Festive Chesse Platter

The Holidays are just upon us, hard to believe but Thanksgiving is about 2 weeks away!! 

Do you need a show stopper tray to take to family gatherings, have a potluck,

or do you simply have stressful work days and crave CHEESE!!! The answer is here... make this beautiful cheese platter & lets be honest your wine needs a companion too!

These can be arranged in any shape or form.

CHEESES: Smoked Gouda, Pepper Jack, Sharp Cheddar & Dill Havarti

Red and green grapes and thyme for garnish.

I want some cheese now!

Slow Cooker Pot roast

FALL IS HERE! Try these comforting recipes....

RECIPE
3-4 lb chuck roast
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
3lbs potatoes
2-3 carrots, large sections or baby carrots
2 onions, chopped or pearl onions

optional, chopped mushrooms

Seasonings:
1 cup red wine
1 pk. Ranch dip
1 pk. Gravy mix
I add like to add in whatever herbs I have on hand,
such as thyme or rosemary.



Set slow cooker on low for 8hrs. or high for 4 hrs... depending on how much time you have. Chopped your onions, carrots and celery and throw those veggies in the pot. Wash and dry the potatoes and throw in whole. Next you want to lay the meat on top of those veggies, pour in some wine & place herbs on top. Now that everything is in, we need to season this bad boy.... In a small bowl combine dry packets with a bit of water and pour into the pot. Prep work is done, so cover it & walk away!
Let the magic happen.

7 1/2 hrs later......

During the last 30 mins, I like to take the meat out, slightly shred and throw back in with the veggies on top this time. Your whole house should be smelling like pot roast and that's when you realize you've done something right.

Serve, garnish with parsley and crusty bread!!!

ENJOY!!

Pioneer Woman's Easy Chili

RECIPE

2 pounds ground beef

2 cloves garlic, chopped

One 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup maseca

One 15-ounce can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

One 15-ounce can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)

Toppings:

Shredded Cheddar

Chopped onions

French Bread

Place the ground beef in a large pot with garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Combine & cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. At this point check chili every 15-20 and stir.

After an hour, place the maseca in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings.  Lastly add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with shredded Cheddar, chopped onions,  & French bread for dipping.

ENJOY!!

Green Pesto Pasta

This Pesto was adapted from Giada's spicy pesto recipe.... which is incredibly yummy. The original recipe calls for 1 jalapeno. I omitted the jalapeno and used half an avocado instead, I figured it would give it a nice creamy touch and besides I was cooking for my girls. Let's get started!

RECIPE:
1 lb Pasta (your choice)

1 cup baby spinach

1 cup arugula

1 cup raw walnuts

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 avocado

2 garlic cloves

5-8 oz cheese (I used a parmesan, romano & asiago mix)

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

While the pasta cooks to perfection, blend the pesto ingredients together. If mixture is to thick, feel free to add a bit of pasta water, this will ease the blending process.

You pesto should look something like that!! Now taste to adjust the seasonings. Once pasta is cooked, place in a large bowl and incorporate pesto. Garnish with chopped walnuts and more cheese!! Easy right!

This is perfect on its own, or aside grilled chicken, fish or even a shredded rotisserie chicken.

ENJOY!!