When outside feels like an oven...

the last thing you want to do is stand over a fire to cook your meal!

The little guy and I moved our intended-for-the-grill meal indoors last night. The heat and humidity were just too much. A/C for me, please!

This is what the kitchen looked like 10 minutes before we ate:

And this is what we sat down to:

Local corn, local cusa squash with local yellow onion, chicken apple sausage, plus applesauce and a few grape tomatoes for the little guy. He loves those sausages. We get them at Trader Joe's, though I know other places sell them. We've even had some local ones! He calls them "hot dogs." I don't correct him. He's started to eat his corn on the cob as intended rather than having it cut off the ear, which I think is adorable.

I'm his mom. I get to think that. ;)

Chicken apple sausage salad

The little guy and I have been busy this week! I went for my run first thing this morning, after a light first breakfast of sprouted grain toast, peanut butter, and fresh strawberries.

After my hard-and-fast 4 miles on the treadmill (Atlanta, I'm not a fan of your hills!) I refueled with a green monster (skim milk, chocolate whey protein, peanut butter, spinach, half of a banana) and coffee.

There is a park within walking distance, so we slathered up in sunscreen and spent the morning there swinging, climbing, sliding, and digging. After lunch in our room (turkey, strawberries, cheese, and rice-pasta macaroni--The H ate with us) we took his new inflatable turtle friend to the pool for his inaugural dip.

Success!

Dinner was quick and light, perfect for a sunny summer evening when we've spent all day playing.

Tonight's chicken apple sausage salad, which I've mentioned before, was made of the following:

Spring mix

Baby spinach

Granny Smith apple

Strawberries

Goat cheese

Chopped pecans

Pear-Gorgonzola vinaigrette

Sweet apple chicken sausage

Once everything was cooked, chopped, and mixed, we packed it up and walked to the picnic area at our hotel for a truly summery experience.

The little guy ate sausage, strawberries, apples, and cheese. He's not a big fan of leafy veggies yet, unless they're in a smoothie.

After a quick exploration to find the (very nearby!) gluten-free bakery I read about online, we stopped at the dollar store for a few odds and ends, then jetted back to the hotel for bed. Long day!

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Tonight's dinner was inspired by posts like this from Cara's Cravings and this from Proceed With Caution. I made a few substitutions based on what I had in the fridge; my version follows below. While it could have been lower in fat (check the links for how!), I doubt it could have been tastier. The H said it smelled like pumpkin pie, which you may know by now I don't care for. This dish was well-received by nearly* the entire household, however. It was creamy, warm, and very filling, not to mention festively colored. The kale lends a good bite to an otherwise-soft meal. Adding a good dose of fresh ground black pepper at the end helped keep it from being too pie-like.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

Makes 4 servings

8 oz short pasta shape (Trader Joe's brown rice fusilli)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 small onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried rubbed sage

3 links chicken sausage (Trader Joe's sweet apple chicken sausage)

1/2 cup plain yogurt (Stoneyfield Farm organic whole-milk)

1 cup pumpkin puree (Trader Joe's organic)

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp low-fat Neufchatel cheese (like I said--what I had in the fridge!)

Sea salt

Black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

1 medium bunch kale, tough stalks removed

1. Salt a large pot of water for the pasta and turn it on med-high heat.

2. Lightly steam the kale (I did this in a covered skillet) for several minutes until wilted but not discolored. Meanwhile...

3. Heat olive oil in large skillet over med-low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the minced garlic, rubbed sage, and sliced chicken sausage.

4. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions (be careful not to overcook or the whole thing will turn out too mushy).

5. In a blender, combine pumpkin, yogurt, cream cheese, and milk. Blend until smooth. Pour into pan with sausage-onion mixture and continue cooking over low heat. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.

6. Drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pot. Gently stir in the sausage-onion-sauce mixture and the steamed kale; mix well.

We paired this with a semi-dry local(ish) white wine. A drier choice would have been better. As always, I do not claim to be a food photographer. Consider yourself lucky that I chose to post this picture rather than the ones that showed up Crayola-orange.

* My son actually refused to swallow a bite until we let him dip each piece of pasta into his blueberry applesauce first. After dinner he looked like this (and then promptly got a bath):

Brussels Sprouts with Chicken Apple Sausage

Brussels sprouts make me happy. I taught myself to like them, probably over the course of a year and various preparation attempts, and they gradually turned into something I crave. So sad that The H doesn't feel the same, but oh well. More for me. The ones I used for this recipe were from the farmers' market last week, so they were fresh and local. Perfect! I will actually eat this twice today. I made it for lunch, figuring I'd have more time to play with a new recipe in the afternoon (gotta love working from home) and I'll have the leftovers for dinner, after baby is in bed.

The recipe comes from Cara's Cravings, a blog I get a lot of ideas from.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Winter Squash and Apple Chicken Sausage

Makes 2 servings

3/4 lb butternut squash, diced

4 tsp olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 links smoked apple and Chardonnay chicken sausage (Trader Joe's brand is great), sliced

3/4 lb Brussels sprouts

Dash of nutmeg and smoked paprika, to taste

1/2 oz toasted pinenuts

1. Wash, peel, and cube the squash, and microwave in a covered glass dish for 5 minutes on high. (Mine took 4 minutes on 70% power, but I have a NASA-quality nuker, I think.)

2. Meanwhile, wash, trim, and slice the Brussels sprouts into ribbons.

3. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the squash cubes with a dash of salt. Cook a few minutes until nicely browned. Add the chicken sausage and cook another 1-2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds (this part smells sooo good!). Remove from pan and keep warm.

4. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet, turn the heat to medium-high, and add the shredded Brussels sprouts. Season to taste with more salt, nutmeg, and paprika. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned (I added a bit of water to keep the pan from charring; I may have had the heat a bit high). Add squash mixture and toasted nuts, heat through, and serve.

Cara's blog shows the nutritional info for this recipe, so if that interests you click the recipe name above and take a peek.

OK, so remember how I don't like squash? This recipe did its best to change that. It was delicious! I did make a few substitutions based on what I had: a small golden acorn squash instead of butternut, sweet apple sausage instead of smoked apple Chardonnay, and walnuts instead of pinenuts.

The creaminess of the squash surprised me; it really tied the other flavors into a cohesive, comforting fall dish. Nutmeg (not usually a flavor I care for) was a perfect complement to the sweet sausage and other ingredients. I truly cleaned my plate. Next time I might increase the garlic a bit, or add a chopped green onion. It smelled fantastic when it hit the hot pan, but I didn't taste much of that aromatic bite in the finished dish. I'm interested to know if the flavor develops more as it sits in the fridge. Stay tuned for an update (I know, you're on the edge of your seat). I ended my meal with a few squares of extra-dark chocolate.

UPDATE: It was not as drool-worthy as leftovers. The nutmeg was still comforting and the smoky paprika came through better, but the squash was overly squashy and the sprouts were a tad on the wilty side. Plus, I ran out of chicken sausage about halfway through, so that was a bummer. Definitely try to eat this one fresh.