Baked Speghetti Squash with Chunky Marinara

God's creation makes me smile... I love that there is a squash that when you bake, turns into a dish that is just as good, if not better, than good old speghetti. This is definitely an "seasonal" dish though. Unfortunately, other than at your local farmer's market, late summer, these squash can be very pricey. But they are beautiful and plentiful during the late summer months. Guilt free, warm, comforting Italian food!!!!

*Prepare ahead because a larger squash will need to bake for about an hour or a bit longer*

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1 speghetti squash, sliced lengthwise ( this meal was for 2 people)

Olive Oil, garlic salt, pepper

Bake the squash cut side up, covered with foil for 45 minutes. Test with a fork and continue baking until soft. The sides should scrape away into "noodles"

For the marinara sauce:

1 small onion

1 medium bell pepper

2-3 cups of diced tomatoes

garlic sal and pepper

1/2 tsp of italian seasoning

Sautee the onion in some olive oil, salt and pepper on medium to low heat for a few minutes. Add the green pepper. Sautee another few minutes to soften. Add the diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Simmer while squash cooks.

Pour the marinara over each half of the sqush, top with cheese and serve. Caution, these will be very hot down through the layers. Scrape the sides as you eat to create more "noodles" So cool! Josh, my husband, actually giggled with joy over the yumminess of this meal!

Oat Bran and Parmesan Breaded Chicken

In my family, meat is not a very desirable option. But for some unknown reason, chicken nuggets are given permission to come to the table. I do turn to good old Tyson lots of time, but this time I may have made a discovery that would make the standby chicken nugget be a thing of the past! These are delicious, beautiful and were accepted by my kids and even better... gobbled right up!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

4-5 thin chicken breasts

Olive Oil

1/2 cup of oat bran (wheat germ would probably work too)

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

garlic salt and pepper

optional - dried parsley

On one plate drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil. On a second plate, stir together the oat bran, cheese, garlic salt, pepper and parsley. Cover the chicken in the olive oil and then the coating mixture, place on your baking sheet. Repeat with all the pieces. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for 15 more minutes. Until brown and beautiful.



Roasted Tomato Soup



The summer has brought us a bounty of vegetables and with fall approaching, my thoughts turn to football games and warm yummy soup! My plan for this soup is to be a base for chili, ministrone and stuffed pepper soup. But don't get me wrong, this soup is delicious on it's own with some fresh basil, parmesan, and a toasted cheese sandwich.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

Tomatoes

Onions

Garlic

Celery

Olive Oil

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock

Roughly slice any tomatoes, onions, garlic and celery that you have to use. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Roast at 400 for about 45 minutes until vegetables are bubbling and soft. Remove and allow to cool for a bit.

Puree them until smooth. Place in a large pot. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve or cool to store.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

I baked a pumpkin. I made muffins. I love when fall arrives!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup of pumpkin

This is an intersting technique that came to me out of desperation! I baked my pumpkin and only had time to scoop out the goodies and get it into a storage container. When I wanted to make these muffins, I realized I needed the pumpkin to be pureed. So I put the wet ingredients and the pumpkin in my blender. Blended it up. Added it to my dry ingredients already combined in the bowl and stirred. And there you have it! Muffins! I know. Little things make me happy... but my husband thinks that's a good thing!!!

Scoop muffins into a greased muffin tin. This makes 12 muffins. Bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

I also made a less healthy version. Used unbleached flour. Only 2 eggs. And added mini chocolate chips. DELICIOUS!!!! I love pumpkin and chocolate together!

White Bean and Eggplant Stuffed Peppers

I am forever grateful to my friend, Jen, who opened my eyes to homemade stuffed peppers! I was a young wife who didn't make much of anything and it was like a light bulb went on when I was fed the "yummiest" meal. How fun it is to make something so simple but have it transport you to a feeling that you're eating something very special. It also makes the husband very happt too. As Jen also taught me, the leftovers are great to use for stuffed pepper soup!

Ingredients:

3 medium bell peppers

2 TBSP of olive oil

1/2 of a sweet onion - diced

2 cloves of garlic

1 small eggplant - diced

1/2 can of white beans

1 cup of tomato sauce

4-5 leaves of basil - chopped (if you have it)

Using a knife, carefully cut around the stem of the pepper. Remove the stem and all the insides you can reach. You can use a spoon to dig the ribs and seeds out if there are a lot left inside. Set peppers aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sautee the onion on medium/low heat for 5 minutes to soften. Grate in the garlic cloves. If you don't have a grater, just chop it up very fine. Add in the diced eggplant. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Sautee for 5 more minutes. Add in the white beans, basil and tomato sauce. Allow to simmer for just a couple of minutes. Remove from heat and spoon into the hollowed out pepper. Top with cheese and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with a side of pasta or a salad. Delicious!!!!

Sauteed ground meat and rice are great substitutions if you have those ingredients. Just sautee the meat in the onions and garlic with salt and pepper. Add in the pre-cooked rice at the end with the tomato sauce.



Molasses and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

"The lack of baked goods in this house is a crime" ~ Joshua Braughler. Hungry husband of a wife who is doing a cleanse and ridding her body of sugar and other yuckies! Okay, I got the message! A "dieting" mama doesn't mean a dieting household! Cookies are the choice of sweets around here for the hubby and kids and it just so happens that oatmeal cookies, though delicious, just don't tempt me. Especially with raisins. So that was the clear choice of baking to satisfy the family before they began to pack their bags and head for nana's! These were warmly accepted with beautiful smiles on their precious faces. What a reward. And any recipe that I get to put black strap molasses into my family is a good one! Enjoy these wonderful little treats.  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients:
2 sticks of softened butter
1-½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
⅓ cups black strap molasses 
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2-½ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached flour)
2 cups whole oats
1 cup of raisins

In your mixer, combine butter, brown sugar, egg, molasses, vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients while mixing on low. Fold in the the raisins. Scoop onto baking pan. Bake for 11 minutes. Until firm to touch. Don't overbake.

Basil and Feta Bruschetta

Bruschetta is one of the most delicious and appetizing meals. That's why it's one of the most popular appetizers on the menu. But did you know that it is incredibley easy to throw together? And it can even be done on the grill if you don't want to heat the oven. Even in the winter months, it is just as delicious with canned ingredients! So smile and enjoy this delicious, fresh and beautiful dish. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees OR heat your outdoor grill

Ingredients:

1 Loaf of Italian bread (There is a recipe for homemade at the beginning of my blog posts)

1 large tomato diced

Crumbled Feta cheese (or shredded mozzarella)

5 or 6 leaves of basil chopped

Minced, zested, or dried garlic (or garlic salt)

Salt (if NOT using garlic salt)

Pepper

Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside. Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle with your desired amounts of garlic, salt and pepper. Spread onto each slice of bread. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is browned. And enjoy!

If you want to use your grill, place the olive oiled bread on the grill and toast one side. Flip over and top with toppings. Turn the heat on low, close the lid and let the cheese melt. YUM!