Potato Gnocchi with Lemon-Thyme Sauce

Our neighbor recently had their lemon tree trimmed, so he brought us several fresh lemons. This inspired me to try a new recipe, Potato Gnocchi with Lemon-Thyme Sauce, from Cooking Light magazine since we had both a package of gnocchi and fresh thyme on hand (instead of carving out the time required to make the gnocchi from scratch as the recipe suggests, using already prepared gnocchi made this recipe a doable weeknight dinner). The sauteed shallots, butter, and thyme were perfect compliments to the fresh lemon. The shavings of the Parmigiano-Reggiano added a bit of saltiness which further enhanced the dish. This recipe produced an extremely satisfying warm dinner on a cool night. The combination of flavors were very pleasing and I appreciated how extremely easy it was with the short cut I took. Since we still have several lemons in the bowl on the kitchen counter, I may just be making this again very soon.

Pasta with Roasted Asparagus & Goat Cheese

For times when I'm in the mood for an easy recipe requiring only a few ingredients, one of my favorite sources is Martha Stewart's cookbook Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. I knew once I learned she had a second edition out earlier this year that I'd buy it eventually. Only five ingredients (counting chives as a garnish) come together in Pasta with Roasted Asparagus and Goat Cheese to make a simple, yet delicious meal. It's an amazingly easy recipe guarantying pleasing results. It can quickly be prepared for a satisfying weeknight dinner. I especially enjoyed using goat cheese as the "sauce" for the pasta. How can one not love the smooth, creaminess of goat cheese tossed with warm pasta? Of course I couldn't have pasta without also garnishing it with a few shavings of Parmesan.

Turkey Sausage Breakfast Rolls

If you're in the mood for a warm and savory breakfast option for a weekend morning or Sunday brunch, these Turkey Sausage Breakfast Rolls are very enjoyable while not requiring much prep time. I slightly rolled out an 11 oz. can of French bread dough (from the refrigerator section of the grocery) into a rectangular shape. I then brushed all but the edges with 2 T. of melted butter and topped it evenly with the turkey mixture (8 oz. fully cooked turkey sausage, 1/2 onion which had been caramelized, 2 t. dried sage, and 1/4 t. salt). It was then topped with 3 oz. grated smoked Gruyere cheese. The dough was rolled up like a jellyroll and sliced into 12 pieces and placed in a 13X9 baking dish. After baking for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, they were the perfect compliment to a warm drink and fresh fruit.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

I enjoy trying a variety of lasagna recipes because lasagna is such a satisfying dish featuring layers of unique flavor combinations. When the recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna popped up in my email InBox from the Chow blog, I couldn't help but be intrigued. Only within the last couple of years I have discovered an appreciation for butternut squash, so I was tempted to give it a try. Since I have not yet developed the same appreciation for chestnuts, I was a bit gun-shy about this ingredient, however, after checking in a several stories including a speciality grocery, I couldn't locate the unsweetened chestnut purée which this recipe calls for. I then decided to also skip the alternative suggested for the chestnut purée (thinly sliced roasted chestnuts) since I really can't enjoy the consistency of roasted chestnuts. The combination of the browned butternut squash and mushrooms with the Béchamel Sauce, Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Gorgonzola was amazing. I had not only never had butternut squash in a lasagna, but the Gorgonzola was also a new experience in my lasagna baking world. I loved the tanginess of the Gorgonzola and the balance it provided to the sweetness of the squash. I'm not sure what the flavor profile would have been like with the unsweetened chestnut purée, but it was an excellent dish without it. The primary change I will make next time is to use regular lasagna noodles which I'll boil since the box of par-cooked lasagna noodles made the dish dry based on the amount of sauce.

Plum Buckle with Pecan Topping

While I have enjoyed cobblers, I wasn't familiar with a "buckle", basically a baked dessert featuring fruit. This cake-like wonderfulness, Plum Buckle with Pecan Topping (from Chow.com), was a delectable desert and a most appropriate way to feature late summer stone fruit. It was so good when I made it in August that I can't believe I forgot to post it (but it would make a nice holiday dessert, or perhaps a version with fresh cranberries)! The batter produced a moist cake which was sweet, and the fresh tartness of the plumbs were an ideal compliment. The crunchy texture of the pecan topping added interest to the dessert while capping it with a bit more sweetness. Another nice perk about this dessert is the ease to which it is assembled. Topped with a heaping mound of fresh whipped cream, this dessert will leave you craving seconds!

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

As a child one of my favorite casseroles of my mother's was her chicken baked with white rice and a can of cream of mushroom soup. This casserole is a grown up version of that concept, so I had to give it a taste. While I've had a number of misses in the last few months with recipes which didn't turn out as well as expected, I've yet to be disappointed by a recipe from chow.com. Their Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole kept this streak alive. I really like both wild rice and Arborio rice so the opportunity to have both in a dish was hard to pass up. The porcini mushrooms added a nice earthiness to the casserole which was a winning match with the thyme. While the casserole involved a number of steps and took a bit of time to assemble, it was well worth the effort. The casserole also reheated very nicely for an easy weeknight option.