I look forward to butternut squash soup every fall. There is nothing better on a cold fall night than a bowl of that hearty soup with some good homemade crunchy rolls. As much as I love the soup, sometimes it’s fun to mix it up a bit which is why I played around with an easy butternut squash pasta sauce. Pasta is one of our favorite meals too, but just like the soup, sometimes it’s good to mix it up a bit! First, the butternut squash. They look intimidating, but they are super easy to prepare. If you don’t want to peel and cut it yourself, most produce departments have…
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Is your Garden Overflowing with Zucchini?
Have you ever yelled at a deer? One summer night, I stood on my deck, overlooking my little vegetable garden and watched helplessly as a deer feasted away on my almost ripe tomatoes. Ugh! I had been waiting so patiently for them to ripen. Just a couple more days I thought, why the tomatoes? The bigger problem was my garden was overflowing with zucchini! Yes, a first time gardener and I planted way too many zucchini plants. Those babies are quite proliferative! My sister was staying with me that summer so I figured a little extra would be fine. I found out later that she was not a fan of…
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Beef and Mushroom Burger – Italian Style
It seems everything has been affected by this virus and we are constantly changing something about the way we used to live. It started with a run on toilet paper (I know I’ll read this in a few years and still be scratching my head over that one!) to wearing masks in public to being limited to how much meat you can buy at the grocery store. Not to mention the economic and health impacts for so many of our families, friends, and neighbors. I can’t help with much of this but I do have a way to get more out of your ground beef! I came across this trick…
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Scallops in a Lemon Rosemary Sauce
We took a trip to Cape Cod this past fall where I had the most delicious scallops I think I’ve ever eaten. The first night I ordered them, they were served over polenta with a red pepper sauce and greens. The second time I ordered scallops they were served with clams and pasta with a light lemon sauce. Both were sweet, buttery, and delicious! I came home knowing I needed to try to make them myself. So, I set out on my quest to find good sea scallops but ran into a small problem – finding fresh, dry-pack scallops in Pittsburgh is a bit difficult. So, what do I mean?…
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Instant Pot Beef and Barley Stew
On a cold winter night, there is nothing better than a good hearty stew. Over our holiday vacation, we had a couple of really chilly nights when this was just what we needed. One of our favorite stews is my Beef and Barley Stew and making it in the Instant Pot delivers a stew that tastes like it has been “stewing” all day long! I love kitchen gadgets! I typically ask for one for Christmas every year and usually, it’s just something small. But last year, to my surprise, my wonderful husband gave me an Instant Pot. I didn’t ask for it, but he knew it was the “new” thing…
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Leftover Turkey with Peas and Mushrooms
Every year after our Thanksgiving dinner I wrap up some of the leftover turkey in Ziploc bags and throw it in the freezer for later. I’m usually busy either traveling or entertaining right after Thanksgiving and other than making a quick soup or using some of the really nice leftover pieces for a sandwich, I don’t have time to use all the leftovers, but I really don’t want them to go to waste. This year, Mark and I were traveling for Thanksgiving and had our own Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before. I didn’t have time to make anything with the leftovers before we left so I packed up the scraps…
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Italian Sausage, Spinach, and Artichoke Pasta Bake
Pasta bakes are a perfect make-ahead meal.
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Pesto Chicken Pasta
So long lazy, hazy days of summer! On to one of my favorite times of the year – Fall! I love the colors, smells and slight chill in the air. One thing I’ll admit that I don’t like is our hectic schedules and rushed dinners. So, I’m working on having more quick and simple weeknight dinners this year. Evenings just seem more rushed in the fall. Maybe it’s because it gets dark earlier, but it just seems we are always rushing around and a leisurely dinner just isn’t in the plans…at least during the week. That is where quick and simple weeknight dinners come into play. I’m trying to have…
