Ingredients:
 
For The Squash:

• 2 acorn squash halved through from the stem to the base and seeds removed
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  
  

For The Filling:

• 1 pound Italian sausage (about 2-3 links), casings removed, sweet or spicy 
• 8 ounces cremini baby bella mushrooms finely chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet-crisp apple cored and finely diced (peel off or on; I like it on)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, thyme, rosemary, or a mix (plus additional for serving)
• ½ cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese, divided​

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts (or about 1 1/2lbs leftover chicken)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups chicken broth

For dumplings:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/3 cups flour

Directions:
Peel onion, cut and dice.  Cut carrots into rounds, then quarters.  Cut celery into small pieces, add to onions and carrots.
Cut chicken into small 1/2 inch pieces and set aside.
Melt 4 Tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add vegetables and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook until very soft, about 8-10 min.
Add chicken, garlic powder, thyme, pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cook 1 minute.
Add 1/4 cup flour.  Cook 1 minute stirring to coat chicken. 
Add water and broth.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare dumplings. Heat 2 Tbsp butter in microwave-safe bowl until melted, 30-50 seconds.  Add milk, baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1 1/3 cups flour to butter.  Mix until just combined.
Scoop a tablespoon-sized portion of dough (although I prefer them smaller!).  Use another spoon to scrape out dough and drop into pot. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.

Taste and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 lbs whole SNF pastured chicken 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Garlic salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons thyme (fresh or dried)
• 1/4 cup (or half stick) of butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 garlic cloves, whole
• Half a lemon

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Line a baking tray with foil, or lightly grease a roasting pan.
• Discard neck and gizzards from inside the cavity and pat dry chicken with paper towels.
• Coat chicken with olive oil and season liberally on the outside and inside the cavity with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Sprinkle over the thyme, liberally.
• Insert the 2 cloves minced garlic under the skin of the chicken breasts.  Cut the butter in squares and also place them under the skin.
• Stuff 2 garlic cloves into the chicken cavity along with the half lemon.
• Place breast-side up into baking tray or roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour and 15-20 minutes, basting half way through cooking time, until juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with knife.
• Baste again, and optional, broil for a further 2-3 minutes, until golden.
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve, drizzled with pan juices and remaining lemon half cut into wedges or slices.

Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

NOTES:
For a larger chicken, roast at 425°F for one hour. Then, reduce oven temperature down to 325F. Baste and cover chicken. Roast, basting 2 more times while cooking, until chicken is cooked through, about 45 mins to an hour. Internal temperature should read 165°F and juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced.

Ingredients:

• 1 4 lb. chicken 
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into thick slices crosswise (about 1/4” thick), seeds removed
• 2 shallots, peeled if you want, halved lengthwise (or one red onion, peeled and cut into wedges)
• 4–6 medjool dates, pitted
• 4 sprigs thyme or oregano, plus extra for serving  
• 1–2  teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium–high heat. Place chicken, breasts side up, and using tongs or your hands (be careful!) press lightly to make sure the skin comes into even contact with the pot. This is your chance to brown the legs! Rarely offered in whole chicken recipes, so take advantage.
3. Cook, without moving, until chicken is nice and browned, 5– 8 minutes. Seriously, no peeking! Nothing exciting will happen before 5 minutes, I promise you.
4. Add lemon slices, maneuvering the chicken however you need so that the slices come into contact with the bottom of the pot.
5. Let the lemons sizzle in the chicken fat until caramelized on one side, about 2 minutes. Add shallots, dates, thyme and 1 cup water. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with crushed red pepper flakes and place the lid on.
6. Place dutch oven in the oven and roast until the dates are plump, the lemon is jammy and the chicken is almost but not totally cooked through, 20–25 minutes (it will look mostly cooked through and a little anemic from getting covered with the lid).
7. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by ½ and the top of the chicken has an illustrious golden-brown color, another 20- 30 minutes.  You can also check if done if juices run clear when chicken thigh is pierced with knife.
8. Remove from oven and let chicken rest in the dutch oven for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board and carving. Serve alongside shallots, lemons, and dates with some more thyme sprinkled over.  

DO AHEAD: This chicken can be made a few hours ahead, kept in the dutch oven. If you wish to reheat it before serving, pop it back into the oven without a lid for 10–15 minutes or so.

Original recipe credit to: "Nothing Fancy" by Alison Roman

Ingredients:

• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (3 1/2-4lbs) chuck roast, bone-in or boneless (alternatively, brisket)
• 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped cilantro

Directions:
To make the rub, combine the garlic, jalapeños, brown sugar, cumin, and kosher salt in a small bowl and mix well. Add the orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil and stir until blended.  Put the beef on a glass or ceramic baking dish that holds it snugly and pour the wet rub over it. Turn the roast to coat completely. Cover the baking dish and marinade for 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator, turning it once.

Preheat the oven to 250 F.  Roast uncovered until the meat shreds readily with a fork and an internal read thermometer registers 180F, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  Separate the meat along the natural seams, trimming the fat, and slice it thinly or shred. Stir the cilantro into the pan juices and pour them over the meat to keep it moist.

Alternatively, you can use a smoker to hot smoke this roast at 225F to 250F with a drip pan underneath to capture all the juices and recombine them with the sliced or shredded meat for serving.

Enjoy with some rice and black beans or fried plantains for a typical Cuban feast!

* Makes 6 servings with leftovers.
​ 

Ingredients:
*6 (4-ounce) cube steaks (these are mechanically tenderized round steaks)
Kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
**Avocado or Grapeseed oil, for frying 
2 lemons (optional)

Directions:
Season steaks lightly with salt and place on a large rimmed baking sheet.

In a wide, shallow dish or pie pan, whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.  In a second wide shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk.  Working with one steak at a time, dredge the steak in the flour, pressing the mixture into the steak and then shaking off the excess. Dip the steak in the egg mixture, turning to coat and then letting the excess drip back into the dish.  Finally, dredge in the flour a second time, pressing it into the steak and gently shaking off the excess.  Return the steak to the baking sheet and repeat to coat all steaks. 

Fill a large heavy frying pan with enough oil to reach 1/4 to 1/2 inch up the side.  Place the pan over medium-high heat and warm the oil until hot but not smoking.  In batches, fry the steaks, turning once, until the outsides are a crisp golden brown and the meat is just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. 

Optional: cut your lemons in wedges and squeeze over the steaks.  You can also prepare  your favorite simple gravy, or as our daughters like it, dip your steak in ketchup! :)

*Note: We discovered cube steaks late in our beef farming venture, but boy has it been a game changer!  I never knew what to do or how to properly cook round steaks as they tend to be tough.  Cube steaks are already mechanically tenderized so they are easy to cook quick in a frying pan or grill, they have great flavor, and are a VERY economical steak!
**Note 2: I am all about healthy eating, but I am also about moderation.  Frying every once in a blue moon is OK in my book. However, I'm not a fan of canola oil (which tends to be GMO) or "vegetable" oil (which is really soy or corn oil- also most likely GMO and we get too much corn and soy in our diets already!) So I invest in slightly more expensive avocado or grapeseed oil and use it for when we do fry or for high heat oven cooking.

I absolutely LOVE slow cooking! It seems like a lost art, and I really don't understand why.  Well maybe I do- we think pan frying, grilling, or cooking fast is easier, but slow cooking is actually SO easy, and this recipe is proof of that. Prep, let it cook, and the result is a mouth watering, delicious, and comforting full beef roast meal.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
• 2-3 lbs grass fed beef pot roast
• 1 ½  tsp kosher salt (or more to taste), divided
• 1/4  cup olive or grapeseed oil
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½  tsp cumin
• Generous pinch cayenne
• ¼  tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• 1  tbsp cold water
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• ½  onion, sliced
• 6 oz green beans, trimmed
• ½  lb baby potatoes
• 2 whole large carrots

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Salt the roast with 1 tsp kosher salt. In a dutch oven or large pot with a lid, heat the oil and brown the roast on all sides.
2. Remove meat and drain any excess fat. Add 2 cups beef broth and bring to a simmer. Deglaze and scrape up any brown bits. Whisk in the turmeric, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and remaining ½ tsp kosher salt.
3. Dissolve the potato starch in the cold water. Whisk slowly into the broth. Starch may clump a bit at first, continue whisking until the sauce thickens. Add bay leaves and garlic cloves to the liquid, then add meat back to the pot.
4. Cover the meat with onion slices. Cover the pot tightly. Place in the oven and let roast for 2 hours.
5. Meanwhile, clean and trim the green beans, scrub the baby potatoes clean and scrub the carrots, then cut them into 1 inch pieces (no need to peel).
6. After 2 hours, take out the pot roast and flip over the meat. Add the vegetables around the meat, covering with the sauce as best you can. Cover again and continue to cook for an additional 60-90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender and the vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper more if needed, and to taste.  Enjoy!

Well, I stood corrected by my Irish friends.  Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, but the same, or similar version made with ground beef is called Cottage Pie- and here is the recipe, straight from Dublin! Enjoy and Happy St. Paddy's!

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, (peeled and quartered)
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 4 ounces butter (cubed)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lard (or olive oil)
• 1 cup onion (chopped)
• 2 carrots (finely chopped/diced)
• 1 cup white mushrooms (chopped) OR frozen peas 
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped) or thyme if you prefer flavour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup Irish cheddar cheese 

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 375 F
Place the potatoes into a pan and cover with boiling water. Boil gently until soft (about 15 minutes) and then drain. Add the milk and butter to the pan, heat through until the butter melts, add the potatoes and mash. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Melt the lard (or oil) in a large, deep ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms OR frozen peas, then add the garlic 
and cook for another minute making sure you do not burn the garlic. 
Add the ground beef and roughly 1/4 of the beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire 
sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until all the meat is browned. Add the remaining stock, parsley, and salt and pepper. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 15 minutes.

Mash the flour into 1 tablespoon butter to form a paste.  Add small pieces of the paste to 
the ground meat sauce, stirring until all the flour has dissolved, then repeat until all the 
paste is used up. The sauce should have thickened slightly.

Place meat mixture into an ovenproof baking dish. Cover with the reserved mashed potatoes. Fluff up the potatoes and then sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the surface is crisp and browned.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Soooo yummy! These will be super tender, juicy, and delicious.  A VERY simple recipe- get it prepped in minutes in the morning and come back home to the best comfort food all ready for you! (and don;t forget leftovers... even better!)

Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/8 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 2.5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch (or more for desired consistency)
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• ½ teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and red pepper flakes, if using.
2. Place short ribs into a 6-qt slow cooker, or pot in stovetop. Stir in soy sauce mixture until well combined.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours 
4. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and sesame seeds, if desired.
6. Enjoy over jasmine rice, mashed potatoes, or your preferred side dish!