GOOD LIFE
Fall Recipes
Hot Apple Cider for cool days
Lentil Soup w/ Italian Sausage & Escarole
INGREDIENTS
• 11 oz. Lentils, rinsed well
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 garlic cloves, nely chopped, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage – remove casing
• ½ cup ham diced (optional)
• 1 med. onion, nely chopped
• 2 med. carrots, nely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, nely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups packed escarole, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. red pepper akes
• 2 tbsp. red-wine vinegar
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium-low heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until tender. Add the carrot, celery and garlic, cook for 1-2 more min. Add the sausage and brown, braking it into bits as it cooks. Add tomato paste and cook for 1-2 min. Add the chopped ham (optional), chicken broth, vinegar and bring the soup to a boil. Pour in the lentils along with the remaining seasonings/spices and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are tender, and liquid reduces, 40-45 min. Stir in escarole (if using) and cook until tender, about 3 min. Stir in vinegar to taste and season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS
• 4 potatoes, cooked, peeled, cut into chunks
• 8 bacon slices, cooked, crumbled
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose our
• 2 cups low fat milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup mild cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• fresh chives, for garnish
1. Pierce the potatoes multiple times with a fork, then microwave 12-15 min, or until tender.* Halve the potatoes and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skins, and cut into chunks.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2-3 min. or until the onion is tender. Slowly whisk the our into the pan and stir for 1-2 min. Slowly whisk in the milk and half-and-half. Keep whisking until smooth. Gradually add the chicken stock. Bring to a light simmer and whisk in salt, garlic salt and pepper. Keep at a light simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, 5-7 min.
3. If you’d like to use cheeses and bacon as a garnish, reserve 1/4 cup of t each. Stir in the remaining cheeses, remaining bacon, and the sour cream. Remove the pot from the heat. Scoop potato chunks into the pan, leaving them chunky, depending on your preference. Serve hot, topped with your favorite garnishes, like cheese, bacon and chives.
Nothing warms the heart on a cool day quite like hot apple cider. Here are TWO easy homemade APPLE CIDER recipes you’re sure to love
1
• 8 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1 tsp. whole allspice
• 1 cinnamon stick
2
Heat all the ingredients to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Strain and pour into a punch bowl.
• 1 bottle apple juice
• Handful of cinnamon candy (red hots)
Heat in a crock pot or on the stove on low until candy is dissolved. Then enjoy!
Apple Pumpkin Butter
• 2 1/2 lb. apples
• 1 15-oz can pure pumpkin
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 c. apple cider
Peel and core apples & cut into 1” chunks. Transfer to a slow cooker and fold in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and cider. Cook on Low for 6 hours & let cool slightly. Working in batches, puree until smooth.
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How to pair... beer with food
The cra beer boom has inspired millions of people to look at beer through a new lens. Once relegated to backyard barbecues and ballgames, beer is now served alongside gourmet meals. Much like the right wine can make a meal taste even better, beer can bring out the avors of food, making it an ideal complement to anything from steak to seafood to salad.
e Brewers Association is an American trade group whose membership consists of more than 5,400 brewers, suppliers and retailers. e group recommends beer lovers follow a three-pronged approach to matching beer and food. It’s worth noting the BA does not view this approach as a 1-2-3 process, meaning beer lovers need not follow the steps in order to perfect their pairing skills.
1. Match strength with strength. e BA recommends pairing strongly avored foods with assertive beers and delicate foods with delicate beers. For example, a relatively low alcohol witbier should pair well with light seafood like steamed mussels. Beer lovers who enjoy strong barley wines, which are typically 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) or higher, should nd that a strong cheese or dessert matches up well with this overpowering style.
2. Find harmonies. e BA notes that beer-food combinations typically resonate most e ectively when they share some common avor or aroma element. e BA points to how the deep, roasted avors of an imperial stout o en pair nicely with chocolate tru es.
3. Consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat (spice), and richness. e BA recommends that beer lovers look to take advantage of the speci c and predictable ways that certain qualities of food and beer interact with each other. For example, malty sweetness can cool the heat, making a hoppy beer with plenty of malt a good choice to pair with spicy food.
Pairing the right beer with food can make any night out on the town that much better.
