Fesenjan (Chicken Stew with Walnut & Pomegranate Sauce)

I saw this Fesenjan (pronounced fesenjoon) dish while watching "Food Network" and thought it would be an interesting fall dinner (and I have lots of walnuts in the house).  I found a recipe I liked here and went for it.  I found a Middle Eastern grocer and was able to pick up the pomegranate "sauce", no problem, though I think I bought molasses - it was bitter.

Lentejas (Mexican Lentil Stew)

I realized how much I liked lentils when I made lentil meatballs on the weekend, that I wanted to try something like a soup next.  I found this recipe, and I made a few edits.  I liked that it had plantain in it and I've always wanted to cook with them.  I only know of one place in town where I can buy them and its an Asian market, though it has a wide variety of items...

Apple Pandowdy

What's in a name, right???  I saw this on a PBS show called Cook's Country.  I couldn't find the recipe online, but I had the show recorded so just went from that (play, pause and write down the ingredients/cooking steps).  I made this for my son and it seemed like a nice autumn dish.

Turkey Chili Stuffed Acorn Squash

I saw this recipe float by on social media and thought it would be great for a Monday, especially because I took homemade turkey chili out of the freezer last night.  Mine was really close to hers in the recipe except I used ground dried chilis to make my chili powder.  I had kidney beans in mine too.  I usually make squash a lot in the autumn but haven't made any this year so far.  I washed the acorn gourds good and preheated the oven to 400°F.  I cut the squash in half and cleaned out the seeds with a spoon.  I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprayed with cooking oil.  I brushed olive oil inside the squash and seasoned with kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper.

Lentil Meatballs

This recipe just looked delicious and extremely intriguing so I had to try it.  I think the only reason I hadn't yet was because of the Lebanese 7-spice.  Yes, I could have made it myself, I was just lazy because the recipe had so many steps to it.  I remembered there was this little store by work that sold mainly Mexican products but also had some Middle Eastern supplies.  And lucky me, I found it there.

Thanksgiving: Spicy Soy Chorizo Green Bean Casserole

I make different versions of this dish on special occasions.  This was my own personal spin on it this Thanksgiving.  I always use fresh green beans.  I think I used frozen one year and I hated it.  I wouldn't even consider using canned, ever.  However,  I usually do use Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, because frankly, I like it in this dish and it's easy.  I always use bacon too, but decided soy chorizo would make it a bit healthier though unfortunately still high in sodium.  I made this the day before so all I would have to do is bake it off when the bird came out.  The ingredients I used:

Thanksgiving: Southern Cornbread Dressing With Oysters and Soy Chorizo

Every Thanksgiving, I try to make a new stuffing.  Last year I did this one.  I have always wanted to make an oyster dressing, and this would be the year!  I LOVE raw oysters, but cooked, I generally only like when deep fried or covered up like in "Oysters Rockefeller"... I wasn't sure what to expect, so this was an experiment...

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Monte Cristo Sandwich

This sandwich is about wonderful memories my son and I share.  I took him here on our first visit to Disneyland when he was six.  We went to the Blue Bayou restaurant and enjoyed this luxurious treat.  We repeated this every year after, on every visit.  This is the definition of decadent and if you ever visit Disneyland, I highly recommend the experience by savoring it over the bayou of the Pirates of the Caribbean.  Truly a magical experience... He was so excited when I told him I was going to make this for him tonight.

Crock-Pot: Brown Sugar & Roasted Garlic Pulled Pot Roast

I'm not a big fan of the crockpot.  I think it makes food taste funny and mutes spices and flavor.  However, sometimes you just don't want to cook and that's me on Friday nights.  I saw this and thought I'd give it a try. If it turned out, I could make my son beef dips with it, which he loves.

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

We went to the movies after work today, so when we got home, I was looking for something easy to make.  The night before I looked around at the ingredients I had in the fridge/cupboard and decided I could do enchiladas.  I made the filling and I used: