Garlicky Green Beans with Almonds & Cranberries

I bring to you today the simplest side dish. Crisp steamed whole green beans tossed in garlicky olive oil, toasted almonds, and sweet yet tart cranberries.

Green beans are pretty standard fare, and almost everyone has their own version of a green bean dish for the holidays. Growing up, we always had traditional Green Bean Casserole with any turkey dinner, but in my older years I've really come to shy away from that gloppy dish and the usual canned ingredients that go into it. There are versions of whole food Green Bean Casserole out there, I just haven't had the interest to try them; I like green beans in their more pure form.

For the last few years, I've been in charge of green beans for our family Thanksgiving dinner. I brought them one year a while back, and after Matt's cousin ate two plates full and insisted on bringing home the leftovers, I was charged with forever bringing them again. I take that as a compliment? I've been making different versions of them for a while, but this one seems to be a real favorite. It has just enough color and flavor to feel like the holidays, but can be whipped together quickly and doesn't feel heavy like a Green Bean Casserole. It's festive, but healthy.

And of course, while I usually make them at Thanksgiving and Christmas, they by no means have to be served only at the holidays. I mean, green beans. Why not jazz them up for any time of year?

Garlicky Green Beans with Almonds and Cranberries

Serves 6-10 as a side dish

Ingredients
2 pounds frozen whole green beans (i.e., two 16-oz. bags)
2 tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries*
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, place green beans, sea salt and a few tablespoons of water. Steam over medium heat until beans are tender yet still crisp. Drain and set aside. Do not overcook!

Meanwhile, heat a saucepan over medium low heat. Add oil and garlic, and cook just until fragrant (do not brown garlic). Add the almonds, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until the almonds are slightly toasted. Add the cooked green beans and toss to coat.

Finally, take off the heat and stir in the cranberries. Taste for seasoning and add salt & pepper to taste.

*Note: unsweetened cranberries can be tricky to find, but are so much better and healthier than sweetened versions like Craisins. I find mine in the raw nuts section of the grocery store, but you can also buy them online.

Wine Country Getaway & Oyster Mushroom Fettuccine

Last night we arrived home from a mini getaway to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. Our friends Chris & Karla have been going to Seneca Lake every November for years, which is known for its huge array of wineries, beautiful scenery, farms, and local cheeses, chocolates and organic produce. All the wineries and restaurants pride themselves on serving locally grown and produced foods. Totally my kind of place. We've never been able to join them, but this year Matt's family offered to watch our babies for 2 nights so we could head off for a couples-only weekend away, and it was amazing. Matt and a few other of the others in our group are teachers and had off on Thursday/Friday, so we left early Thursday  morning and spent the better part of two days eating, drinking, hiking, playing card games, laughing and relaxing. It was so nice to spend some time just the two of us as well as quality time with good friends.

Some of my favorite stops included Silver Springs Winery (incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable wine maker, amazing malbec, and everything is organic), Magnus Ridge Winery (nice reds, they pair all their wines with cheese, and the service is great), and Glenora Wine Cellars (amazing lunch with a nice view). Grist Iron Brewing also had good craft beers, even better pizzas, and a view that can't be beat, and Two Goats Brewing was a good spot for a very casual night cap with the locals.

We stayed at The Fox and the Grapes Bed & Breakfast, and I would highly recommend it. Their view of the lake was gorgeous, and there were plenty of gathering areas both in and outdoors, so in the morning before breakfast you could sit and read quietly drinking coffee while gazing at the lake (one of my favorite vacation things to do), or chat with other visitors while drinking coffee and eating banana bread in the sitting room; and at night you could either drink wine and play games loudly in one area (clearly our preference), while others watched movies without being bothered in another area. The homemade breakfasts and snacks were also fantastic.

On our way home we stopped at the Ithaca Farmers Market, which my mom had told me was a must-do before leaving the area. She was right. The market was beautiful, filled with all kinds of local organic fruits and veggies, cheese, meat, popcorn (yes, local popcorn!), honey and bread vendors, as well as artisans selling pottery, wools, wooden kitchen tools and more. Not to mention there were about a million delicious things to eat onsite, and live music to top it off. I am so jealous we don't have a market like this by us; I would be there every Saturday.

We picked up a few things for the week, and when we saw the locally grown oyster mushrooms we had to have them too. I used them to cook dinner last night, and when you have mushrooms this delicate and beautiful, there is really only one thing to do. Pasta. I mean, what's one more day of carbs and butter after a weekend wine & cheese bender?

We scarfed down the pasta bowls before I remembered to snap a picture, but here is the basic recipe I threw together - and trust me, it was fantastic.

Oyster Mushroom Fettuccini

Serves 4

Ingredients
3/4 pound fettuccini (about 3/4 of a box)
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. olive oil
1 pound fresh oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh herbs, chopped (use woodsy herbs - I used what I had in my garden: an assortment of sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Extra herbs for garnish
Truffled sea salt, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, leaving it slightly al dente.

In the meantime, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the salt, pepper and herbs, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Drain the pasta and add to the saucepan of butter. Toss to coat. Turn off the heat and add the parmesan cheese, then toss again. Pile the fettuccini into bowls, and top with a sprinkling of extra parmesan, herbs, pepper and truffled sea salt. Serve immediately.

Back from the Dead! Plus Summer Squash & Carrot Casserole with Goat Cheese

As I'm typing this, I'm realizing it's been almost 4 months since my last post. FOUR months! The spring and summer have been so packed full of events and activities in between a busy work schedule that it's been hard to find time to sit down and write. I've still been cooking a lot and stockpiling recipes though, so I'm hoping to have more time to devote to blogging now that fall is (almost) here.

If you follow me on Instagram you probably already have a good idea of what we've been up to the last few months, but here's a snapshot:

My sister's bridesmaids and I surprised Amanda with a bachelorette party weekend in Fort Lauderdale back in May.

Then she got married! It was a beautiful wedding, and a great weekend in Philly with family and friends. I'm so happy for the two of them and so glad to have Justyn be a part of our family now.

I also helped throw a baby shower for my sister-in-law Missy in early June. Our niece Lianna was born soon after!

At the end of June Matt got out of work for the summer, and in between a few other weddings and showers, the next few months were filled with all things summertime. Crabbing, beaching, pool day-ing, BBQing, berry picking, all that good stuff. We packed in as many day trips, ice cream cones, park visits, days at the fair, boardwalk and amusement parks, and water fun as we could. We snuck in a few "adult days" as well, including a golfing/wine tasting day and a grown-ups only trip to Six Flags. I even eked out time to can a bunch of pickles and blueberry jam so we have plenty of jars for the winter. As you can tell, it was a busy summer!

In August my best friend from home came to visit, I had a work trip to Chicago, and then Matt and I packed up our babies and flew to Florida for 12 days to visit my parents and vacation in Orlando, Venice Beach and Key West. We had an amazing time.

My parents even watched the kids for a few days so Matt and I could go to Key West just the two of us - a belated 7th anniversary weekend - and it was a fantastic getaway. We took a 3.5 hour boat ride from where my parents live down to the Keys, and had 3 days of bicycle riding, leisurely dinners, cocktails and live music, snorkeling and museums. What a great town.

And all the sudden it's Labor Day weekend. Although we did a million things and made many memories, it still feels like the summer went too fast. We had one last big beach day with a bunch of friends yesterday, but other than that we're trying to relax, get the kids back on a schedule and gear up for Matt's first official day of school tomorrow - which means back to 5:30 am wake-up calls for both of us for the next 9 months, blech. Good thing fall is one of my favorite seasons; I'm sad to send the babes back to daycare and go back to early mornings (no more coffee on the patio before work), but I'm also looking forward to fall foliage, boots, crisp air, apple picking, football and decorating the house with hay bales, pumpkins and cornstalks.

Before fall officially hits, though, maybe you have a bunch of end-of-summer squash that needs to get used up? If so, I have just the recipe for you. My garden yielded a good amount of squash this year, and I got sick of eating grilled squash, sauted squash, and "zoodles" every other day, so I finally made a few summer squash casseroles with my remaining ones. We ate one already at a beach picnic, and everyone loved it. The other one is sitting in my freezer for a rainy day.

Note: You can use summer squash or zucchini for this - either works. The carrots may seem like an unusual addition, but it's something I grew up with in Vermont and I love the slight sweetness they add.

Enjoy the last day of summer!

Summer Squash & Carrot Casserole with Goat Cheese

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. ghee or butter
4 cups sliced squash
1/2 onion, minced
1 tsp. salt
2 carrots, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 oz. goat cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

Pre-heat oven to 350 (if eating immediately; if freezing, don't bake it first).

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the ghee or butter. Add the squash, onion and salt, and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes more, until the garlic is fragrant but not browned.

In a bowl, whisk together half the cheddar cheese, goat cheese, egg, milk, cayenne pepper and remaining salt and pepper.

Grease a medium-sized (1.5 - 2 qts) casserole dish, and spoon in the cooked squash. Pour over the cheese & milk mixture. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and the breadcrumbs. At this point, either bake it or wrap it and freeze it for another day.

Bake for 15-25 minutes, until bubbly and brown (if baking frozen, it will take about 45 minutes).