In Italian cuisine, a sugo is an Italian gravy (ragu) or sauce that normally has tomatoes, garlic and red wine within. This baked capanelle with pork sugo is a great alternative to the usual baked pasta dishes since it is not heavy and packed with cheese like most baked past dishes, but still very delicious and satisfying. Check out the recipe below.

One of my most favorite meals is deep dish pizza. Growing up in Chicago, cornmeal crust deep dish pizza  is a common style of crust, the cornmeal adds a great flavor to the crust and filled with all of your favorite toppings topped with a tangy tomato sauce. Preparation for the pizza is simple and bakes to a crispy outside but a soft inside on the crust. Check out the recipe below.

As it snows here in Minnesota, there is nothing better then sitting inside having a bowl of soup keeping warm. Southwestern Chicken and Bean Soup is a great change to the normal chili and is simple to prepare and packed with flavor from the spices and fresh vegetables. Most of the ingredients I had in my cupboard and it can be made in as quick as 30 minutes, but the longer it cooks the better the flavor just like most soups out there. This is a great recipe to use up leftover chicken or the turkey from your holidays.

During the week it is hard to get a good meal meal out for your family, with this cheesy chicken artichoke skillet there is very little prep time and the rest is it cooking itself. The skillet is creamy and filled with vegetables and chicken and packed with cheese so it keeps your family pleased. Lastly, the clean up is very simple since it is all in one single pan. Check out the recipe below

As we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow we might need a easy meal that is hearty but packed with healthy vegetables and will make you feel less guilty stuffing yourself through the holiday season. This recipe is a very easy and hearty minestrone soup and in my option the best tasting minestrone soup out there.

This Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken could not be any easier to put together with a few ingredient. The bacon keeps the chicken nice and moist that you can cut with a fork. The smokiness of the bacon and the sweet from the brown sugar gives a big and bold flavors that will have your family will be asking for more. Serve with your favorite sides and you will have a easy dinner.

Now the we are moving closer to the winter months I tend to like to have heartier dishes that make you feel warm inside when it is colder outside. This Beef and Mushroom Ragu is packed with vegetables and protein that will give you energy to get through your day and is the perfect family meal. The time to prepare the dish is short while to cooking time takes longer but its all hands free so you can spend time doing other things while your home fills with the wonderful smell of this dish.

Growing up in Minnesota there is nothing like the classic soup of chicken wild rice on a day that is cold to make you feel warm inside. Why not combine two of my favorite classic soups into one with this version of creamy chicken wild rice and dumpling. soup This recipe is a bit healthier without all of the heavy cream that is normally in the chicken wild rice but replaced with nice pillow like dumplings that make up for it for sure. If you are gluten free you can easy replace the flour for a gluten free option like rice flour.

This recipe is very simple to make, this recipe can be easily made withing the 45 minutes i mention below in the recipe if needed and only needs a few ingredients that are extremely easy to find anywhere around.

Add butter and saute the onion, carrots, celery and chicken until slightly tender and the chicken is cooked . Add the flour and spices, let cook for 2-3 minutes making sure all flour is mixed in.

Stir in the chicken broth and milk. Let the soup come to a boil and thicken. Add the cooked rice to the soup, cover the pot with a lid and allow mixture to simmer.

Add the dumplings by dropping a tablespoonful on top of the simmering soup.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes,  serve the soup warm.

Fall time here in Minnesota brings one of our most favorite crops here, APPLES!!. Every year we seem to have a new variety created here and they keep getting better and better. For a main dish, there is nothing that goes better with apples then pork, they both seem to balance the flavors out just perfectly. This one pan pork chops and apples is a great family favorite that everyone will enjoy. and is  one of those great recipes which looks and tastes a LOT more complicated than it really is.. Also its a easy and healthier family meal that only uses one pan for everything so clean up is a breeze.

This recipe is simple and only uses a few ingredients. You want to start off by slicing your apples thin and seasoning your pork on both sides with the seasoning.

 Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned and just cooked through, remove the pork chops for the pans and saute the apples until light brown and add the cider and reduce by half. Then add the cream and mustard and heat until you have a thickened sauce, should be an additional 5 minutes. Plate and serve the pork chops with the apples and sauce on top.