Spinach & Onion Dip

Serve this dip warm with crostini or pita chips.

Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
2 garlic cloves chopped fine
1 tsp olive oil
coarse salt & ground pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp all purpose flour
2 packages (10 oz each) chopped frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Saute garlic till light brown. Add onion, salt & pepper. Cook till translucent - 5-7 minutes. Add flour - stir for 30 seconds. Add milk, spinach, sour cream & cream cheese. Cook, stirring till the cream cheese melts. Add paprika, mix & transfer to a baking dish.Top with Parmesan.
Bake for 15 minutes till the mixture is bubbling. Heat broiler and broil for 3-4 minutes until the top browns.

Applesauce Cake

Another one of Martha Stewart's creation. I love baking this in Fall/Winter. Filled with intense cinnamon & cardamom flavor, it's sweetness comes from light brown sugar & honey (I used the Carolina spiced honey).

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled) + more for dusting
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups chunky applesauce
nonstick cooking spray
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon & cardamom and set aside.
In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat brown sugar, butter & honey until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat until combined. Beat in applesauce.
Generously coat a tube pan with spray, dust lightly with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Spoon batter into the pan, smooth top & bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (but slightly wet), 50 to 60 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out of pan on a baking sheet & then invert cake onto the rack - right side up. Cool completely. Dust with Confectioners' sugar before serving.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

This recipe is taken from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I serve it cold, dusted with sugar; but I bet it will taste equally good when served warm or room temperature.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter + more for baking dish
10 slices cinnamon raisin bread
2 cups 1% milk
3 oz semisweet chocolate
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square or 11x7 baking dish.
Toast bread in toaster until lightly crisped.
In a medium saucepan, combine milk, chocolate & butter; place over medium heat, stirring occasionally until chocolate has melter.
Tear bread into large pieced (about 4 per slice) and scatter evenly in the the prepared baking dish.
Whisk egg, sugar & vanilla in a bowl. Whisk in the milk mixture until combined. Pour over bread.
Bake until the pudding has puffed and is firm, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes, and dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

PS: To chill, let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight.

Fall Risotto

One pot meal, perfect for the Fall table. I served it with Sanford Chardonnay, which I also used in the recipe. I cooked it in my enameled cast iron pot, but any other oven-proof heavy bottomed pot would also work. This is one of the less painful recipes of Risotto, since most of the cooking happens in the oven. I adapted this from Nov, 2010 edition of Everyday Food.

1. 4-5 shallots, chopped fine
2. 3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3. 2 tsp fresh thyme
4. 2 tsp Olive Oil
5. 1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
6. 1/2 cup white wine
7. 1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled and chopped into small squares
8. 1 firm, tart apple like Granny Smith, cored and chopped into small squares
9. 1 bunch Mustard Green, chopped into 1/2" slivers (use Kale as replacement)
10. 4 cups vegetable stock
11. Salt & ground Pepper to taste
12. 1/2 cup Dried cranberries
13. Roasted Pumpkin seeds or fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Heat olive oil in the pot on medium-high heat. Add garlic & shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes till garlic becomes fragrant. Add thyme and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the rice & cook for 4-5 minutes, till rice is opaque. Add the wine. Cook, stirring constantly till the wine is absorbed. Add the squash & apple and stir to mix. Add the vegetable stock and once it comes to boil, add the Mustard Green (or Kale), cranberries, salt & pepper. Cover and move it to oven. Bake for 20 minutes or so until rice is cooked.

Top with roasted pumpkin seeds (or freshly grated Parmesan for purists) and serve hot.