Butternut squash lasagne with spinach and basil

This lasagne is all about fall...the colors, the aromas, the flavours. To get it all started, I began by peeling, seeding, and dicing 2 medium butternut squash. I sauteed the squash in a little olive oil and then finished the cooking by simmering it in 1/2 a cup of chicken stock. While that simmmered, I made a white sauce, stirred in chopped spinach and fresh basil, and pureed it with my immersion blender. Once the squash was tender, I crumbled in several amaretti cookies (yes, cookies.) and pureed that as well. Then it was time to assemble everything together. I alternated the spinach sauce, lasagne noodles, butternut squash puree, Parmesan cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese, and ended up with 3 layers of everything. Once everything baked together and the flavours married, it became a culinary work of art. So good... Perfect on its own, but also wonderful as a side dish with roast pork, turkey, or chicken. This lasagne is a MUST on a cool fall or winter evening...Your family and friends deserve it...

Carrot cake

Sometimes a person just needs cake...and when I'm craving cake, it's probably carrot cake I'm dreaming of. This carrot cake is really special. The cake contains a full pound of grated carrots, a cup and a half of crushed pineapple, and a cup of chopped walnuts. Just the cake by itself could be amazing in muffin form. But any good carrot cake demands cream cheese icing. To put this icing over the top, I added the best vanilla extract, almond extract, and shredded coconut. For decoration, I sauteed carrot shavings in a little butter and maple syrup until they were soft. Once they cooled, I spread them around the top of the cake along with some toasted, chopped walnuts. This is everything you could want in a carrot cake and more. Absolutely over-the-top delicious...

Lentil-sausage soup with vegetables

I think I love making soup more than an other type of food. I like the slow-cooking process, the layering of flavours, the aromas that fill the house. When there's soup simmering on the stove, all seems well with the world. This one starts with onions and leeks sauteing in the skillet along with some garlic, thyme, cumin, salt and pepper. When the onions are tender, diced carrots and celery are added. After around ten minutes, I add homemade chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils which have been soaking in boiling water for 15 minutes. Everything simmers for at least an hour at this point. By this point the aromas of the soup will be enticing your family and neighbors to the kitchen to see what is causing their stomachs to growl and their mouths to salivate. To finish the soup, kielbasa and red wine are added and heated through. To serve, I ladle the soup into bowls and grate Parmesan cheese onto the top. A salad and some crusty bread are all that are needed to make a wonderfully satisfying and comforting meal. Perfect for a fall or winter evening...

Couscous with roasted vegetables

I love couscous. I really do. It's so versatile. It can be served hot, cold, or room temperature. It's wonderful with roasted vegetables, but also equally delicious with cucumber, orange segments, and a quick vinaigrette as a salad. This particular day, serving it hot with roasted vegetables won out. I roasted butternut squash, carrots, onions, and zucchini. For the actual couscous, I heated homemade chicken stock with a pinch of cumin and saffron threads. I then poured this over the couscous and cooked vegetables and allowed it to sit, covered, for around 10 minutes. I then fluffed the mixture with a fork, threw in some chopped scallions, and it was ready to serve. On this day, I served it with chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. As the couscous absorbed the sauce from the chicken, it only got better...

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

40. Yes 40. 40 cloves of garlic. I know because I counted. Think it's crazy? It's actually delicious and not at all overpowering. After cooking at a low temperature for a long time, the garlic becomes sweet and mellow. Definitely a crowd-pleaser. This dish starts with browning the chicken. Then in the same pan with the chicken removed, the whole cloves of garlic are cooked in oil over low heat. Then in goes some Cognac and white wine to deglaze the pan. Then the chicken returns to the pot with some fresh thyme leaves to finish cooking over low heat. To complete the dish, the chicken is removed from the pot, and the sauce is finished with a bit more Cognac, a splash of cream, and salt and pepper. The chicken is tender and juicy, and the sauce is full of flavour. I like to serve it with couscous...

Goat cheese tart

This goat cheese tart is the perfect lunch or brunch dish, similar to a quiche, but hipper. It starts with a basic pie crust baked in a tart pan. Sauteed shallots and garlic are spread onto the bottom of the crust and then in goes the filling. The filling is a mixture of herbed goat cheese, 3 eggs, cream, pesto, salt and pepper. After baking for 30 minutes and cooling for 10, the tart is ready to be served. The best part is it can be served warm or at room temperature so it's excellent as part of a buffet. Serve it with a salad to round out the meal.

Blueberry muffins

Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday morning, there's nothing better than a cup of coffee and a homemade muffin still warm from the oven. And this time of year when the fresh blueberries are in season, I'm constantly looking for ways to utilize them. Though my sister would make a blueberry pie (She's an amazing pie-maker.), I chose to make muffins. I went with another Barefoot Contessa recipe. I tend to use her recipes a lot because I love the simple elegance of her food. And her muffin recipes never disappoint. These muffins are wonderfully moist with the inclusion of sour cream, and with equal amounts of the best vanilla extract and almond extract (the almond extract was not in the original recipe), they are overflowing with flavour. But these muffins are really about the blueberries, so I added a ton of them. Best eaten when they are still a little warm, these blueberry muffins are so moist they are still good the next day, if they last that long. I only wish a had one (or two) in front of me now...

Plum tart

This plum tart is another great end to a dinner party. It's simple. It's elegant. It celebrates summer. The crust/topping is just a mix of flour, finely chopped walnuts, light brown sugar, butter, and an egg yolk. The filling is just ripe Italian plums which have been pitted and quartered and complemented with a bit of orange zest and juice. Best served warm, the only thing this tart needs is a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wonderful...

Coconut cupcakes

If you're in the mood to treat yourself, then this is the ultimate cupcake. It's a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (my favorite cookbook) and it is sooooooo good. Ingredients which make the cake part extra good include butter (not going to tell you how much. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. This is one of those times.), buttermilk, vanilla extract, almond extract, buttermilk, and 14 ounces of sweetened coconut. Even the raw batter was good. But as good as the cake part is, with these cupcakes, it's really all about the icing. Cream cheese, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and confectioners' sugar work together to make something really, really incredible. More coconut goes on top. Magical. Perhaps the best cupcake you'll ever have. I know I can't wait for another excuse to make them...

Purple potato salad with orange peppers, scallions, and parsley

I decided to make potato salad as a side dish to go with some chicken the other day. I never seem to make the same potato salad twice, so I was happy when I got inspired at the market with the purple potatoes and orange bell peppers and thought the colors would really pop next to each other. I couldn't wait to get home to start cooking. I boiled the potatoes whole (to keep them from soaking up water) , sliced them in halves while they were still hot, splashed them a few times with white wine vinegar (They absorb flavour more when they are hot.), and set them aside while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. To the potatoes, I added the orange bell peppers, celery, scallions, and chopped parsley. For the dressing, I added lemon juice, a little pesto, and salt and pepper to mayonnaise. After combining all the ingredients, I served the salad on a white platter lined with butter lettuce leaves. The salad was not only delicious, but I loved how something as ordinary as potato salad could be given a stylish new look...