Pumpkin Baked Ziti

Okay, I know this sounds gross.  But my husband said this is possibly the best thing I've ever made.  Which says a lot if you know my husband :)  I did use fresh homemade pasta, but I am sure it would taste wonderful with whatever pasta you used.  I also used the full fat version!  :)  Enjoy this fabulous fall dish.

Pumpkin Baked Ziti

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 0 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

8 servings

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (1 pound turkey sausage, for Richard Simons' version)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 (15-ounces) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (omit ingredient for Richard Simons' version)
• 1 pound ziti pasta, cooked (1 pound whole wheat ziti, for Richard Simmons' version)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (1/4 cup Parmesan, for Richard Simmons' version)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter (8) 8-ounce ramekins.

Cook sausage in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until fat is rendered about 8 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside. Discard any fat from the skillet in excess of 2 tablespoons.

Add onion, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and oil to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until soft; about 3 minutes. Stir in pumpkin puree, chicken stock and sage. Mix together and add salt. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cream and sausage. Simmer until the sauce comes together and is thickened slightly.

Add cooked pasta and parsley to the skillet and gently toss all the ingredients together to coat. Divide the rigatoni mixture between the 8 prepared ramekins. Sprinkle the tops of each ramekin with Parmesan cheese and bake for 35 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

Chicken with Apple, Onion and Cider Sauce

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  Cook Time:

  18 min

• Level:

  Easy

• Yield:

  4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large red onion, cut into large pieces
• 1 sweet cooking apple, cored and cut into large pieces
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Place the chicken in the skillet smooth-side down and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the onion and apple to the skillet, along with 1 tablespoon oil, if the pan is dry, and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing, until the onion has wilted slightly and the apple is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Let the mixture boil until the vinegar becomes syrupy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and return to a boil. Cook until the broth reduces by half. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter.

Remove the chicken from the oven; add any collected juices to the sauce. Divide the chicken among four plates and spoon the apple, onion and pan sauce over each piece. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Recipe by: Food Network

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

This is definitely a treat for dinner. It was a bit involved and took time, but it is totally worth it!!! This week I am making meals that are a bit more involved and fancy for my Husband to celebrate Thanksgiving. He absolutely loves food and misses his families cooking around the Holiday's. Hopefully I can bring a bit of home to him. Gnocchi is an Italian dish that I usually only like when his Grandfather makes it. Although, this recipe was pretty good. Not as good as his, but still very delicious.

For the Gnocchi:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for the work surface

For the Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
20 fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the Gnocchi: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pierce the sweet potato with a fork. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender and fully cooked, between 40 to 55 minutes depending on size. Cool slightly. Cut in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large measuring cup to make sure the sweet potatoes measure about 2 cups. Transfer the mashed sweet potatoes back to the large bowl. Add the ricotta cheese, salt, cinnamon, and pepper and blend until well mixed. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough in a ball on the work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Roll out each ball into a 1-inch wide rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. Roll the gnocchi over the tines of a fork. Transfer the formed gnocchi to a large baking sheet. Continue with the remaining gnocchi.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi in 3 batches and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the gnocchi using a slotted spoon onto a baking sheet. Tent with foil to keep warm and continue with the remaining gnocchi.

For the Brown Butter sauce: While the gnocchi are cooking melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the sage leaves. Continue to cook, swirling the butter occasionally, until the foam subsides and the milk solids begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Careful, the mixture will bubble up. Gently stir the mixture. When the bubbles subside, toss the cooked gnocchi in the brown butter. Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish and serve immediately.

I didn't cook all the Gnocchi since I  knew it was filling and we wouldn't eat all of it.  I cooked half of the batch and froze the rest.  They should last in the freezer for a couple months.  I put them on a cook sheet and froze them and then after they were individually frozen I put them into a ziplock bag.  This way they won't stick and you can take out a few and cook up a quick meal.

Recipe by: Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network.

Posted by: Tracy Lytle

Apple Pork Chops

My family gives this 5 stars

Preparation - 30 minutes

Cook time - 1 hour

Difficulty - Easy



1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

6 (1/2-inch-thick) pork chops

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 medium-sized cooking apples

2 cups apple juice, divided

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice


Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl; dredge pork chops in mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Brown pork chops in oil in a large skillet. Arrange chops in a 13-x-9-x-2-inch baking dish.

Core unpeeled apples, and cut into rings; place on chops. Pour 1 ½ cups apple juice over apples. Combine sugar and allspice; sprinkle over apples. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until chops are tender.

Remove pork chops and apple slices to a serving platter, reserving pan drippings. Dissolve 1 ½ tablespoons remaining flour mixture in remaining ½ cup apple juice. Combine flour mixture and pan drippings in a saucepan; cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over pork chops. Yield: 6 servings.


I got this from Southern Living

Mrs. E. W. Hanley

Palm Harbor, Florida