Pasta with pumpkin, bacon and gorgonzola sauce

Yep so with a 7 month old, plus working full time, plus everything else life wants to toss at me I don't have the time to cook like I did before. So when I find some short cuts that I can gussie up to make a meal more...well...good, I take them and run. I saw this jar of sauce at the Market District and dove right in. It even had a little hang tag on it with some recipes, even better!

One of the recipes was to add bacon and gorgonzola and make a lasagna or other baked pasta dish. We figured we'd use that as a jumping off point. I caramelized some onion and deglazed the pan with a little balsamic vinegar. We had cooked some bacon yesterday morning and actually had some leftover (truly a miracle)...that got chopped up and added in. Then added the jar of sauce and about 3 oz of crumbled gorgonzola. I let it simmer until the cheese got all melty and served it over farfalle. Fall goodness!

The pictures are terrible... but last time I checked I was doing this as more of a digital archive of recipes not to win photography awards, lol.

Avocado seafood soup

I have to dig out where norm found this recipe, but it was really good! We had it this summer while sitting outside on the deck...i miss summer already!

He also made a salad with summer berries and a berry balsamic dressing, and grilled garlic and herb baguette.

Cantaloupe, Prosciutto, and Arugula Salad

I made this to take to a friends house for a late summer dinner as I had been craving both prosciutto/cantaloupe and a salad and google delivered! We tossed in some crumbled goat cheese, too because everything's better with cheese : )

Cantaloupe, Prosciutto, and Arugula Salad

http://www.emerils.com/recipe/7943/

1/4 cup champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil or vegetable-olive oil blend
1 tablespoon minced mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, chives, and parsley)
8 ounces fresh arugula, rinsed and spun dry
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cantaloupe, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut into thin wedges
6 to 8 thin slices prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces (I used cubed proscuitto to save some time!)
(added 1/3 C crumbled goat cheese before tossing)

In a mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, shallot, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. While continuously whisking, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Whisk in the herbs, and set aside while you prepare the salad.

In a large bowl, combine the arugula and red onion. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette to taste, if desired, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Arrange the cantaloupe wedges on a large serving plate, top with the arugula salad and the prosciutto. Serve immediately.

Helpful Hint: Any unused vinaigrette can be stored in a nonreactive, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Avocado & Goat Cheese Dip

Being a lover of all things goat cheese, who was I to pass this up??? Plus it has AVOCADO in it...yum! I did not keep the link of where I pulled this from, unfortunately, because credit is very much due!

Avocado And Goat Cheese Dip

2 ripe Avocados
4 ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled
1 Lime Juice
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 red Fresno Chilies, seeded and minced (jalapenos or Serranos ok)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Cut avocados in half with knife and separate. Remove seed, and with a large spoon, scoop out flesh into a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado and mash the flesh with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve immediately or store refrigerated, with one of the avocado seeds pressed into the dip to help retain its color (also cover with plastic wrap pressed down to keep air off).

Tortilla Soup!

With fall in the air, I was dying to get back to soup dinners. After a quick search on line I found this gem...and it was delicious. It had some heat from a jalapeño, and heartiness from a can of well-rinses black beans. The poblano pepper was a welcome flavor as well. I made some quick cheese quesadillas on the side to round out the dinner. This will definitely go in to our Fall/Winter soup rotation!


Tortilla Soup
Source: http://timothy-dzurilla.suite101.com/tortilla-soup-a40027

Ingredients

For Tortilla Strips

8 corn tortillas
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
For soup

1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, chopped (you can also throw a couple extra jalapenos in to spice the soup up a bit)
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
4 cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock (PLEASE, no water)
1 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes (you can substitute a Tablespoon of tomato paste as well)
2 cups of shredded chicken
Optional: diced squash, carrots, corn kernals, hominy, black beans, or any other vegetable you might like could go in as well
Finishers

1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup cheese (either queso fresco, shredded Monteret Jack, or even Chihuahua cheese)
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, wedged
Dollop of sour cream or crema
Procedure

Tortilla strips:

Cut the tortillas into half inch strips.
Lightly fry in oil until crispy and golden brown. Remove strips, sprinkle with salt, and set aside.
Soup:

In a soup pot fry onion, garlic, and peppers in a bit of oil until soft.
Add oregano, tomatoes, chicken, and other vegetables. Allow to simmer for half an hour to meld the flavors.
Serving:

Ladle a serving of the soup into a bowl. Top with tortilla strips, cheese, cilantro, a quarter of an avocado, and a dab of sour cream.
Serve with a lime wedge and extra cilantro.


Read more at Suite101: Tortilla Soup: Quick and Easy Mexican Recipe with or without Chicken | Suite101.com http://timothy-dzurilla.suite101.com/tortilla-soup-a40027#ixzz1ZkxzSGtP

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Another one of my favorite soups for "Souper Monday"! It has so much flavor and reheats for lunch in a snap.

Sausage and Lentil Soup
Makes 6 servings (about 1 C each)
4 points each

1 clove garlic, minced
1 C cooked frozen spinach
1/4 C chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 C dry lentils
6 C fat-free chicken broth
3 links of sweet Italian turkey sausage

Remove sausage from casings. In a non-stick skillet, brown sausage, crumbling it as it cooks. Set aside.

In a soup pot, sautee garlic and onion in cooking spray. Add chicken broth, lentils and spinach. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 mintues. You want the lentils cooked, but still firm.

Add sausage and tomatoes. Simmer an additional 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Can also add 2 C of cooked pasta (like orzo or other smaller pasta shape) to the soup for additional points.

Super Tuscan White Bean Soup

Another "Souper Monday" entry. I looooooved this soup. Mostly because it has bacon in it! But it's filling and yummy and makes for great lunches for the week for me. The basil, garlic and crushed red pepper topping really makes it stand out.

I think I got it off of the Betty Crocker Web site. It gave me a chance to use my new immersion blender - my favorite new kitchen gadget.

Super Tuscan White Bean Soup
Makes 6 servings (about 1C each)
5 points per serving

4 slices center cut bacon
1 medium onion, quartered
1 medium stalk of celery, quartered crosswise
1 medium carrot, quartered crosswise (I just used a handful of baby carrots)
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
3 cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf, dried
1/2 C white wine
4 C fat-free chicken broth
3 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/4 C basil, julienned
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tsp olive oil (omitted)

In a 4-quart saucepan, cook bacon, onion, celery, carrot and 2 cloves of garlic over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Add beans, bay leaf, wine and chicken broth; cover and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and cool about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in an 8-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add 1 TBSP garlic; cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic begins to brown. Stir in red pepper flakes, cook a few seconds; stir in basil and cook until it wilts.

Remove bay leaf from soup. Pour into food processor; cover and puree. Return to saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 5 mintues or until heated through. Top each serving with a small amount of basil garlic mixture.