Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Weather-wise, my favorite season is definitely spring.  Everything coming alive--buds, leaves, flowers.  Everything starts warming up and the world just seems like a happy place to be.  However, when it comes to food I think my favorite season is fall.  I love when all the winter squashes start showing up in stores...banana squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin.  They're all so good and in so many ways.  And possibly my favorite thing is how long their shelf life is.  You can store them for weeks or even months, and effectively make the fall food season last just a bit longer.  This recipe is just one of many great winter squash recipes out there, but it's definitely a favorite.  The slight sweetness of the apple, combined with the savory sausage and sauteed veggies is the perfect combination to complement the squash.  It is just full of those classic fall flavors that I love!

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Number of Servings: 4-6
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 15 minutes

• 2-3 medium acorn squash (2 will be very full with stuffing, 3 will be a bit shallow)
• olive oil (I used a roasted garlic flavored olive oil)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage
• 1 apple, finely chopped
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut off the top and bottom of each squash (as needed) to create a flat base.  Be careful not to cut through to the center cavity.  Slice each squash in half and scrape out the seeds.  Place the squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground pepper.  Roast for 40-50 minutes, until fork tender.

While squash is roasting, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Cook until onions and celery begin to soften.  Add garlic and sausage and cook until sausage is browned.   Add apple and cook until slightly softened.  Mix in bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Remove from heat.

Once squash has finished roasting, spoon the stuffing into each squash half.  Return to to the oven for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top of the stuffing and cook for 5 more minutes, then serve.

Source: adapted from Tasty
Produce Used: Acorn squash, onion, celery, garlic, apple

Sauteed Cinnamon Apples

Anybody that knows me can tell you I am absolutely NOT a morning person.  This of course means that I rarely make breakfast.  We do a lot of yogurt, instant oatmeal, etc.  You know, things that don't require brain power or energy.  I always have great intentions of getting up and making a nice breakfast, but intentions at night are not the same as reality in the morning!  Of course, I love breakfast foods so we just have breakfast for dinner instead.  Cuz why not, right?  These sauteed apples are a great side to go along with breakfast foods and are a nice way to change things up.  They'd also go well as a side for pork chops or chicken.  They are soft but slightly crisp, and sweet with a little bit of citrus-y zing.  And of course my two year old had four servings--he could not get enough.

Sauteed Cinnamon Apples

Time to Prepare: 15 minutes
Number of Servings: 4-6

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 large apples, peeled and cut into 1/4" thick slices
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg or allspice

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in lime juice and orange juice.  Add apples and stir to coat.  Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender.

Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and slowly stir in to apple mixture.  Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.  Serve warm.

Produce Used: Apples, lime, orange
Source: slightly adapted from Chef in Training

8/11/2012 Basket - Mango Steak

Mango Steak
Uses from this basket: Mango, melon
Other produce: Apple, lemon, garlic, ginger

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup finely diced melon (honeydew, cantaloupe, or galia)
• 1/2 cup finely diced apple
• 1 small mango, finely diced
• 1 pound steak, cut into thin slices

Combine all ingredients except steak in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.  Arrange steak in a shallow dish and spread fruit mixture over the top.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.   Place steak on broiler pan along with marinade and broil until cooked to desired doneness. 

6/11/2012 Basket - Roasted Acorn Squash and Garlic Mash

Roasted Acorn Squash and Garlic Mash
Produce from this basket: Acorn squash, apple
Other produce: Garlic, leeks (Mexican onion, green onion)

Ingredients:
- 2 acorn squash
- 1 head garlic
- 6 T. butter
- 1 leek, diced (we used Mexican onion, you could also use green onion)
- 1 Gala apple, cored and diced into 1/2 inch pieces (we used one small Granny Smith and one small Fuji)
- Salt & pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 t. dried thyme
- 1 T. olive oil


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut acorn squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Place in a glass baking dish and fill with water until the squash are halfway covered. Remove the peel from 1 head of garlic without breaking off the cloves. Then wrap the garlic head in aluminum foil. Cook the squash and foil in the same oven for one hour.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leek (Mexican/green onion) and apple and saute until crisp tender, about 6 minutes. Season with salt, to taste.

Once the squash and garlic have cooled, scoop the squash flesh into a large bowl. Squeeze the garlic flesh in to the same bowl. Add the butter to the squash and garlic and beat with an egg beater until smooth. Stir in the thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the squash/garlic/butter mixture in serving bowl and top with apple and leek (onion) saute.


Modified from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/roasted-acorn-squash-and-garlic-mash-recipe/index.html

6/9/2012 Basket - Apple and Goat Cheese Tart

Apple and Goat Cheese Tart
Uses from this basket: Apple
Other produce: Lemon

I used the half of the pastry crust dough leftover after our mulligatawny pot pie.

Mix 3/4 cup softened goat cheese with 2 t. lemon juice and 1/4 t. salt.

Peel and thinly slice three apples

Mix 1/4 cup honey with 2 T. melted butter.

Line 6 small tart/quiche tins with pastry crust. Spread goat cheese mixture in each tin. Layer apple slices in a circular pattern on the goat cheese. Drizzle each tart with the honey/butter glaze. Sprinkle each tart with ground allspice.

Cook in a 425 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until crust is cooked, apples are tender, and goat cheese is bubbly.

6/9/2012 Basket - Mulligatawny Pot Pie

Mulligatawny Pot Pie
Uses from this basket: Celery, apple
Other produce: Carrots, onion

Crust:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a pastry blender until crumbly.  Slowly add water, mixing with a fork, until it holds together.  Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
Use Mulligatawny recipe here, but use 1 less cup of chicken broth.

Divide filling evenly between 6 (8 oz.) ramekins.  Roll pastry dough out until about 1/8" thick.  Cut 6 circles, about the size of the ramekins and place on top of the filling. (This will only use about half the pastry dough.)

Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes, until crust is golden.

4/14/2012 Basket - Pear Apple Crisp and Bananas Foster

Pear Apple Crisp

Uses from this basket: Pears

Other produce: Apples

• 12 apples and pears, peeled, cored and sliced
  
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Spread apples and pears in pan. Mix remaining ingredients until well blended. Spread over pears and apples. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until topping is golden and apples are tender.

Bananas Foster

Uses from this basket: Bananas

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 bananas, cut in quarters (cut in half lengthwise and crosswise)
  

Mix butter, brown sugar, and syrup in a frying pan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixtures begins to bubble. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continually. Stir in bananas and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve over ice cream. If desired, top with shredded coconut, pina colada syrup, or other toppings.

4/7/2012 Basket - Sweet Potato and Apple Bake

Sweet Potato and Apple Bake
Uses from this basket: Sweet potato, apple

• 3-4 sweet potatoes baked, peeled, and sliced
• 4 small apples peeled, cored, and sliced (tart apples are best)
  
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch black pepper
• 3 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a greased 9x13 pan, layer half of the sweet potatoes and apples. Combine brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the apples. Dot with half of the butter. Layer the rest of the potatoes and apples, sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture, and dot with remaining butter.

Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Spoon liquid in pan over top and bake, uncovered, an additional 15 minutes or until apples are tender.

3/24/2012 Basket - Berry Pineapple Fruit Soup

Berry Pineapple Fruit Soup
Uses from this basket: Golden honeydew, pineapple, apple
Other produce: Strawberries, lime

• 4 cups golden honeydew chunks (can also use cantaloupe or honeydew)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 7 strawberries, hulled
  
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 2 six-ounce containers raspberry yogurt or other berry-flavored yogurt
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T lime juice
• sour cream

Combine melon, pineapple, 6 strawberries, and apples in blender. Blend until all large chunks are gone. Add yogurt and blend until smooth. Stir in nutmeg, sugar, and lime juice. Adjust sugar to taste. Pour into a bowl and chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Pour into serving bowls. Slice last strawberry and garnish soup with a dollop of sour cream and strawberry slices.

3/24/2012 Basket - Strawberry Maple Salad with Maple Soy Chicken

Strawberry Maple Salad with Maple Soy Chicken
Uses from this basket: Lettuce, apples
Other produce: Strawberries, garlic, ginger

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 6 strawberries, sliced
• 2 small apples, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup candied pecan pieces

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Combine with 1/3 cup syrup, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Marinate at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. Cook chicken and marinade in a medium saute pan over medium high heat until liquid dissolves and chicken begins to brown, stirring regularly.
For dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup and stir to combine. Slowly add oil, whisking until emulsified.
Place lettuce in a large salad bowl. Top with cooked chicken, blue cheese, strawberries, apples, and pecans. Serve with dressing on the side.

3/17/2012 Basket - Waldorf Salad

Waldorf Salad
Uses from this basket: Apples
Other produce: Celery, grapes

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3-4 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup grapes, halved

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Stir in the apples, celery, pecans, cranberries, and grapes. Chill until ready to serve.

*This salad is great on it's own, but also really good in a sandwich on the 9 grain bread. Yummy!

3/17/2012 Basket - Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing and Cabbage Potato Mash

Sausage Apple Cranberry Stuffing

Uses from this basket: Apple

Other produce: Onion, celery

• 5 1/4 cups cubed bread
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 apple, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  

Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large
baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, and parsley. Drizzle with chicken stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Cabbage Potato Mash

Uses from this week's basket: Potato, green onion, cabbage

• 1 pound potatoes, diced
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 4 T butter, divided
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup whole milk or half-and-half
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain. Saute cabbage in 2 Tbsp butter for 2 minutes. Add the reserved cooking water, cover and cook 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, green onion, milk, 2 tablespoons butter. Use immersion blender to blend to desired consistency. Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3/10/2012 Basket - Mulligatawny

Mulligatawny
Uses from this basket: Carrot, apple
Other produce: Celery, onion

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 to 3/4 apple, cored and finely diced
  
• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1 chicken breast half, cooked and cubed
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves

Saute onions, celery, carrot, and butter in a large soup pot. Add flour and curry, and cook 5 minutes. Add chickenbroth, mix well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done.

Turn heat to low and stir in cream, nutmeg, and cloves. Heat through until warm and serve.

**The picture does not do this soup justice--it is much better than it looks. And I know the apple sounds weird, but trust me on that one. My husband raved about this--said it is the best soup I have ever made. So if you haven't tried mulligatawny before, you should definitely make this recipe. In fact, it went so fast and we loved it so much that I made a second batch right in the middle of dinner.

3/3/2012 Basket - Apple Muffins

Apple Muffins

Uses from this basket: Apples

Mix the following wet ingredients in one bowl:

• 3/4 C. vegetable oil
• 1 C. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/3 C. apple sauce or apple juice

Mix the following dry ingredients in a different bowl:

• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt

Dice 1 1/2 C. peeled, cored apples

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold in the apples. Do not over mix. Some lumps are OK.

Fill muffin tins or paper liners 2/3-3/4 full. Bake 15-20 min at 400 degrees until toothpick comes out clean.

3/3/2012 Basket - Garden Salad, Salt Potatoes, and Apple Cinnamon Crepes

Garden Salad
Uses from this basket: Butter lettuce, Anaheim pepper
Other produce: Red onion, tomato


Wash lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces. Top with diced tomato, diced Anaheim pepper, diced red onion, crumbled blue cheese, and sunflower seeds. Serve with your favorite salad dressing.


Salt Potatoes
Uses from this basket: Gold potatoes


Salt Potatoes are originally from Syracuse, New York (right around where my husband is from). If you haven't tried them before, you really need to make this recipe. It's not healthy at all, but definitely worth splurging every once in a while (as with most unhealthy things). The inside of the potatoes gets SO creamy, they are just to die for.

• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 3 pounds well scrubbed gold potatoes (or other small potatoes), as uniform in size as possible
  
• 1 stick butter, cut into pieces
• pepper

Bring salt and water to a boil and add potatoes. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a strainer. Place pot back on stove over medium heat and add butter. When just melted, add potatoes and black pepper. Stir to coat and serve immediately.

Apple Cinnamon Crepes
Uses from this basket: Apples

• 4 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups diced apple
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 4 T (2 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups whipped topping, thawed from frozen
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• melted butter
  
• powdered sugar

In a small nonstick pot on the stove, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir to dissolve. Add apples and lemon juice and stir. Bring to medium heat and cover. Cook until the apples have softened and liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes, uncovering often to stir.

Remove the pot from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Allow it to cool for several minutes. Thoroughly stir in cream cheese. Fold in whipped topping. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to create a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add 3/4 cup milk. Whisk in small circles in the well, slowly incorporating the flour until you have a thick mixture. Whisk in the rest of the milk until smooth. Strain the batter to remove any lumps.

Brush the cooking surface with melted butter. Pour a small amount of batter onto the pan (or dip your crepe maker into the batter if you have one), making sure it covers the surface. Cook for about 2-3 minutes (depending how you like your crepes).

Put about 1/4 cup filling into each crepe and roll it up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

2/11/2012 Basket - Apple Dumplings

Apple Dumplings
Uses: Apples, oranges

• 1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuit dough
• 2 apples - peeled, cored, and quartered
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2-3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Place prepared apples in bowl and add cinnamon sugar mixtures. Mix well.

Grease a 7x11 or 9x13 baking pan. Separate biscuit dough into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece of dough into a circle about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Wrap one biscuit around each apple quarter and place, seam side down, in pan.

Cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, orange juice, melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon. When dumplings have cooked for ten minutes, pour orange juice mixture over them. Bake 30 more minutes until golden. Serve hot.

10/22/2011 Basket - Cheese Fondue

Cheese Fondue
Uses: Mushrooms, apples, pears, sweet potatoes


Sorry about the truly awful picture...

• 1 pound Swiss cheese, cut into small cubes (2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 ounces fresh button mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed, and chopped (1 cup chopped)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, combine the cheeses and cornstarch and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.

In a heavy medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until golden brown and most of their liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute.

Add the cider, water, and lemon juice, and bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cheese-cornstarch mixture in 3 additions, stirring constantly and adding more cheese as the previous addition has melted.

Once all the cheese has been added, add the pepper and salt and stir.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Carefully pour the fondue into a fondue pot for serving, being sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

For dipping, use bread, apples, pears, and potatoes. We peeled and diced the sweet potatoes into about 3/4" cubes, then baked them in olive oil until tender. You can also use pretty much any kind of potato. Blanched broccoli and carrots are also great for dipping.

10/8/2011 Basket - Baked Stuffed Apples

Baked Stuffed Apples
Uses: Apples


Cut off the top of the apple and scoop/cut out the core without going through the bottom (you will want your opening to be about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide).

Fill with desired filling. I tried a few different things and they are all good.

Apple #1 filling:

• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 T white sugar
• 2 T cream cheese
• 1 T Craisins

Mix all cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Reserve about half of that mixture and mix the rest with the cream cheese and Craisins. Sprinkle some of the reserved sugar mixture in the bottom of the apple. Fill with cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle rest of sugar mixture on top.
The recipe I based this on called for 1 tsp of cinnamon, but it was way too much, so I would scale that down considerably.

Apple #2 filling:

• 2 tsp chocolate chips
• 2 tsp butterscotch chips
• 2 tsp marshmallows
• 2 tsp nuts of any kind (optional)
  

Mix all ingredients and coarsely chop. Fill center of apple.

Apple #3 filling:

• 1 to 1.5 T raisins
• 1 to 1.5 T flaked coconut
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredient. Fill center of apple.

On all the fillings, the amounts are just approximations--you can vary them to taste or try a different combination that you come up with.

Top each apple with 1/2 T butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

10/8/2011 Basket - Cinnamon Chips and Fruit Salsa

We have the tortilla pack again so we're incorporating tortillas into our meals.

Cinnamon Chips & Fruit Salsa

Uses: Tortilla, banana, apples, Asian pears, grapes, kiwi

I basically followed this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fruit-salsa-with-cinnamon-tortilla-chips/detail.aspx, but substituted out and in some of the fruits.

Random Baskets - Italian Wedding Soup, Apple Pork Chops with Stuffing, Carrot Souffle, Four Berry Sherbet

I'm sure you've all experienced that thing where you get to the end of the week and know you have a new basket coming but you still have SO much left from the last basket. Or maybe that's just us....either way, we came up with a fun three course meal to use up a bunch of remaining ingredients from past baskets.

Italian Wedding Soup
Uses: Spinach, carrots


12-15 frozen, pre-cooked meatballs (or you can make your own if you want)
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup spinach - rinsed, packed, and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups pasta (we used mini fusilli)
1/3 cup diced carrots (we omitted these because we used all the carrots on the souffle)

Cook the meatballs according to the package directions. Cut into quarters.
Heat chicken broth to boiling. Stir in the spinach, pasta, carrots, and meatball quarters. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top (we did provolone but Parmesan or Romano would be good as well).


Apple Pork Chops with Stuffing
Uses: Apples, celery, onion

4 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in crock pot with brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Just know that the amounts above are approximations--we just put some in there and didn't really measure. Cook on low heat for a couple hours. (You can also use canned apple pie filling instead.) Place cooked apples in the bottom of a rectangular baking dish.

Prepare and cook stuffing. We used this stuffing recipe, but did a slight modification--reduce butter to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup chicken broth in with the butter. You may want to cook for a little less than the recipe says since the stuffing will go back in the oven with the pork chops.

Sear 4-6 pork chops in a hot pan. Place pork chops over cooked apples, then cover pork chops with stuffing. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.


Carrot Souffle
Uses: Carrots

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-souffle-2/detail.aspx


Four Berry Sherbet
Uses: Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries


~3 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries
4 T lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 3 T sugar
2 3/4 cup milk

You can use a combination of fresh and frozen berries--just whatever you have. Blend berries and lemon juice in a blender until smooth (you may want to thaw frozen berries first). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Stir in sugar and let sit for 1 to 2 hours. Stir in milk. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.