Archive for the ‘Main dish’ Category

Today is a 3-cup day. Of coffee, that is. I was glued to the election coverage last night despite my usual 9:30 bedtime. And yes, I’m aware that this confession makes me sound incredibly lame. But as someone who needs 8 hours just to function and who normally wakes up at 5:34 to hit the gym (yes, those extra 4 minutes are very important), I don’t have any other choice.

Although eating enough fruits and veggies and working out are extremely important, sleep counts just as much. Even despite the health benefits, I love sleeping. My parents never had to force me to go to bed s a kid. I happily obliged.

So now I’m yawning through the morning and thinking about the fun activities happening after work tonight. A few of us co-workers, past and present, are meeting to discuss Emily Giffin’s “Where We Belong.”

We’re also ordering Topper’s Pizza, which is one of my favorite takeout pizzas. It’s right up there with Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust Pizza, which I haven’t been able to eat in years because Brenton doesn’t like it and there isn’t a Pizza Hut nearby.

Speaking of good food, it seems like we’ve been eating our weight in squash lately. I sill have a bunch of acorn and spaghetti squash to use up because we’ve been chipping away at our butternut squash stash (with Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Chipotle Soup and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad – recipe to come!). Our latest creation is a one-pot meal that uses squash, spinach, goat cheese, bacon and gnocchi.

I only discovered gnocchi about 2 years ago and it’s one of my favorite things to make. Gnocchi with White Beans was one of the best meals I made last year.

I love how versatile gnocchi is. It plays well with so many ingredients, whether it be tomatoes or cheese. When I have more time, I’d love to make this stuff from scratch a la Carol or Brigitt.

Question: What are your favorite things to do with squash? Links welcome!

And don’t forget! You still have until Monday, November 12 to enter my Pasta Shoppe Giveaway! I’m giving away 3 holiday gift sets so get those entries in!

Whenever the King Arthur Flour Catalog comes in the mail, I feel like a gal on Christmas morning — not only for their products, but their recipes too. I immediately start clipping away and circling the products I need for next time.

This catalog I received a few weeks ago had a bunch of awesome recipes that I wanted to try. Since we are lucky enough to have a whole crock of sourdough starter in the fridge, I wanted to tackle their Corn and Scallion Sourdough Pancakes first.

By the way, King Arthur recently redesigned their catalog. I love how neat and organized it is now.

Also, this recipe couldn’t have come at a better time because corn, green onions and tomatoes are all in season at the farmers market. There is a pretty good market in downtown Milwaukee every Wednesday, which is where I picked up my goodies for this recipe. Since the rain was less than stellar this year, make sure to peel pack your corn to make sure it’s good. A cob I peeled back and thought was good a few weeks ago had a worm coming out of it (EWWW!!).

I made these pancakes on our Black and Decker Flat Top Griddle. These first two cakes were our testers, but then we were able to fit on 5-6 cakes at a time.

Attention MKE peeps!

The Eat Local Resource Fair is coming up on August 25 at the Urban Ecology Center. This event also kicks off the Eat Local Challenge. If you want to learn more about both events, see the post I wrote last year or visit Eat Local Milwaukee.

My First time at Botanas Mexican restaurant in Milwaukee was well over a year ago. I still remember what I ordered: a cheese quesadilla a la carte and a bowl of their Chicken Enchilada Soup. That soup was so amazing that I have been looking to recreate it ever since.

Today, my coworkers and I headed to Botanas again to welcome our new project manager to the team. I ordered off the lunch menu – a pork tamale and beef enchilada with rice and beans and a side of their chicken enchilada soup.

So I thought it would be fitting to show you my copycat recipe for Botanas Chicken Enchilada Soup. It’s adapted from a few different recipes on AllRecipes.com (where people said it tastes like the soup at Chili’s). I have to say, it’s pretty close to the original.

Question: Have you ever tried enchilada soup? If so, where? ALSO, if you could recreate any dish you’ve had in a restaurant, what would it be?

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. B and I drove up to Appleton for some family time, which included a Friday fish fry, trolling the indoor farmers’ market and playing with B’s twin nephews – the cutest 3-year-olds I’ve ever seen.

We also got our hands dirty making homemade pasta for an article I’m working on. We made homemade pierogies, spinach pasta and, of course, fettucine noodles.

All this pasta making has me coveting the Kitchenaid attachments for my mixmaster.

B’s mom and I also got crafty and made homemade pillows for my love seat. These were super easy to make. I bought these 14″ pillows from Jo Ann’s and some of their home decor fabric (about a yard of each color and I had some scraps left over). Here is a great video tutorial from the Crafty Gemini that explains how to make an envelope-style cover.

We also made a Boppy pillow cover for my soon-to-be nephew. There are a lot of patterns online, but we made our own pattern by tracing an existing Boppy pillow cover. This only requires 1-1/3 yards of fabric and a 24″ zipper. Because this was a lot of trial and error, I would suggest finding a pattern online (like this one from Vanilla Joy).

Question: Would you ever attempt homemade pasta? What is your favorite kind of pasta?

Although it seems like just yesterday that She’s on the Run came to be, one whole year has gone by (I can’t even believe it).

But when I look at my first post, it reminds me how much has changed.

I’ve moved, switched jobs and have been through more life experiences than I’d care to admit (such as being hit by a tough economy firsthand). I’ve also had my share of good times and discovered a new passion. Take this blog for example. It combines my two great loves: cooking and writing. And it’s great to look back at all my culinary accomplishments this past year (and laugh at the ones that haven’t gone so well).

To celebrate, I’m compiling my favorite recipes.

Cookie Dough Truffles
For those of you who make chocolate chip cookies just to sneak bits of the dough, these tiny treats are for you.

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
The most delicious way to cook with butternut squash.

Taffy Apple Salad
I’ve easily made this salad a dozen times (including a tasty batch last week). The combination of apples, pineapple and marshmallows puts me over the moon.

Potato Carrot Zucchini Pancakes
A unique twist on traditional potato pancakes.

Tater Tot Casserole
This may not be the best looking dish of the bunch, but it’s definitely the most comforting.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Shaped like a muffin but with the flavor of a doughnut…make these for a truly special breakfast.

Rhubarb Crisp
My preferred way to use up Summer’s fresh rhubarb.

Gnocchi with White Beans
This dish is easy and impressive – definitely worthy of serving to company.

My Birthday Cake
So what if I didn’t exactly make this? The carrot cake from Simma’s is the best I’ve ever had. in. my. life.

Happy Birthday, She’s on the Run! Here’s to many more!

Cheers,
Alysha

In Wisconsin, we’re known for deep frying everything from fish to candy bars. And if you’ve been to the State Fair, you know that’s only the beginning (deep fried butter, anyone?).

So when we found ourselves with some leftover Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, I figured why not?

Before this point, I’d never eaten deep fried mac. I got the idea from Brenton (who would indulge in these morsels before class at UW Milwaukee).

Deep Fried Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Start by whipping up a batch of baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (adapted from Martha Stewart). Let cool.

Next, place some parchment paper on a baking sheet. Use a biscuit cutter to pack down the mac to create hockey pucks. Place in the freezer overnight. Before frying, defrost slightly.

Preheat the oil in your fryer to 350 degrees. Then make your favorite Beer Batter. Dip each mac and cheese puck in the batter. Shake of excess.

Place in the fryer.

Remove when batter becomes golden brown – about 3 to 4 minutes.

Now, just don’t burn your mouth.

Quick: Favorite deep fried food?

-Alysha

Chances are, you probably still have some Thanksgiving leftovers on hand. Me? I’m all too happy to be digging into stuffing for the third day in a row.

At our house, my dad makes a huge pot of Turkey Noodle Soup that we are still enjoying a week after the holiday. It’s also great for a quick lunch, as are my Second-Day Turkey Sliders.

These appeared Wednesday in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. There was a contest for all Wisconsin Food Bloggers to develop a sandwich using Thanksgiving leftovers.

This recipe not only uses leftover turkey, but cranberry relish and dinner rolls too.

Question: What is your favorite way to use Thanksgiving leftovers?

Gobble Gobble!
Alysha