Menu: Fall in Lexington

There are times I might go a little overboard planning {that's not my definition, but it might be others}. I love food, planning, and being creative, so it's easy for me to lose track of time when I'm creating a menu for our guests.

I try to stick with flavors that match the season, incorporate a lot of fresh foods and provide a good balance between healthy and decadent. You have to spoil everyone a little bit. My goal is to make them feel like they're on vacation! Here's a copy of our menu from the weekend and all of the recipes, including some of my prep tips. {I created the printed menu as well, so if you're interested in having some made up for Thanksgiving or a special event, feel free to contact me and I can create custom printed menus for you!}

 

Spinach & Artichoke Dip - Restaurant Style
slightly adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic {I used pre-minced garlic in a jar, if you'd like to use fresh follow the link above}
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 oz.) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 (8 oz.) package cream cheese softened

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, mix all of the ingredients together and then smooth the top so it's even. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheeses are melted and bubbly.

Note: I made this a few hours in advance and let it sit in the refrigerator until our guests were about 30 minutes out from our house and then I popped it into the oven. This recipe is super easy and extremely delicious. I served it with blue corn chips and pita crackers.

Kickstart Fruit Kabobs
adapted from "Easy Breakfast & Brunch: Simple Recipes for Morning Treats" 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of diced pineapple, drained {or fresh works too, it's just more work!}
• 1 honeydew melon cut up into small cubes
• 2 fresh peaches cut into medium slices
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon clear honey
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice {substitute with cinnamon or nutmeg}
• Wooden skewers of any size {I made 12 long skewers, approximately two per person with a few leftover for seconds}

Directions:

• Thread your fruit of choice onto the skewers in any order.
• Put the orange juice, honey and spices into a small bowl and mix. Brush over the fruit skewers.
• Cook the kabobs under medium-hot broiler for 5 minutes turning frequently.
• Brush with any remaining orange juice mixture while they are cooking to prevent them from drying out. {I even ended up using more orange juice to keep the fruit moist and juicy}.
• Serve warm with some greek yogurt and homemade granola {see next recipe}.

Note: The options for what type of fruit you would like to use is really up to you. The actual recipe also uses prunes and dried apricots as well. I chose the fruit that I did so I could assemble the kabobs on Friday and not have to worry about any of my fruit getting brown. If you would like to use bananas sprinkle them with lemon juice and toss gently to prevent them from browning {I wouldn't try making these in advance though}.

House Granola
adapted from "Easy Breakfast & Brunch: Simple Recipes for Morning Treats" 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole almonds
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 5-6 dried apricots, chopped
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds {I did not add this ingredient}
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, then transfer to a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until lightly toasted.
• Remove from the oven and stir well. Return the mixture to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the granola is crisp and light golden.
• Remove from the oven. Serve hot or cold with milk or yogurt.

Note: I made this granola on Thursday evening since I needed to leave a lot of the other prep work for Friday. This granola does not come out very clumpy, so add more sugar and maple syrup if desired. You can store it in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

Spicy Butternut & Lentil Soup
from Seasoned to Taste: City of Chattanooga Official Cookbook 
{Serves 6-8}

Ingredients: 

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup red lentils {I had to go to the organic section to find these}
• 5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp curry power
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes {I did not drain these}
• 2 cups milk or plain yogurt {I used the leftover whole milk from my ice cream recipe}

Directions:

• Bring the squash, lentils and water to a boil in a large stockpot. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the squash is tender {for a creamy soup, puree and return to the stockpot at this point}. I asked for a consensus from my guests and they voted to keep it chunky. 
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and celery. Saute for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add to the lentil mixture. Add the salt, curry powder, coriander, nutmeg, lemon juice and tomatoes. Return to a simmer. Stir in the milk slowly. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes and then ladle into soup bowls. 

Note: I cut up the butternut squash on Friday and put it in small containers in the refrigerator. I also had the onions, celery and garlic ready to go in another container. If I had been feeling more ambitious to prep more in advance I could've measured out all of the spices into a ziploc bag as well. The end result is a vibrant vegetarian soup with lots of flavor. Perfect for fall!

Homemade Apple Pie
adapted from the German Apple Pie recipe in  "Taste of Home Cookbook: Revised Edition"
{Serves 8}

Ingredients:

• Refrigerated pie crust
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6 cups sliced peeled tart apples {ours were fresh from the orchard, bonus!}
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 egg white

Directions:

• Follow the directions on your pie crust for the bottom layer.
• For filling, combine the sugar, flour and teh cinnamon; sprinkle 3 tablespoons into crust. Layer with half of the apples, then sprinkle with half of the remaining sugar mixture. Repeat layers. Pour cream over all.
• Follow the directions for the top layer of crust if you wish, or you can leave it off. I brushed mine with an egg white so it would brown nicely. {If using a top crust, make sure to use foil to cover the edges of the pie for part of the cook time so they don't burn}.
• Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 55-60 minutes or until apples are tender {if there's not top crust}. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. 

Note: I made the pie on Friday so I would have time to clean up before our guests arrived and also a little additional time in case I needed to make another pie or do some damage control since this was a new recipe. The original recipe also includes directions to make the bottom pie crust, and they do not use a crust on top. I opted to use pre-made crust and use a top and bottom. I like how the whipping cream keeps this pie together nicely after it's sliced.

Jeni's {Ugandan} Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
from  "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home"
{Makes 1 quart}

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 ounces {3 tablespoons}cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out, seeds and bean reserved
• 1 cinnamon stick {my own addition}

Directions: 

• Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
• Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla seeds and bean {and cinnamon stick} in a 4-qt saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a one-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the vanilla bean {and cinnamon stick}. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours. Keeps for about a week. 

Note: Since the ice cream was also a recipe I had never made before I made it earlier in the week and let it set in the freezer. I wanted to ensure that I had extra time in case I wanted to make another batch! This ice cream is so creamy and delicious, one scoop goes a long way! My vanilla beans had been given to me by a friend. I was letting them sit in bourbon to create my own vanilla extract, so I stole a couple out of the container and threw them in to the ice cream mixture with a couple tsps of the bourbon. I was hoping the bourbon flavor would end up in the final product, but unfortunately it didn't so it must've burned off!

Yummy Breakfast Pastry
from Seasoned to Taste: City of Chattanooga Official Cookbook 
{Serves 4-6}

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-count) can refrigerated original breadsticks

• 6 oz. cream cheese softened (I personally think you could get away with using even less)

• 1 medium egg yolk

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• 3/4 cup blueberries (or any other fruit)

• Egg Wash: 1 medium egg white & 2 tsp. water 
• Glaze: 1 cup confectioners' sugar & 2 tbsp orange juice {I did not need this much glaze, you could probably half this}

 Directions:

• Unroll the breadstick dough lengthwise on a 10x15 baking pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Pinch the center seam of the dough to seal. Beat the cream cheese, egg yolk and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Spread down the center of the dough. Top with the blueberries.
• Starting at the top, bring each bread stick alternately towards the center in criss-cross fashion to cover the filling, braiding the dough all the way down. Brush with a mixture of the egg white and water. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
• Beat the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl until smooth. Spread over the pastry as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Note: This was a recipe I have made previously. The store did not have refrigerated breadsticks,but they did have pastry/dough sheets so I unrolled that and then used a pizza cutter to take a few strips off to use for crisscrossing on top (probably about a third). It worked extremely well! I also bought puff pastries in the freezer section as another backup. I also like this recipe because while the pastry was baking we could finish up the scrambled eggs, bacon, and setting the table so everything was ready at the same time.

{Side Note: Thank you to all of my friends and family that gifted me with these wonderful cookbooks!}