Roasted & Stuffed Acorn Squash

Columbus Day = no work!!  With this great gift of a three day weekend after coming off a month of travel,  I am putting it to great use…cooking, exercising, cleaning, prepping for fall, and yes, catching up on all the fall shows I keep missing during the week (gotta love Scandal and Quantico!).  After a 6 mile walk through Chicago and along the waterfront this morning, I decided to keep up the clean and healthy eating by making this acorn squash recipe I stumbled upon.  I loved that it was a full meal, vs just eating the squash as a side dish.  It is very filling and scrumptious!

Lemony Kale & White Bean Soup

Ten states, one month = exhausted!  After a whirlwind month of traveling for both work and pleasure, I am worn out, home sick, and wanting to get back into my normal eating routine.  Traveling can definitely expose you to amazing food, but after a month straight it takes a toll.  One of the few days I was in Chicago, I picked up some soup at Hannah’s Bretzel and was inspired to make it.  I stumbled onto this recipe on a blog that I have made many dishes from.  It is amazing how cathartic a perfect fall day in Chicago can be…picking up mums, pumpkins and squash to get in the fall spirit and doing some good old home cooking.  This soup has a scrumptious blend of flavors that are perfect for a fall day.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

Pasta…the dish that can instantly put you in a good mood.  A few months ago I was traveling a good amount and when it finally came to an end, I went in search of a comfort food recipe.  I stumbled across this one on Pintrest and LOVED it!  Such great flavors with the caramelized onions, mushrooms and spinach.  The directions and ingredients seem a bit long, but don’t let it scare you away, it is a pretty easy dish to make.  With another blast of polar air heading to the Midwest this week, I would definitely suggest adding it to the dinner rotation this week.  Enjoy!

Homemade Calzone

When I was growing up, calzones were a staple in our house.  It was something fun and customizable. Everyone could make their own (which decreased the number of arguments of what kind of pizza we were having).  And it was always fun seeing the dough rise. This weekend, I needed to use up some food in my fridge before it went bad and I thought this would be a great way to do it.  I had most of the ingredients in my fridge below, but feel free to make your own version…pepperoni and green peppers, veggie delight, chicken and spinach, anything your heart desires!  I decided to make one large calzone, but feel free to cut the dough in two.  Enjoy!