper, making sure you do not rip the cake, go slowly.

5. Roll the cake up with the towel to cool. Starting with a short end, roll it slowly together, the towel and all. Place seam side down so that the roll stays together as it cools.

6. Mix the cream cheese filling together with a hand mixer or with your Kitchen Aid.

7. Once the cake is cooled, slowly unroll.

8. Evenly spread the cream cheese filling over the cake.

9. Roll cake back up without the towel and cover with wax paper or plastic wrap.

10. Let cake rest in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

In honor of the fact that we all need 2 slices, lets be honest, maybe 3.

I LOVE these muffins. They are hearty, filling and very yummy. A perfect grab and go breakfast. The personal trainer/nutritionist in me who hasn't visited her own food blog much is putting her stamp of approval on these. The pumpkin flavor is mild but nice. Another thing I love about these muffins is that they actually keep me full for a decent amount of time which is hard to do. If you are missing an ingredient or two, let me know and I will give you a healthy alternative. Also, the first night I made these, I served them with dinner (the Molases and Honey Pork Chops post) and then we ate them for breakfast the rest of the week.

Healthy Pumpkin Apple Everything Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup flax seeds

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon all spice

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Granny Smith apple, grated (using the cheese grater)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 cup pumpkin (canned or fresh pureed)

1 cup buttermilk

In a medium to large bowl combine the first 9 ingredients together (flour though salt). Mix well with a wire whisk, set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, egg and oil together until fluffy. Add apple, vanilla, molasses and pumpkin. Stir well.

Into the pumpkin mixture, alternately add the buttermilk and dry ingredients, starting and ending with the buttermilk. Mix to combine.

Divide muffin mixture into 12 muffin tins (1 cup/standard size muffin tins).

Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes.

Molasses & Honey Seared Pork Chops with Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce

Pork chops . . . they always sound good, but hardly ever taste good. Friends, say goodbye to dry, flavorless chops and hello to moist flavorful lean pork. Boneless pork chops go on sale all the time but I never buy them because I am always disappointed with the end result. It has probably been a good 4 years since I have made them. I was determined to master boneless chops, so I spent some time reading all sorts of different cooking methods and I am so happy that I did. This is an elegant and simple meal, the marinade rocks and the flavors complement the fall season well. Searing may sound intimidating but give it a try and you will have a new cheap and fabulous dinner to put on the table.

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (the average cut you buy in the store)

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Marinade

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

5 fresh thyme leaves, torn in half. (I haven't tried but if you don't have fresh try 1/2 teaspoon dry, the thyme should be a mild accent flavor)

Place all marinade ingredients into a gallon zip lock bag, mix well with your hands. Add the pork chops and massage the marinade into the meat for about 1 minute. Place the bag into a bowl and let pork marinade in the fridge for at least 1 to 2 hours, up to 8 hours. (If you are around, rotate the pork a few times, giving all the meat a chance to marinade well)

Preheat oven to 350

In an oven proof skillet or pan, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil on medium/high heat. The skillet needs to be pretty hot to sear the meat.

With tongs, place pork chops on hot skillet for 3 minutes, turn over, cook the other side for 1 minute. Immediately place in oven, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

*Pork should not be served pink at all, it is poultry. If you do not cook pork often or you are unsure if it is done, check the middle of one and make sure it is not pink.

Serve hot over applesauce (see recipe bellow).

Simple, cheap & double delicious!

Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces.

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a medium to large sauce pot with a tight fitting lid. On medium heat, let apples steam/cook for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Once tender, use a potato masher to smash apple sauce to desired consistency (as smooth or chunky as you like it).

I finished off this lovely dinner with a cranberry and apple spinach salad and some pumpkin muffins (just an idea if you are having people over and want a complete fall meal)

Dinner serves 4

Pumpkin Caramel Apple Cobbler

4 layers of pure fall happiness

Moist spiced pumpkin cake

Tart & sweet apple cobbler filling

Buttery cobbler topping

Rich creamy caramel

I have been creating this recipe in my head for the last week or so. I was so excited to try it out on family tonight. The results made this cook very happy-cobbler for 16 fed cobbler for 8 mmmm good! This basically combined my two favorite desserts (apple cobbler and pumpkin everything) into one. This really is a no fail success, it may seam like a lot of steps, but they are all simple steps, happy baking!

Preheat oven to 350, spray an 11x15 pan well (not the normal 9x13, use the next size up, if you don't have that, use 2 smaller pans)

Read through entire directions, before starting. Make in the following order.

Cobbler Filling

10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients in large bowl, set aside.

Cobbler Topping

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch salt

Melt butter in saucepan on the stove top. Add sugar, stir until dissolved.

Sift remaining ingredients together, add butter mixture, mix well with a fork, set aside.

Pumpkin Bar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

Sift dry ingredients together, set aside.

Cream eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin until fluffy.

Fold wet ingredients into dry, being careful not to over mix.

Pour pumpkin batter into greased pan, gently place apples evenly over the batter, using a slotted spoon, leaving excess liquid in bowl. Dollop cobbler dough evenly over the apples, there will be plenty of apples without dough coverage.

Bake for about 40 minutes. It will be dry at 45, so watch it close and test at 40 min.

While the cake is baking, make the caramel sauce. Use your favorite recipe and drizzle hot over the top. I also served this with vanilla ice cream.