October 26, 2016

“Fall” in Love with Baby Shower and Chocolate Caramel Apple Bites

laura.smoak@gmail.com Appetizer, Life, Sweets 3 Comments

Picture credit goes to Heather Blackwood and Taylor Logan (a million thanks!) because it was too late to take pictures when I decided I wanted to document this on the blog.

Last week a couple girlfriends and I hosted a shower for some of our friends that are expecting their first baby. The expectant parents both work for my organization, and they happen to live in our neighborhood, so we’ve become good friends over the last couple of years. With help from others in our organization we pulled off a shower that I think turned out pretty great. The theme was “Fall in Love with Baby Simon,” and we just had a bunch of Fall food and décor.

The shower was so fun, and I think they really liked it!

We had the shower in the dining room at work, with the beautiful woods as the backdrop. It was kind of a windy day, so there were plenty of times that we would just see a flurry of leaves falling to the ground. Imagine a Winter themed shower with it snowing outside, but with Fall leaves instead. It was truly, magically Fall.

The menu was easy, and we had help from other people:

Chili Bar
Traditional Chili
Vegetarian Chili
Corn Bread
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Sliced Jalapenos
Waffle Bar
Pumpkin Whipped Cream
Syrup
Chocolate Sauce
Caramel Sauce
Fresh Popped Popcorn
Pumpkin Pie Dip
Apple Slices
Graham Crackers
Chocolate Caramel Apple Bites (recipe below)
Drinks
Apple Cider
Wine
Beer

Décor was easy. My friends Sarah and Taylor had a bunch of wooden trays that we used as serving pieces, and we used lanterns and small pumpkins/gourds to round things out. I also ordered some custom onesies for baby Simon, so we made a banner out of those.

If you find yourself hosting a baby or bridal shower in the Fall, I would highly recommend this theme. It was so easy and had that effortlessly perfect feel. Now we just have to wait for baby Simon to make his intro!

Chocolate Caramel Apple Bites

Ingredients:

Large Granny Smith Apples (each apple makes 6-8 balls, so multiply by the number you need)
Melting Chocolate (I use this kind – found in the baking section of the grocery store)
Melting Caramel (I found this kind at Michael’s)
Cake pop sticks (also found at Michael’s)

Directions:

Using a melon baller, ball out 6-8 bites from each apple. Insert a cake pop stick through the skin side.
Melt the chocolate according to package directions.
Dip the apple bites in the chocolate, making sure it is completely covered, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once you’ve dipped all of the apple bites, set in the freezer for 15-20 minutes for the chocolate to set.
Melt the caramel according to package directions.
Dip each bite into the caramel, covering the bottom half of the bite.
Return to the parchment paper, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to set. Leave in the refrigerator until just a few minutes before serving or the bites will start to sweat.
Enjoy!

October 19, 2016

Fair Fun and Butternut Squash Lasagna with Sausage

laura.smoak@gmail.com Life, Pasta, Prep Ahead 0 Comments

Let’s call today Wacky Wednesday, shall we? I have no tie-in between the two things I’m talking about today other than the fact that they’re both basic Fall things and that when we came home from the fair we had leftover butternut squash lasagna with sausage waiting in the fridge. That works right?

This past weekend we went to Raleigh to hang out with my sister’s family and go to the fair. I’ve blogged about it before, but anytime we get together with cousins it’s a great time. Throw in rides and fair food, and you’ve got one happy Anna Ruth. Corn dogs, hot dogs, obnoxious square ice cream cones, funnel cake, blooming onion and (the best ever) bagguetaboutit <– srsly, guys, this food truck makes me want to move to Raleigh. We ate things we never eat, and didn’t feel bad even for a second. The kids were troopers and had a ball, and I’m pretty sure we need to make this an annual thing. Here are just a few pictures, but just know I am crying over not taking food pictures because it was so wrong and so right and I wish I had a visual to get me through the next 364 days until we go back. (I’m mainly sharing these pictures so I can have it documented for myself, but enjoy! If you’re just here for the recipe – no prob, bob – just scroll on past.)

Okay, since I’ve already established I have no tie-in, let’s just jump right on into the butternut squash lasagna with sausage sitch. You guys, this lasagna is so basic and so Fall I just can’t help but do and wear all the Fall things. The day we made this, I just happened to buy five thousand pumpkins and mums (while sipping on my PSL, obv), and rocked my favorite boots and scarf JUST BECAUSE this lasagna got me in that kind of mood. It’s so basic and so Fall and everything I need in my life on a cool Saturday made for football watching and lazy cooking.

This is far from a traditional lasagna (read: butternut squash), but the effort and assembly are about the same. You need a little time for this one, which makes it perfect for a weekend meal. (Bonus: leftovers are a’plenty, and – voila – lunches are ready for the week.)

You may remember my love for butternut squash runs deep (read about it here, here and here). It’s just so good and so versatile. Roast it with a little olive oil, Italian seasoning and S&P and it can be used for so many different things. It is also incredibly good with Italian sausage. Fact: I started out making a meatless lasagna, but Italian sausage raised its hand and I just couldn’t say no. You’re welcome.

Ingredients:

2 lbs mild Italian sausage
2 lbs butternut squash – chopped (I buy the pre-chopped container at the store)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper/Italian Seasoning – to taste
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 tsp sage
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
12 whole grain lasagna noodles
White Sauce:
-3 tbsp butter
-¼ c flour
-2 ½ c milk
-½ c shredded parmesan cheese
1 c shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butternut squash and olive oil on a baking sheet and season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook for 45-60 minutes, or until soft.
Prepare the sausage: Cook the sausage over medium heat until done, making sure to crumble it as it cooks. Drain in a bowl lined with paper towels and set aside.
Prepare the noodles: Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse with water to keep from sticking, and set aside.
Prepare the filling: Put the cooked butternut squash into a food processor (or blender), and add ricotta, sage, salt and eggs. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined, and then puree until smooth.
Prepare the white sauce: in a small sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in the milk, and continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes just to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan until it is melted.
Assemble the lasagna: spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Spoon about 1/4-1/2 cup of the white sauce in the bottom of the dish
Spread four lasagna noodles over the bottom of the dish
Spread 1/3 of the butternut squash mixture over the noodles
Spread 1/3 of the sausage over the mixture
Spread a little of the white sauce over the sausage
Repeat: 4 noodles, 1/3 butternut squash mixture, 1/3 sausage, a little white sauce
Repeat again: 4 noodles, remaining butternut squash, remaining sausage, remaining white sauce
Top with shredded mozzarella

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and turn on the broiler just until the cheese is totally melted and starting to brown.
Enjoy!

Notes: I would definitely go with the mild Italian sausage here. Hot would overpower the other ingredients. Also, regular lasagna noodles will work, but the whole grain gives it a slight nutty flavor that pairs really well with the butternut squash.

October 12, 2016

Saturday Brunch Surprise

laura.smoak@gmail.com Breakfast, Prep Ahead 0 Comments

Happy Wednesday, folks! Today we’re talking about one of my favorite things: Saturday Brunch.

First off, let’s get right to the elephant in the room: that *obnoxious* name. The truth is I really don’t know what to call this dish. The inspiration came from Andy. When he was in college he worked at a little coffee shop that would make something similar to this whenever they had leftover hardboiled eggs. The owner of the coffee shop had a different name, but my mama raised me to not be crude, so Saturday Brunch Surprise it is! (Also, I’m open to any name suggestions you think would be more fitting, please and thank you.)

Now that that’s out of the way, back to business…Fall Saturdays (and really any Saturday if we’re being totally honest with ourselves) are made for a good brunch. Wake up, put on your warm slippers because Fall temps are starting to settle in, pour yourself a cup of coffee and have a leisurely morning topped off with a delicious meal. Have your people over or don’t – you, bae and the kid(s) can enjoy brunch before getting on with whatever Fall activity you have planned that day, and it’ll tide you over into the football-watching-snack-eating afternoon.

We enjoyed this particular brunch a few weeks ago with my family on the morning of my birthday, and everyone loved it. The “surprise” can be made ahead, so there is very little work involved the morning of. The gist here is you have a mixture of egg, bacon and cheese served over a bread of choice. Think of this as sort of a breakfast egg salad (surprise!), but with way way less mayo than would go into an actual egg salad. Side note: the bread of choice obv needs to be a halved biscuit, but I won’t judge you for using English muffins or plain toast. As written the recipe makes quite a lot, but it is easily halved. Whatever plans you have this weekend, make sure to include these. You seriously won’t regret it.

Ingredients:

12 hardboiled eggs – peeled and chopped
1 lb bacon – cooked and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread of choice*
Sliced cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Gently mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
Spoon the mixture onto the bread* and top with sliced cheese (if using).
Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

* We buy the biscuits with pull apart layers, bake according to package directions, then split in half and put the filling on the halves.

** These make great leftovers. Even if you’re planning to eat on these for days, go ahead and bake them with the cheese on, then just refrigerate until you’re ready to eat and then microwave for about 30 seconds.

October 5, 2016

Bacon Sweet Potato Kale Frittata

laura.smoak@gmail.com One Pot Dishes, Prep Ahead, Quick and Easy Mains, Veggies 2 Comments

Frittata: a dish that sounds fancy and complicated, but really comes together in minutes and makes you feel like a domestic goddess because you just made a frittata. This frittata is even better because two of the three main ingredients are make ahead, and the third just needs to be washed and chopped.

Seriously, guys, if you’ve never made a frittata before, please let me enlighten you. A frittata basically consists of eggs, optional meat, optional veggies and optional cheese. Think of it as a “clean out the fridge” dish resembling a crustless quiche. If you have 15 minutes, you can make a frittata. Any veggies you have that need to be used up are fair game. I have yet to find a combination that doesn’t work.

This frittata, however, came about from leftovers I already had in my fridge. Last week I talked about how roasted sweet potatoes have joined my list of veggies I like to prep ahead on the weekend, so there’s that. We also had some leftover bacon – Andy decided he should just finish cooking the rest of the package one Saturday morning, and HELLO we do not need to eat 12 pieces of bacon for breakfast, so I made sure we saved half.

Parents, listen up. A major bonus here is that I can get Anna Ruth to eat a ton of veggies she wouldn’t normally eat were they not baked into eggs. She loves frittatas, and clears her plate every time. Girlfriend will not touch kale otherwise. Have a picky eater? Try this and see if they take the bait.

The number one thing you need here is a skillet that can go from the stove top to the oven (I use my cast iron skillet). You start with the veggies/meat in the pan, add the eggs, let set and then finish in the oven – easy peasy!

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato – cubed and roasted (see last week’s post)
6 slices bacon – cooked and chopped
6 stalks kale – torn into small pieces
2 tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
8 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat bacon grease (or olive oil) over medium heat. Add kale and sauté until slightly wilted.
Add bacon and sweet potato, and make sure everything is evenly dispersed.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and season with a little salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture over the bacon/sweet potato/kale mixture, and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs start to set.
Top with the mozzarella and put into the oven. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs are completely set and the cheese is melted.