Apple and Sausage stuffed Acorn Squash

Happy Hump day friends!!! 

This morning I walked outside and felt the SMALLEST hint of cool weather.. no I mean the smallest hint but still, it was there!!!! I ran inside and poured a giant pumpkin latte and just got really excited for minute. Gosh I am READY for cool. 

Texas heat is no joke. 

I  have been cooking a few fall inspired recipes each week in hopes of scoring some wonderful crowd pleasing holiday recipes!! Any one else love to host over the holidays?? I find myself hosting A TON!! Albeit friendsgiving dinners, supper club, a small dinner party, or just having family in town in general. I am always looking for recipes that can feed a crowd and also that conspire with the general season. This Acorn squash was a HIT! My entire table ate their plates CLEAN! Including the picky 3 year old. Now there may have been a bit of bribing but he happily ate his dinner and didn't tell me it was gross. So that's great :)

Here is this wonderful recipe!

( feeds 4) double if you are feeding more

Ingredients:

2 large acorn squashes ( ends cut off and halved)

1 lb ground sausage

3 large celery stalks chopped

1 yellow onion chopped

dry sage

2 large apples chopped 

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup parmesean cheese 

Method:

Lay your squashes on a baking sheet and roast them at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until fork tender. While the squash is roasting, start with the stuffing. Over medium high heat, in a large pan start by browning the sausage. Once brown and crumbled, scoop the sausage out and set aside. ( Be sure and leave the grease from the sausage IN the pan. Do not discard) Next sautés the onion, celery and apple together. Cook these down until very soft then add the sausage back in along with the bread crumbs and parmesean cheese. Pull out the Acorn squash and stuff with the stuffing. Sprinkle a bit more parmesean on top and pop back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!!!

Lemon Shrimp Pasta

WOO! Mamas!! We made it down another week!!! TGIF!! 

We have been back to our regular routine this week with exercise classes, and MDO for Jaxie, a playdate thrown in the mix and a fun surprise from a friend with some coffee!!! I meal prepped like a BOSS on Sunday so that when I did grocery pick up on Monday I had my meal plans SET for the week.

If I could offer any advice at all when it comes to home cooking.. PLAN PLAN AND PLAN your meals! It takes a little bit of thought and time but its so much easier to just KNOW what you are cooking instead of worrying last minute. 

This shrimp pasta is definitely something to write home about. its very simple, requiring only a few ingredients but the flavor is BIG! 

Ingredients:

1 LB butterflied and deveined fresh gulf shrimp 

2 lemons

1 shallot

4 cloves of garlic

1 pint cherry tomatoes halved

1 cup dry white wine

4 tablespoons butter

fresh parmesan cheese 

salt and pepper

Tonys Sachereys

1 cup flour 

Angel Hair pasta ( cooked)

1 sprig parsley ( garnish)

Method:

On a paper plate combine the flour, salt and pepper, and tony Sachereys . I eye ball each amount but I do liberally add some Tony's. Roll the shrimp around in this flour mixture until well coated. Set aside.

In a pan on medium high heat add in the butter. Once the butter is melted add the shallot, and then the garlic..cook until soft and fragrant. Next, add in the wine and cook down. Pop in the cherry tomatoes and cook until they are soft and popped. At this point you can add some more butter if needed or some more wine and cook down again. Lastly add in the shrimp and cook until pink and tails are curled!!! Once the shrimp is cooked throw in the pasta and toss until coated with all of the sauce and shrimp! Sprinkle fresh parmesean on top and a sprig of parsley for garnish :)