the last couple days in socal have been raining and i freaking love it. LOVE IT. the last two days were spent at home, fireplace blazing and lots of action in the kitchen. 

wes had to work all weekend, so i asked him what he wanted for dinner. no surprise, i got the same answer i usually get from my VERY italian husband. bolognese of course. 

since the rain was coming down, there was no way i was leaving the house for additional ingredients so i decided to adjust for what i had in the house. and thank goodness i did. this version is much lighter in fat, but is very full in flavor. perfect for a rainy day, or a just because we want to day. 

turkey bolognese
serves: 6
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey. 2 slices thick cut bacon, chopped. 1 onion, diced. 2 celery stalks, diced. 2 carrots, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped. 2 tbs + 1 tsp basil, finely chopped. 1 tsp dried thyme. 1 c white wine. .25 c tomato paste. 32 oz can crushed tomatoes (if you only have whole, you can crush them yourself). 1.5 c milk. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 1 lb your favorite pasta. grated parmesan for serving.

start by crisping your bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. about 15 minutes. stir occasionally to break the pieces away from one another and all sides brown. 

when the bacon is crispy and browned, add in the onion, carrots and celery. season with a few pinches of salt and a bit of pepper and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. stir every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 

push all your veggies to the sides of the pot. pat the turkey dry, season with half your remaining salt and pepper and add to the pot. cook until browned, breaking it up and stirring every couple minutes. about 7-10 minutes. as the turkey browns, work your veggies back into the mixture. 

stir in the thyme, oregano, 1 tsp of the basil and the garlic. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1 minute. 

when the garlic is fragrant, pour in the wine. cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 

stir in the tomato paste until everything is lightly coated. season with remaining salt and pepper and pour in the tomatoes. stir well to combine. 

simmer until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced slightly. about 10-15 minutes.

while your tomatoes are simmering, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling. when your tomatoes have simmered, pour in the milk. stir well to combine and bring the bolognese back up to a simmer. once the sauce simmers, reduce the heat to low just to keep it warm. 

cook your pasta per the instructions. when your pasta is al dente, strain and pour right into your sauce. stir well to coat the noodles.
serve pasta topped with fresh parmesan and basil.

xo, a

turkey bolognese
serves: 6
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey. 2 slices thick cut bacon, chopped. 1 onion, diced. 2 celery stalks, diced. 2 carrots, diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped. 2 tbs + 1 tsp basil, finely chopped. 1 tsp dried thyme. 1 c white wine. .25 c tomato paste. 32 oz can crushed tomatoes (if you only have whole, you can crush them yourself). 1.5 c milk. 1 tbs salt. .5 tbs pepper. 1 lb your favorite pasta. grated parmesan for serving.

tart by crisping your bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. about 15 minutes. stir occasionally to break the pieces away from one another and all sides brown.
when the bacon is crispy and browned, add in the onion, carrots and celery. season with a few pinches of salt and a bit of pepper and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. stir every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes. 
push all your veggies to the sides of the pot. pat the turkey dry, season with half your remaining salt and pepper and add to the pot. cook until browned, breaking it up and stirring every couple minutes. about 7-10 minutes. as the turkey browns, work your veggies back into the mixture. stir in the thyme, oregano, 1 tsp of the basil and the garlic. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1 minute.

when the garlic is fragrant, pour in the wine. cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, stirring every couple minutes. about 5-7 minutes.

stir in the tomato paste until everything is lightly coated. season with remaining salt and pepper and pour in the tomatoes. stir well to combine. simmer until the liquid from the tomatoes has reduced slightly. about 10-15 minutes.
while your tomatoes are simmering, heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiling.
when your tomatoes have simmered, pour in the milk. stir well to combine and bring the bolognese back up to a simmer. once the sauce simmers, reduce the heat to low just to keep it warm.
cook your pasta per the instructions. when your pasta is al dente, strain and pour right into your sauce. stir well to coat the noodles.
serve pasta topped with fresh parmesan and basil. 

yes, it is still technically summer, but that subtle autumn change in the air has already settled over costa mesa. while i'm sure that come october the temp will jump back up to scorching, at the moment i've got some cozy boots on and i'm loving it. bring on the fall colors, cozy sweaters and comfort foods! 

since we live somewhat close to the beach, they don't believe that an air conditioner is necessary. so now that the temperature is changing, i am finally able to start using my oven again. and brussels sprouts are my go to roasted veggie. 

i know, i know. some of you loath brussels sprouts. but ask yourself this... 

is it brussels sprouts i detest? or is it the stinky smell and soggy product i get from a steamed brussels sprout that ruins it for me? 

sometimes a simple change in cooking method can change our perspective on an ingredient. adding bacon and caramelized onions to a dish doesn't really hurt its chances of success either. 

whether your a sprout fiend or you are just now giving them a second chance, this dish is sure to please you and your fall dinner guests. 

roasted brussels sprouts + caramelized onions & bacon
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered. .5 spanish onion, sliced. 2 slices bacon (preferably one with a sweet flavor like maple or applewood). 3 tbs olive oil, divided. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper. 

start by preheating your oven to 400 d F. 

you have two choices on how to cook your bacon. you can either cook it in the oven on a rack over a baking sheet for 20-24 minutes in a 400 degree oven. OR you can cook them in a pan over medium heat for about the same amount of time. in this method you will need to flip the bacon once or twice. either way, when the bacon has been cooked, blot it dry with a paper towel and roughly chop. 

after you get the bacon going, combine the onions, 1 tbs of olive oil and 1/3 of the salt and pepper in a medium pan. cook the onions over medium low heat, stirring every few minutes until they caramelize. about 20-25 minutes. 

once you get the onions cooking, combine the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper with the brussels sprouts. toss the sprouts well to coat them with the oil, salt and pepper.

place the sprouts on a baking sheet and roast them for 20 minutes. stir them once about half way through. 

when the sprouts and onions are done, toss together with the bacon and serve hot. 

xo, a
roasted brussels sprouts + caramelized onions & bacon
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered. .5 spanish onion, sliced. 2 slices bacon (preferably one with a sweet flavor like maple or applewood). 3 tbs olive oil, divided. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 400 d F.
you have two choices on how to cook your bacon. you can either cook it in the oven on a rack over a baking sheet for 20-24 minutes in a 400 degree oven. OR you can cook them in a pan over medium heat for about the same amount of time. in this method you will need to flip the bacon once or twice. either way, when the bacon has been cooked, blot it dry with a paper towel and roughly chop.
after you get the bacon going, combine the onions, 1 tbs of olive oil and 1/3 of the salt and pepper in a medium pan. cook the onions over medium low heat, stirring every few minutes until they caramelize. about 20-25 minutes.
once you get the onions cooking, combine the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper with the brussels sprouts. toss the sprouts well to coat them with the oil, salt and pepper.
place the sprouts on a baking sheet and roast them for 20 minutes. stir them once about half way through.
when the sprouts and onions are done, toss together with the bacon and serve hot.