Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage Before Cooking

I hate going out on New Years, I always have. When I was younger I normally went to bed far before midnight and on the rare occasion I did stay awake I shied away from parties. It doesn't help that I am not a fan of champagne, it is too dry for my tastes. This year I will probably stay up with my husband watching movies. I like to keep things low key. On New Year's day I will make cabbage soup for good luck and that's it. Nothing fancy, no parties, just my family and a good meal. That's my idea of a great New Year's, simple and no-fuss.

For Christmas Eve I made a number of dishes. My kids and I love Brussels sprouts and I make them every year. This year I tried a new recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage from the December 2013 issue of Eating Well magazine.

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This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I followed this recipe pretty close to the original. I used 3 ounce of pancetta since that is the size package I purchased at the grocery store. After 20 minutes the Brussels sprouts were still too crispy, so I allowed them to roast for another 15 minutes.

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My kids really loved this recipe. They are big Brussels sprouts fans and this recipe was no exception. The pancetta added a nice flavor to the vegetables and the sage was a perfect herb to go with the Brussels sprouts. With a 130 percent of the daily value of vitamin C per serving this recipe was a nice way to get a healthier side onto my Christmas Eve day meal.

For the recipe go to Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage.

Slow Cooker Ham and Navy Bean Soup

My freezer is currently full of soup. In the last couple of months I have made numerous soup recipes and frozen a great deal of them. I freeze in single serving containers in order that all I have to do for a great lunch is pull one out and reheat. It's a great time saver and so much better than canned. I'm also lucky that both of my kids are huge fans of soup and stew. They actually get excited when they discover soup on the stove for dinner. It might be genetic since I seem to always reach for soup when I need some good old fashioned comfort food. There are few things better than a great bowl of soup, a warm blanket and a great book on a cold fall/winter afternoon. Since I also love my slow cooker this time of year I am always looking for new soup recipes that utilize the crock-pot. Recently, I tried a new recipe for Slow Cooker Ham and Navy Bean Soup from the holiday recipes magazine from Better Homes and Gardens, which looked easy and perfect for a cold winter afternoon.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It takes 5 1/2 hours of cooking, 40 minutes of prep and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I chose to use navy beans instead of Lima beans for this recipe. I would love to say that I love Lima beans, but I don't. They are the one bean that I just can't learn to love. My husband loves kale, so that is what I used in this recipe. As I've stated numerous times before I make my own chicken broth and this recipe was no exception. Instead of quick soaking my beans I chose to let the beans soak overnight. I find overnight soaking much easier and less time consuming. Make sure to adequately salt this soup once it's done. I found that I had to add a substantial amount of salt. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If your looking for an easy slow cooker soup recipe, this dish fits the bill. It is very easy to put together and the flavor was perfect. My whole family really liked the flavor and I love that it uses kale which is very healthy. This recipe would also work well with a variety of dried beans, so don't be afraid to experiment.

For the recipe go to Slow Cooker Ham and Lima Soup.

Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew

This is my favorite time of the year. The weather gets cooler, the leaves start to turn beautiful colors and stews and chili start filling my kitchen with delicious smells. I love stew. There is something so comforting and warming about a great stew. It can transform a bad day into something bearable. I use my crockpot extensively during the cooler months, but there are some stews which just taste and smell better when done on the stove. There are few things better than the smell of stew on the stove. It's very warm and inviting. My favorite meat to make stew with is lamb. When cooked correctly, lamb is a great meat in a variety of recipes. Recently I tried a new recipe for Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew from Everyday Food, which looked easy and perfect for the cooler weather to come.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes a total of 1 1/2 hours, 15 minutes of which is prep and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients and made no ingredient modifications. I chose not to top the stew with parsley. The parsley at my local store was mediocre, and my kids pretty much hate it, so I chose to leave it out. Make sure to adequately salt the stew. Without adequate salting the stew will lack flavor and be bland. After salting the flavor was perfect. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I love stew made with lamb and this recipe was great comfort food. The lamb was tender without being over cooked. If your looking for a stew with a variety of spices, this isn't the recipe your looking for. The flavor of the stew comes from the lamb, which is delicious if cooked correctly, After salting this stew was perfect comfort food and even my two boys enjoyed it.

For the recipe go to Lamb, Potato and Leek Stew.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Leeks

My oldest son is in a food stage. He has decided that he no longer will eat cheese and his favorite food is chicken. If I serve any type of chicken he will gladly eat his food. Anything else can be hit or miss. Some days he loves pork, other days he can't stand it. Luckily his younger brother will pretty much eat anything that is given to him. He eats a ton as well. I made a loaf of banana bread last night and he has already eaten the whole loaf. Since one of my kids eat everything in sight and the other one only eats chicken I have been making a ton of chicken recipes. My husband and I also love chicken, so it has been working out relatively well. Recently, I tried a recipe for Pan-Roasted Chicken with Leeks from the September issue of the Food Network Magazine, which looked perfect for my two boys.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 40 minutes of total time, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. Instead of making flour I used cornstarch since it is gluten-free. I found that it took longer than the recipe suggested for the sauce to reduce. I would estimate an additional 2-3 minutes. Make sure to squeeze the lemon over the finished dish, it really does make a difference to the finished flavor. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

Of course my oldest son loved this recipe since it had chicken. He ate his whole serving and then raided the fridge for leftovers. My youngest son loved that he could hold the chicken while eating it, which he thought was hilarious. The flavor was light and complimented the roasted chicken well. The chicken itself was plain, but the sauce was delicious.

For the recipe go to Pan-Roasted Chicken with Leeks.

Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs

Anyone that reads this blog regularly knows that I love soup. It is probably one of my favorite foods and I could literally eat it twice a day. My two sons are the same way. At dinner tonight they informed me that they weren't hungry and therefore not eating. After they had the soup in front of them they happily ate their whole bowls. In the last couple of months my husband has decided that he wants to lose weight and I have been making a conscious effort to make more low-fat meals. Soup is a great way to incorporate lower calorie foods and I have been experimenting with a number of recipes. When I was looking through the April issue of Bon Appetit magazine the recipe for Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs caught my eye and it looked low in calories and delicious.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. I chose to leave off the chopped fresh basil topping, my basil went bad in the fridge and I chose not to purchase more. I made my chicken broth from scratch like I always do. Stock from scratch tastes so much better and is a lot cheaper! The recipe states that it makes 28 meatballs, I found that I only made 17 meatballs. in total. I like larger meatballs so that might be the reason. I let the finished soup cook for around five minutes to ensure that the meatballs had fully cooked. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The flavor of this soup is absolutely delicious. The broth tastes almost similar to the broth in wonton soup, it really has a lot of taste. My husband and two boys were huge fans of this soup and ate multiple servings. I found that this recipe made more than the four servings suggested. It made enough for dinner for my family of four plus leftovers for lunch the next day. This is a soup that I will definitely make again!

For the recipe go to Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs.

Eating Well Leek and Lemon Linguine

Anyone that reads my blog consistently is probably tired of hearing me profess my love for pasta. It is the one food that I have loved as far back as I can remember and that even if I'm having a bad day I feel better after eating. My two boys share my pasta love and are often caught eating pasta leftovers while standing in front of the fridge. I'm not a big fan of heavy pasta sauces. My favorite way to prepare pasta is with a light sauce of butter and cheese. Overly heavy jarred sauces leave me lethargic and bored. I'm still working on having the time to make homemade pasta consistently. I have even bought the attachment for my kitchenaid, but haven't actually made anything other than ravioli; someday it will happen. Lately I have been receiving a new food magazine, Eating Well, and I have been pleased with the large amount of pasta recipes included. One of the recipes that caught my eye was for Leek and Lemon Linguine, which looked simple and full of lemon flavor.

This recipe has 10 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes to prepare and cook and makes four servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store. Instead of using whole-wheat pasta I used regular spaghetti. Honestly, I know that whole-wheat pasta is better for me, but I just can't deal with the taste. I have tried every brand available and I find them all slightly gritty and with a flavor that isn't to my liking. Following the recipe suggestion I added a small amount of goat cheese to the finished pasta and tossed. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written

For less than two dollars a serving, this recipe is full of flavor from the lemon zest and cheese. I like how simple the flavors and preparation was and the ingredients basic and easy to find. I ended up doubling the recipe in order to feed my family of four and have enough for leftovers. The leftovers were even better the next day after all the flavors had sat in the fridge overnight. Overall, a simple pasta recipes that costs dollars to make.

For the recipe go to Leek and Lemon Linguine.

Saveur Kartoffelrahmsuppe (Spiced Potato Soup)

Cold weather doesn't agree with me. I freeze once the temp hits approximately 50 degrees. Everyone else in my house seems content to sit around in t-shirts, while I have a sweatshirt and huge blanket wrapped around me. To me the fall and winter are worse weather wise than the summer. Even when I am burning up I can shed clothes or turn on the air conditioner, in the winter I just plain freeze. One thing I love to keep me somewhat warm during the cooler months is soup. There is nothing more warming than a big bowl of soup and a slice of homemade bread. Recently, Saveur magazine had a recipe for Kartoffelrahmsuppe (Spiced Potato Soup), which looked creamy, warm, and delicious.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. The prep and cooking time is approximately an hour and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients. Recently, my local grocery store has started carrying leeks in the organic section, which is so much better than having to drive 30 minutes to the suburban grocery store. Instead of store bought stock, I used the homemade chicken stock that I already had in my freezer. I chose to leave out the caramelized onions since my two boys were eating the recipe, and would shy away from them. Instead of cooking the soup for 30 minutes, I allowed my soup to cook for closer to 45 minutes in order for the potatoes to be completely soft and cooked through. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was very impressed with this recipe. The horseradish gives the soup a spicy undertone which blends perfectly with the potatoes and leeks. The recipe states that it makes 4 servings, but it made enough for a meal for my family of four plus leftovers for lunch the next day. This soup would make a great addition to a steak dinner or a roast beef sandwich. A delicious soup that would compliment a variety of beef dishes.

For the recipe go to Spiced Potato Soup.

Martha Stewart Living Smoky Sweet-Potato Soup

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. I love everything about it, the smells, the decorations, and most importantly the cooking and baking. One of the foods that I absolutely love to cook in the fall is soup. This week I decided to make a whole week of soup and chili. The first soup that I decided to make was from Martha Stewart Living magazine and the recipe was for Smoky Sweet-Potato Soup.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes a total of 40 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes of which is active. I was pleased to find that my local grocery store is now carrying both leeks and pepitas, which made me very happy. In the past I have been unable to find either ingredient. I used homemade chicken stock which I already had in my freezer. I did find that it took longer than the suggested 20 minutes for the sweet potatoes to fully cook, probably closer to 30-35 minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you like spicy soup, you will like this recipe. It definitely has a kick from the chipotle chile. To cut down on the heat, you could always seed the chili before adding it to the soup. I like that this soup doesn't use heavy cream or butter, making it far less in fat than many soup recipes. My husband and two-year-old liked this recipe, my five-year-old ate too many cookies and didn't want to try any of the soup for dinner. Overall, a delicious, easy, and low-far soup, perfect for the fall season.

This recipe is currently unavailable on-line, but can be found in the October 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. There is a recipe for Sweet Potato and Chipotle Soup and Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Curried Apples, which use some of the same ingredients and would have some of the same flavors. These recipe can be found on the Martha Stewart website.