Pasta with Sausage

Original Recipe by Kitchen Groovy
1 box of whole wheat rotini pasta
2 carrots, diced
1 lb. sweet italian sausage, sliced (regular or turkey would work great)
2 1/2 C leftover sauce from Braised Shortribs, hot

Over medium high heat, cook sliced italian sausage on a frying pan until fully cooked. Set aside on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any fat.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add diced carrots to the noodles in the boiling water about 1-2 minutes before the noodles are done cooking.

Drain noodles and carrots. In large serving bowl, combine pasta, carrots and sausage. Add in the heated leftover sauce and combine until well mixed.

Chef's Note: feel free to add what you like to this dish - it's leftovers! I encourage you to add what you like and what you are craving! Brocolli would be a GREAT addition! I only added what was left in my refrigerator! :-)

Braised Shortribs

Original recipe by Wildfire Steaks, Chops & Seafood

4 - 12 oz cut rectangles of cleaned, boneless short ribs
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb peeled carrots, sliced ½" thick
1 lb cubed onions, 1" square
12 oz sliced celery, ½" thick
¼ cup sliced garlic cloves, 1/8" thick
2 tsp minced, fresh rosemary
2 tsp minced, fresh thyme
2 ea bay leaves
2 cups red wine
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups beef stock
1 cup diced tomatoes in juice

Make sure short ribs are cleaned of excess fat and silver skin. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.

Place large sauce pan on high heat on stove. Add olive oil and brown meat on both sides. Remove short ribs from pan and add vegetables.

Caramelize vegetables, then add garlic and herbs and cook for two more minutes.

Pour in red wine and balsamic vinegar and cook down until half the liquid has evaporated. Then add chicken and beef stocks and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Add short ribs back to pan. Place parchment paper over short ribs, then cover with aluminum foil or pan lid and place in a 370 convention oven. Cook in the oven for two hours, 40 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and let sit for a half an hour. Remove short ribs from pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain sauce. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Add short rib pieces to sauce, and heat until hot.

My Personal Chef's Note: I take the leftover sauce and vegetables, place it in a food processor and make a gravy. It is an absolute must do! Salvage as much of the sauce as possible, as the sauce makes for great leftover meals!

Serve with roasted root vegetables and mashed potatoes (with sauce, too!). Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Harvest Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

4 T pomegranate juice2 T sherry wine vinegar
1 T Lunds & Byerly's Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Lunds and Byerly's Island Breeze Seasoning
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
6 T grapeseed or canola oil
2 HoneyCrisp or Braeburn apples, cored, diced
2 - 5oz. packages mixed spring greens
1 C shaved aged Gouda cheese
1/2 C thinly sliced shallots
1 C roasted, salted pepitas
1 C pomegranate seeds

In mixing bowl, whisk together pomegranate juice, vinegar, syrup, lemon juice, Dijon, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil.

Place diced apples in bowl; pour 1/2 C vinaigreete over, tossing to coat. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Place spring greens in large mixing bowl; pour remaining vinaigreete over, toss to coat.

Arrange tossed greens on 8 salad plates, using slotted spoon to divide apples over each salad. Garnish with cheese, shallots, pepitas and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over each salad.

To prepare ahead: vinaigrette will keep, tightly covered, in refridgerator for up to 3 days.

Nutella Tart

original recipe by Carmela Hobbins
serves 8-12

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 C Nutella
1/2 C semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 C white chocolate morsels
1/2 C sliced almonds (I like a lot of almonds, so I used closer to 3/4 C)
Cocoa for dusting
Whipped cream for garnishing

1. In an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together for about 4-5 minutes until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add almond extract, followed by flour. Mix until combined.

2. Press dough into a 10x1" tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes, or as long as overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove tart pan from refrigerator and drop spoonfuls of Nutella evenly over the crust (don't attempt to spread as it might damage the tart). Bake tart for about 5 minutes, remove from the oven and now spread evenly the softened Nutella over the crust. Sprinkle chocolate morsels over the Nutella, then top with the sliced almonds.

3. Bake on the lower rack of the oven until crust is golden, about 20-25 minutes. Cool, remove side of tart pan and serve at room temperature or warm. Dust the plate with cocoa and garnish with whipped cream.

Steak Fajita Chili

Original Recipe by Food Network Magazines
Adapted Recipe by Kitchen Groovy

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups canola oil
• 3-4 pounds boneless beef short ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 64 oz. low-sodium beef broth (you will not actually use all of it)
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 red and/or green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons hot chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 C frozen corn kernels
• 2 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Guacamole, sour cream, taco-blend cheese and fried tortilla strips, for garnish

Directions

Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and sear until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to another large pot (set the first pot aside) and add the broth. Cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 cup oil in the reserved pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, flour, 1 tablespoon pepper, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, until the flour is smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until the meat is done.

Transfer the short ribs to a cutting board; cover the broth and set aside. Let the meat cool slightly, then cut into chunks. Place the pot with the vegetables over medium-high heat. Slowly add the warm broth and whisk until smooth. Stir in the chopped short ribs and the beans, bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and fried tortilla strips, for a little extra crunch.

Roasted Tomatoes

Original recipe by Ina Garten
Adapted recipe by Kitchen Groovy

12 plum Roma Tomatoes, halved
1/4 C good olive oil
1 1/2 T aged balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes start to caramelize and the flavores are concentrated.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Real Spaghetti and Meatballs

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

For the Meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground veal
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground beef
1 C fresh white bread crumbs
1/4 C seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 extra large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For the Sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 whole white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 C good red wine, such as Chianti (I used a Malbec, as this is my favorite wine)
2 - 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
3 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
For Serving:
1 1/2 lbs. spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS
For the Meatballs:
Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and 3/4 C water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2" meatballs. You will have 14-16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large 12" skillet (I used a large Dutch oven) to a depth of 1/4". Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium heat, turning carefully with a spatula or fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil bud don't clean the pan.

For the Sauce:
Heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 25-30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan cheese!