Hearty Italian Soup

Hearty Italian Soup

Very easy and really good, I served it with cornbread.

1 16 oz package mild Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage)
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (48 oz.) container chicken broth
chicken bullion to taste (I added this and thought it was needed)
2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14/5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 (5. oz.) package baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used dried and added it with italian seasoning)
Fresh shaved parmesan cheese
1. Cook sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until
browned. Remove sausage from Dutch oven, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Saute onion in hot drippings 3 minutes or until tender. Add galic, and saute 1 minute. Cut sausage into 1/4 inch thinck slices, and returen to Dutch oven.
2. Stir chicken broth and next 3 ingredients into sausage mxture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minuets or until ready to eat.
3. Stir in spinach and next 2 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.

Pecan-Chutney Cheese Ball

Delicious, I tried this from the Southern Living Magazine and it is a keeper.





Pecan-Chutney Cheese Ball



2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened


1 (9-oz) jar mango chutney


3 Tbsp curry powder


1/2 tsp dry mustard


Process in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.


Stir in:


1/4 cup minced green onions


1 cup each finely chopped toasted pecans and toasted sweetened flaked coconut.


Transfer to a large bowl; cover and chill 24 hours. Shape cheese mixture into 2 (6-inch) logs. Stir together 1 cup chopped toasted pecans and 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley in a shallow dish; roll logs in pecan mixture. Serve with ginersnaps (delicious), sliced Gala apples and Bartlett pears, and assorted crackers.

Thai Soup

I had a slight obsession with Thai Ruby's, I believe, Tom Ka Gi and decided to recreate it for a lot less. Here it is the "off the top of my head" list without specific brands which I will get at the grocery store later.

Red Curry Paste or Green Curry Paste (depends on personal preference) teaspoon to tablespoon (depends on spiciness and your taste preference)

Fish Sauce (tablespoon or two to taste)- I know it sounds scary to use but it is a key flavor, if you don't believe me try it before you put in the fish sauce and after- just don't try the fish sauce by itself. And it can just sit in your fridge until you use it up.

brown sugar (tablespoon or two to taste)

chicken stock (1/2 a can or more depending on how much you want to make)

Small can of pineapple chunks or tidbits (in between is best I think chunks are to big but tidbits to small)

Frozen peas

chicken breast (you can either precook in oven and then shred or slice thin and cook in sauce)- a whole breast of chicken is a lot, I recommend half

cilantro

sliced tomatoe

lime juice

Start by making the sauce. Add your coconut milk, chicken stock, curry paste, fish sauce and brown sugar and heat. I start with less and add more as I go based on what tastes good to me. If you are going to cook the chicken in the sauce, do it now or else add as much of the other ingredients above as you would like. You don't need to cook any of the vegetables or fruits they just need a minute to get warm. I then add a little cilantro and some fresh squeezed lime and wahla!

I like to add a little rice to a bowl and then spoon soup over! If you would like to make this more of a meal I recommend buying the Taste of Thai Pad Thai (that includes noodles and sauce) and then just adding the other half of your chicken breast, bean sprouts and a squirt of lime and cilantro. Otherwise the soup is a quick, easy, and healthy meal.

With Singleness of Heart- Tamale Pie

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 to 1 cup chopped onions

1clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1 can (12 ounces whole kernel corn) drained

2 1/2cups cooked or canned tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 cup water

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

Corn Cheese Topping (below)

Lightly brown meat in 12-inch skillet. Add onions, garlic, and green pepper. Stir in corn, tomatoes, and chili powder, and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix the water and cornmeal together and stir into meat mixture. Cover and simmer about 8 minutes; then pur into a shallow 3-quart baking dish. ( Can be refrigerated at this point) Top with Corn cheese topping. Bake at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes. Serves 8 - 10.

Corn Cheese Topping

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup (about 1/4 lb) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Heat together milk, salt and butter. Slowly stir in cornmeal. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and lightly beaten eggs. Spread over casserole.

Roasted Sweet Pork (another Cafe Rio Wanna be)

6 (approx) pounds Pork butt/shoulder
1 19 oz. can Red Enchilada Sauce
1 can Dr. Pepper (20 oz) annie says she uses root beer
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 Clove Garlic or 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients into your crockpot and cook on low overnight or until meat is tender.

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing (Cafe Rio cilantro lime dressing)

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing:
Dump all the following in a blender and blend:
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 (4 oz.) can green chiles
1/3 to 1/2 c. cilantro leaves (lightly packed)
1 small tomatillo
1/2 tsp. lime juice
dash cayenne pepper
1 c. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, stemmed and seeds removed
1 tsp. salt
dash Tabasco sauce
1 package dry Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix

I like to butter a tortillo and heat it in a skillet and press it into a pasta bowl or some other shallow bowl. Then put warm rice on the bottom, beans, corn, lettuce, and top with the dressing. The leftover ingredients are also great in burritos with a red sauce.

Cafe Rio Wanna Be Tortilla Soup

4 Chicken Breast (boiled and shredded) then add:

4 cups water
2 cups water boiled with 4 cubes chicken bouillon (or 4 tsp. of powder)
Onion flakes

Then add:
½ cup green onion chopped
½ cup chopped cilantro (I usually just cut the leaves with kitchen shears—much easier)
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
1 jar of salsa (the best is Pace garlic/lime, but I rarely can find it)
2 or 3 gloves of garlic (optional)
2 tsp. chili powder

Cook all together until carrots are tender. Top with tortilla chips (I like the lime kind) and motzarella cheese.

Winger's Sauce

1/3 Cup Frank's Hot Sauce(it has to be Frank's...no other hot sauce will taste as good)

1 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Water

Mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan. Heat until brown sugar is dissolved. Do not over cook sauce or it will become hard. Serve with chicken fingers and enjoy!