Butternut Squash Soup

Other than making crappy processed food that comes from a box...or getting carry out...soups are probably the easiest meal to make AND the most healthiest depending on what you put in it. After scarfing down on all the holiday chocolates, cookies, cheeses and White Russians....my jeans utterly hate me. So we all know what January is for and that is to start pouting and complaining about the number on the scale, breaking out the fat clothes and forcing ourselves to get back on track. Which for some mean less bad carbs, smaller portions and more veggies. UGH RIGHT? Soup always helps me to get back to the old me because I know what I am putting in it, very little fat, a lot of vegetables and lots of flavor that I can make in large batches and eat whenever.

Butternut squash soup is so easy to make and it's fast....takes less than an hour to make a large pot of it and you can freeze it too!

1 large butternut squash (peeled and cut into large pieces)
2 large shallots or 1 large red onion (chopped)
2 celery stalks (chopped)
2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
2 quarts (2 cans) of vegetable or chicken stock
1/4 cup Half and half

Heat oil over medium heat and add the shallots...cook for about 7 minutes. Add in the rest of the vegetables, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook for about 12 minutes or until vegetable a slightly soft. Add in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until vegetables are fork tender. Use an emulsion blender or processor to puree. Stir in half and half. Garnish with a drizzle of honey or yogurt!

Who You Callin' Shortbread Squares

Yeah, that's right! These little badasses are...well...badass! Passed along from one person to another, to me and thus a new OliveBeats baby was born. A bit labor intensive, but fattening little gems to make your will power fall right off a cliff and your best jeans to fit just a little bit tighter. But screw it...it's the holidays and who is really working out anyways? Isn't that what January is for?

This is not by any means and "made from scratch" goodie...more like a semi-homemade recipe. OH and it's NO BAKE too! Manipulate any which way you want if you know what you're doing. But for those not creative enough in the kitchen...just follow these instructions and you'll be a winner. Fully. Totally.

Carmel:

1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk

3 Tblsp of salted butter

1 bag of milk chocolate chips (any brand you like)

1/2 cup of toffee chips

Shortbread cookies (Walkers or Lorna Doone)

Heat the milk and butter over med-low heat until it comes to a slow boil. Bring heat down and continuously stir until it becomes a light amber color. Spread the carmel over the cookies that are on a piece of parchment paper. Let cool in fridge for about 10 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and dip the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with toffee bits and again chill them in the fridge.

Mediterranean Meatballs with Hummus

You will NEVER need to order out for Mediterranean again after you learn how to make this dish. Change it up all you want to how YOU like it, but regardless....it'll capture all of the familiar flavors of cinnamon and allspice. I'm thinking this would also be a great appetizer and a yogurt dipping sauce eh? Wow, I'm still recovering from the two helpings I just finished.

Meatballs:

1 lb ground lamb
1 egg
6-8 minced kalamata olives
1 Tblsp chopped parsley
2 Tblsp minced red onion
1/2 cup of plain bread crumbs
3 Tbslp olive oil
2 Tblsp Greek seasoning
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt

Optional (but REALLY REALLY worth it):
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Prepared plain hummus
Prepared Israeli Couscous
Chopped red onion
Chopped Roma tomato

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine all of the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl using your hands or a fork. Using a cookie scoop or two large spoons, form the mixture into medium size balls and place into a large baking dish. Do not grease the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Around 15 minutes check if there is a lot of grease at the bottom of the dish. If so, drain most of it and place back into the oven. Serve over hummus and couscous and garnish with the onion, pine nuts and tomatoes. MMM! So good!!!!

OMG! Pumpkin Cheesecake

Sorry that the picture isn't the best as it was taken after a couple glasses of wine and Amaretto...but yes, that's right...OMG Pumpkin Cheeeeeeesecake. I can't tell you how great this cheesecake turned out even from scratch. I wanted to make something a little different for Thanksgiving and it was devoured almost immediately even by those that don't like cheesecake (yes, people that don't like cheesecake really exist...go figure)! I plan to make this for some upcoming holiday parties that I'm sure will impress.

I actually came across this recipe on a coupon believe it or not. I was so drawn to the idea of pumpkin cheesecake that I decided to go for it making my own modifications of course to deliver a totally GoldenBrown one-of-a-kind! Being that this was my first ever homemade cheesecake, it really wasn't very hard or intimidating at all. However...you are required to have some key items in order for it to turn out perfectly that include:

1. Spring form pan....don't have one? Forget it.

2. Parchment paper.

3. Wide piece of foil to cover the bottom of the pan without having to use two pieces.

If you have those three items, plus the required ingredients...you're golden. Now be the foodie that you are or wanna be and just do it!

Crust
2 cups ginger cookies, ground
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup salted butter, melted

Filling
2 (8 oz.) pkgs of softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut out a piece of parchment paper the same diameter of your pan and line the bottom of your pan. Ground up the ginger cookies however you want, blender, processor, ziplock and a rolling pin, etc., either way just make sure you don't have any big chunks. Combine the rest of the crust components and press evenly into the bottom of your pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove it, cool it...and turn oven down to 325F.

Make sure the cream cheese is at room temp. Mix the cream cheese until smooth and beat/mix in the sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl mix together the pumpkin, sour cream and remaining spices/salt...then gently combine with the cream cheese mixture by hand. Pour into your cooled pan. Place on your much needed wide piece of foil and tightly wrap the bottom on your pan so that no water can leak in there and ruin your crust! Place your pan into a large roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water about half way up the sides of your pan. Like any cheesecake, the water bath will prevent your cake from drying out and cracking. Bake for 1 hour, turn off the heat and leave in the oven for 1 more hour. Remove and let cool and either chill it or you can freeze it until about an hour before serving (my preference).

Sweet Roasted Chestnuts

I've always wanted to do the ole tradition of roasting chestnuts...maybe not over an open fire as my oven would suffice. I got this idea from a show I recently watched where they made drunken chestnuts....I know right? So I had to try it. The peeling was painful....but totally worth it in the end. Burned thumbs and sticky nuts...sounds good to me!

1lb whole chestnuts
4tbls salted butter
4tbls sugar
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1/4cup dark rum (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F

Make a slit in each chestnut with the point of a sharp knife to prevent the chestnuts from bursting. Roast the chestnuts in a shallow dish or baking sheet for 20 minutes. Peel the shell of the chestnuts while they are still warm. In a pan melt the butter over medium heat, add the peeled chestnuts. Sprinkle with sugar. Let cook for about 7 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and add in the rum...be careful! Cook for another 10 minutes until alcohol has been cooked out and the liquor is syrupy. Cook longer if needed.

Serve hot!

Harvest Chicken

When the weather is getting chilly...and I mean really cold, what better than inviting family and friends over for a mini feast of roasted chicken and harvest vegetables. Being that I had just invited a group of family and friends over for pumpkin carving, cocktails and the hockey game...I figured I'd serve them up some friendly comfort food. Chili...naw...stew...maybe....roasted chicken...perfect. This dish was not only easy and really tasty, but it also displayed itself beautifully on the platter.

1 whole chicken cut up (I bought it precut)
1/2-1lb of tri colored fingerling potatoes cut in halves
5 parsley roots chopped in large pieces
4 large celery stalks chopped
4 large carrots peeled and chopped
3 small shallots chopped in large pieces
3 large garlic cloves smashed
2 sprigs of rosemary
Handful of fresh sage leaves
4 tblsp of salted butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Generously season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. (Set the backbone aside to make stock with). In a large cast iron/ceramic pot over medium-high heat add about 2 tblsp of the butter and place a few pieces of the chicken in skin side down. Don't overcrowd the pot as you may need to brown the chicken in batches. Brown the chicken on both sides until they have a nice golden crust, but don't cook all the way through. Once all of the chicken is nicely browned, set aside while you prepare the vegetables.

In a large roasting pan add in all of the vegetables, potatoes and rosemary. It's important that all of the vegetables and potatoes are about equal in size. Pour some olive oil over them then season with salt and pepper. Mix together with your hands so that they are all coated with the oil and seasoning. Place the chicken on top of the veggies and place in the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. In a small sauce pan, add the rest of the butter and sage to melt together. Baste the chicken with the sage butter every 10 minutes.

Spicy Chicken Udon

Chicken, fat noodles and salt? Come on...that's like one of the best comfort food combos ever. Debating on what to make for dinner with limited ingredients, this little spicy gem was born. I had just completed my first take of making my very own sushi at home which turned out to be pretty successful (guess what is soon to debut?) I had some lil' additions I had picked up at the Japanese market I visited. Don't let the words "Udon" or "Siracha" intimidate you as you can find these items easily at any grocery store....BUT...if you can't find the Udon....just use any type of rice noodle. Pffft...even ramen noodles would suffice. If you've even been to any Chinese or Japanese...any Asian place to eat they usually have a big bottle of Siracha on every table. This dish is totally up to you....don't like spice? Then don't add the spice! Want more veggies? Add some slice mushrooms, pea shoots, water chestnuts, zucchini...whatever! Just do it...because it's that damn good.

2 small chicken breast portioned into small pieces
2 packages of unseasoned Udon noodles (already cooked)
1 cup of chopped spinach (thawed and drained if frozen)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup of red onion (large pieces)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 tblsp canola or peanut oil
1 tsp red pepper flake
Black pepper
Soy Sauce
Siracha chili sauce (optional)
Black sesame seeds (optional)

In a large wok or fry pan over high heat add the oil and chicken. Add a splash of soy sauce for seasoning. Move the chicken around so it doesn't burn until it is almost cooked. Add the onion and garlic and continue moving around to avoid burning for about 3 minutes. Add in the spinach that has been thawed and drained, red pepper flakes and some pepper for taste. Be sure it is drained to avoid the dish from becoming watery. Cook for another 5 minutes....stirring more of course. Turn down the heat slightly and add the noodles. Since they are usually tightly packed...let them sit for a bit before breaking them up to avoid tearing the noodles. Add in the stock and cook until everything looks well combined and tasty! Taste for seasoning. If you need more salt...add more soy. Want more spice? Wait for the Siracha OR add in more red pepper flakes. (TIP! When adding red pepper flakes to any dish, rub them between your fingers to break them up a bit. This releases their oils...the oils that carry the heat!) OK...you're done. Serve that up in a nice wide bowl, garnish with Siracha and sesame seeds and eat with some fun chop sticks! Oh...don't forget the pear flavored Saki.

ああそう良い！
(oh so good!)