So, Fall is quickly approaching, which means lots of cooking – homemade soups, spice cakes, cheesecakes… Oh, how we love fall!!!
When we first feel the wonderful chill of fall, we usually start off the season of sweater weather with our chili.
Category: Recipe
Some of our best Fall recipes!
Fall means two definite things for us – 1) all of our trees will continuously drop leaves starting now until late May, and 2) we start cooking and baking like we’ll never eat again!
Football season, pumpkin-spiced-everything, and yes, even Christmas is already in some stores. The countdown to cool evenings around the fire pit is on!
If you are in the mood for fall, here are some of our favorite cool-weather recipes!
Baked Rigatoni
I had a craving for Italian food yesterday, but didn’t want to mess with the time it takes to make lasagna. Heading to the store, we decided to make Baked Ziti, but our store didn’t have any Ziti noodles (WTH!). We went with Rigatoni noodles and made such a great dish!
Ingredients:
Rigatoni noodles – 16 oz. box (or Ziti, if YOU can find it!)
Marinara sauce – we made our own, but any jar sauce is fine
One pound of ground beef, seasoned, cooked and drained
One 15 oz. container of Ricotta cheese
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
For our semi-homemade marinara sauce, we use a packet mix (with tomato paste.) Following the instructions on the packet, make the sauce, and add the cooked ground beef to the sauce and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes. We then added in some roasted red pepper and Peppadew peppers, just to give it a little more flavor!
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. While that is cooking, combine the Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan together, leaving 1/4 of the Mozzarella and Parmesan for topping the Rigatoni.
Add in about half of the marinara sauce and fold into the cheese mixture. Once the pasta has cooked and been drained, add it into the cheese and sauce mix and stir together until well-blended. Place in a baking pan and pour the remaining sauce over the pasta, spreading to make sure to cover all of the pasta. Then top with the remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in a 375 degree, pre-heated over and bake for 30 minutes.
That’s it! Maybe grab some Italian bread or a baguette, a light salad, and a pillow, too, because you’ll definitely want a nap when this yummy dish is eaten!!!
Start 2016 with Pepper Steak – A great linked recipe!
I’ve always loved pepper steak, one of the less-popular typical Chinese/Asian dishes. Growing up, mom made pepper steak with a tomato sauce rather than a soy-based sauce. And while I will make that recipe occasionally, a few years ago I found a great recipe for pepper steak from another blog that is delicious!
Holiday leftovers!
We hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season! Now that the bulk of the hustle and bustle is over, we can focus on food again!
Potato leek soup
I am a huge fan of potatoes and onions, so this is right up my alley. Every fall this recipe seems to be a go-to meal that is pretty quick and easy – yet impressive and classic!
Southern Gay Gourmet 