Pumpkin gnocchi with tomato basil cream sauce.

Much like how my Wednesdays are reserved for  breakfast for dinner, when Fall hits, my Sundays are set for  some sort of pasta dinner. Since it is still Pumpkin Week for me,  why not some pumpkin gnocchi?

Ingredients:

Gnocchi:

2 Cups flour ( or more)
3 Eggs
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp salt
Dash nutmeg


Tomato Basil Cream Sauce:


1 lb Chicken, sliced thin
3 Cups Milk
1/2 Stick butter
1/2  Large can diced tomatoes
1/3 Brick Cream Cheese
3 Tablespoons dried Basil
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tbsp flour
3 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp Oregano
1 Cup spinach

Directions:

1. Mix gnocchi until it  forms a ball,  let rest in  fridge for 30 minutes.  Roll into (4)   long ropes that are about 1/2"  in thickness, make impressions with fork all the way  down,  cut every 1/2" with a knife, you may  need to use more flour for this.

2.  In a large saucepan on medium heat,  melt butter, and cook chicken , removed chicken but leave the juice and butter.

3. Add flour into saucepan, whisk in 1 cup of milk, once it becomes thick, add cream cheese and basil.

4.  Add tomatoes to sauce, along with everything else except the garlic and spinach.  whisk carefully.

5. In a large pot of boiling water, place in gnocchi, boil for 10 minutes,  scoop out with a slotted spoon, and into saucepan.

6.  Add garlic, chicken, and spinach, stir  carefully until everything is hot.


You may sprinkle some Parmesan on top, but I left it out.  It would also make a good bread dip!

Wild West Chicken with Avocado Ranch Dip

This recipe is a combo of a few different recipes put together and inspired from Longhorn Steak House. :) My mom works at Longhorn so any chance I can get I ask her to bring home the famous Wild West Shrimp they have. They serve this with ranch dip. Another appetizer they have there is the firecracker chicken wraps, which they serve with avocado ranch dip. So that's where I got the dip idea from. 

Soooo one night Kt gave me the idea of wild west chicken instead of the shrimp. I looked up a few different recipes and then put this together :) I wanted to bake the chicken instead of frying it, and I wanted to do almond crust instead of regular breadcrumb crust. I decided to make baked almond chicken bites... with side of avocado ranch dip. I used the spices from the Longhorn recipe, and the only other thing I changed was I used yogurt ranch recipe instead of using pre-made ranch :D

Chicken:

1lb+ chicken

1 c. almond meal

1/2 c. breadcrumbs

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp seasoned salt 

1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Mix all dry ingredients from above in a bowl

Put 1 egg, beaten in a separate bowl

Cut chicken into small bite size pieces

Dip chicken in egg, then into dry mix

Place chicken on baking sheet or oiled dish

Bake 20-25min

Meanwhile, simmer the sauce on stovetop

Sauce: 

1/2 c. peppercinis

1/4 c. cherry peppers

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp seasoned salt (instead of longhorn's "prairie dust")

Once chicken in done, remove from oven and top with the sauce

Avocado Ranch Dip:

3/4 c. yogurt

2 tsp hidden valley ranch mix

1 avocado

3/4 tsp tabasco sauce

3/4 tsp cumin

S+P

Blend in food processor 

(Prepare dip ahead of time, before cooking chicken & refrigerate)

And enjoy! :)

Servings: about 4

Big Sandwich ( A.K.A. Rambler Sandwich)

  Back in my home town of Winthrop, ME, the people are proud, much like any other small town. The people are especially proud of  their football, and their mascot. 

                                                                           The Rambler.

Winthrop Rambler, a school bus

Every Friday in the fall you will find most of the residents of Winthrop gathering at the football field, dressed in  green and white, rooting for their favorite school bus.  The idea came from  when Winthrop did not have sports fields of their own, and they would travel around in a frumpy old school bus. Since then the bus has has some upgrades, and stands tall. 

           But what does this have to do with a sandwich?  Well there was a local restaurant called Ned's, who  dedicated a sandwich in name of the Rambler.  A massive sandwich enough to feed a small team of people, loaded with  protein to keep them going.

It's salty, it's cheesy, it's delicious.



Ingredients:
1 Loaf Italian bread, sliced down the middle
1/4 lb Genoa Salami*
1/4 lb Hard Salami*
1/4 lb Cooked Ham*
1/4  lb Provolone*
1/4  lb American Cheese*
1/2 lb Bacon, cooked
2 Tomatoes, sliced.
1/4 Sweet onion, thin sliced.
Pickle slices.
Mustard
Mayonnaise

*All of these are sliced to standard sandwich thickness

Directions:


1. Spread mustard onto bottom half of bread,  place meats one type at a time across the bread, stack remaining meats, making sure there is even distribution.


2.   Place bacon either in strips, or crumble on top of the meats,  place cheese on top of bacon.




3.  Cook lower half of the sandwich in an oven at 350º  until the cheese has just melted. Remove from oven and place pickles onto  sandwich.


4. Spread mayonnaise onto upper half of the bread, evenly distribute tomato, and onion slices.




5. Combine halves, using a large knife, slice sandwich  accordingly.



Serves 4 - 6

Pizza Enchiladas

        This was another recipe of mine that sort of just came to me.   The idea had brewed in my head for a bit before I decided to make it. You can add vegetables if you want, or make it a meat lovers.  It's pretty simple, and very tasty.


Serves 4 -6

Ingredients:
1 Package Burrito-sized  Flour Tortillas
1 Can Pasta Sauce
1 Package Sliced Pepperoni
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Oil for brushing
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese



Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º

1. In a bowl, add pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and sauce, mix until  pepperonis are evenly distributed.

2. Scoop portion of the mixture into the middle of tortilla, roll tortilla  and place into a  grease 13 x 9" pan. Repeat until pan is full , and ingredients are used up.

Cram em all in >8D

3.  Brush tops with oil, sprinkle garlic, and  cheese on top. Cover pan with tin foil.
4. Bake at 375º  for 20 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. 


Allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes. Serve with a salad. I like to drizzle a little ranch on mine.

Onion Cheddar Chicken

Onion Cheddar Chicken with an herbed pumpkin sauce, tomato pie, and mashed potatoes.

I saw a recipe for Ritz cheddar chicken on Pinterest, I made it ,and it was okay. I felt it  needed something, but what?  Frenches onions, of course!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breast, cut in half.
1/3 cup flour
1 Egg, beaten.
1 Cup Cheddar cheese, shredded.
1 Cup Frenches Onions, crushed.
1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs. Combine with crushed onions.

Sauce:
1/2 Cup Cream of Chicken
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp Dry Ranch Mix




Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º

1. Dredge chicken in flour,  shake off excess.

2.  Dip chicken into beaten egg.

3. Coat chicken with 1/4 cup of cheese. Make sure it's sticking to the chicken

4.  Bread chicken with onion and bread crumb mixture , press onto chicken  to ensure it stays. Place chicken onto a cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Make sauce while it cools.

6. To make sauce, combine all the ingredients into sauce pan ,mix, and cook on medium heat until hot. Pour over chicken.

Enjoy!

Sesame-Vegetable Lo Mein

 This recipe comes from a mix of a few different pinterest recipes, and whatever I had in the kitchen.

Serves 4-6 people

7 oz whole wheat spaghetti (or any pasta you like)
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 c. sugar snap peas
2 c. broccoli
1/3 medium red onion
15 baby carrots sliced up (or use big carrots)
1/2 red bell pepper
2 garlic gloves chopped up, or minced
1 tsp ginger (or fresh ginger grated)
1/4 tsp red pepper (use ground or flakes)
2-4 tbsp soy sauce (or more, I think I used 1/4 c. or more lol)
1 tbsp water
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
And, if you are a mushroom fan, toss those in too

1. Cook pasta
2. Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in skillet
3. Add vegetables, garlic & spices to skillet
4. Stir fry 10-15 min or longer if you need to/want to
5. Add soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, & water to skillet. Then add cooked/drained pasta.
6. Cook 10-15 min, add sesame seeds, & serve! :)