Monday, September 24, 2012

Fall is here!

In honor of Fall, I thought I'd share my new favorite fall recipe. I combined several recipes to create this and made it for the first time and it was delish!

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

  • 2 acorn squash
  • 3 links spicy italian sausage, you can use chicken, turkey or pork sausage
  • 1/3 cup rice
  • 1/2 apple, diced
  • 1/4 cup velveeta (or cheddar) cheese, I use velveeta b/c its easy to melt
  • 2 tbsp parmesaan cheese
  • butter
  • cinnamon
  • thyme


Instructions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half longways, from stem to tip. This can be difficult so be careful! Use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds and insides and throw that away. Arrange the halved squash in a baking dish cut side up.
  2. Melt some butter and brush the inside of the squash with butter. Dust the squash with a layer of cinnamon.
  3. Roast the squash in the oven until fork tender - 45-60 minutes.
  4. While the squash is cooking, cook the rice according to instructions.
  5. Remove the sausage from its casings and brown in a skillet, chopping the sausage into small pieces as it cooks.
  6. After the sausage has been cooking for a couple of minutes, add a dash of olive oil and add in the apples to cook.
  7. After a couple more minutes, add the cheese to the pan and stir in as it melts.
  8. Finally, add the cooked rice to the mixture and turn off the heat to the pan. Add thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Make sure everything is mixed well.
  9. Once the squash is tender, remove it from the oven. Fill the cavities with a heaping portion of the sausage mixture. Top each with a dusting of parmesan cheese.
  10. Return squash to oven for 15 minutes or so, the filling should be bubbly and the cheese on top should form a crunchy topping.
  11. Enjoy!
Feel free to add cranberries, onion, celery or whatever else you think might be delicious.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

A New York State of Mind

Wow, the past two months since moving to NYC has been a whirlwind journey. Since I owe people about a million email updates, I thought I'd make things a bit easier and start blogging again.

We moved July 1, which was quite an overwhelming experience in itself. The month of July felt like a long vacation in the city. Z and I took every opportunity to enjoy (mostly) free things in the city such as parks, museums, outdoor movies, concerts, and long bike rides.

Z started his job at the beginning of August, just as we started to feel settled in and at home. He is teaching science to kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders at Success Academy Charter School in Harlem. He will tell you that it is a bit overwhelming and is going to be a very challenging task. The urban little ones require a lot different teaching methods than the suburban middle schoolers Z has taught before. But he's up for the challenge and the school gives him a lot of support.

I was offered (and accepted) a job yesterday at a small, family-owned, Public Relations agency in Tribeca. Many of you know that I spent a lot of time debating about whether I can handle working for another PR agency after a bad previous experience, but after spending time getting to know the people at this organization, I absolutely think its a good place to be. I'm really looking forward to it.

Many of you have asked for apartment photos, which I plan to post here in the next few days. For now, I thought I share a list of things I've learned so far since moving to New York:

1) You can fit a lot of things into a small apartment. When we first moved in I was extremely distraught. With everything in boxes, you could hardly move in our apartment. But I've learned that small spaces = big creativity, and with the help of IKEA, we've had a lot of fun creating comfortable space.
2) When people say the summer is hot here, they aren't lying. Being from Texas, I always thought that those yankees who complained about the heat were just wimps. But let me tell you, July was plain hot and miserable. When the humidity reaches more than 70% you know that you are going to spend your entire day drenched in sweat. Plus air conditioning is scarce here, so it't not like you can expect to walk inside and find immediate relief. Our poor little window units have gotten plenty of use.
3) New Yorkers are not mean. I can say that I meet and have a very nice interaction with a New Yorker almost daily. From the owner of the pizza shop downstairs, to the mail man, to our next door neighbor I've been pleasantly surprised at how friendly, welcoming, and open everyone has been.
4) Sidewalk Rage is real. On the other hand, the one place where you are likely to be yelled at is on the sidewalk. As New Yorkers walk everywhere, and most of them are always in a hurry, you are likely to encounter a bit of rudeness on the sidewalk if you don't keep up. The important thing to remember is to use your sidewalk etiquette. If you want to take a leisurely stroll, go right ahead! Just make sure you are moving out of the way for anyone who wants to pass by you. And remember, when you run across someone grumpy, its not personal.
5) If you haven't had brunch in NYC, you haven't had brunch.  Saturday and Sunday around brunch time is probably the busiest time of the week in  our neighborhood of the East Village. With a restaurant every 10 feet, you hardly ever have to wait for a table, but brunch can be the exception. But when you can pay $10-15 and get a delicious brunch entree of your choice along with coffee, orange juice, and a cocktail, it is totally worth it.

I'd love to hear from you, please leave me a comment and let  me know how you are doing.

There are is much more to come as this adventure is just beginning, so stayed tuned.

-M.E.