Tag: Recipes

Tuscan Sausage Soup

Ingredients

1 lb Italian ground pork sausage
1 cup chopped onions
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into quarters lengthwise & into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (from two 32-oz cartons)
1 can (19 oz) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (28 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup (3 oz) small ring pasta, such as ditalini
3 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup plain panko crispy bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 

Directions

  1. Heat 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions and carrot; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up sausage, until sausage is no longer pink. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.
  2. Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes, oregano and bay leaf. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Add pasta; simmer 8 to 9 minutes or until pasta is tender. Remove bay leaf, and discard.
  3. Stir in spinach; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes; stir.
  4. Meanwhile, in 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat Add bread crumbs; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until toasted and golden brown. Remove from heat.
  5. Divide soup among serving bowls; garnish each with cheese and toasted bread crumbs.

Makes about 8 servings. Takes 35 minutes for prep and 60 minutes to cook. Soup is always great on a cold day with a fire and glass of wine.

Easy White Chicken Chilli

INGREDIENTS

6 cups chicken stock

3 – 4 cups cooked shredded chicken

2 (15-ounce) cans beans of northern beans or 1 big jar

2 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde 

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Optional toppings: diced avocado, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

  1. Stir together chicken stock, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin in large pot.
  2. Cook on high heat until it simmers.  Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer.
  3. Serve immediately, garnished with your favorite toppings.

Kit Kat Cookies

kit kat cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/3 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped Kit Kat candy bar pieces
  • Optional: add semi-sweet chocolate chips after adding Kit Kat pieces

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except candy bar pieces. Set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars on medium speed until combined. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined
  4. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients; mix just until combined. Do not over mix
  5. Gently fold in chopped Kit Kat candy bar pieces; cover bowl and refrigerate dough for about an hour
  6. Place a rounded scoop of dough on an ungreased baking sheet, or silicone mat/parchment paper lined baking sheet. Keep dough chilled in between batches.
  7. Bake 7-9 minutes or until barely golden brown around the edges. Do not over bake. The tops will not brown. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes. Cookies may appear to be soft and undone, but they will set as they cool.
  8. Cool cookies on baking sheet on wire rack for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Option:  can use an 9×13 square pan and make bars.  Just add 2 eggs instead of 1, 2 sticks of softened butter instead of 3/4 cup and add a small box of instant vanilla pudding mix.  Bake for 35-38 minutes or until cooked through.

 

Easy Cobbler

This was my Mom’s recipe, so quick and easy and very tasty!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cup Bisquick
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • 3 – 5 oz can of Peaches
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

Mix butter and vanilla in pan, add Bisquick, sugar, and milk in butter.  Pour peaches over the top of the mixture, do not stir.   Sprinkle cinnamon on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Fits a 9 x 9 pan!  Serve warm with ice cream.

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Lemonade Slush with Coconut Rum

With the warm weather finally here in Wisconsin, thought I would share one of my favorite lemonade slush recipes with you.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups ice cubes, crushed
  • 3 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate
  • 2 tablespoons coconut rum (such as Malibu)
  • Lime wedge or toasted coconut flakes (optional)

Directions

Place ice, concentrate, and rum in a blender; blend until slushy. Garnish with lime wedge or toasted coconut flakes, if desired.  Enjoy!!!

You could also do this over ice and not blended, which is how I like it the best.

 

frozen-coconut-limeade-1

 

Marinated Cheese & Crackers

I always try to keep some type of appetizers on hand for unexpected company.  This is a quick and easy one to pair with a good Moscato or a cold beer.

Ingredients

  • 2 blocks (8 ounces each) white cheddar cheese
  • 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Crackers or small bread

Directions

  • Slice each block of cheddar cheese into twenty 1/4-in. slices. Cut each block of cream cheese into 18 slices; sandwich between cheddar slices, using a knife to spread evenly. Create four 6-in.-long blocks of cheese; place in a 13 x 9 dish.
  • In a small bowl, combine the roasted peppers, oil, vinegars, onions, herbs, sugar; pour over cheese.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning once. Drain excess marinade. Serve cheese with bread or crackers.

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Split Pea Soup

One of my favorite meals in the winter or anytime really is soup!  So, this time I thought I would share a Split Pea Soup recipe.  I hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 chopped medium onion
  • 4 thinly sliced carrots
  • 3 thinly sliced celery stalks (sometimes I skip this ingredient)
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Low sodium chicken broth (about 14 oz)
  • 16 oz bag of green split peas
  • 1 Ham bone plus 2 cups ham cut into cubes
  • 2 tbsp “I Can’t Believe It’s Not” Butter

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Using a 5-quart heavy pot with a lid, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots, celery, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes.
  2. Add broth, split peas, ham bone, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and partially cover; simmer until peas are soft, 30 to 45 minutes.
  3. Remove and discard bone from soup. Working in batches, puree only 1/2 the soup in a blender (don’t overfill); return to pot. Add ham cubes, and simmer until heated through. If necessary, thin with water. Add salt, and pepper to taste.

Serve warm with a hearty bread or crackers and a blend of primarily Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.  ENJOY!

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Mini Pumpkin Pies

I love to make finger foods, especially if they are sweet.  So, with the season being Thanksgiving I thought I would share an easy Mini Pumpkin Pie recipe.  Serve with a dollop of cool whip on top and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 roll of sugar cookies
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (3.5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 package cup cake cups
1 container of cool whip
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut cookies per instructions on the package and place in muffin cups.  Cook according to directions and let cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk and pudding mix until thickened. Stir in the pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree until thoroughly combined.  Fill each cup 1/2 full with the pumpkin mixture on top of the cooled cookies.  You can sprinkle some pumpkin pie spice on top if desired.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve within 3 days.
mini pumpkin pies
Mini-Pumpkin-Pies

Pumpkin Soup

In thinking about Halloween and carving pumpkins, thought I would share my favorite pumpkin soup recipe.  Hope you enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS:

– 2 lbs pumpkin, skin and seeds removed, chopped into small cubes

– 1 small onion finely chopped

– 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

– 1 large carrot, peeled and diced

– 1 tsp crushed garlic

– 4 cups chicken broth/stock

– 2 chicken bouillon cubes crumbled

– Salt and pepper to taste

– 1/2 cup half & half

– 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place all ingredients, except cream, in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat, use a stick blender and blend until smooth.  Add the cream and stir through (do not boil after adding cream).  Add any salt or pepper if needed, and serve with bacon sprinkled on top (can put parsley or roasted pumpkin seeds on top if desired).

Pumpkin-Soup-IMAGE-13

A Tribute to Mom

Mom

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My Mother passed away on August 11, 2018 and the last month has been hard.  We know she is in a good place but I miss her dearly.  She was a great cook, had a gentle heart and was very much a Southern gal!  She taught me everything I know about cooking and the love of food.  She had many recipes so I can’t say I had a favorite cause they all were good.  To name a few:  red velvet cake, pumpkin poll, oyster dressing,  biscuits and gravy (with scratch biscuits), hot dog sauce, peanut butter fudge,  orange cake, cornbread and beans, pickle relish (which she canned every year), apple butter (made outside over an open fire in a kettle), and I could go on forever.   Thanks Mom for helping me become the woman I am today and  for showing me how to cook!

So, in memory of Mom, aka Mollie B.,  aka Mammie, here is her Orange Cake recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box Duncan Hines Orange cake mix
  • Milk

Icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1 large tube of Cool Whip

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Mix cake according to directions using milk instead of water and bake accordingly
  • Bake in 2 round cake pans
  • Once cooled, split in the middle to make 4 layers
  • Mix icing ingredients until smooth
  • Ice each layer on top only, not on sides and stack on top of each other
  • Sprinkle the top with crumbs left in the pans or from the bottom of a section
  • Serve and enjoy

 

Moms Orange Cake