If it is made in a muffin tin it is made for me!!

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  Cheddar cheese cornbread with broccoli florets baked right inside!! Oh how nice! Have it on the side of some warm and hearty chili or with some slow roasted turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes. Yum!

 Making cornbread muffins with sour cream keeps them moist and adds a slightly different tangy taste to the cakes and are best served warm.

Sour Cream Cornbread Muffins: makes 12 muffins

(adapted from Land O'Lakes Recipe)

1/4 cup of Sommermaid butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of Cabot Sour Cream
1/2 cup of Milk
2/3 cup of Kenyon Mill Cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of shredded Atwell's Gold Cheese - or Sharp Cheddar
12  Broccoli Florets

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Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 425*f. In a large mixing bowl cream together the the  butter and sugar beating at medium speed. Slowly add one egg at t time afer the following is fully incorporated. Stir in sour cream and milk. Once combined add all remaining ingredients.

 Grease the muffin tins with butter and dust with flour. Spoon into the each tin about a quarter inch of cornbread batter. Place a broccoli floret standing upright into the batter and top with more batter to cover the top of the broccoli. Top with a sprinkling of cheese and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the muffin center is full cooked.

Oh... Ah... The Savory Cupcake

 I love cupcakes! For some reason there is no guilt in consuming a cupcake in my mind. It is as if the are absent of all calories fat and anything else that is not good for you. The smaller the get the better the are!

 Recently I have been wandering into the world of the savory cupcake. Oh how amazing it is! Having your breakfast, lunch and dinner even snack is just amazing.When entertaining it is a great way to present side dishes and small bites for cocktail parties. If you have children it can be a creative way to get them to eat something that normally would never make it's way onto the fork and the envy of all the other lunch boxes at school.

 Tomorrow will be the official day of winter here in the northern hemisphere; however, the cold weather came much earlier. Nevertheless, cold nights is the best for baking and with all of the holiday cookies, cakes and pies making the guestly appearances at the office, home, and everywhere else it is good to find some less sweet to bake. Lately i have been finding different dinners to bake into the small mold of the muffin tine. So far I have been successful with Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed Potato Topping, Lazy Man's Lasagna, Eggs in a Ham Cup, Sausage and Pancake Bites and the list go on...

Turkey Meatloaf with Whipped Mashed Potato Topping

Turkey Meatloaf:

2  cups of stale bread ( broken apart) or 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs

2 cups of milk

1 yellow onion diced

5 cloves of garlic chopped

2 lbs of Misty Knoll Ground Turkey ( can be substituted for Ground Beef)

1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning (Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Rosemary, & Thyme)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of tomato paste

Salt & Pepper to taste

Baking Spray

Mashed Potato Topping:

5 RI Royal Creamer Potatoes washed and cut evenly into 1" pieces

1 1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Garnish

Shredded Parmesan or other Sharp Cheese

Chopped Parsley

 Preheat oven to 400* and grease the muffin tins. 

 In a large bowl combine all of the meatloaf ingredients. Combine by hand until all ingredients are fully combined. Once all ingredients are combined divided the meatloaf mixture into 8 equal parts and place into the muffin tins flattening the tops of meatloaf. 

 Bake at 400* for 45 minutes

In a large pot of cold salted water add the potatoes and bring to a boil.. Boil the potatoes until tender and can be pierced with a fork. Once cooked drain the potatoes and mash the potatoes with milk and butter. 

 Once the meatloaf is cooked you top the cupcakes with the warm mashed potatoes sprinkle with garnish and serve! 

Lazy Cold Mornings and Yummy Fall Breakfast

There is something about cold Sunday mornings in November that I just love, having a crackling fire the crisp air out doors and the warm sun shining through the windows. There is nothing better than a lazy morning with warm coffee or hot chocolate slippers and the smells of cinnamon and maple syrup coming from the kitchen.  

 If you have friends or family for the holidays or even just visiting for the night Egg Nog French Toast with Gala Apples & Cranberry compote is a flavorful and easy dish to make. All of it can be made a day ahead and then baked and warmed up in the morning to greet your guests. 

Egg Nog French Toast with Gala Apples & Cranberry Compote

Makes 8 servings:

Ingredients for French Toast:

4 cups of Munroe Dairy Egg Nog

4 Large Local Brown Eggs

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of maple syrup or bourbon (optional)

1 Loaf of hearty white bread sliced into 8 slices and then halved (16 pieces,) remove end heel crusts

Cranberry & Gala Apple Compote (recipe below)

Powdered Sugar

 In a large flat bottom bowl whisk together the egg nog, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and either syrup or bourbon. In a greased glass baking dish (13x9,) lay the bread flat not layering pieces. Pour the Egg Nog mixture over the bread, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (can be refrigerated over night.)

 Preheat the oven to 400°f. Place the glass baking dish on the rack and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and puffy. Serve each plate with two pieces of French toast topped with warm compote and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Ingredients for Cranberry & Gala Apple Compote:

Makes 6 cups:

2 cups Carlson Orchard Cider

6 tablespoons of Maple Syrup or Light corn Syrup

8 tablespoons of Butter separated in half

3 Gala Apples cored, peeled & diced into ½” pieces

2 cups of fresh cranberries

½ cup of sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

In a large sauce pan combine the first three ingredients and bring to a boil stirring to combine all of the ingredients. Boil over high heat for 6- 8 minutes or until it is reduced by half. Transfer to a heat safe bowl.

 In a clean large sauce pan melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the apples and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the cranberries and ½ cup of sugar. Stir over medium heat until the cranberries skin begins to pop. Add the cider mixture combining all the ingredients and remain sugar. Boil until it has reduced to a syrup consistency. Spoon over French toast and serve warm.

 Left over can be kept in fridge and used with many fall dishes. 

Fortuna's Sausage Bake

 Welcome, November! The nights are coming earlier and the weather has gotten colder. When you step outside there is the smell of the fallen leaves and of chimney smoke lingering in the air. Warm comforting foods have taken the place of the summer salad and the last of the garden harvest are being brought in from the field. 

 A sausage bake is a flavorful and easy dish that takes minimal work and watching. It is perfect for those nights that you have book reports to work on, science projects to construct, and sports to practice. Just toss all the ingredients in a casserole dish or dutch oven put in the oven and let it go. 

Fortuna's Sausage Bake

Serves 4 

1.5 lbs of Fortuna's Sausage (Sweet, Hot, or Tuscano) cut into 2" pieces

4 Medium Potatoes (Red or White) Cut into 2" pieces

4 Ribs of Celery cut into 2" pieces

2 Medium Yellow Onions cut into 2" pieces

2 Green Peppers cut into 2" pieces

3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Zest from 2 lemons (optional)

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large casserole dish or dutch oven combine all of the vegetables and toss with the seasoning and olive oil to coat evenly. Add the sausage on top cover and place in the oven to bake for 20- 25 minutes. After 20 - 25 remove the cover and toss the veggies also piercing the sausage with a fork or knife. Keep the cover off and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 to ten minutes. Serve with warm bread and enjoy. 

Pizza Pockets - Great For the Lunch Box or After School Snack!

Makes 6   Ingredients: 1cup of Supreme Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 1 package of Italian Corner Pizza Sauce 1 package of Geppeto's Pizza Dough Portioned into six   Preheat oven to 375°    Defrost and portion the pizza dough into six even balls. Pound the dough out and roll into six small disks. Spoon desired amount of sauce onto each disk spreading evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Fold the dough over the filling in half. Pinch the edges with you fingers and brush the tops of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese.    Place the pockets on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.   Pockets can be baked ahead and refridgerated for lunches or frozen.         Recipe by Lindsay Armstrong Mitchell

Warm & Hearty Tortellini with Spinach and Fortuna's Sausage

 

  Rhode Island has a great Italian community that is passionate about food. Federal Hill in Providence has restaurants and specialty stores up and down the street and on the back streets. The best pasta that one can buy comes from the Constantino Family at Venda Ravioli.    My freezer will always have the basic staples of cheese ravioli, tortellini, cavatelli, and lobster ravioli (for the short notice dinner party!) Pasta dinners are great easy meal options that offers amazing flavor and variety to the dinner table. 

  Below I have one of my staple tortellini dishes that I make during the colder nights of fall and winter. The Fortuna's Sausage from Westerly, Rhode Island has such great flavors in it that you will not have to add any spice to the dish. If you want to add heat use the hot sausage instead or mix the different flavors together. 

Makes 6

Ingredients:

1 package of Venda Tri Color Tortellini

1 rope of Fortuna's Tuscano Sausage

1 package of Fresh Whole Spinach (cut)

2 cups of crushed Tomatoes

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the Venda Tortellini. Once the tortellini are floating to the top strain and set aside.

 Cut the Sausage out of the casing and set aside. Rinse the Spinach and cut or tear into one in ch pieces.

 In a large skillet warm the olive oil. Once the pan is warm add the Tuscano Sausage and brown. Once the sausage is cooked all the way through you can add the tomatoes and spinach. Once spinach has wilted add the tortellini and toss to incorporate all the ingredients.

 Top with grated Parmesan cheese and serve!

 Tortellini can be substituted for ravioli.  

Warm and Cozy Butternut Squash Carbonara

Photo Credit: Closet Cooking

  Last week Fall finally came to New England the cool crisp air pushing out the end of summer. Autumn in New England is amazing the tree come ablaze with color, trees are full of apples, and the nights are crisp and cool just waiting for a fire to bring warmth. This is also the time of year were kitchen come alive with the smells of spices mingling savory flavors of squashes, roasts, and pies baking!
  Last year a good friend of mine had told me all about a great butternut squash carbonara she had at a local restaurant Bacaro. The two of us had tried our hardest to dissect the contents and preparation of the tantalizing gift from heaven. After a year of searching I have found this recipe on the blog Cooking Closet, it truly is amazing and super easy to whip together. Since discovering it I have made it a few times and each time it has gotten rave reviews!

Butternut Squash Carbonara

(makes 2 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pasta (I prefer Orecchiette)
6 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
2 cups squash (cut into small pieces)
1 clove garlic (chopped) (I used 3)
1 tablespoon sage (chopped)
pepper to taste (fresh ground)

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (or asiago)

Directions:
1. Start cooking the pasta.
2. Fry the bacon in a pan.
3. Drain most of the fat from the pan but reserve some to cook the squash.
4. Add the squash, garlic, sage and pepper and toss to coat in the bacon grease.
5. Mix the egg yolk, heavy cream, cinnamon and parmigiano reggiano in a bowl.
6. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
7. Add the pasta to the pan and toss.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the sizzling to stop.
9. Add the egg mixture and toss to coat.
10. Add a bit of the pasta water and toss to mix and coat.
11. Garnish with more sage & serve