Autumn Meal Favorites

On August 22, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes4 Comments

When the temperatures start to fall and the leaves start to change, there are certain meals that we always have during this time of the year. Most of them are comfort foods that are hearty and satisfying as well as very tasty. It is also a time of year when we tend to eat spicy meals that heat you up from the inside. Here are some of our favorite dishes that we tend to eat during the autumn season.

Traditional Chili – Cooking up a bowl of homemade chili is definitely one of the first meals that we make for ourselves at this time of year. It is definitely one of those foods that is even better the following day after it has had time to sit. It can be spiced up by adding some fresh jalapenos or cooled off by adding a little sour cream.
Bowl of Chili
Spicy Southwest Mac and Cheese – We love a good mac and cheese and this was a recipe that we created not that long ago. It is definitely something that can be done as a meal, but could also be done as a side-dish as well. It can easily be changed up by simply using different varieties of sausage or completely leaving out the meat.
Cajun Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin-Sage Shrimp – Pumpkin is definitely a flavor that is synonymous with autumn and this simple recipe is filled with flavor. It is also a meal that is a little lighter than many of the other dishes that we enjoy at this time of year.
Pumpkin-Sage Shrimp
Stuffed Shells – This Italian dinner is very similar to lasagna, but it is easier to scale down since it is just the two of us. One of the things that makes this meal so delicious is all of the melted cheese and pairing it with a slice or two of garlic bread only adds to the overall enjoyment.
Cheesy Stuffed Shells
Breakfast for Dinner – Eggs, fried potatoes, a spicy chili sauce, and cheese. What else do you need? We look forward to this meal every year and will have it more than once as the days get shorter and the temperatures get even colder.
Simple and Delicious
Our Version of Chili Mac – This is a recipe that has been in our family for a couple of generations. It is a little bit of a unique meal, but is certainly one of our favorites.
One of Our Favorites

There are definitely other meals that we enjoy during autumn, but these are a few that we have shared previously. We are definitely looking forward to enjoying these meals in the coming months ahead.

Fettuccine with Pork and Spinach

On March 21, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New York, Recipes4 Comments

Needless to say, there are hundreds of restaurants in New York, many of them Italian. Many, if not most, of them serve wonderful food from family recipes that they brought with them from the Old World. During our stay in Manhattan, we came across one of these small, family owned and run, restaurants and stopped there for lunch as we walked the streets of the city. We ended up trying a couple of their daily specials, one ravioli and the other fettuccine. Both of them were wonderful, but we especially liked the fettuccine as it was different than most pasta dishes that we have had. In our attempt to replicate it, we had little to go on other than the picture that we took during our meal, but it turned out to be delicious as well as very simple to prepare. As is often the case, simple dishes with only a few ingredients can often be some of the best.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Fresh Fettuccine
1 lb Baby Spinach
1 lb Ground Pork – unseasoned
2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes – more or less depending on how spicy you would like it
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Be sure to use plain ground pork and not a seasoned pork sausage. In a large bowl, combine the pork, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red peppers, salt and pepper and be sure to incorporate the spices throughout the meat. It is best to work the meat and spices with your hands as you would if you were going to make meatballs. Set the pork aside for about 30 minutes to let the seasonings infuse the meat and allow the meat to come to room temperature. Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium-high heat. Add the pork, breaking it up into rough bite size chunks as it browns. Sauté the pork until it is fully cooked and slightly browned, about 10 minutes while stirring frequently. Remove the pork, leaving as much of the oil and fat, and set aside on a plate with a paper towel to drain. Add the baby spinach in batches and heat until it is wilted and soft. The spinach will reduce to about 1/4th as it wilts. Once all of the spinach has been cooked, reduce the heat to low and combine the pork and spinach. Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions, being sure to reserve about a cup of the pasta water. In a large bowl, combine the butter and the fettuccine and mix thoroughly until the pasta is coated. Combine the pork, spinach, and pasta water and toss gently together. Divide onto plates and shred the parmesan cheese over top and serve.

Our Version of the Fettuccine with Pork and Spinach

Spicy Southwest Mac and Cheese

On March 14, 2018March 14, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Arizona, Recipes11 Comments

One of the meals that we ate when we were in Scottsdale, Arizona, was a spicy mac and cheese with sausage and red peppers. It was a nice change of pace from traditional mac and cheese, so we decided to try and replicate the recipe ourselves. Making homemade macaroni and cheese isn’t very difficult and tastes better than anything that you can get out of a box, but we rarely take the time to do it. Fortunately, it is easy to find seasoned varieties of sausage in the grocery store these days, so we didn’t have to go to the trouble of making our own sausage. We found a nice Cajun spiced andouille sausage that paired nicely with the chipotle chili. One nice thing about a recipe like this is that you can easily modify it to feed a larger crowd or reduce it for a meal for one or two. We decided to cook ours in individual crock bowls, but cooking it in a casserole dish would certainly be ideal as well. You can also use different types of pasta for the dish, but we used a Cellentani noodle as it has ridges to help hold the cheese. This is definitely a recipe that we would do again in the future.

Picante Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage in Scottsdale

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of Cellentani Noodles (or elbow macaroni)
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
4 cups Milk
1 Red Pepper – sliced into strips
2 Links of Andouille Sausage – cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
2 tbsp Chipotle Chili Powder (or to taste)
1 tsp Dry Mustard
2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 cups Four Cheese Blend
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook the pasta according to the directions, drain and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, red pepper, and sausage. Even though the sausage is already cooked, frying it will caramelize it and add more flavor. Cook the sausage and pepper for about 5 to 7 minutes until the sausage is browned and the pepper is soft. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and then whisk in the flour to make a roux. Be sure not to let the roux start to brown. Heat 2 cups of the milk in a microwave for 90 seconds and then slowly whisk it into the roux, making sure to whisk out any lumps. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Microwave the rest of the milk for 90 seconds and then whisk that into the rest of the milk mixture. Add the chipotle powder, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper, ensuring to mix thoroughly. Add 3 cups of the cheese, whisking until it is smooth and creamy. Stir in the pasta, sausage, and peppers until the pasta is completely coated with the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/4 of the pasta into 4 oven proof bowls that have been sprayed with a non-stick spray (or transfer to a medium casserole dish). Top with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs and bake in an oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 4.