Sausage and Butternut Fettuccini

I have been working on this recipe for a little while and it is so tasty and just speaks of fall. I have made it before with homemade pasta but here I made it with store bought pasta. It is really good and I think it is a current favorite of mine.

Sausage and Butternut Fettuccine

• 1/4 c pecan pieces
  
• 1/4 lb Italian sausage
  
• 2 tsp sage leaves, sliced thinly and divided


• 1/2 of a butternut squash, cooked through and cut into 1 inch cubes
  
• 2 Tbs butter


• 1 lb fresh fettuccine


• 1/2 c pasta water reserved

I start out with a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the pecans lightly until they smell warm and nutty. Be really careful to keep moving the pan so they will not burn. Once they are toasted remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same hot skillet break up the Italian Sausage into small pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Get the pasta water hot and get the pasta cooking and finish the sauce. Toss the squash and sage leaves into the skillet with the sausage and warm through. Add in the butter and a little pasta water if you need it to make a sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then toss with your drained fettuccine.

Serve topped with the toasted nuts and enjoy! This will definitely warm you up and have it feel like fall.

Corned Beef Hash

My favorite way to use leftovers is to make corned beef hash. It is really great for breakfast or a dinner as well. It is also a fairly simple thing to put together because most of the ingredients are made already if you made the corned beef and cabbage the night before, most of it is just assembly.

Corned Beef Hash

• 1 Tbs olive oil + 1 Tbs butter
• 1 c leftover cooked potatoes, chopped
• 1/4 lb sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 c chopped bell pepper
• 1 1/2 c chopped, corned beef
• 1 1/2 c of the cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs, poached

In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter and oil together. Saute the potato, mushroom, and pepper until golden brown. Add in the corned beef, cabbage and seasoning and heat through. In the mean time poach the eggs and serve over the top of the hash.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Jake and I love Corned Beef. It is one of our favorite dinners and it leads into one of our second favorite meals with the leftovers..
I will normally stock up on the corned beef when St Patricks Day comes around and they have them on sale. I freeze them and then when we feel like having it I pull them out of the freezer. I have found that they are much harder to come by and more expensive just any time of year. This was one I had in the freezer and decided we were in the mood for some corned beef so I put one together today on my lunch break. It is an easy dinner because you just have to put it on and let it cook, then when I get home I put the cabbage in and it is really easy and hands off for the most part.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

• 1 corned beef, this one was 3 lbs
• spice packet from the corned beef
• 2 12 oz beers of your choice
• 1 smaller head of cabbage, cut into wedges

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Rinse your corned beef off and place fat side up in a large lidded soup pot. Sprinkle with the contents of the spice packet and pour the beers over the top. Place lid on the pot and place in the oven. Bake for 4 hours. After the 4 hours have gone by take the pot out and place your cabbage in around the beef. Cover again and place in the oven and turn the heat up to 300 degrees. Bake for another 30 minutes until the cabbage is tender.

If you would rather not have the oven on when you are not home you can definately do this in a crock pot and just cook it all day instead of the 4 hours. I have done it this way and it works equally well.

Slice the meat and serve with the cabbage and a good mustard! We also like to eat this with some buttered boiled potatoes. Very satisfying, stay tuned for the best leftover use in the world in my opinion.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

This week on Friday Baking with Not Quite June Cleaver I made Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. I of course tweaked it a bit and added chocolate chips instead of the raisins because I am not really a raisin in my cookie fan. They turned out good and are a fun twist on the regular oatmeal cookie. A good one to try out for sure.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 /2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup shortening, or softened butter
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 egg(beaten)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup raisins or craisins (I used 1 c chocolate chips instead)

1/2 c pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add shortening and stir until mixture is crumbly. Stir in egg, pumpkin, oats and raisins or chocolate chips and nuts if you like. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or until beginning to brown around the edges and dry in the center.

Beef and Barley Soup

I love beef and barley soup and have always wanted to make it from scratch. So I got it in my head that I needed to come up with a beef and barley soup recipe. I think it turned out really good and I threw it together when I got home and then let it simmer while I mowed the lawn and when I was done so was it. We had some garlic toast with it and it was a satisfying meal on a cool fall evening.

Beef and Barley Soup

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 6-8 mushrooms, halved and sliced
• 1 c pearl barley
• 2 c chopped cooked beef, I used leftover roast
• 1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 5 c beef stock
• 1 tsp herb de provence
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 c green peas

In a soup pot or dutch oven heat the oil over medium heat and saute the celery and carrot about 5 minutes until starting to soften. Stir in the mushrooms and let them cook a few minutes until getting opaque. Stir in the barley until it is coated with the oil and let it toast slightly until you can smell a warm nutty scent (About 2 minutes).

Then stir in the remaining ingredients except for the peas. Bring everything to a simmer and turn heat down to low. Let cook for about 60-90 minutes until the barley has bloomed and it tender. You may need to add some water or beef stock at this point if it has absorbed a lot of the liquid to make it the consistency you like for your soup. Stir in the peas and let them cook for 5 minutes and then serve.

Savory Breakfast Scones

This week on Friday Baking with Not Quite June Cleaver I made Savory Breakfast Scones. They were very good and tasted great warm out of the oven for breakfast. I split up the work and cooked the bacon and shredded the cheese and measured out the dry ingredients the night before and then when I woke up I finished them and we could have them hot and fresh. It is definitely a good one to take on a camping trip or something like that!

Savory Breakfast Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (freeze butter for 15 minutes for “chilled” butter)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 400. use a full tablespoon for a wonderfully peppery background or reduce by 1 tsp for less pepper flavor.
Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl on low speed. With mixer running, gradually add cubes of butter until the mixture is crumbly and studded with flour – butter bits about the size of small peas.
Add grated cheese and mix just until blended. (This can also be done by hand: In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Gradually cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles small peas. Stir in cheese.)
Add green onions, bacon and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk to flour and cheese mixture. Mix by hand just until all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is too dry to hold together, use remaining buttermilk, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball.
Stir as lightly and as little as possible to ensure a lighter-textured scone. Remove dough from bowl and place it on a lightly floured flat surface. Pat dough into a ball. Using a well-floured rolling pin, flatten dough into a circle about 8 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into 8 to 10 equal wedges, depending on size scone you prefer.
Whisk egg and water in a small mixing bowl to combine. Brush each wedge with egg wash. Place scones on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle. Serve warm.

Dried Pears

Dried Pears

We had some extra pears on our tree this year and I decided to dry them. Jake and I both like dried fruit and I have made them before and we liked them.

First I peeled and cut the pears in 1/8ths. Then I soaked them in acidulated water so they don't get brown. Place them on the racks of a food dryer or on racks in a low oven. I set my dryer at 145 degrees but I have done it in the oven on the lowest setting and it works well. You just do it for less time. They take about 12 hours to dry completely so they are chewy and not too moist.

Store in a air tight container for several weeks.

Pumpkin Rolls

This week on Friday Baking with Not Quite June Cleaver I made Pumpkin Rolls. They were very good warm and then we had them as a breakfast sandwich this morning. Very good!