Sunday, January 17, 2016

Kale Soup

Made this soup for dinner today. It was delicious. I made a couple changes that I indicate below. 


Ingredients 
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh chorizo (I used fresh kielbasa removed from its casing - Italian sausage would be good too)
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth (I also added 2 cups of water) 
1 pound kale, stems removed, leaves torn into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and black pepper


Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown the chorizo in the oil, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the potatoes, onions, garlic and chicken broth.

Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the kale, and cover. Cook until the kale wilts, 7 to 10 minutes.

Uncover, add the Parmesan, and heat through for about 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.



Recipe courtesy: Trisha Yearwood 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Crockpot Hash Brown Casserole

Yes, we've all had hash brown casserole but I guarantee this is the best. My favorite thing was being able to make it in the crockpot. This will be great for the holidays as it frees up the oven for a ham or turkey. Try this today & thank me tomorrow.

Ingredients
26-32 oz bag frozen hash browns
8 oz sour cream
10.5 oz cream of chicken soup
1/4 c onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c butter, melted
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Spray inside of crockpot with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix all ingredients together. Dump hash brown mixture into crockpot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. The casserole should be crispy on the sides & bubbly throughout. Enjoy!


Recipe courtesy Stockpiling Mom via Pinterest

Steak, Pepper & Onion Grill Packets

One of our favorite new things to do on the grill is make tin foil packets filled with veggies or other things. The most recent one was this steak packet.  The steak was so tender & delicious. We loved it.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb sirloin steak, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into slices
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into slices
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, optional
2 tbsp butter
1/4 c steak sauce

Directions
Preheat grill. Place veggies & steak into a large bowl. Pour steak sauce over & toss to evenly coat everything. Coat 3-4 large sheets of heavy duty foil with cooking spay. If you don't have the heavy duty foil, just make 2-3 layers of regular foil. Divide the steak & the veggie mixture evenly on the foil sheets. Add some slices of butter to each pack. Now seal the foil packs tightly. Grill on medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Move the packs around the grill several times during cooking to keep them off hot spots. Allow packs to rest for several minutes before opening. Be very careful opening the foil packs as they will be extremely hot. 


Recipe adapted from Monthly Meal Planner via Pinterest 

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Wow! This was delicious! My husband went crazy over it!

Ingredients
2-4 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
1/2 - 1 lb penne pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 stick butter
2-3 lemons, juiced
3/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c half & half
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper, to taste
10-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped (you can add more if you like)

Directions
Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside.  In same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add lemon juice. Whisk together. Add cream & half & half. Whisk until hot. Add Parmesan cheese. Whisk until melted. Add salt & pepper. Add hot pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Add pasta & chopped basil. Stir well. Add sliced chicken. Yum!!!


Recipe adapted from Pioneer Women via Pinterest

Breaded Ranch Chicken Strips

My entire family loved these chicken strips. The original recipe was for whole chicken breasts but I knew my family would like them better as strips so I cut my chicken breasts.

Ingredients
1/2 c Panko bread crumbs
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch seasoning mix
6 tbsp butter, divided
2-3 chicken breasts (or more if you need them), I cut mine into strips

Directions
Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a shallow bowl. In another bowl combine Panko, Parmesan, garlic powder & ranch seasoning mix.  Dip chicken in butter then dredge in the breading mixture. Press breading onto chicken to coat.  Melt 4 tbsp of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Place breaded chicken into pan. Cook until chicken is golden brown & juices run clear (turn chicken only once). I placed chicken on a plate covered in paper towels (to absorb any excess butter or juices). Note: I had to add additional butter to the pan while cooking the chicken so that it wouldn't burn.


Recipe adapted from Love Pomegranate House via Pinterest

Spinach and Parmesan Orzo Pasta

This was absolutely delicious. I made it as a side to go with our grilled steaks. It was so tasty.

Ingredients
4 tbsp butter, divided
1 c uncooked orzo pasta
14 oz water
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper , to taste

Directions
Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the orzo & stir until lightly browned. Add the water & chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat & simmer for about 15 minutes or until the orzo is tender & liquid is absorbed. While the orzo is cooking, prepare the spinach. In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp of butter. Add the garlic & sauté for about 1 minute. Add the spinach & a pinch of salt. Sauté until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. When the orzo is done, add the spinach & Parmesan cheese. Add salt & pepper to taste.


Recipe courtesy Life Tastes Good via Pinterest s

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Blog Problems

I apologize for the lack of posts. I have been having problems with my blog & cannot find the answers. I am unable to post pictures. I have recipes I've been holding back because I can't post the pictures. Well I am tired of waiting so if you will excuse the no picture recipes I would still like to share them.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Pasta with Grilled Sausage & Veggies





I love summer for all of the yummy garden vegetable. There are so many ways to cook them & I love discovering new ways to serve them. Grilling the vegetables & Italian sausage & adding them to pasta is an amazing way to serve them. This dish was a hit.


Ingredients
Italian Sausage (hot or mild)
1 green bell pepper, seeded & halved
1 red bell pepper, seeded & halved
1 yellow squash, halved
1 zucchini, halved
1/4 c balsamic or Italian dressing
Spaghetti
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan cheese


Directions
Light grill. Place vegetables in a large bowl & pour dressing over. Baste until all the pieces are covered. Let the vegetables sit. Cook Italian sausage on the grill for 8 minutes, turn frequently. Add the vegetables, turn frequently. Baste the vegetables with the dressing while they cook. Continue to cook sausage & vegetables until cooked through (15-20 minutes). Remove from grill. Allow to rest. In a large pot cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Chop sausage & vegetables. Add into the spaghetti. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil & enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten. Sprinkle with salt, pepper & parmesan cheese.




Recipe adapted from All You

Friday, June 6, 2014

Roasted Red Potatoes

Here is a gem that I had forgotten about. Made them last week to go with our grilled hamburgers. They are so simple but full of flavor.

Roasted Red Potatoes (click for recipe)

Sorry ...

I apologize for not being a good recipe blogger. Life just gets in the way sometimes. I am still here cooking & baking. I am still making new things. I somehow just run out of time to post these new things. I hope it will get better, but I am not making promises. What I would like to do is dig back into some older recipes & share them again. I do that a lot when I am cooking.  I look on my own blog & find something really delicious that I forgot about. Anyway, have a happy summer & enjoy some time outdoors (grilling of course).