I’m definitely in my cozy winter cooking mode and craving warm, comforting dishes. This cooked up quickly for a great weeknight dinner. I heated up a loaf of bread and cooked some carrots and dinner was done.

1 1lb pork tenderloin, cut into 8 pieces

1 cup sauerkraut

sage

1 apple, cored and cut into 8 slices

cinnamon

salt and pepper

1/4 cup cider

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the sauerkraut out on a large piece of parchment, in a space large enough for the pork. Cover with the pork. Season pork with a pinch of sage sprinkled over it. Top with apple slices. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix cider and cornstarch and pour over and around the food. Seal the packet and bake for 20-25 minutes until a meat thermometer says the pork has reached 145 degrees. Allow the packet to rest about 5 minutes before opening and serving. Serves 4.

I’m definitely in my cozy winter cooking mode and craving warm, comforting dishes. This cooked up quickly for a great weeknight dinner. I heated up a loaf of bread and cooked some carrots and dinner was done. 1 1lb pork tenderloin, cut into 8 pieces 1 cup sauerkraut sage 1 apple, cored and cut into … Read more →

Rapini is also called broccoli rabe.  I love trying new and different veggies, so I was excited to give this a try. In this recipe, I’ve made it into a meal by including tuna and beans. Grate some Parmesan cheese over this if you like.

Half bunch of rapini

1 can tuna in water, undrained

7.5 ounce can of chickpeas, drained

3 sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chicken broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cut about a 40 inch piece of parchment paper (if you want to use a standard size piece -see Technique page on this blog- then you need to cut the rapini in half before placing on the parchment). Place the rapini on the parchment. Pour tuna and water over the rapini. Add the beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle minced garlic on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle olive oil on top. Mix chicken broth and cornstarch and pour on top. Fold the parchment (see Technique page) and bake for 20 minutes, or until rapini is tender. Serves 4.

This recipe feels very hearty and is great with some Italian bread.

Rapini is also called broccoli rabe.  I love trying new and different veggies, so I was excited to give this a try. In this recipe, I’ve made it into a meal by including tuna and beans. Grate some Parmesan cheese over this if you like. Half bunch of rapini 1 can tuna in water, undrained … Read more →

It was a cold night and I was down in the dumps. The cure? Cozy, warm, fall comfort food. I put together this tian (which is kind of like a gratin, minus all the tons of butter and cream) and let it slowly cook in the oven. It came out perfectly – pretty and tasty. It serves 4 with leftovers.

1 parsnip, peeled, thinly sliced

1/8 large sweet onion thinly sliced

15 baby carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 rutabaga, peeled and thinly sliced

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Thyme

Olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

Cut a 24 inch piece of parchment. Make about a 9 inch circle with the parsnips, layering them over each other around the circle and in the middle. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle half the onions on top. Layer carrots on top of this and repeat salt, pepper, thyme, oil, onion. Then layer rutabaga, repeating seasonings and toppings. Layer potato slices on top, repeating toppings again. Pour cream over the entire thing. Fold the parchment (see Technique page on this blog) – for this one I used the folded ends instead of the twisted ends. Bake at 350 for an hour.

You could add chopped garlic to this, grated cheese (Parmesan would be my pick, included in the layers), or 1/4 cup milk to boost the creaminess. You could also drizzle with melted butter instead of olive oil for a deeper flavor. I liked it being pretty basic and was able to enjoy all the flavors of the vegetables.

It was a cold night and I was down in the dumps. The cure? Cozy, warm, fall comfort food. I put together this tian (which is kind of like a gratin, minus all the tons of butter and cream) and let it slowly cook in the oven. It came out perfectly – pretty and tasty. … Read more →

I’m always looking for ways to make vegetables more exciting, hoping to entice my kids and husband into not only eating them, but enjoying them. My latest attempt was to dress up asparagus and it was quite successful.

1 bunch asparagus

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 1/2 tsp mustard (I used a ground mustard, but a Dijon would also work)

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Place asparagus on parchment (see Technique page for instructions). Mix other ingredients in a small bowl or custard cup and spread over asparagus. Fold the parchment and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

I really liked this. It was light but had lots of flavor and made the asparagus taste like something new and exciting!

I’m always looking for ways to make vegetables more exciting, hoping to entice my kids and husband into not only eating them, but enjoying them. My latest attempt was to dress up asparagus and it was quite successful. 1 bunch asparagus 1/4 cup light sour cream 1 1/2 tsp mustard (I used a ground mustard, … Read more →