Hearty Sausage Fall Soup...

Hello Dear friends! Oh goodness it has been quite some time since I have posted a new recipe. Oh the hecticness of life! Last weekend I opted to make a crock pot type soup. I looked in the cupboards and freezer and came up with this recipe which was delicious. Hearty Sausage Fall Soup Layer the crock pot with the following items: 1 lb Sausage (I used hot but sweet would work too) 2 cans kidney beans (NOT drained) 4 sweet potatoes diced 4 carrots cut into bite sized pieces 2 celery stalks cut into bite sized pieces with the leaves 2 tsp chopped garlic 1 tsp dry Italian seasoning mix 24 oz chicken broth Cover and cook on high 3 hours or low 5 hours. Salt and Pepper to taste I used sausage which was in link form, so I chopped the sausage after it cooked into bite sized pieces. If you use grown sausage just crumble it before adding other ingredients. The sweet potatoes practically dissolved in the soup, to make it a thicker consistency with just stirring. Enjoy!

Braised Short Ribs....

Here is impromptu at it's finest. In a Crock Pot add: 3lbs Beef Short Ribs (Frozen) 3 onions thickly sliced 4 over ripe nectarines which have been sliced 1 head of garlic (just peeled not crushed) 1 TB salt 1/TB pepper 1 12 oz beer 1/2 cup BB Q sauce Cook on low for 7 hours. Remove the meat from the sauce along with some onions Puree the remaining sauce Remove the meat from the bones and trim any fat Serve with the onions from the pot, rice and some of the gravy.

Green Olive Dip.....

I love green olives. I have loved them since I was a kid. Each year in my stocking I would recieve a jar of green olives, which would usually be eaten by the end of the day. (My husband has also been so sweet to continue this tradition for me!) In thinking of a dip to take along on our annual Labor Day Camping Trip I decided to try to make a Green Olive Dip. I've seen packets where you can make a Green Olive Cheese ball, but I thought this would be delicious on the freshly harvested cucumbers from the garden... I was not wrong! Green Olive Dip 8oz shoftened cream cheese 3 oz green olives with the juice 1 avacodo 2 tsp granulated garlic 1/2 tsp onion powder 1 tps salt 1 tsp pepper Throw everything in the blender and blend! If you like to have some chunks in the dip, chop 2 oz green olives and add at the end. Serve with cucumbers, crackers, on a salami sandwich... YUM!

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Salad.....

I am one of the people who dislikes breakfast.  My whole family would eat breakfast meals anytime of the day, but I'd rather go right to dinner.  I was so happy when I first tried a bagel with lox. It was like a dream come true! Since I had no bagels and cream cheese, I had to come up with another way of enjoying a favorite this am.

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Salad

2 small cucumbers chopped

2 TBS capers

1/2 tsp pepper

2 TBS chopped scallions

4 oz Smoked Salmon chopped

1 TBS olive oil

Combine all ingredients and use bagel crisps as your spoon!

This would be ideal for a brunch. It has no dairy so it would not spoil on a buffet.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers....

My daughter wanted to have stuffed peppers, after seeing some gorgeous yellow peppers in the store. Needless to say I purchased the peppers and planned on making them the following day.  Since it was "Meatless Monday", I opted to create a new recipe which involved those peppers. She was not impressed that I strayed from the orginal recipe.

I did not realize that she did not like the way Quinoa felt in her mouth, no matter how delicious the final meal came out to be.  She did eat the dish, but complained all the way through thinking she was eating fish eggs. Can you guess what will be on the menu next week at my house... regular old stuffed peppers with meat and rice.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
1TB olive oil
4 Peppers - tops off and seeded - Chop the remaining top portions to add to the recipe later.
8 oz fresh mushrooms chopped
1 med carrot diced
10 oz Quinoa
1/4 c chopped scallions
1/2 c ricotta cheese
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Saute the chopped pepper, mushrooms and carrots for 5 min over medium heat in a sauce pan.
Prepare the Quinoa in the same sauce pan as directed on the package (usually about 12 min)
Add the scallions, ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
Spoon into the scooped out peppers and bake uncovered for 20 min at 350 (longer if you like softer peppers)
Enjoy!

(I forgot to take a phot of the finished product! OOPS!)

ice cream....

A few years ago I purchased an ice cream maker from the 70's at a garage sale. I think we have used it like 3 times prior. This summer my daughters and I have a list of 100 things we want to do, and on it was making ice cream.  So we created a recipe with what we had in the house and went about making this frozen treat.

Needless to say I did not have enough ice or even rock salt as per the original instructions to my ice cream maker.  I did however have a bunch of frozen ice pops. So we attempted to use them to make the ice cream maker work.  I has to say they got so cold, when placed in the contraption with some water, that they formed new ice! I was thinking it was going to work! Talk about Impromptu!

I was wrong. I do not think it was the lack of coldness, but the fact the internal scraper thingy of the ice cream machine was not moving, which caused the ice cream not to form.  So, after listening to the insane noise the ice cream maker made for over 3 hours, with no ice cream forming, we opted to go to plan B.

We placed the mixture in a large Tupperware container and put it in the deep freezer. We stirred it each 30 - 45 minutes and had an awesome breakfast of homemade ice cream this morning for breakfast!

Ice Cream
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 eggs
3 cups milk
1 TB vanilla

Whisk the 1st 4 ingredients in a sauce pan. Cook over medium low heat until thicken (about 10 min) stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the remaining ingredients. Once combined and cooled, add to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacuturers
instructions.  (Of course you can always do it the way we ended up doing it as well if needed.)

Next time I think we are going to try to create a Chocolate version or Strawberry with all the berry's we picked earlier this month.... so stay tuned!

Orzo Pasta Salad....

Summer is the time for impromptu gatherings and the need to quickly create a tasty dish to bring along. In searching my cupboard for just one of these occasions, I created the following dish. I did taste it when I made it and thought it was yummy, but due to some issues with my daughter, had to leave the gathering before I could fully enjoy the side dish. Needless to say, I was only returned an empty dish, since everyone else enjoyed it so much!


Orzo Pasta Salad
1 box orzo 
1 head broccoli cut into small pieces
2 cups chopped carrots
2 TBS minced fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 TBS mined fresh chives
3 TBS Olive oil
1/3 cup diced aged Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste.


Cook the orzo according to the package. Add the cut broccoli, carrots and oregano to the bottom of the pasta strainer and strain the cooked pasta directly over.  Cool the cobmination with running water and drain.
Mix the garlic, chives and olive oil. Toss with the pasta and the diced Parmesan cheese.
Serve.

My girlfriend attempted to recreate this recipe, and she opted to add in diced peppers and removed the oregano. It was delicious too.

Cucumber bites....

Holy craziness! I have not been able to update this blog due to so much happening!
My husband turned 40, my oldest daughter had her 1st communion, T-Ball and coach pitch have begun.... Oh spring the time when activities kick in full gear!

I made myself a yummy snack last night.

Cucumber Bites
Cucumber slices
Cream cheese
Hard salami sliced thinly

If you think about this before hand, you can purchase the hard salami and the cucumber in almost the same size.... Slice the Cucumber and the Hard salami into your desired thickness, I made my cucumbers a little thicker then the salami. Place a dollop of cream cheese on the salami then cover with a cucumber. It's like you are making a little sandwich. 

It's was delicious - a little salty and crunchy. Just my type of snack!
I hope you get a chance to try these!

Grilled Eggplant Bake....

In attempts to recreate one of my favorites in a lower calorie version, I came up with this grilled eggplant bake. It's a cross between lasagna (without noodles) and eggplant Parmesan. I loved it, as did Kassandra our exchange student, but my kids not so much. At least they ate all of the side salad & homemade foccacia, I served along with it.

Grilled Eggplant Bake

1 large eggplant - peeled and sliced thin

Pam Olive Oil cooking spray

2 med red and/or orange bell peppers diced

1 large onion diced

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
16 oz crushed tomatoes
1/3 c breadcrumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 shredded mozzarella
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
3 eggs beaten


Grill the sliced eggplant in a grill pan sprayed with Pam until soft with nice grill marks - 1 - 2 min on each side  - then set aside
In a saute pan - saute the onions, peppers, garlic and olive oil. Once soft add the seasoning and the crushed tomatoes, allow to simmer for 5 min.
Combine the breadcrumbs, cheeses, seasoning and eggs until moist.
In  an 8 X 8 pan, begin layering - sauce, eggplant, sauce, eggplant then add 1/2 the breadcrumb mixture and repeat so that the top of the casserole is the last portion of the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake at 350 for 35 min or until bubbly and the crust is crunchy.

Explorer Stoup.....

This past weekend, I went on a Girl Scout training for overnights and camping. I must say I was not expecting there to be a foot of snow to camp in, but all in all we did quite well. One of the things we got to do was to figure dinner with the ingredients given to us. We were given typical camping recipes we could have used, but I wanted to steer clear of the recipes with cornflakes and hamburger type combinations.

After looking at what we had available and being given freerein to make up our meal, Explorer Stoup was created! Named so after the camping area it was made in and "stoup", since it was thicker then a soup...


Explorer Stoup
3 lbs ground Turkey
1 lg onions chopped
1 lg red pepper chopped
5 large carrot chopped
1/2 lb green beans cut into bite sized pieces
1 TBS adobo seasoning
1/2 TBS salt
1/2 TBS pepper 
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 32 oz can red kidney beans with juice 
1 cup water 
3 cups instant rice. 

Brown the turkey in a cast iron dutch oven over a campfire with good coals.
Add the veggies, seasonings and beans - cook for 10 min
Add the rice and cook for 5 min until done then serve.

Our instructor made her own adobo seasoning - here is her recipe: sea salt, granulated garlic, oregano, black pepper, turmeric.

I did not take photos while we were camping, and I do not recommend saving the leftovers, since they never taste the same the next day. It must be something with the way the campfire ash changes it overtime.
I will be making this again for my family, to see if it is as good as we all thought it was. There is something about camping, which makes anything you eat delicious! Must be all that fresh air!

Quinoa w/ Peppers.....

Last night while looking around for what to make for dinner, I was stumped for a side dish. Recently it was made known I did not cook enough with peppers.  You know how it is, you cook the things you like, and I personally am not a huge fan of peppers.... red, orange and yellow I can do in small quantities, but green - GROSS!
So to surprise my family I opted to use those colorful peppers. I found that I had some Quinoa in the cupboard as well and decided to test my fate. Much to my surprise it was a huge hit! My youngest gobbled it up, forgoing corn to complete this dish instead! I even enjoyed it enough to promise to make it again.

Quinoa w/ Peppers

1 cup White Quinoa

2 cups water

Bring both to a boil in a sauce pan, then cover and let simmer for about 15 min until they have cracked off and are fluffy and soft.

Meanwhile.... Add to a saute pan and saute over med heat until soft:

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp Herbs De Provence

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil

2 Peppers chopped - I used red and orange

Salt and Pepper to taste

Once cooked then combine and enjoy.

Herbs De Provence is an herb mixture consisting of dried marjoram, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, fennel, and sometimes sage, summer savory & lavender, is added. If you do not have this mixture just add the underlined seasonings in equal parts to make up the tsp.

Spaghetti Squash with Mushrooms...

I love squash, any type of squash... Hubbard, Acorn, Butternut, Yellow, Green and Spaghetti. There is something about the way they are able to stay in storage for awhile with out loosing their flavor. They are hearty, just like me.

Now may family, that's a different story. They like squash mainly when it is roasted and covered in butter and brown sugar. I think I am the one "savory" person, with the rest loving "sweets".

Needless to say this recipe was not a crowd favorite - it has no sweet to it and it has mushrooms, which are loved somedays and others not. 

Spaghetti Squash and Mushrooms
Open and de-seed a medium sized Spaghetti Squash.
Roast on a baking sheet, open side up for about 40 min - the "strings" will pull from the sides easily with a fork.
Remove the "strings" from the pasta shells.

For the mushrooms, slice thin and place in a shallow frying pan. Add 1/4 cup water and simmer over medium for 10 min until the water is evaporated. Add 2tsp butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Place over the spaghetti squash and enjoy!

Fettuccine Alfredo.....

Did you know you can use evaporated milk as a heavy cream substitute in recipes? I make my Fettuccine Alfredo with low fat evaporated milk to help save on the calories.
I actually did not even know that it was out there until a couple years ago, but was very happy when I found it!
How often do you have heavy cream in the fridge? I don't unless making homemade whipped cream, but I usually always have a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard. This is a great recipe to have for those nights when you need a quick and delicious meal and your kitchen is bare!

Fettuccine Alfredo
1 box fettuccine
8 oz evaporated milk (low fat is preferred)
4 oz Parmesan cheese
1 small onion diced
1tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta as per the packaging. Saute the onion until it is soft, add the evaporated milk, cheese, garlic, salt & pepper till combined then add in the cooked pasta.

It's really simple and easy to prepare!
I'm making this tonight with sauteed chicken, which I am just cooking with the onion. You can add in cooked broccoli, mushrooms, shrimp etc.

Enjoy!

Best Pizza dough....

Have you ever decided to make pizza at home, thinking it would be such a delicious snack or dinner. I have to tell you that my previous attempts were rather scary at times.... dough so heavy it was stuck in your stomach for a week or dough which was so fluffy all the toppings just traveled off the sides when cooking. 

Well I think I finally have it!
My family and friends were rather impressed with its flavor and texture.... it's a keeper!

Pizza Dough
1 pk active dry yeast
1c warm water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 c semolina flour
1 c regular flour

In a kitchen aid mixer - Bloom the yeast with the sugar and water. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with the dough arm until a ball forms. Use extra semolina flour if the dough is tacky. Cover and let rise for 1 hour in a warm spot.
Flatten on your pan (I use a well seasoned stone) and cover with your favorites.
Cook at 425 for 20 min


You can also use this dough to make foccacia (SP?). After it is mixed, just gently flatten in the pan you are going to cook it on, then let it rise 1 hour. At the end, poke indentations into the dough with your finger and brush with olive oil and sprinkle on some of your favorite seasonings - I love it with fresh chopped rosemary.
Bake 425 for 20 min

Enjoy!

Beans & Greens...

This is one of my more favorite dishes to order when out at an Italian restaurant. While looking in my cupboard I realized I had all the items which could make up my own version of it. This is usually a vegetarian dish, but I opted to add a little Prosciutto... just because it was in the fridge and because we love it!

Now I have to say the adults who ate it, enjoyed it, but the children had to have the greens removed.... Why can't I get my kids to eat kale, spinach etc? Anyone have any ideas on how to sneak it in there?  Oh well at least they enjoyed it minus the greens portion.

Beans & Greens

3 oz chopped prosciutto

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2TBs olive oil

2 cans cannelloni beans - drained

1tps chopped garlic

8 oz turkey stock

2TBs butter

11 oz fresh baby kale
1 box pasta - prepared and drained

Saute the prosciutto and scallions in the olive oil for 3 minutes on medium heat
Add the beans, garlic, butter and turkey stock - cook 4 min
Add the baby kale and allow to wilt into the sauce
Combine with the pasta, top with Parmesan cheese and serve.


Now you can change out many portions of this recipe:
Prosciutto can be replaced with bacon or pancetta; or even removed 100%
Scallions can be replaced with onions or leeks
Beans can be replaced with white kidney beans
Kale can be replaced with Spinach or collards if you prefer that heartier green. If you opt for frozen greens pleas be sure to thaw and drain them well.

Enjoy!

Squash Casserole...

My family obtains locally raised produce during the winter months via Extended Harvest. It's a great local company which brings frozen and fresh veggies to it's members. This year we received some frozen zucchini and yellow squash, therefore the need for this recipe to be created!

Squash Casserole

1 onion chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

52 oz frozen green and yellow squash (large pieces)

1tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup milk

2 cups sharp cheddar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Saute the onion in the oil til soft, add the defrost and drained squash and saute till warmed.
Add the garlic powder and flour, stir until coated.

Increase heat and add milk. Heat until thickened, add 1 cup of the cheese and salt & pepper to taste

Add mixture to casserole, top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 till cheese is melted and breadcrumbs browned.

I was thinking you could also switch out the cheddar cheese with parmesan if you prefer that flavor and even switch out the veggies with broccoli or cauliflower. I did try this out on my family at a Sunday dinner and some really liked it and others not so much, but hey you can't win them all!
Enjoy!

Cheesy Bacon PullApart Bread....

Each Super Bowl, our group of friends has a cook off.  You may remember last year the theme was Chili.  I entered my sweet potato black bean chili and ended up with the "better luck next time" award.  Something about chili needing meat or something.....

This year the theme was BACON!  There were so many delicious items entered.  I will need to eat only leafy greens for a week to help cleanse my blood!   My entry was Cheesy Bacon PullApart Bread.....and this year I did do better, taking 1st place!

Cheesy Bacon PullApart Bread
1 loaf crusty bread - sourdough, braided Italian etc
2tbs garlic powder
1stick melted butter
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
3cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 1/2 lbs cooked thick cut bacon chopped into pieces

Cut the bread into a cross hatch pattern where it is still connected on the bottom
Add the garlic, salt, pepper and scallions to the melted butter and drizzle over the bread
Stuff the cheese and bacon within the cuts of the bread
Bake at 400 until cheese is melted

Roasted Beets....

It almost sounds like a title for a band, but it is the most delicious was to make them in my opinion.

Roasted Beets
4large Fresh Beets cut into same size pieces
2tsp olive oil
2tbs balsamic vinegar
1tsp sugar
Salt and pepper

Toss all together and roast on a baking sheet at 350 until tender

I like to keep the skins on when cooking them this way.  It adds to the texture and provides extra fiber.

So, 3 days down with my cleanse.... 3lbs lost, and umpteen ideas to organize the house running through my head.  I don't know why I am thinking of organizing the littlest of things....this morning it was Barbie Doll shoes, like those will ever be kept organized by my kids.

A New Year.....

I can not believe that the holidays have flown by without me posting a single thing! I know I made many dishes through out the past month in a half without a recipe, but yet I did not write about any. What a terrible blogger I am!

I resolve to post more often, and not just about the dishes I love to create, but also about life in general.
So here it goes.....

Tomorrow is my 39th Birthday... YIKES... I don't feel 39, or even 35 at that.
I can remember when I was in my early 20's, I somehow got my mothers age stuck at 38. She loved me dearly for believing she was 38 while she was actually in her 50s. I'd love to hold on to 38 for years to come, but for some reason those younger than I like to remind me I am getting older... my sister and daughters to name names... :)

Today I start a detox.... getting rid of the old...not only physically, but possession wise too.
I began in the basement - cleaning out the old children's toys which have passed their age appropriateness. Finally throwing away the games which are missing pieces, and those broken items which will never be used.
I started to detox my body also and plan on no alcohol for 2 weeks... I hope this will help to kick start the loss of the spare tire which I seemed to have issues parting with.

I am 366 days away from my 40th Birthday. I want to be able to live a long and happy life with my husband and children. I have heard that decreasing stress and getting active is a great way to start... so here I go! Cleaning out the old items which clutter my life and the extra lbs which keep me inactive and sluggish.... here's to a more productive and less stressful 39th year!