SPOILERS

NO REALLY SPOILERS

White Lasagna with Mushrooms and Chicken Sausage

I love mushrooms with a hobbit-like intensity.  One of the first things on my "when I win the lottery which will totally obviously happen even though I never play it" list is to eat a truffle.  I could probably give up meat if I could always have a delicious portobello (portabella? whatever) cap instead.  So when I saw this recipe for Super Creamy Mushroom Lasagna on Divine Cuisine I was instantly intrigued.  I also love "white" versions of Italian dishes (yummmm white pizza) so that convinced me I had to give it a whirl.

Slow-cooked Sausage and Onions with a Cider, Beer and Mustard Sauce

This Halloween I decided to try to recreate something Jay made for our Halloween party two years ago.  He cooks everything by just throwing things together until it tastes good, which often works out well but is not so helpful when it comes to recreating the recipe.  With a little trial and error I took a stab at it, and was pretty happy with the result, although there's one thing I'll definitely change next time.  After some initial stovetop cooking, you can finish this recipe in a slow cooker or continue to simmer it on low on the stove.

One Pot White Bean, Escarole and Bacon Soup

 

Two years ago my friend Jo brought me this soup, and I never stopped thinking about it!  It's perfect for fall- it has the smoky bacon, hearty starchiness from the beans, a light broth with fresh herbs and escarole, and it would be awesome for dipping some fresh crusty bread in.

Marinated Greek Chicken Kebabs

 

 

Well I promised something springy, but this recipe, from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking by Rena Salaman and Jan Cutler, is more of a head start on summer barbecueing.  However, even if it's still chilly where you are, if you have access to a grill, you should get these delicious kebabs cooking asap.  You won't be sorry!

Irish Raisin Soda Bread

YOU GUYS!  I'm sorry I've abandoned this blog!  I had no intentions of doing so, but I've been extremely busy doing this whole baking thing professionally!  I've been working at an awesome French bakery and learning lots of fancy bread baking skills that I will someday be able to share with you, when I have time to breathe a little bit.  Baking all day is tons of fun, but also tons of hard work!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

 

This wildly addictive recipe has been made by various members of my family for Christmas for as long as I can remember (and I'm packing some up tonight to ship out as very belated holiday gifts!)  I've always wanted to think of a name for it that wasn't so Schweddy Balls, but nothing else really stuck.  I think there is a similar recipe called buckeyes.  Whatever you want to call them, the point is they are delicious and put Reese's cups to shame.