Week of January 1

I love cooking.  I love trying new recipes.  I love talking with friends about food and recipes and cooking and eating.  I love sharing recipes that I've found and love with other people.  And I refer to this little blog space often to remember what I've made, what we've liked, and to share recipes with people.  So instead of trying to post individual recipes, I'm going for a weekly meal approach.  I'll star the recipes that were new and hopefully do a better job of tracking what I make for future reference.



Mexican Pile-Up - a family favorite: you pile up whatever you want!  Our staple ingredients are: rice, taco meat, chips, lettuce or spinach, black beans or refried beans, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, cilantro, salsa.  Other taco-type toppings are welcomed when I have them.

Anniversary date night.  Kids had pizza.

*Cinnamon Chili Pork - this was absolutely delicious and everyone in the family liked it - winner!  My youngest asked for a bowl of the red pepper apple salsa for her birthday meal!

Kids were invited to the neighbors' for a last-minute dinner playdate, so we had date night leftovers.

*Roasted Sausage with Mushrooms, Squash, and Polenta - I love polenta, but hadn't tried roasting it before.  Delicious!

1 16-ounce tube refrigerated cooked polenta, cut into 1/2-inch slices and halved (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
2 cups sliced fresh cremini mushrooms
2 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. uncooked mild Italian sausage links
1 tsp. snipped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 425F.  In a 15x10-inch baking pan combine polenta, mushrooms, and squash.  Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Prick each sausage a few times with a fork.  Place in pan with veggies.  Sprinkle with rosemary.
Roast 25-30 minutes, or until sausages are done, stirring once.  If desired, top with additional rosemary.
Recipe taken from Better Homes and Gardens' One-Pan Recipes magazine


New Breakfast recipe:
Yogurt Biscuits from Super Natural Every Day, by Heidi Swanson.  This is a new cookbook for me and I'm excited to cook my way through it this year with a friend!  It's definitely worth a look from your local library if you enjoy simple, interesting, whole food recipes that are easily adaptable for family-friendly eating.