Spaghetti di LaRusso | The Karate Kid

Well, hello 2018. Here I am sidling up to you, and almost a whole month has already gone by. And just because I can, now that I've officially welcomed you, I'm gonna go ahead and slip back into the past—34 years in the past to be exact, because it's time for another round of recipes inspired by 80's movies from me and Kimberly at Coffee and Casseroles.

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Sausage and Tomatoes inspired by The Jesus Cow

On Christmas Eve itself, the bachelor Harley Jackson stepped into his barn and beheld there illuminated in the straw a smallish newborn bull calf upon whose flank was borne the very image of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

"Well," said Harley, "that's trouble."

You've heard of people seeing the image of Jesus in a tortilla or a screen door, right? And you've heard the hub-bub that ensued, right? Well, so had Harley Jackson. So, when he saw the the image on the hide of his calf, the only things that ran through his mind were how he could hide him or get rid of him. This confirmed bachelor slash sort-of farmer didn't need to deal with throngs of religious pilgrims trampling his land in the small town of Swivel, Wisconsin.

Fast forward a couple weeks and a new love interest threatening that confirmed bachelor status. Harley wakes up to a commotion, the calf wandering around alone outside of the barn, and a swift realization that his life is never going to be quite the same again.

One-Pan Sausage, Squash, and Onion Roast + 46 more Winter Squash Recipes

Aaaaaaaah, best intentions. Sometimes they just don't work out the way we planned. You may remember back in November when I kicked-off the Twelve Weeks of Winter Squash with this Sesame and Chile Roasted Butternut Squash. I was excited for another year of delving deeper into the world of winter squash. I was determined to find new ways to use them, and to use the ones I use less often. Alas, I did really well for the first six weeks—and then I dropped the ball.

Life started moving at a dizzying pace, the end of the year was upon us (which I know is supposed to be a joyous time, but for me, it's always the most stressful). Winter squash sat on my counter, neglected. I kept thinking I'd get to a recipe later, and squeak in towards the end of the week. Before I knew it, it was the next week, and I'd be saying the same thing. I did manage to complete one winter squash recipe in the final six weeks. Lame.

A few of my winter squash compatriots actually did manage to delve deeper, and post all twelve weeks, though—to them I take my hat off. So today, I'm sharing a simple one-pan recipe featuring Acorn squash, but I'm also sharing the entire list of recipes made by the Twelve Weeks of Winter Squash group throughout our event this year.

Supreme Pizza Soup

I've been staring at a blank screen for close to an hour. I can't find the words. The older I get, the more I realize how fragile life is. How one day you can be laughing and joking and loving and making plans, and then not wake up the following day. Or worse, you can get caught up in the stress and frustration that sometimes seems to pile up - you can be grouchy and angry and fed-up and take it out on those you love. And not wake up the next day.

Tears are streaming down my cheeks at the thought of either scenario. But, why, you wonder? Why am I thinking out loud about this when you expected to hear about soup?

It's because I'm trying to find a way to put the way I feel about having known Elle. Elle (Lee Ann) from Elle's New England Kitchen passed away suddenly a week and a half ago. I was in a state of shock, disbelief, sadness, and fear all at once. How could this young, spunky, kind, snarky, hilarious woman whom I'd known through the world of food blogging since 2009 just be gone?

Cheesy Italian Sausage & Kale Quiche

Ah yes, how I adore the four basic food groups: Bread, booze, garlic, and CHEESE.  What's that?  Those are not the four basic food groups?  Oh yes, I forgot - there are five basic food groups.  How 'bout I add fish?  Yes, that sounds much more complete.

Today's Sunday Supper menu is focusing on one of those basic food groups.  Maybe my favorite one of them all.  Well, next to bread.  Bread and CHEESE are equal in my book.  Heck bread with cheese is pretty much what I call bliss.  Anyway.  Cheese  makes everything better.

Take for example, this already stellar quiche.  It's a glorious meal; slightly spicy sausage, ribbons of kale, and piles of paper-thin shallots - all resting in a thin, crispy phyllo shell.  Sounds pretty amazing right?  How in the world could it possibly get any better?

Spaghetti Squash w/ Kale & Sweet Italian Sausage

Twisted insides. An aching heart. A burning lump in my throat. Tears that slide continually from my eyes. But I can reach out and encircle my babies in my arms... squeeze tight... willing them to forever stay in my grasp. And it breaks my heart over and over again each time I think of those families in Connecticut who can no longer touch their children again. See their radiant smiling faces. Hear their infectious laughter. Hold their small, trusting hands. I think and I think and I don't understand. I will never understand what could make somebody commit such an act.

I'm not going to voice anymore than this. Because I am unable to do so. I know that nothing I say or do will bring any measure of comfort to these families. But I wish that there was. And I wish them peace.

Baked Spaghetti Squash w/ Sweet Italian Sausage {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

Up until last week, it had been years since I'd eaten Spaghetti Squash.  Probably at least 15 years.  No joke.  And really, I'm not even sure why.  I always think about picking one up.  I just never actually do it.  Funny thing is, this may be the one squash that everybody in my house will eat.  If only I had picked one up before, I could have been adding this to my family's autumn and winter repertoire.  {sigh}  Live and learn.

It may have something to do with the fact that it's combined with some of our favorite things like a red sauce laced with roasted garlic, fennel-studded Italian sausage, and melty, bubbly cheese.  I mean, those things can't hurt.  I am not going to claim that your kids will mistake it for spaghetti, however, if they are a fan of it, they just might give this semi-look-alike a chance.  Mine happened to devour it.  Which is a good thing, but that means that I had no leftovers for lunch the next day.

So, spaghetti squash may become a new obsession.  I can see it happening.  Isn't it funny how a certain food or ingredient can sneak under your radar for so long?  I remember liking this before, but now I wonder why in the world I didn't love it fifteen years ago like I do now.

Baked Spaghetti Squash w/ Sweet Italian Sausage

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 20-30 minutes

Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Keywords: bake entree nut-free squash sausage Spaghetti Squash American fall winter

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 medium-large spaghetti squash
• ½ lb. sweet Italian Sausage
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp. fennel seeds
• ¼ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
• 1 egg
• 2 c. red sauce (homemade or storebought)
• 1 c. ricotta cheese
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray 4 (10 oz.) ramekins with cooking spray; set on a baking sheet.

Using a thin-bladed, sharp knife, poke the spaghetti squash about ten times. Microwave for 10-12 minutes, turning over a couple of times throughout the process. It is done when the skin looks loose and wrinkly. Remove from microwave and cut in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the seeds with a large spoon.

While the squash is cooking, add sausage to a skillet over meat heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and cooked through. Add onion and garlic to pan and saute until onions are soft and translucent, ~3 more minutes. Add fennel seeds and crushed red chile and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to one minute, or until fragrant.

Using a fork, scrape your spaghetti squash into strands. You should be left with just the skin. Transfer the strands to a colander set over the sink and allow the moisture to drain off while you move on to the next step.

Combine sauce, ricotta, egg, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Fold in the spaghetti squash until evenly distributed.

Place approximately an eighth of the squash mixture into the bottom of each prepared ramekin. Divide the sausage mixture evenly over that layer. Spoon the remaining squash mixture as evenly as possible to form a top layer in each ramekin. Grate a little bit of fresh Parmesan cheese over each ramekin and then divide remaining mozzarella over the tops.

Slide the baking sheet with the full ramekins on it into the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbling around the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving (it will be extremely hot on the inside).

adapted from Cooking with My Kid

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So enough about me and my re-kindled relationship with Spaghetti Squash, how about my talented 12 Weeks of Winter Squash co-host?  Have you stopped by Joanne's place, Eats Well With Others, to see what she made this week?  Plus, we want to see what you're doing with winter squash in your kitchen lately.  Please share your links here (or there - same difference...)!

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1. Baked Spaghetti Squash w/ Sweet Italian Sausage	2. Thai Tofu and Winter Squash Stew	3. Curried Kabocha Squash Flatbread	4. Beef and Pumpkin Mole Chili	5. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup	6. Homemade Pumpkin Pie	7. Roasted Pumpkin Galette
8. Braised Beef with Barley and Autumn Flavors	9. Squash with Okra and Green Beans	10. Mac & Cheese Stuffed Squash	11. Indian Inspired Curried Pumpkin and Chickpeas	12. Kabocha squash and ricotta pierogi	13. Pumpkin Bread Pudding	14. Kale, pumpkin and black bean enchiladas
15. Pumpkin Patch Stuffed Shells

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Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Italian Sausage

Though our weather hovers in the unseasonably-warm range and we've been setting new record-highs all week long (even hitting 90° F one day...in March...in the first day or two of Spring...in Northwestern Indiana. No. I can't get over it. It's weird.), it's still a good time for soup.  But I've mentioned that before.  In my book, soup isn't seasonal.  It's a staple.

While I do usually prefer brothy soups, the occasional thick...or thicker than brothy...ones add variety.  So I don't dismiss them.  Especially when they're beautifully beany.  This one in particular is thickened with both white beans and potatoes that are cooked until extremely tender and falling apart and then mashed to add body to the broth.  It becomes creamy and luscious which I think makes the perfect backdrop for the bold flavors of cabbage, rosemary, Italian sausage, Parmesan, and balsamic vinegar that actually work together in harmony rather than compete as it seems they should.

Pizza w/ Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Italian Sausage w/ Fennel, & Basil {food 'n flix}

I hesitate to put this out there.  But, since this month's chosen flick for Food 'n Flix was Eat Pray Love, I guess I'm gonna have to.  So.  Here goes.  I'm gonna say it.  Puttin' it out there.  I don't like this movie...or this book.  Eek!  Don't hate me.  I wanted to like it.  I expected to like it.  I mean...I'm a fan of chick flicks (and chick lit).  It has all the criteria to fit snugly into the categories of movies I love to watch at least once a year as a little getaway or girl time.  It has delicious food, cute guys, gorgeous settings, and a story line that I want to be great.  I want to covet Liz's life for a couple of hours.  But I don't.  I'm sure the book put me off the movie.  Which is fairly normal for me.  But in a different way.  Usually if I want to enjoy the movie, I can't read the book first because as you know, the movie rarely does the book justice.  So, I hesitated picking up the book first.  But, in true Heather form, I couldn't resist the book.  I could hear it whispering to me every time I walked by it at the library.  I gave in.

Much to my chagrin.  I guess it's not really fair for me to say that I didn't like the entire book since I couldn't actually get through the whole thing.  I really thought it tried too hard.  I found it pretentious.  Again, this is hard for me to write, because I don't enjoy dismissing anybody's hard work.  The words just sounded so scripted...so meant for a movie.  Me, Me, Me!  See what I did!  I find "look at me" stories hard to stomach in any medium or setting, though.  So basically what I'm trying to say is that it's possible I may have enjoyed the movie (which this post is supposed to be about) had I not tried to read the book first.  But since I couldn't disconnect, I'll never know.  I mean, how can you not adore Julia Roberts?  And I'm a sucker for the crinkles in the corner of James Franco's eyes when he smiles.  And pizza in Naples?  Yes, please!

There were, however a few scenes here and there that I enjoyed.  I enjoyed Elizabeth's simple breakfast plate of egg, bread, asparagus, and tomato on the floor with a newspaper with the Italian sun streaming in.  I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters such as Ketut, Richard, Wayan and Tutti.  I have a few favorite quotes such as "God dwells within you, as you" and "Not too much God, not too much selfish...otherwise, lose balance" and "ruin is the road to transformation".  I just don't find myself with a craving to watch this film again.  I did watch it when it first came out on dvd, then again this month so that I could refresh my memory and write this post.  To each their own, right?

As far as inspiration to head into the kitchen, I was stuck on the pizza.  I'm sure you don't really need a recipe for pizza, so I won't give you one.  I'll just give you the method and ingredients that inspired me that day.

non-recipe for Pizza w/ Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Italian Sausage with Fennel, & Basil

yield: 1 pizza

pizza dough (homemade or storebought...your choice)

olive oil

slow-roasted yellow cherry tomatoes

roasted garlic

loose Italian sausage

fennel seeds

crushed red chile flakes

mozzarella cheese

fresh basil

Cook sausage in a pan until done, adding a good amount of fennel seed and crushed red chiles toward the end of cooking.  Drain fat and set aside.

Pat or roll dough out into desired shape.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Cover with desired amount of cheese.  Scatter sausage and however many tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves as you wish.  Bake in preheated over (~400° F for 12-15 minutes-ish).  Scatter torn basil over top.  Enjoy!

I know are going to be some people who vehemently disagree with my opinion on this (and I'm okay with that).  I'd love to know your thoughts...

Eat Pray Love is the January '12 Food 'n Flix pick hosted at The Law Student's Cookbook.  Posts inspired by this flick are due on the 28th of January, so you still have time to cook something up and share your thoughts on the film.

I am also sharing this post with:

Italian Sausage & Potato Frittata

Everybody has a go-to meal, right?  Something that you enjoy enough to turn to when you're too tired/lazy/busy to make anything else.  Well, my go-to meal?  Omelets.  They're great because they can be different every time while staying basically the same.  You can add any veggies, herbs, cheese, or meats that you have hanging around the kitchen.  Throw some warm tortillas, toast, or crusty bread alongside and splash it with some Tabasco and you're good to go.  Plus, they can be impressive.  I mean, that's what I hear.  Even though I've probably made thousands of omelets in my life between working the breakfast shift, manning an omelet station, and making a go-to meal...there are many people that consider them a luxury.  If we have family crashed at our house, offering to make them an omelet in the morning always brings on the squeals.  I love it.

Now given, I'm sharing a frittata today, not an omelet...there's really not that much of a difference.  A frittata is basically an open-face omelet.  I could just have easily made individual omelets stuffing the same ingredients inside.  This is just a meal for four in all in one big shebang.  Cut into wedges and plated up, it can still bring a smile to my face.  

Our theme over at IHCC this week is White as Snow (white foods).  While I had plenty of white ingredients packed into this beauty, it came out as a vibrant mélange of color.

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Italian Sausage and Potato Frittata

by Heather Schmitt-González adapted from Apples for Jam 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: breakfast entree eggs pork

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 small potatoes
• olive oil
• ~¾ lb. Italian Sausage, crumbled
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• ~1 c. button mushrooms, sliced
• heaping ¼ c. of chopped parsley
• 6 eggs, beaten
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook potatoes in their skins until tender by any method you choose (I like to use the microwave when I'm in a hurry). When cool enough to handle, slice or cut into chunks and set aside.

Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and sauté until deeply golden and cooked through. Remove to a bowl, leaving as much of the tasty grease behind as possible.

Add onion and carrot to pan and saute until soft and onions are golden, ~10 minutes.

Add another good glug of olive oil to pan along with the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms have given off their water and turned golden. Season with salt and pepper and then add to the bowl with the sausage, leaving behind as much grease as possible.

Preheat broiler.

Add just a bit more oil to the pan (enough to equal a good coating) and add potatoes to pan. Saute until golden and crusty in places. Tip the bowl of goodies back into the pan along with most of the parsley and cook for a minute or two.

Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in the eggs. Stir and lift, using a wooden spoon or heat proof rubber scraper, so that the uncooked eggs can leak to the bottom (like making an omelet). Once bottom is softly set, transfer pan to broiler until frittata is just set enough so that it can be cut into wedges.

Serve warm garnished with remaining parsley, some fresh tomatoes, and some good bread.

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Lazy Girl's Cassoulet + Roasting a Whole Duck & Liquid Gold

Traditionally named after the vessel it is cooked in (a deep, earthenware pot with slanted sides), a Cassoulet consist of beans and meats that have been slow cooked into glorious, comforting harmony.  From its peasant food origins comes a history of containing tougher cuts of meat and offal and pantry staples such as dried white beans.  Like most dishes, it has evolved over the years and in different regions

Legend has it, that once a pot of  your stew was finished cooking, you would then deglaze the pan to get a good base for your next pot of cassoulet.  Over time the offal and mutton were replaced by duck, sausages, and perhaps partridge.  And eventually people began to include pricier meats like pork, goose or even duck confit.  Today you can even find version of cassoulet that use lamb or even seafood.  But no matter the version, they are all rooted in the same tradition.

So, a traditional cassoulet is cooked for long period of time allowing tough meats to turn tender and dried beans to become plump again.  Hours of lazy bubbling draws flavor hidden deep inside the bones and develops thick, rich juices that coat your belly just as well as they coat the meat and beans.  But often we don't have to wherewithal to foresee a sudden urge for the comfort that comes from hours of waiting.  Too bad, you say?  Perhaps. But perhaps not.