Zuppa Toscana

This is adapted from the Olive Garden version. It's delicious. :)

1lb Italian sausage
1 onion, diced finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ c wine (to deglaze the pan)
½ tsp crushed red pepper
2 c fresh kale
4 russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
4 c chicken stock
1 c water
1 c heavy cream
salt and pepper

In a large pot, brown the Italian sausage and drain with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper, cooking until the onions are transparent. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon or wire whisk to deglaze the pan. Return the sausage to the pan and add the potatoes, kale, chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 20 mins or so until potatoes are tender. When done, remove from heat and add cream. Serve with salt & pepper to taste.

Marinara (new recipe)

Every once in a while, I'll fiddle around with a recipe when I see something on the food network that makes me question something I've done with a recipe in the past. My spaghetti sauce recipe is an example of that. I love making it and it's delicious, but it has a lot of spices in it. But I couldn't help thinking that there had to be an easier recipe out there. So I played around with ingredients and looked at hoards of recipes online and I think I've finally perfected it. It's the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. Because I'm not adding meat to it, I added beef bouillon which you can leave out if you add meat. Try it and see what you think.

As always, I make enough for an army, so you may wanna have freezer bags handy.

1 #10 can of tomato sauce (this is roughly 6-7lbs of tomato sauce)
1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes (chopped) (Or you can use diced tomatoes if you want more texture)
1 sweet onion, diced
2 heads garlic, roasted and mashed (full heads, not cloves)
¼ c olive oil
¼ c dried basil
¼ c dried oregano
½ c parsley
1 T seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp beef bouillon

In the olive oil, cook the diced onions and mashed garlic until a golden color. Add to it the tomatoes, then slowly stir in spices and bouillon. Bring to a low boil, then simmer over low heat 2-3 hours.

Potato Soup

This recipe might be a little on the difficult side if your house isn't like mine. We save all bacon drippings in a jar in the fridge. And if you don't know how to make a roux, you'll never get this to work. It will taste awful and you'll blame me, but that's fine.

Warning: It's not low fat or healthy. That being said, it's pretty damn good.

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3-4 T bacon drippings (you can also include crumbled bacon pieces, too. I just didn't have any)
2-3 T flour
16 oz chicken broth
1 c milk (heavy cream or half-and-half can also be used)
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp celery seed (or 1 stalk finely diced celery)
dash onion powder
½ tsp chives
1 tsp parsley
¼ tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tsp chicken soup base (you can also use the little packets that come in ramen noodles - I used the one from a pkg of creamy chicken ramen and it worked perfectly)
salt and pepper to taste

In a separate sauce pan, bring potatoes to a boil and cook until almost done. You still want a slight crunch to their texture. In the meantime, heat the bacon drippings over med-high heat and using a wire whisk stir in the flour until you get a roux. Let it cook down (as stated in the link above the picture) and then, add milk all at once, followed quickly by the chicken broth. If you add it slowly, it'll clump up and you'll have a mess.

Check your potatoes and drain if they're done. Set aside.

Add your spices and stir the creamy soup mixture until small bubbles start forming around the edge of the pan. Do NOT let it come to a full boil or the milk will curdle. Add the potatoes and stir while cooking it over a low heat until everything is warm. This is a great soup to serve with crusty French bread. You can add shredded cheese or sour cream, if you choose, but it's delicious by itself, too.

Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken (Crock Pot)

1 3lb bag frozen chicken breasts (boneless skinless)
1 jar salsa (I use mango flavored)
hot sauce to taste (I use cholula)

Put the frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot on low. Cover with salsa and hot sauce (if you choose). Cook on low 6 hours (high 4-5hrs). Serve with rice or shred and serve inside tortilla shells with taco fixings.

Easiest. Meal. EVER.

Beanless Bean Dip

1 2lb box Velveeta, cubed
1 can Hormel tamales
2 can Hormel Chili, no beans

Remove tamales from their paper wrappers and smash with a fork. Mix ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on medium power for 10 mins. Stir well and cook for another 10 minutes on medium power or until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

Easiest. Dip. EVER.

Chicken Fajitas (Slow cooker)

1 2½ bag frozen boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 pkgs Fajita mix
2 onions
3 green peppers
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T hot sauce (I use Cholula)
1 c water
1 tsp salt

shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla shells
sour cream
salsa

Put frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker on low. Mix fajita mix with water, hot sauce and spices. Pour over chicken breasts and cover. Cook on medium for 4-5 hours. Limit the times you lift the lid (remember, every time you open it up, you add 20 mins to the cook time!) and let it cook without interruption. Julienne onions and peppers. After at least 4 hours, shred chicken using a fork and return to the broth in the slow cooker. Add peppers and onions and replace cover. Let cook for an additional hour or until vegetables are tender. Serve with cheese, sour cream and salsa on tortillas.

This chicken is great for use in chicken enchiladas or my chicken tortilla soup recipe.

Roast Beef (Slow Cooker)

1 2-3lb roast (rump, pot or chuck)
1 onion, cut into chunks
salt & pepper
1 can Coke (or Dr. Pepper)
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 c beef broth (I used 1 hefty tablespoon Better than Bouillon and 2 c water, but canned broth is fine)
3 cloves garlic peeled & crushed
¼ c flour
2 T parsley flakes
1 T onion powder
½ tsp of each of the following: Lawry's Seasoned Salt, ground white pepper, ground oregano, celery seed, Italian seasoning, paprika.
2 bay leaves

Set your slow cooker on low and cover the bottom of the crock with the onions. Generously salt and pepper the roast and place on top of the onions.

In a blender, mix the Coke, tomato paste, beef broth, garlic and flour on a low speed (so the carbonation from the soda doesn't blow the top of the blender off), then at a high speed until well blended. Add everything but the bay leaves and blend again until mixed. Pour over the meat and onions in the crock. Toss in the bay leaves and cover.

Stir VERY infrequently (every time you remove the lid, you add 20 mins to the cook time) and cook for the next 6-8 hours on low. It doesn't hurt to leave it in longer, but add an extra ¼ - ½ c of broth for anything over 8 hours. The gravy should thicken as it cooks. If it becomes too thick, add a bit more water or broth to thin it out. Make sure to remove bay leaves before serving.

Best with mashed potatoes. Leftovers are excellent for beef & noodles!

Sugared Broccoli

3 T butter/margarine
2 T brown sugar
1 lb fresh broccoli (or frozen pieces, thawed and drained)
1 c chicken broth

In a skillet, melt butter and add brown sugar, cooking on medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved. Add broccoli and saute for two minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 8-10 minutes until broccoli is tender. Remove broccoli and keep warm. Cook sauce uncovered until reduced by half. Pour over broccoli and serve.

Beer Cheese Soup

2 lb box Velveeta, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
2 T butter/margarine
1½ c milk
½ c beer
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
few dashes Frank's hot sauce

Melt butter over medium-high heat and cook onion & garlic in a saucepan until translucent. Lower heat to medium-low and add cheese, milk, beer, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Stirring frequently, cook until cheese has melted. You can add more beer, if you choose, but it does have a strong beer taste if you do.

Dee's potatoes

A while ago, I worked at a transportation company and the best part of that lousy job was all the food days we had. And the best part of the food days was a slow cooker full of these potatoes. When I left that craphole place, my severance pay was Dee's recipe in my hands. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 2lb bag chunk-style hash brown potatoes
1 16oz carton sour cream
2 c shredded cheddar cheese (Colby Jack is good, too)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 T butter
2 T chives
½ medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and put in slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours (6-8 hrs if hash browns are still frozen). You can top with crushed Ritz crackers or corn flakes if you want added texture.

Cake Mix Cookies

I hate baking. No, seriously. I hate it. I can't stand the mess. I don't like the hassle and I tend to burn everything that goes into my oven. These, however, were easy peasy. FIVE ingredients.

1 box cake mix (your choice of flavor - I used Devil's Food Cake)
1 egg
¼ c applesauce (or oil, if you don't have applesauce)
¼ c water
1 c add-in of your choice (I wanted to use the Cherry Cordial M&M's, but SOMEbody ate them all, so I used plain)

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix first four ingredients together until smooth. Stir in add-in's. Using a miniature ice cream scooper (or a teaspoon), drop small balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully, using a spatula, place them on a cooling rack. Serve with frosting or ice cream.

And a big glass of milk.

Makes about 3 dozen.

(and yes, I burned the first batch.)

Mexican Lasagna

My nephew requested a Mexican-style version of my lasagna recipe a few weeks ago. This post is for him.

1 box lasagna noodles
1 qt chili (homemade works best, but you can use canned, if you prefer)
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced into strips
½ pkg shredded colby jack cheese (or the cheese blend of your choice)
1 jar nacho cheese sauce (queso is fine, too)
1 large can refried beans

Optional toppings:
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
black olives
sour cream
chopped green onions
guacamole
crushed tortilla chips or Doritos

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook noodles according to package directions. While they're cooking, heat up the chili and the refried beans. Put the peppers and onions into a small amount of olive oil and sautée until onions turn transparent.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with a couple scoops of chili. Then add a layer of cooked noodles so they cover the chili. Add a thin layer of beans and cover with a light layer of cheese sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Add a layer of the peppers and onions and cover with a light layer of chili. Repeat these layers until you get close to the top. You want to leave a little bit of room so you can put the shredded cheese on top later.

Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 30 mins. Remove foil, cover with shredded cheese and bake an additional 10 mins. Let sit for 10 minutes. Cover with optional toppings if you choose and serve.

Lasagna

This recipe can be as extravagant or as easy as you want to make it. I enjoy cooking, so I make my sauce from scratch and combine three cheeses for part of the filling, but you can do this with three ingredients, if you so choose. The main things you need are: noodles, sauce and cheese. How much you do from there is entirely up to you.

Preheat oven to 350°.

1 16oz box lasagna noodles, uncooked (You don't need to buy the No-Boil noodles)
1 qt spaghetti sauce (your choice of homemade or store-bought)
1 pint Ricotta cheese
2 c shredded Mozzarella cheese (reserve ½ c)
1 c Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 T parsley
1 tsp garlic powder

1. Whip the eggs together with the garlic powder and parsley. In a separate bowl mix together the cheeses, then carefully add the egg mixture. Combine until everything is mixed well.

2. In a rectangular baking dish, spread a layer of spaghetti sauce over the bottom. Cover the sauce with three uncooked noodles, laid side-by-side. On top of the noodles, spread a layer of the cheese mixture. It doesn't need to cover every inch of pasta, but you do want a good layer of cheese. Top the cheese with sauce and flatten out with a wooden spoon if there are lumps. Repeat this process until you reach just below the rim of the baking dish. (You may not use all the cheese mix, sauce or noodles. If you choose, you can make a second pan with the remaining ingredients.)

3. Cover the dish with foil, set it on a foil-lined cookie sheet to catch any boil-overs and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the rest of the Mozzarella cheese on top and return to the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese turns a golden brown.

4. When it comes out of the oven, let it sit for a full fifteen minutes before you serve it. This will allow the liquids to soak back into the noodles and you won't have runny sauce all over your plate.

Apple Crisp

Preheat oven to 350°.

6 c sliced apples
¾ c white sugar
¼ c brown sugar
1 T flour
pinch salt
¼ tsp cinnamon

Mix together these ingredients and spread in a lightly greased 9x13 pan.

½ c butter (or margarine), softened or melted
1 c flour
1 c oatmeal
1 c brown sugar
¼ tsp baking powder

Combine these ingredients and spread evenly over the top of the apples. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. Best with cinnamon ice cream and caramel topping.

Crockpot Steak & Gravy (Beef Stew)

This recipe can be made one of two ways: just the meat and gravy or cook all your vegetables at once and make it into a stew-like concoction. I was trying to do a hundred things today, so you get the latter.

3-4 lbs chuck steak (or a chuck roast), largely cubed (I marinated it last night.)

1 c flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 can Coke (Dr. Pepper works well, too)
1½ c beef broth (I used 1 hefty tablespoon Better than Bouillon and 1½ c water, but canned broth will work, too)
1 onion, cut into chunks
2lbs small yellow potatoes, cleaned & halved (don't peel)
4-5 carrots, peeled & cut into chunks
1 stalk celery, cut into chunks

If you make it like stew, put the vegetables on the bottom of the Crock-Pot. Toss the steak in the flour just enough to coat it evenly. Discard remaining flour and add meat to the pot. Pour in the Coke and the beef broth and generously sprinkle in salt and pepper. Put on low for 6-7 hours. Stir only once or twice (every time the crock pot is opened, you add 20 mins to the cook time). The gravy will thicken as it cooks and you'll end up with the perfect consistency.

If you choose not to add the vegetables to the Crock Pot, you can serve this with mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles for an excellent, filling meal.