Katie Curtis

Christmas Gift Ideas For Foodies

6 December, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Have a foodie in your life? Or maybe you’re the foodie and everyone is like, what do you want for Christmas? Here are a few things I’ve found on the web and beyond that I have been loving (and perhaps adding to my own list!). Hope your fellow foodie heart will like them too.

1. These mini latte bowls and pasta bowls from Anthropologie:

Aren’t they so cute? The big ones are the perfect size to hold while you are cozying up with past in front of a movie or a fire. And the mini ones are perfect for ice cream sundaes and tiny servings of pudding or cobbler, or just to use as ramekins.

2. Copper Measuring Cups:

It seems like I can never have too many measuring cups. I am loving these ones by Sur La Table – they look like mini copper pots.

3. The Insta Pot –

You may have seen me on IG stories showing you how I use mine, but if you are not familiar with it, it is just 6-in-1 (or 7-in-1 depending on your model) pot that can be a Pressure Cooker, a Slow Cooker, A Steamer, A Ricer and…that’s all I know. I love the Insta Pot because it is a BIG time saver. I can steam veggies in 7 minutes, I can reduce a slow cooker 3-4 hour recipe to 50 minutes. I make pulled pork, lamb curry, beef stew, all in a fraction of the time. Great for those afternoons when you realize you forgot to take something out of the freezer in time to slow cook it. It goes on sale sometimes for or , but this is a great gift at any price.

4. Veal Demi-Glace –

Whenever I am eating something at a restaurant and I think ‘how did they get this deep flavor?” the answer is usually veal stock, or veal stock that has been reduced to a demi-glace. It is something most home cooks aren’t going to make on their own (when was the last time you had bundle of veal bones? Or 20 hours to roast them?) Enter this little jar of goodness – the Williams-Sonoma Veal Demi-Glace. I just ordered two – one for me and one for a gift, but I kind of want to order more.

5. Ina’s New Cookbook –

I mean, we all ready love her, but isn’t Jeffery the cutest? Now we love him too. As usual, the recipes are very approachable, original, and look strait up delicious. She includes her VERY easy recipe for homemade ricotta which is enough of a reason to buy the book. I love how Ina describes her passion: “I have no greater pleasure than cooking for the people I love, particularly my husband Jeffrey.” Amen, sister.

6. Black Trumpet Cookbook –

This book is for the food lover who is always looking to grow and learn more about flavors and techniques. Chef Mallett is my very favorite Portsmouth chef, and his dedication to local farmers and communities is inspiring. He started out as a food writer, which may be why I love this book since it is filled with wonderful stories and experience (food+words=my jam). Pretty much everything about this book is rich with flavor.

7. The pasta pot with strainer lid:

Even if the only thing you make in the kitchen is mac and cheese, this whole operation just strikes me as very very useful. I am amazed this hasn’t been around as long as, say, toaster ovens because holy convenience. I think it would be great for making chicken stock too – I always seem to tumble hot pieces of carrots and celery everywhere when I strain mine. (p.s. This color is sold out, the link is for one that is available.)

8. The Remy Side Chair from Restoration Hardware:

Foodies usually like to gather around a table, and with 4 kids, I really appreciate a chair I can wipe down. I am swooning over these that I saw on Jones Design Company and hoping to pull the trigger on them soon since they are on sale!

9. Basically, the whole Magnolia Market includes lots of great gift ideas but I really love these Turkish Tea Towels:

10. …and I also love these cutting boards.

I use my rustic cutting boards all the time, for crusty bread on the table with soup, quick cheese board if friends pop by, anything. A must have for food lovers and really reasonably priced for the amount of charm and rustic appeal they give.

11. This Fermentation Crock might not look pretty but if they love pickles and sauerkraut, they will LOVE this.

I found a more modern version of it here but from what I gather it is not hard at all to do in just a simple pot. Chef Evan talks about it in his cookbook, and my blogging friend Nature Girl Natalie post pics of it on Instagram. But just a simple google search yields tons of ideas like this post on Fermented Foods You Can Make At Home.

12. These Beaded Plates from Target:

I have shopped around quite a bit to replace our old everyday china and this one is coming up a winner. They are really inexpensive but look just as great as their Pottery Barn/William Sonoma counter parts. My husband is on notice about these:)

13. Orange Blossom Water here or King Arthur Flour (lots of great flavors & seasonings on this site!):

This is a great stocking stuffer. A little bit of this in cookies, crepes, macaroons, tea, salad dressings, simple syrup – even perfume! – for a subtle gentle flavor. I learned about this French trick from my favorite food blog, Manger. Here is her great Madeleine recipe which uses it. And I noticed a lot of other great flavorings at King Arthur Flour – Rose water, Pizza dough spices – so look around and see if you find something new.

14. Last but not least, if you have someone on a health kick they will love this Spiralizer from Martha Stewart.

I find the smaller ones hard to use, but this one is pretty sturdy for a good price. If you are looking for good recipes for veggies that have been spiraled, The Skinny Taste’s website is great (also great for the Insta Pot too!).

I am compiling a list of beautiful recipes for Christmas and Holiday gatherings next, so be on the look out for it!

Hope you are having a (somewhat) relaxing Advent- if you have already mailed out your Christmas cards or remembered to move your Elf everyday you are waayyy ahead of me.

xoxo Katie

Holiday Cheese Ball {3 Ways}

22 November, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

We’re going retro on this post and I love it.

The Holiday Cheeseball is a classic, like bacon and dates, shrimp and cocktail sauce, chicken on a stick with peanut satay. They all say “grab a rum and coke and take a deep breath”. They’re not new ways to wow people but rather old favorites that invite everyone to put their hair down and relax, like piano ballads or cult movies. They’re feel good and you have fun with them.

They’re also really easy. I’m convinced these were invented because someone was scrambling to make something for a holiday party and looked in their fridge. The ingredients are what we pretty much have in our bare bones state + still thriving herb pot.

The combo my mom made most frequently growing up involves a stick of butter, a package of cream cheese, gorgonzola and garlic. (Feel free to use less butter if you are offended.) Salt, pepper and Worchester help all those flavors mingle and the result is the most pungent and umami sensation. Creamy and salty with a kick from the garlic and the blue cheese. Use more or less depending on how much you love it.

I recommend either setting out the dairy to become soft, or warming in the microwave (watching carefully) for 30-60 seconds. The hand mixer helps everything distribute evenly but feel free to trust your folding skills with a spatula.

Then chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, letting the flavors develop. When it is a little firm, mold it into a ball with plastic wrap and set in the fridge until the butter hardens and it keeps its shape. Then you can roll it in the chopped parsley.

Here are three easy versions of this, but feel free to think about your favorite ingredients and try them out. But the Holiday Cheese ball begs to be a vehicle for different flavor profiles: Olives + nuts, capers + salmon + dill, sundried tomatoes + basil.

They also love to be turned into things – a turkey (with sliced almond), a pumpkin (with shredded carrots). You can even stick some mistletoe in it for some holiday flare. Because we all do weird things at the holidays.

The sky is the limit friends. So I hope this helps you find a super easy way to celebrate.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Holiday Cheese Ball: (printer version here):

Garlic and Gorgonzola Recipe:

1 stick of butter, softened

1 brick of cream cheese, softened (I use ⅓ less fat)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. Worchestershire sauce

¼-½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

¼ t. Salt

Let butter and cream cheese soften, or carefully soften in microwave being sure not to melt butter. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix with a hand mixer or very thoroughly with a spatula. Chill for 30 minutes in bowl. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for another 30 minutes or until firm. Roll in chopped parsley or other favorite herbs.

Bacon and Smoked Gouda Recipe: (I love this one!)

Follow same recipe but instead of blue cheese, garlic, and parsley use:

½ cup shredded smoked gouda

4-6 strips of bacon crumbs

½ cup chopped smoked almonds for rolling the outside (or enough to coat cheese ball)

(You can use parsley if you want it nut free)

Herb Goat Cheese Ball:

Follow same recipe but instead of blue cheese use:

4 oz. goat cheese

½ cup finely chopped red peppers (or ¼ cup red, ¼ green for Christmas)

3 T. each chopped parsley, chives, basil for rolling

Cranberry Pear Chutney

16 November, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Are you in as much shock as I am that Thanksgiving is next week?

Luckily my first attempt at getting ready for it was this easy Cranberry Pear Chutney that is LOADED with flavor. It also nicely solves the whole cranberry debate: We think the pilgrims used them, so we have to have them, but how? Cranberry bread? Not if there is pie around. In a can? Um, I am just going to pass on that one. My mom loves this fresh chunky side salad with chopped cranberries, orange zest, and sugar, but it is just a little too hard to eat raw cranberries for moi.

Enter Cranberry Pear Chutney. You may have gathered from the sheer number of curries I have posted on this site that I love everything about Indian food, but especially their condiments. And chutney is tops. The acid with sweet with vinegar. YUM.

And I just want to use pear in everything right now, so I am so happy to put these gorgeous things to work:

There is so much going on from all these flavors. It is like fireworks in your mouth. Even if Aunt Flo brings frozen peas, this will bring some excitement to your plate. And can you even IMAGINE a leftover turkey sandwich with stuffing and CHUTNEY? Good thing this recipe makes two ball jars because I might have to keep one just to make a left over Thanksgiving sandwich. I already warned my mom to skip the can and the pseudo-salsa and to make room for this guy (and you know I am bringing that Turkey bowl to serve it in too.)

I also feel like this makes the best gift if you are going to someone else’s house. I am planning on bringing it over to win some daughter points looking like this:

I might even make these for Christmas gifts too if they look that cute.

But the best part is this comes together SO fast. 20 minutes tops.

Hope this rocks your Thanksgiving as much as it will mine.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Cranberry Pear Chutney (printer version here):

Ingredients:

1 bag cranberries

Zest of 1 orange

3 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated

3 Bosc (they stay firmer but use whatever you have) pears, diced

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3 Tablespoons lemon

3 Tablespoons Apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups Apple cider

1/2 water

Pinch of salt

Directions:

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except pears. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until cranberries soften. Add pears and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

11 November, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Anyone need some comfort food?

I know I do.

There is no doubt that this week has taken a psychological toll on everyone. I think it is good to go back to the simple things that help us care for ourselves and each other.

Somehow, despite the discord out there, and all the things we wish were different, I am finding so much deep peace in here. It might be because I really did find a deep gratitude after reading Present Over Perfect in my day to day. It might be because I am lost in another world as I try to finish my final edits of my first novel, which will be published soon. The people in that world are broken and trying to find love and peace, and I know how that story turns out, so it gives me hope for the real world.

Maybe it’s because even before the election, I’ve been trying to root myself deeply in gratitude and love, and in the people around me that I feel deeply connected too. In the simple act of making dinner and being together. My heart is with the Beatitudes, and my hands are busy chopping and feeding and typing. I am feeling deeply grateful for things like a warm house, a chilly fall run with friends, tucking my kids into cozy beds at night. It might not be exactly what we want to wake up to the next day, and there is plenty of uncertainty, but there is still love and hope and joy.

So here is a simple dinner we have been loving. I have made this easy Chicken Parmesan three times in the last two weeks. When I posted this on Instagram stories, people asked me for the recipe, so I thought I’d make it official. It is comfort food at its best, great for a family meal and even better the next day with some roasted broccoli and cauliflower for lunch (trust me, you have to try this combo).

I call this Easy Chicken Parm because other then a quick dredge and fry, this is really just assembly. I love the fresh spinach in here because there is no fiddling with a frozen hunk of spinach that I always, always burn myself on when I try to drain the water out after a thawing it in the microwave. I sprinkle it with garlic salt because spinach + garlic = yum.

I am also sure to season the chicken breasts very well after I pound them. And you can use fresh grated parm or the kind from the green can in this recipe. I have used both depending on what I have around.

I pretty much just want to make a tray of this for the whole world.

You all already know how I feel about Rao’s Sauce, but it makes this dish incredible, so I feel the need to point you there yet again. The big jar is on sale here.

Hope you find some long walks, warm baths or fireplaces, and lots of hugs with real people, not just people on the Internet. And make a pan of this for them, when you get the chance.

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Easy Chicken Parmesan (printer version here):

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts, pounded until even and about ½ inch thick

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup grated parm

¾ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

¼ cup olive oil

4 cups fresh spinach

2 jars of favorite spaghetti sauce (you already know I love Rao’s)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 box of penne or favorite pasta, cooked according to package

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350, and heat oil in large frying pan on medium-high heat (I often use two pans to cook all the chicken breasts at the same time).

Prepare chicken by pounding thin, then season with salt and pepper.

Arrange dredging station: using either flat pans or shallow bowls,put flour in one, egg in another, and the mixture of grated parm (the kind from the jar works well her but I have used freshly grated too, they are both good) and breadcrumbs in a third.

When oil is hot, dredge each thin breast into the flour, egg, and breadcrumb mixture.

Lay in pan and cook on each side, about 3-4 minutes. Remove when golden and set aside on a plate.

Layer bottom of 9 x 12 baking dish with sauce, then sprinkle half the spinach. Season with ½ teaspoon garlic salt. Layer chicken on top of spinach, then add more spinach and the rest of the sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with oregano. Bake until cheese is starting to brown and sauce is bubbly, about 25-30 minutes.

Serve with pasta if desired.

Winter Squash Dip

1 November, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

We are so in my favorite food season. Roast all the veggies. Make all the soups. And get together with people and huddle around a fire place or table or couch. This dip is one my friend brought to a party and it was so different and yummy I had to grab the recipe.

Luckily it was from Martha Stewart and not hard to find. It starts with 2 lbs of roasted squash. I used Celebration Squash because my friend did.

It was delicious. You could use Butternut, Acorn, or Delicata if you want but you need to remove the skins.

This dip is packed with flavor – Roasted squash, parm, lemon, chipotle pepper. And this yumminess:

Roast these along with the squash wrapped up in parchment lined foil. Then squeeze out those pieces of roasted flavor into the food processor along with some creaminess with sour cream and cream cheese. I love the heat the chipotles give but you may want to warn people it has a kick.

This dip just seems like a party on its own. Hope you get to try it for your next cold weather get together!

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Winter Squash Dip (click here to get printer version)

Directions:

1 winter squash (about 2 pounds), such as butternut or turban, unpeeled, seeded, and cut into 3-inch pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 heads garlic, tops cut off to expose cloves
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, sliced 1 inch thick
2 chipotle chiles (canned in adobo sauce)
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Paprika, for sprinkling
Roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), for garnish
Breadsticks, for dipping

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place squash on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Spread squash in a single layer. Place garlic on a piece of parchment-lined foil. Drizzle with oil, and wrap loosely. Place on baking sheet with squash. Bake until squash is soft and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add scallions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes.
Scoop flesh from squash, and transfer to a food processor. Squeeze garlic from skins, and add to squash. Add scallions and chipotles, and pulse until smooth. Add remaining 6 tablespoons butter, the sour cream, cream cheese, Parmesan, and lemon juice, and pulse until just combined but not smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into a hollowed-out squash or a serving bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Sprinkle with paprika, and garnish with pepitas. Serve with breadsticks.

Originally posted on MarthaStewart.com

Swiss Pumpkin

20 October, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Now that the leaves are starting to look like the color of pumpkins, I am so excited to share this recipe that I actually guest posted on the Ella Claire Blog last year. It is so so good.

I found this recipe in Ruth Reichl’s food memoir Comfort Me with Apples (a sequel to Tender at the Bone). I am a big fan of food memoirs at the moment since I am writing one of my own about growing up in a big Irish family in Chicago (I am one of eight) and we had a huge passion for food. In Comfort Me with Apples, one of the lasting images I had was how her husband said he wanted a divorce, and all she could do was make Cream of Mushroom soup. I just feel like food does that healing thing. She ended up being the editor for Gourmet Magazine and remarrying and having a son. So her story ends well.

Happily, when I made this recipe it was a great story. I made it for my husband for a date night at home. The smell when you take this out of the oven is like nothing else – a mix between pumpkin pie, creamy squash soup, and French onion soup. The fragrance will transport you. After we took the first bite, we just looked up at each other, silent, the fire roaring, and then in unison went, “mmmmhhh”. Or something close to blubbering adults. It warms your insides like nothing I have ever had – the pillow soft pumpkin, creamy buttery soup, and nutmeg infused bread tastes like heaven, all mixed with the saltiness of the gruyere cheese. It is such a special dish. The best part? I wrote all this a year ago, and I can still go back to that exact moment we tasted this and I am there.

This dish is perfect for Holiday parties or special family winter dinners. I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year but if I was, everyone should start with a little Swiss Pumpkin on their plate. But it also seems like something you could easily bring to a family with an illness or a new baby since it has its own (disposable) transporting vehicle.

I hope you get to taste it. Or at least read Ruth Reichl. Happy fall everyone!

xoxo, Katie

Savory Baked Pumpkin (serves 4)

**Slightly altered from Ruth Reichl’s original recipe.

2 small pumpkins (about 6 – 8 inches in diameter)

Sliced French bread; several pieces, toasted

Grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (about 4 oz)

Half and half, about 2 cups

2 eggs

1 1/2 t. salt, 1 t. pepper

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg (makes all the difference)

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off of your pumpkin leaving the stem intact. With a spoon, scrape out the innards of the pumpkin and discard. (You can reserve the seeds if you like for a latter use.)

Next, rinse the pumpkin both inside and out and pat dry. Place a layer of your toasted bread on the very bottom of the pumpkin cavity. If you need to break up your toasted bread to fit, that is fine. You just want a light layer; you do not need to pack it in. Over the top of your bread sprinkle a bit of your cheese; just enough to cover the bread. You will want to repeat this until you fill the cavity of the pumpkin to its rim, about 2-3 times.

Then, pour the half and half mixture over the layered bread and cheese and into the pumpkin cavity. I like to do this slowly to be sure the half and half is filling in the crevices and not ready to overflow the pumpkin filling. Place the pumpkin top you cut off back onto the pumpkin and place on a baking sheet.

Finally, place the pumpkin on the baking sheet into the center of your oven for about 2 hours. Your baking time will depend on the size of your pumpkin and how much you fill it, so I always check it after one and a half hours of baking. You want to bake it until a knife can easily pierce through the flesh of your pumpkin. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and wait about 15 minutes before serving.

20 Ideas for Cooking with Apples

16 October, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Happy fall weekend everyone!

Can you even believe how gorgeous it is outside? I am pretty sure God decided to balance out our everlasting winters with just magical fall weather in New England. I feel like I am inside of a magazine (probably Martha Stewart’s? Maybe Real Simple?) every time I go outside.

Yesterday our good friends Matt & Heather and their sweet girls met us to go apple picking. We met at a farm just over the border of Massachusetts called Cider Hill Farm and I am so smitten I am getting their winter CSA.

They have lots of free range chickens (shown below) and they have this little tunnel they run through from their coop to an open pasture. I will forever have the image of their fowl running through the fields as my image of happy, free range chickens.

We picked so many apples and I am so excited to find ways to use them. Since it appears that everyone on the planet went apple picking this weekend too, it seems a little round up of apple recipes are in order.

1. If you follow me on IG you might have seen my story this morning where I made this for pancakes this morning. Pretty much my all time favorite go-to apple recipe. Just sauté 3 peeled & sliced apples over medium-high heat with 3 T. butter and 3 T. brown sugar, plus a pinch of salt and cinnamon.

2. My friend Kirsten wowed me with the very easy app/dessert at book club where she had a brick of cream cheese with two inches of Carmel on top served with sliced apples that you dip into both and I *might* just eat half the apples we pick tomorrow that way. I found this example of it if you need a visual. So good!

3. This Apple Rose Tart is just beautiful. I saw a new French version of The Chef’s Table on Netflix and in my very rough college French I would say I understood about 25% of it, but I understood that making roses out of apples is awesome. Can’t wait to try it. And it is gluten free!

4. This recipe for Chicken Breasts stuffed with Apples and Goat Cheese seems like a very easy weeknight dinner.

5. Fennel and Apple are such a great combo, and I am a sucker for an apple slaw of any kind. This one looks like it would be great paired with pulled pork or chicken.

6. I follow Wednesday Chef on Instagram and her German Sunken Apple Cake recipe looks heavenly.

7. Something about Jaques Pepin just inspires me over and over again. So naturally, his country apple galette with store pizza dough caught my attention.

8. When Smitten Kitchen declares that her mom makes the best apple cake, I’m going to take her word for it. This recipe is my #1 recipe I hope to try with our weekend haul.

9. I have seen a few versions of this apple fritter recipe around the web, some slice the apples into rings, others wedges. All I know is these look heavenly.

10. I vow that this is the year I will make my own chutney. Ina Garten’s apple chutney looks like a great one, but Food & Wine’s Apple, Bacon and Fennel Chutney is singing some kind of siren song to me as well.

11. These baked apples look amazing, and my kids would love them with big scoops of vanilla ice cream.

12. If you want to see how a real Mainer makes apple pie, check out this recipe.

13. When I was growing up we had a now-defunct chain restaurant that served these amazing German Pancakes with apples, and my parents actually let me order them for dinner. I promise to make these beauties for my kids and surprise them with a breakfast for dinner that they will remember.

14. Any version of grilled cheese with apple is drool-worthy, but this one looks amazing.

15. This Chicken Apple Burger is totally making it onto our dinner rotation.

16. Fall = Soup. So this Sweet Potato and Apple soup with a side of blue cheese & crackers or this Curried Sweet Potato Apple Soup needs to happen.

17. This Asian-inspired pulled pork sandwich with apple slaw has me drooling. It looks so different, with soy and mushrooms.

18. These Apple and Sage pork chops from William-Sonoma look like a dream dinner.

19. This Apple Cider & Champagne cocktail looks like happiness in a glass. But if you are still curious there are 15 more apple cocktailhttp://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/apple-cocktails-fall-entertaining.html ideas where that came from.

20. I think we should end with this little video from Julia Child with apple desserts who reminds us that apples are the temptation of Eve but we can still use them to make a love tart tatin.

Happy Fall! xoxo Katie

BLT Dip

7 October, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

I know everyone is doing everything FALL, and I am marinating in this gorgeous time of year too. But I am also saying goodbye to one of loveliest parts of summer: fresh garden produce. Specifically tomatoes. And we still have so many! I have been thinking of ways to really capitalize on the last few weeks of their gorgeous flavor.

I love twists on classics, and I love BLT’s (side note: I just heard George Zakarian recommends slicing your tomatoes, then basting your bacon with the tomato juices before cooking them for BLT. Just thought I would share that genius tip with you all because your my favorite.)

I decided to make a dip that could deliver the texture combo of a BLT to your mouth in one bite. We had a get together to go to last week, and a ton of tomatoes on the window sill, and a package of bacon. Game on.

I also happen to love Hidden Valley Ranch (not sponsored, just a throwback to childhood). I like real, natural food, but since I have an affinity for things like HVR and velveeta cheese, I could never make my blog an all natural one. It will just have to be 90% healthy and 10% nostalgia I guess.

When I got to thinking how could I deliver the flavor of BLT into my mouth with, say, an endive leaf or a bagel crisp, I knew that dip made with Ranch was the answer.

Turns out it was a good one. This recipe was so satisfying, with chunky, juicy tomatoes, creamy herby ranch and smokey, salty bacon. And it made a lot! I refilled the cracker side once at the party,and the endives were all gone in a New York minute. When I got home there was still a little bit left, so I took a bite and the flavors had mingled even more, and were so delicious. So if you have time, make this ahead and let it meld together, reserving the toppings to put on when you are ready to serve.

If you happen to have the fortunate problem of having a lot of tomatoes to use up, this one’s a keeper. Hope your October has been a good one so far!

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

BLT Dip (printer version here):

Ingredients:

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup light mayo

½ cup of milk to thin it out

6-8 strips of bacon

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

½ cup green scallions (about 4-6)

S & P to taste

3 endive bunches

1 package favorite cracker such as bagel chips, pita chips, or thin pretzels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Cook bacon slices until done, about 15-20 min. (Check frequently after 10-15 minutes). Let cool.

While bacon is cooking, combine the Ranch packet, sour cream, and mayonnaise, adding milk until it is desired thickness (about ½ cup). Once combined, chill for at least ½ hour to let flavors develop.

Chop the tomatoes, scallions and bacon. Reserve about 2 T. of each for the top. Mix together the rest with the ranch mixture. Sprinkle reserved toppings on top and serve with endive and crackers.

Maple Balsamic Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fall Veggies

28 September, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Dear Fall, Even though your gorgeous weather means we are all outside for sports every afternoon, and my slow and easy dinner time is gone, you are still my favorite season. And I am determined to enjoy your flavors and bounty even in this super busy time. That’s why I see a whole lot of sheet pan dinners with fall produce in our future.

Just one walk around my grocery store’s ‘locally grown’ section yielded me these beauties. Of course I wanted to be creative and come up with complicated recipes, but if you have seen the Pioneer Woman’s idea of sheet pan dinners, then you know how easy and quick they are. And it was completely delicious. So I am just sharing the good news to all you other busy mommas and food lovers out there.

I love how delicata squash lives up to it’s name with it’s delicate, lacy semi-circles. I posted about them here, and you could easily add brussels sprouts to this dish or another favorite fall veggie like acorn squash, butternut squash, carrots, or parsnips. Sheet pan suppers are lovely in their flexibility. (Note: Don’t forget to use cooking spray like I did or it might require extra elbow grease to pull off the veggies. And you may need 2 sheet pans so the veggies don’t get to crowded and steam instead of roast.)

No matter which veggies you use, the key is to provide flavor. I combined 3 T. balsamic, 3 T. maple syrup and 3 T. olive oil + salt and pepper and tossed 2/3rds of it with the veggies. Other flavors you could try are garlic, Dijion mustard, or thyme.

I chose rosemary because it goes so well with balsamic, and tossed it with the veggies too. (You could add it to the mixture if you want). Then I coated the pork in the remaining 1/3 of mixture and a bit of the rosemary.

If you are feeding more than 4 adults you may want to double this recipe. It is so good we devoured it. The veggies taste like candy, and the balsamic and rosemary add so much flavor. If you have little eaters you could serve it with egg noodles too.

Hope you and your fam enjoy this easy fall dinner!

Happy Eating, xoxo Katie

Maple Balsamic Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fall Veggies (printer version here):

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin

2 apples

1 large onion

1 delicata squash

2 T. rosemary, finely chopped

3 T. maple syrup

3 T. balsalmic

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 t. salt

½ t. pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Cut up veggies (for apples and delicata, core and cut lengthwise, then in semi-circles, for onions and sweet potatos cut in wedges or thick semi-circles, roughly the same size so they cook evenly). Spread evenly on a baking sheet (foil optional for easy clean up) and coat with cooking spray. Whisk together the liquid ingredients, and add 2 t. salt and ½ t. Pepper. Toss veggies with ⅔ mixture along with rosemary. Lay pork tenderloin that has been seasoned with salt and pepper in center of pan, and coat both sides with mixture, sprinkling with remaining rosemary. Note: If veggies are crowded, use a second sheet pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender. Return pork to oven alone for another 5-10 minutes, until it reaches 145 degrees and is no longer pink in the middle. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Easy Delicious Pork Lasagna

16 September, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

I was tempted to title this post ‘Lasagna so easy a kid can make it’ because:

I love cooking with my kids, so when I was playing around with this recipe, which was trying to be a twist on a pork ragu in a lasagna (minus the wine because, kids) I asked Lucy to help me layer it.

This girl loves cooking, and craves any opportunity to stir a pot or stretch out some dough (licking a spatula with batter on it is her favorite, of course.)

Sometimes I feel like Lasagna can be a bit labor intensive. But I realized as I poured over some of my favorite cookbooks that they often try to have you make your own sauce with tomato sauce and canned tomatoes and oregano.Which is totally fine! Of course, making your own sauce is wonderful.

But when it is a Tuesday night and you have a jarred sauce that you love more than the canned tomato-tomato sauce routine, I appreciate saving the extra 3 steps and 10 minutes.

The pork adds such a nice flavor and texture, almost like velvet. And the fresh spinach is so, so good in here.

I also love finding helpers to help me with the labor part.

(If your kids have ever made pizza, they’ll be a pro at this final step.)

I also love how there are always leftovers of lasagna. It’s like a 2-for-1 dinner special. And the kids love to eat leftovers if it tastes this gooey and delicious.

So I hope you will try a night where you get all of the ingredients ready, and let your kids go to town.

Happy Weeknight Eating! xoxo Katie

Pork Lasagna Recipe (printer version here):

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

4 cups fresh spinach

5 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pounds ground pork

1 32 oz. jar of good quality tomato sauce (I like Rao’s)

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup pre-grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped parsley (optional)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until hot then stir in the onion, carrot, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pork, breaking up the lumps of pork with a spatula and cook, until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the jarred sauce and heat through. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.

Meanwhile, in a seperate bowl, combine the ricotta, parm, and parsley. Stir to combine.

In a 3-to 3 1/2-quart lasagna dish spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom. Place 3 lasagna noodles evenly over the sauce, leaving even space between the noodles. Top the noodle layer evenly with a layer of sauce, then place another 3 noodles on top. Spread an even layer of sauce over the noodles, then dollop half the ricotta mixture and half the mozzarella. Top with another layer of 3 noodles, then sauce, then the remaining 3 noodles and sauce. Dollop with the remaining ricotta mixture and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake until the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. (If it starts to brown too quickly cover with tin foil). Let the lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving.