Zuppa Toscana

This is my favorite soup at Olive Garden. And pretty easy to make at home.

I browned a pound of Italian sausage (hot, mild, sweet...whatever your preference). When it was done, I added a chopped onion. After it softened, I added about a pound of diced potatoes (I used frozen diced potatoes cuz I was feeling lazy) and 4 cups of chicken broth. I then simmered it until the potatoes were tender. Then I added about a half pound of torn up kale. After I stirred it in, I let it simmer another 20 minutes, until the kale was tender and some of the potatoes broke down to thicken the soup. If desired, you can add a bit of red pepper flakes.

I made some pilsbury bread sticks to go with the soup ala Olive Garden...when they were almost done I brushed them with melted butter with garlic powder mixed in. Yummy!

Creamy Pasta with Ham and Roasted Broccoli

 

I found this recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food (www.mathastewart.com/317182/creamy-pasta-with-ham-and-broccoli) and thought it sounded yummy.  After reading the comments on the site, I did make a couple modifications, tho.  The lead in page had said you could sub in mushrooms instead of ham to make it vegetarian...I added them with the ham!  I also increased the quantities a little, as I wanted left overs for lunch, and even tho the recipe says it feeds four, it must be four people with no appetite, or who don't like food, as most recipes like this don't feed four people I know.  As it turned out, I fed two adults, a child who loves pasta, and had one container for leftovers.

Here is how I made it:  I bought a pound of broccoli crowns, which I trimmed into flowerettes.  I also had .40 pound mushrooms that I quartered.  I think more mushrooms would have been nice.  Put the broccoli and mushrooms on a baking sheet with olive oil and a little salt and pepper.  Roast at 425* for about 20 minutes, until broccoli is tender and both are getting a little browned.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of salted water on to boil.  Add 8oz fancy egg noodles and cook just until tender...not mushy!  While the water was boiling and noodles cooking, I cut .40 pounds deli ham into small pieces.

Once the noodles were cooked, I drained them into a colander and put the pot back on the stove.  Here is another change I made.  When I was at the store looking at cream cheese, I saw that Philly had what they call Cooking Cremes on sale (they are flavored cream cheese based goodness for casseroles, etc.).  And the savory garlic had a couple with nearing expiration dates that were an extra dollar off.  So I got that instead of plain cream cheese.  Back to the recipe...I added about 2/3 of the container of cooking creme to the pot and stirred it to melting.  I then put everything in the pot -- broccoli, mushrooms, ham, noodles -- and stirred it all together.  I did add a couple tablespoons of hot water into the mix to thin the sauce a little.  Voila!  Everyone liked it and wanted more.  Next time, I will have to increase the quantities a little, so I can also use the whole container of cooking cream.  The original recipe also said you could sub chicken or turkey (deli meat, I assume) for the ham.  I think it would also be good with diced/shredded meat (leftover turkey, anyone?), and even diced pork would be yummy!  I was also thinking it would be good as a casserole with buttered bread crumbs on top...

I just ate my leftovers for lunch, and they were good, too...Now to figure out what is for dinner tonight!

Thanksgiving 2011

One of the best parts (ok, maybe the only good part) of having a holiday meal solo is being able to make just your favorite parts. I cooked a turkette (chicken), onion gravy that came out more like onion relish, and stuffing flavored with apple cider as my liquid. It was all very yummy. I want more stuffing, but I am already stuffed. Hahahaha :P

I hope everyone had a great day, and remembered to be thankful for the many blessings in your lives <3

Chicken and mushroom pasta

Tonight's dinner was planned with an eye to using up half a package of Trader Joes ceasar chicken strips. So, I sautéed a package of sliced crimini mushrooms in some butter until soft. Then I tossed in the chicken, broken into bite size pieces. I seasoned it all with salt, pepper and onion powder. I then added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup white wine and let it simmer a bit while I waited for the pasta to finish cooking (chicken broth could be used instead). Once the pasta was done (I used campanelle), I added it to the pan with the mushrooms and chicken. I stirred it all together and added some shredded Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (I added more pepper). It was quite yummy :)

Crocheting!

A friend had a crocheting class at her church this morning. My grandma taught me to crochet a gazillion years ago, but my daughter hadn't learned yet. So I figured this was an opportunity for someone other than me to teach her (I knew we would end up hissing and fuming at each other :P ). I was right. Not only were there several ladies there to teach, but one was left handed like my girl, so some of the potential issues were averted.

My friends goal was for everyone to make a panel to attach together to make a crocheted "quilt" for Warm Up America. Many of the new crocheters didn't get them done yet, but I finished mine (using a shell stitch). I then tried a little yellow "x and o" pattern my friend told me about. I then tried a summer garden granny square I found some time ago online (http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/summer-garden-granny-square.html). I also showed my girl the curlicue my grandma used to make for my hair.

Now all I need to do is get the girl to keep working on it, realizing that the more she practices, the easier it will get! She wants a blanket for her doll...we will see who ends up making that :)

Steak, Brussels sprouts and bleu cheese mashed potatoes

Tonight I made steak...a perennial favorite in this family. The steak wasn't prepared any differently than usual...salt, pepper and broiled. But before I cooked the steaks, I put a bag of frozen Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet with some pam, salt and pepper. I roasted them at 375* for about 25 minutes. Then I pushed them to the far sides of the pan and put the steaks in the middle. I then switched to broil and cooked the steaks until medium rare.

In the mean time, I made instant mashed potatoes with crumbled bleu cheese in them and a little rosemary. They could've used a tad less cheese and a tad more rosemary, but they were good nonetheless.

Now, it will be more budget friendly meals for a few days :)

Turkey croquettes

I had Mairi thaw a chub of hamburger the other day. I then realized what she took out wasn't beef, but a chub of ground turkey. This particular ground turkey has a very soft texture, and it "seasoned," so is not good for all applications. I finally decided to make croquettes. Now, that sounds all French and fancy, but really, they aren't. I combined a pound of ground turkey with 3-4 egg whites (I use dried egg whites, and kind of eye-balled it. If you used whole eggs, use 1-2), a little salt (remember the turkey was already seasoned), pepper, onion powder and a couple pinches of celery seed. I also added about half a cup instant potato flakes (no, I am not a mashed potato snob). Add more or less to achieve a firmish texture. I then scooped it out and rolled them into little logs, then rolled them in bread crumbs. I then fried them (yes, fried :P) pressing them flat a bit when I put them in the pan. Cook both sides until golden on medium high heat.

The dipping sauce is about half a cup plain Greek yogurt and a tablespoon Dijon mustard (add more or less depending on taste). Even Mairi liked the sauce, and she claims not to like mustard (I have greater success feeding her Dijon rather than plain yellow mustard...and honey mustard has been greeted positively). Bon apetit!