Roasted Pear & Butternut Salad with Gorgonzola and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

I've never really been big on pears and I'm not sure why. I won't pick them out of something like a Martha's Vineyard salad, but I won't just snack on one as I would an apple. However, lately- and maybe its a pregnancy thing- whenever I see a recipe with pears, I've found them oddly appealing. Shopping the other day, a few made it into my basket with the mindset if I didn't enjoy them, Sage and Beckett would.

I figured I'd probably roast them and serve them in a salad, but the idea to pair them with butternut didn't come to me until I saw the pears and the squash sitting side by side in my fruit bowl. Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts seemed like an obvious compliment, as did a simple apple cider vinaigrette. This was one of those times where I knew this was either going to be amazing or totally not work out. Obviously, this was a winner. It was absolutely delicious, fairly quick to make and surprisingly filling. I'm definitely rethinking the pear thing.

Roasted Pear & Butternut Salad with Gorgonzola and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

serves 2

1 small (1 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 firm Bosc pears, unpeeled, cored and cut into chunks the same size as the squash

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

kosher salt

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

salad greens of choice- I used baby spinach

for the dressing:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp fesh lemon juice

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Toss squash pieces with 2 tsp of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Spread in a single layer on one side of a baking sheet. Toss pears with the remaining tsp of olive oil and spread on other side. Roast, flipping squash and pears over during cooking. The pears will be ready at about 20 minutes. Remove them from baking sheet and continue roasting squash until tender, about 5 additional minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Once squash and pears are roasted, toss with a small amount of dressing and let cool just slightly. Serve over a bed of greens, topped with half of the walnuts and cheese, and the remaining dressing on the side.

Spinach-Peach Salad with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Lately, I've been having some days where I just have no inspiration for dinner. This happened a few nights ago, despite having a huge selection of seasonal produce from my trip to the market the day before. With the dinner hour approaching, I began randomly googling ingredients, hoping for inspiration. Somehow, I stumbled across a Spinach and Peach Salad, even though I hadn't been searching "peaches." Now, we're not usually big on salad with fruit, but I had bought a basket of peaches, which had become quite ripe overnight, so I decided it was worth a try.

I skimmed through several similar recipes, and noted the many variations. Some were as simple as spinach, pecans, peaches and bottled dressing. Some were much more complex. There were different types of nuts, the addition of soft cheeses and onions, even salmon, and dressings that ranged from Poppy Seed, Italian, Raspberry Vinaigrette, and Red Onion. I had Gorgonzola and walnuts on hand, which I thought would go nicely, and I choose to dress mine with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. Sage did too. He admitted that while he figured he would like it, he didn't "expect it to be that good." But it was! The tangy blue cheese kept it from being too sweet, and the walnuts gave a needed crunch. I'd meant to add some red onion but forgot, but now I don't know that it needed it. The only thing I do differently next time, is tossing the spinach with most of the vinaigrette before adding the other salad components, just for a prettier presentation.

Spinach-Peach Salad with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

for the vinaigrette:
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 small clove garlic, pressed
2 tbsp good quality olive oil

for the salad:
5 oz. baby spinach leaves
2 small peaches, pitted and diced
1/3 cup toasted walnut pieces
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

To make the dressing, combine first four ingredients together in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Set aside.

To assemble salad, in large bowl, first layer spinach, top with peaches, walnuts and drizzle with vinaigrette. Top with Gorgonzola. (Alternately, toss the spinach with most of dressing first, then top with peaches, walnuts, drizzle with remaining dressing or serve on the side, and finish with Gorgonzola.)

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

We spent our 4th of July on the beach all day, with some of our closest friends, playing bocce ball, eating, drinking, people watching, and of course, ending the day with fireworks. At some point we realized we all had the next day off, so we decided everyone should come over for a cookout/pool party. On a whim, I said "I'll make blue cheese stuffed turkey burgers!" Not sure where the idea came from, other than I had ground turkey in the freezer and blue cheese in my fridge. Sadly, on Monday, it rained all day, and we decided not to have anyone over. We also had something other than burgers that night.

Ever since, I've wanted them. But our schedules made it so we couldn't have them until last night. Luckily, they were well worth the wait. I based them loosely off of the Herb & Cheese Stuffed Burgers I made a few months ago since I couldn't find a recipe for a blue cheese stuffed burger I liked. It was just our little family, so I only made 3 burgers, using half of a package of ground turkey, just as I did when I made the last stuffed burgers, but everything could be easily doubled to feed more people. If you love blue cheese as we do, I'm sure you'll enjoy these, and if you eat beef, I imagine that would be a great variation as well.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers
serves 3

10 oz. ground turkey (half of a 1.25 lb package)
1/4 of a medium red onion, minced (about 3 tbsp worth)
3 tbsp Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp ground mustard
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp crumbled Gorgonzola (or blue cheese of choice)
1 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
toasted hamburger rolls, tomato slices, spinach leaves or romaine, for serving

Mix ground turkey with onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper. Divide into 6 equal pieces, and form each into a thin patty.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese with blue cheese, using a fork to mash and incorporate well. Spoon a 1/3 of cheese mixture in the center of three of the patties. Top with remaining patties and press edges well to seal.

Grill burgers over medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side. Serve on toasted buns with desired accompaniments.

Gorgonzola and Spinach Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

When I go to the produce market, I will buy just about whatever my 2 year old wants. There's a few random things I'll say no to, but I am happy to encourage his love of fruits and veggies. It also helps keep him occupied since there isn't a shopping cart for him to ride in. (He is awfully adorable and charming, but no one really wants a crazed toddler running around the market.) Last week, he picked out a 2 lb. bag of miniature sweet peppers. They were on sale for a terrific price, so I had no problem buying them.

We typically go through a good amount of bell peppers, but even with using them in meals and slicing them on salads, I still had a half of a bag left by the next trip to the produce store. I thought of stuffing them, perhaps similar to the Spicy Stuffed Peppers from Symon Sundays, but our a/c was being worked on, and it was far too warm in our house to even think of hot foods. So my thoughts turned to a cool dip instead, but then I thought it would be fun to fill the small peppers with the dip, for a perfect little appetizer. I found a recipe on Eating Well for a Blue Cheese Dip, and altered it a tiny bit to include spinach.

Not only were these cute, but delicious too! I just made a small batch for my family to snack on, so if I was going to make them for a party, I'd double it. If you don't have access to mini sweet peppers, the filling is a wonderful dip to serve with cut veggies, and I suspect it would make an amazing hot stuffed mushroom too. If you aren't a fan of blue cheese, Eating Well suggests substituting Parmesan, but I personally loved the Gorgonzola in this.

**I realize this is my third recipe in a row containing cream cheese. This is what happens when Sage and I each pick up a block of it when we already have one in the fridge. Don't worry, this was the last of the third package, so my next recipe should be cream cheese free.

Gorgonzola and Spinach Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers
Filling adapted from Eating Well's Blue Cheese Dip

1/4 cup Neufchatel/reduced fat cream cheese
1 scallion, trimmed and chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
1 small garlic clove, halved
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp tarragon wine vinegar (or white-wine vinegar)
1/2 cup packed coarsely chopped spinach leaves, stems discarded
1 tbsp reduced fat mayo
fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
15 miniature sweet peppers (I used the smaller ones, about 2 inches long)

Using a small food processor, pulse together cream cheese, scallion, parsley, garlic, lemon juice and vinegar until well blended. Add spinach leaves, mayo and pepper and process until smooth.

Transfer contents to a small ziplock bag, add Gorgonzola and gently mix to combine. Taste and adjust pepper if needed. Filling, in sealed bag, can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, at this point.

Prior to serving, trim tops off peppers and remove ribs. Snip a small corner off plastic bag and pipe filling into each pepper. (This step could also be done the night before.)

Symon Sundays: Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup & Shaved Fennel Salad with Oranges, Lemon, Dill and Watercress

This week's Symon Sundays selections were the ones I chose. When I first got the cookbook and began going through it, I kept going back to the same soup recipe. A spicy tomato soup with blue cheese- it just sounded like something I'd love, and Sage thought it looked delicious too. Although there were many different types of dishes I know I would've enjoyed, I really wanted to pair it with a salad. Most of the ones in the book were very summery, and I wanted to pick one with more seasonal ingredients. I decided on a shaved fennel salad with oranges, lemon, dill and watercress, which seemed fun since we've never had raw fennel before and love trying new things, as well the fact I'd be able to use oranges from our tree.

The soup was every bit as amazing as I'd hoped for. It was a little spicy for Sage, but he still really enjoyed it. It was a cinch to make, and just perfect on a rainy day. I wasn't sure how we'd like the salad, but we very much did. We learned we liked fennel. Good to know. My only big complaint about the recipe as written was that there was way too much juice from the oranges. I used the juices from all three, but one would've been plenty, so I've reflected that below. I also think we would've prefered this with arugula over the watercress.

Spicy Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup
from Live to Cook, Michael Symon

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 (28 oz.) can of Marzano tomatoes, with juice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream (I used half & half)
2 tbsp sriracha sauce
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue Cheese

Heat the oil in a 4 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and a three finger pinch of salt. Sweat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sweat for 2 more minutes.

Add tomatoes, their juices and stock. Bring to a simmer. Stir in cream, sriracha sauce and oregano and simmer for 45 minutes.

Pour soup into blender, add blue cheese and blend until smooth, working in batches if needed. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot, taste, adjust seasonings if needed and reheat to serve. (I blended mine right in the pot with a submersion blender and skipped straining it.)

This soup will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for a few days. (Although it isn't likely you'll have it around that long.)



Shaved Fennel Salad with Oranges, Lemon, Dill and Watercress
adapted from Live to Cook, Michael Symon

3 oranges
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 small or 1 large fennel bulb, core removed and shaved (with a mandolin)
1 tbsp coarsley chopped fennel fronds
2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground corriander
2 tbsp extra-vigin olive oil
1 cup loosely packed watercress or arugula

Grate zest of the one of the oranges and reserve. Segment all three oranges, by removing peel and pith with a knife and slicing through fruit along either side of the membrane to remove only the fruit sections. Once segments are removed, squeeze remaining juice from one of the oranges and reserve.

In a large bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, salt, lemon and orange juices and zests. Wisk to combine. Add the shaved fennel, fennel fronds and dill, tossing juice. Add the orange segments, a few grinds of pepper, the corriander, olive oil, and watercress. Toss gently and plate, spooning additional dressing over top.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onion and Blue Cheese

I've had a butternut squash camping out in my fruit bowl for a couple weeks now, waiting for inspiration to hit. The other night, I knew it was going to be part of dinner, as my produce selection was getting sparse, but I wanted to do something fun. That afternoon I found in my mailbox, the latest issue of Everyday Food.

I began to flip through it, and just pages in, found the inspiration I needed. While their recipe was a complete meal with pork tenderloin, I borrowed their concept and made it a side dish, adjusting the cooking temperature so I could cook it along with the rest of our meaI. I swapped the red onion for a yellow one, used dried thyme instead of fresh sage, and added crumbled blue cheese at the end. I absolutely loved this and the combination of flavors. Sage ate his, but said it was a "little much." I believe that's just because he likes stronger cheeses in small doses. Personally, I found the addition of the blue cheese to be what made this dish, but if you're not a huge fan, omit it or use it sparingly.

Adapted from Roasted Pork with Squash and Onions, Everyday Food, March 2010 (2-3 servings, as a side)

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch(ish) cubes

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 of an medium orange

1-2 oz. crumbled blue cheese, or as desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together butternut, onion and oil. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Roast until tender, about 25 minutes.

Squeeze orange half over roasted vegetables. Gently scrap up any browned bits using a wooden spoon. Transfer contents of baking sheet, including juice, to a serving platter. Top with desired amount of blue cheese. Serve warm.

Chunky Blue Cheese Dip & Dressing

For our Super Bowl get together, we tried out a bunch of new recipes, but either I forgot to take pictures of them, or the ones I did get were horrible. I am always way too preoccupied to make certain I've gotten a decent one. I managed to get an okay one of this dip, but compared to a few other things we had, it didn't seem that exciting.

Knowing my friends weren't going to put a hurtin' on the celery & carrots when there was an array of meaty and/or cheesy type apps, I only put out half of it. While we thought it was nice as a dip for veggies, we found it a perfect compliment to next day on our favorite Baked Buffalo Tenders from Ashlee's blog. And the following day I took some to work with a big garden salad for lunch, which was excellent! It is so much better than any bottled blue cheese dressing.

The recipe said you could use either blue cheese or gorgonzola. I used Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue, which I discovered recently while making the roasted beet salad for Symon Sundays, and it was just as great in this. As always, I used light sour cream and reduced fat olive oil mayonnanaise and it didn't seem to compromise the flavor at all.

adapted slightly from Taste of Home, Feb./March issue
1 cup light sour cream
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Slow-Roasted Beets with Buttermilk Blue Cheese, Watercress and Toasted Walnuts

When Ashlee from A Year at The Kitchen decided to start Symon Sundays, a group to cook through Chef Michael Symon's Live to Cook, I thought it sounded fun. I was even more excited by the first recipe she chose, a salad featuring roasted beets- which I absolutely love- accented with buttermilk blue cheese, toasted walnuts and a orange-balsamic vinaigrette. If she hadn't a chosen it, it definitely would've been one of my picks.


At first I didn't think I was going to be able to find the Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue Cheese (or Maytag) that the recipe called for but then I stumbled upon it. I was not able to find the golden beets, though, so I had to substitute with all red beets. Luckily, that was the only substitute I had to make.


While I LOVE beets, I usually don't make them myself very often, because they are a bit of work. There did seem to be something slightly over complicated in this preperation. (But perhaps it had something to do with the fact I have a white, very porous sink and I find it much easier and less messy to peel my beets before roasting. Or most likely it had something to do with the toddler in my kitchen, very insistent on helping, when he should've been napping.)


At any rate, I was really hoping this salad would be amazing...and it was! I loved the combo of the roasted beets with the blue cheese, the peppery watercress and the tasty vinaigrette. While Sage does fall into category of beet eater and salad eater, he isn't one to get excited about either, but he really liked it too. Unfortunately, it was a dreary rainy day, and my picture doesn't due justice to this pretty salad.


Ashlee has the recipe posted.

Lentil Walnut Burgers

When I first saw this recipe in my Google reader a while back, I knew it was something I wanted to try. In fact, I planned on making these burgers immediately as I had the ingredients on hand, but somehow it didn't happen. Then I forgot about them. Recently I was perusing the blog where I'd first seen them, Cara's Cravings- which is full of a healthy, yet certainally never boring, recipes- while looking for new vegetarian dishes to try. Seeing this recipe again, I knew I couldn't let them get away from me a second time and made them the next day.

Originally a Moosewood Cookbook recipe, Cara had altered it a bit, changing hers from Lentil Walnut Burgers to ones made with pecans, and topped with sliced apples and blue cheese crumbles and seasoned with thyme. I choose to make mine with walnuts, just because I prefer them over pecans, and also to skip the apples but keep the blue cheese and the thyme. They were wonderful and we loved how they paired with the cheese.

Now here's the beauty of these tasty burgers: you don't just have to do the patty on a bun thing. The next day after I made them, I worked late, and when I got home, Sage repurposed them as a filling for delicious meatless quesadillas, along with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and white cheddar. Then the next day for lunch, I crumbled one over a salad with blue cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar dressing. I'm not a big fan of eating of same thing for days on end, but a busy schedule left cooking new things everyday hard, so I loved how they worked in several different ways. They can also be frozen. I will definitely be making these again soon.

Lentil-Walnut Burgers, adapted slightly from Cara's Cravings (originally from Mollie Katzen/Moosewood)

3/4 cup green lentils (or brown)

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup minced onion

4 large cloves garlic, minced

8 oz mushrooms, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or pecans)

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tsp minced fresh thyme or rosemary (I used about a 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 cup rolled oats

crumbled blue cheese, if desired

Place lentils and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for about 5-10 minutes more, until the vegetables are soft. Add the thyme, the walnuts, and season with salt & pepper. Set aside to cool while the lentils finish cooking.

When the lentils are done, place in a bowl and mash with the vinegar. Add the sauteed vegetables and the oats and mix well. Chill for about an hour.

Preheat broiler. Form the lentil mixture into six equal sized patties ( I actually got 7 patties) and place on a baking sheet. Broil for about 8 minutes on each side. If desired, top the burgers with the blue cheese and broil for one minute more, or until cheese is melted.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

I had some blue cheese left over from my buffalo chicken pizzas, so I decided to try making a homemade version of one of my favorite salad dressings, Blue Cheese Vinaigrette.

I was feeling lazy, so I was just going to follow a recipe, but I couldn't find one that matched the ingredients I had on hand. I took components from various recipes and started adding and tasting, until I came up with a dressing I loved!

And to prove its deliciousness: Sage- who will eat salads but certainly doesn't count them as a favorite- had two servings, despite a yummy meat-filled dinner.

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tbsp chopped parsley

sea salt and pepper

(Makes about half of a cup)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, and wisk until well blended. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Week 1: NE Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills- Buffalo Chicken Pizza

For this first week of football, the Patriots were playing one of the Monday Night games. To say Sage is obsessed with football and the New England Patriots, is an understatement. I wanted to do something special for dinner, and I thought about a New England themed dinner. But all that came to mind was seafood, and recently I've developed an odd aversion to it.

So I was still trying to come up with something and recalled a co-worker I used to have. For fun, every week during football season he'd cook a themed dinner for his family. Depending on who was the opposing team their favorite team was playing, he'd create a dinner traditional to that area or one that had the team's location in the title of the food. I thought that would be cute to attempt for this season. The Pats were playing the Buffalo Bills, so I decided on a Buffalo Chicken Pizza- something I'd already been planning on making this week.

I looked through a few recipes but most had a layer of blue cheese salad dressing instead of a red sauce. I wanted to top mine with blue cheese crumbles, so I just came up with a simple recipe of my own. This was one of my favorite pizzas I've ever made. The crust was amazing and all the toppings were perfectly balanced. It looked like a lot of blue cheese, but it wasn't overwelming at all. I'm a veggie person, so I was worried that it would be just too much chicken and cheese, but when I asked Sage what vegetables I should use, he shrugged and said "Celery?" So we went without, and I didn't miss them. I made two small pizzas and they had a party appetizer feel. Perfect for eating while watching the game.

I needed a quick rising pizza dough, because that was the only type of yeast I had, and it was my favorite so far. I found this Honey Wheat Pizza Dough at About.com. For the flour I used 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour and the rest all-purpose and followed all the rest of the recipe perfectly. I used only half of it for two 6-7 inch pizzas, and saved the rest for another use.

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce, divided (I used Frank's Red Hot)
pizza dough ball or premade crusts
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded mozarella
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill chicken (I used our George Foreman.) Dice and put in a small bowl. Mix with three tablespoons of the cayenne pepper sauce. Set aside.
3. Divide pizza dough onto two balls and roll out each on a floured surface. Transfer to baking sheet (I use the backside of mine.)
4. Mix tomato paste with remaining tablespoon of sauce. Spread half of tomato paste mixture on one pizza crust, top with half of mozarella, half of diced chicken, and finish with blue cheese crumbles. Repeat for other pizza.
5. Cook according to pizza dough or premade crust instructions. (I cooked mine for 14 minutes.)

My guys this year for the first Patriot game of the regular season

First Patriots game of the season, September 2008

Beckett's first Super Bowl, February 2008, less than two weeks old.