It Sure Smells Like Fall....

FALL IS FINALLY HERE! The weather is finally starting to cool down; it's been breezy and cool enough to wear long sleeves and be comfortable. My new Food magazine came in the mail last week and it was crammed full of fall recipes...Oh how I love fall!

I decided to make a couple recipes from the magazine, but true to my own style, I could resist changing the recipes. So, here are my renditions of some of the magazines fabulous fall dishes...

Loaded Butternut Squash Soup
2 medium Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs sugar
1 stick salted butter
8 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt/pepper
1 loaf Pumpernickel bread
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic powder
Shredded Parmesan

Melt the butter in a large pot, add chopped onion and cook until soft, 5-10 minutes. Add the cubed squash and the sugar and stir until well mixed and the squash is glazed. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and continue to cook for 25 minutes, making sure the squash is cooked through and soft.

While waiting for the squash to cook, turn on the broiler in your oven and take out several pieces of Pumpernickel bread. Using a bread knife, cut the slices into small cubes. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and then place the bread pieces on the sheet. Drizzle with the EVOO, and sprinkle with a little sea salt and some garlic powder. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cubes are crunchy and toasted.

When the squash is cooked, while working in small batches, slowly transfer all of the cooked squash and water base to a blender or food processor. Blend of the soup until it is thick and creamy. Return to the original pan. Set to low heat and add the heavy cream and salt/pepper to taste.

Top the soup with the croutons and some shredded Parmesan.

In this picture, I also added some crispy prosciutto and fried onions, but found that the extra flavors weren't even necessary.

As a precautionary side note....don't put the squash peelings down the garbage disposal, or your sink will look like this:

Yummy.

Pinto Bean Pasta Fagioli

5 tbs extra virgin olive oil

3 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 quart jar canned tomatoes
1 large jar pinto beans
1 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1 box small pasta, like shells or macaroni
1 bunch Kale, stems and ribs removed, chopped
salt/pepper

In a large pot, place the EVOO and set to medium heat. Add the onions, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and rosemary. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until onion is soft.

Add the beans and the stewed tomatoes, including the juices from both. Add the cup of water and 1/2 cup of Parmesan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pasta. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Add the chopped Kale and salt/pepper to taste and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve topped with shredded Parmesan cheese.

I like this dish; it was a nice blend of cheesy and spicy. However, I am just not a big fan of the rosemary. I think next time I would definitely try sweet basil or oregano.