11.15.08
Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini
With Fall in the air and Thanksgiving around the corner, I tend to think of cool weather foods and comfort soups and casseroles. I’ll try to get some of my favorite posted in the next few weeks. Here is one of our all time favorite soups to get you thinking of warm fires and a good book…
Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini
Serving Size : 8
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
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2 pounds Italian sausage (I use: 1 lb. hot & 1 lb. mild)
1 cup onions — chopped
2 cloves garlic — minced fine
5 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups tomatoes (may use whole canned tomatoes) – seeded, peeled, chopped
1 cup carrot — thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon oregano & basil
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups zucchini slices
8 ounces tortellini, cheese-filled (or small ravioli)
3 tablespoons parsley — chopped
1 green pepper — chopped
parmesan cheese — grated
If sausage comes in casing, remove casing. Brown sausage in dutch oven .
Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.
Sauté onions & garlic in drippings until tender. Add beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots basil, oregano, tomato sauce & sausage.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Skim off any fat.
Stir in zucchini, tortellini, parsley and green pepper. Simmer covered for an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until tortellini are tender.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of each serving
02.22.09
Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
These little cookies are quickly becoming my favorite cookie, soft chewy and wonderful!
Makes about 3 dozen
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Beat the softened butter and sugars in a mixer until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl every so often, until incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and continue mixing until everything is incorporated evenly.
Fold in the rolled oats and cranberries.
Drop tablespoon-size scoops of the dough onto the cookie sheets, leaving enough space so the cookies will not spread into one another while baking.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Chicken Marbella
I cooked this last night for dinner when we decided to have a few friends over. It is a perfect meal to serve for guests because you can do everything ahead of time. Only think you need to do at the last minute is turn on the water for the couscous. It really is that easy and everyone loves it. Don’t be afraid to try the prunes or dates they really do add something to the dish and you should be adventurous and eat them!
Enjoy!
Ingredient –
2 1/2 pounds Chicken thigh — skinned and boned
5 cloves garlic — chopped fine
1/4 Cup oregano
salt and pepper — to taste
1/2 Cup red wine vinegar
1/2 Cup olive oil
1 Cup Pitted Prunes or Dated
1/2 Cup Spanish Green Olives
1/2 Cup Capers — with a bit of juice
6 bay leaf, whole
1 Cup Brown Sugar(I use a little less than a cup)
1 Cup White Wine 1/4 Cup Italian Parsley — finely chopped
Directions…
In a large bowl combine chicken, garlic, oregano, salt & pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers & Bay leaves. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to cook: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a single layer in on or two large shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour wine around them. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting with pan juices. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes,olive & capers to a serving platter or directly plate. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle with parsley. Source: “Silver Palate Cookbook”
I serve this with couscous
12.19.08
Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Serves 4+
This soup is quick to make, flavorful, and filling! Serve with warm tortillas & a green salad. This also freezes well. Garnish with chopped fresh avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips, or green onion! Enjoy
INGREDIENTS:
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1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 10.5 ounce chicken broth 1 1/4 cups water 1 cup whole corn kernels 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked & cut into pieces crushed tortilla chips sliced avocado shredded Monterey Jack cheese chopped green onions
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DIRECTIONS:
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1. |
In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. |
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2. |
Stir in corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes. |
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3. |
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion |
07.28.08
Tahoe Brunch
I’ve had a few requests for a breakfast/brunch casserole in the past few weeks and this is one of my all time favorites. The fist time it was served to me was at my bridal brunch just about 26 years ago this month. One of my fathers employee’s wife made this Tahoe Brunch which she had discovered in The California Heritage Cookbook- written by the junior League of Pasadena. This recipe needs to be made ahead of time and refrigerated over night so plan accordingly.
Tahoe Brunch
- 12 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 2-3 Tbs butter softened
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 Lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Cups thinly sliced onion
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 Lbs Italian sausage (I use a mix of Hot & Mild)
- 3/4 to 1 Lb grated Cheddar cheese
- 5 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried mustard
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
Butter the bread with the softened butter and set aside. In a medium skillet, melt the 1/2 Cup butter and brown the mushrooms and onions for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Season to taste with salt & pepper, set aside. Cook the sausage and cut into bite size pieces – set aside.
In a greased 11 x 7 ( or whatever size you have that is close) casserole, layer 1/2 of the bread, mushroom mixture, sausage and cheese. Repeat the layers, ending with the cheese. In a medium bowl mix the eggs, milk both mustards, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, & 1/8 tsp pepper. Pour over the sausage and cheese casserole. Cover the casserole and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, sprinkle the parsley evenly over the top of the casserole and bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until bubbly.
Serve with a fruit salad and crusty bread.
Serves 8
07.09.08
Heather is blogging
Heather, my oldest, is kicking off her new summer internship with a Blog Check it out!
One very proud Mother to have one flying from the nest!
07.06.08
Tangy Roasted Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Panzanella
I cooked this for dinner last night and it was very tasty. I do love Panzanella & this is a good recipe.
SERVES: 4
Panzanella, the Italian salad, is typically made with tomatoes, onions and chunks of bread. This one combines grilled bread and sweet broiled tomatoes with artichokes hearts & peppers before dressing the warm salad with a lemony vinaigrette. It’s fabulous served alongside crisp chicken.
ingredients
4 large garlic cloves
One 1/4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 3/4 pounds) – I used boneless skinless thighs
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (I used fresh Basil since I had it on hand and think it adds more flavor than parsley)
One 3/4-pound loaf white country-style bread, sliced 1 inch thick (I sliced up the bread and grilled it on my Panni Press)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
8 baby artichokes in oil, drained and halved lengthwise (I used canned artichoke hearts from Trader Joes and they were great)
1 Red Pepper chopped in 1″ cubes (This was my addition because I love peppers – may be omitted)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
directions
1. In a mini food processor, pulse the garlic and ginger until chopped. Add the paprika, cayenne and 1/3 cup of the lemon juice and process until smooth; transfer to a bowl. Add the chicken, cilantro, scallion and 2 tablespoons each of the olive oil and parsley. Toss, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
2. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan. Brush the bread with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the bread over moderately high heat, turning once, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly, then tear into bite-size pieces.
3. Preheat the broiler. In a large, deep skillet, toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil the tomatoes for 7 minutes, until they begin to burst. Using a spoon, lightly mash the tomatoes to release some of their juices. Let cool slightly, then add the bread, artichokes, peppers and lemon zest to the skillet.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and pat dry. In a very large skillet, heat the canola oil. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken, pour the chicken stock into the skillet and bring to a boil. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, until cooked through. Spoon 1/4 cup of the pan drippings from the skillet over the bread mixture.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of parsley or Basil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Gently warm the bread mixture over moderate heat, tossing, until it is heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour the dressing over the bread salad and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Transfer the chicken to plates, spoon the bread salad alongside and serve.
05.11.08
Mothers Day Brunch
Happy Mothers Day – Since two of my three daughters were not able to make it home for Mothers day, I decided to have my Mother in Law and Sister in Law and families for Brunch. I love cooking and haven’t had many opportunities to cook for a crowd lately… It was a fun brunch and I was able to do most of it ahead of time so I could also enjoy the festivities and kids.
Menu
Leek, Potato & Gruyere Frittata
Blueberry Filled Ebelskivers (Round Danish Pancakes)
Fruit Salad
Bacon
Chocolate covered Strawberries (Thanks to Maura) and Assorted Cookies
Leek, Potato & Gruyere Frittata
3 Tbs Butter
5-6 Small red potatoes, sliced 1/8″ thick
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Leek, washed well white & light green portions thinly sliced
6 eggs
4 Tbs cream or milk
1 Cup Gruyere Cheese, grated
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
Use a large non stick frying pan that can go into the oven. Melt 1 Tbs butter, add potatoes, salt & pepper and cook covered for 8 minutes. Flipping patoes every so often so that they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove to a bowl.
In the same pan melt another tbs of butter. Add sliced leek, salt & pepper. Cover and cook for about 6-8minutes. When done transfer to another bowl.
In another bowl, whisk eggs and cream. Stir in cheese, parsley, potatoes, leek, salt & pepper to taste. In same frying pan melt more butter to cover bottom of pan about 1 Tbs. Add egg mixture; cook until beginning to set, about 4 minutes. Using a rubber spatula lift up cooked edges and allow uncooked eggs to flow underneath. When almost all set but top pop pan into a heated 350 degree oven for about 6-10 minutes. You just want to cook it till the top is set and egg mixture is set all the way through.
Remove from oven and slice into 6-8 pieces depending on the size of the pan you used.
Blueberry Filled Ebelskiver’s
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs seperated
1 3/4 C light buttermilk
1 pint fresh blueberries
powered sugar for dusting
Maple syrup for serving
You need to have an Ebelskiver Pan to make these round pancakes. You can make these like normal pancakes and just plop the blueberries on top of them before you flip the pancake… not quite as fun as a round filled pancake, but tasty.
In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients until well combined. The batter will be a bit lumpy.
With an electric mixer beat egg whites until stiff, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula gently fold inthe egg whites to the batter in tow or three additions.
Heat up your ebelskiver pan and either spray with cooking spray or dot each whole with butter. Pour in about 1 tbs of batter top with a few berries then top wit a bit more batter. Slowly turn pancakes over using two wooden skewers. Cook until golden brown and crispy about 3 minutes total. At this point you can keep pancakes in a warm oven till all of them are done and your ready to serve.
Dust with powered sugar and pass syrup
Make a fruit salad of your choice of wonderful spring fruits and fry up some bacon or sausage and your done.
Sip a champaign cocktail and have a great Mothers Day!
05.04.08
World’s Best Cookies
I really do believe these are the Worlds Best Cookie. I’ve tasted a lot of cookies over the years and these have a great combination of texture and sweet. Truly an all time favorite. I’m making these for the church rummage sale that is coming up. I’m going to make the dough and form it into the cookies then pop them into the freezer so they will be ready to bake when I’m ready.
1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Salad Oil
1 cup Rolled Oats — uncooked
1 cup Cornflake — crushed
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
3 1/2 cups Flour, all-purpose — sifted
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Cream together butter and sugars until light & fluffy.
Add egg & vanilla, mix well; add oil, mixing well.
Add oats, cornflakes, coconut & nuts; stir well
Now add baking soda, salt & flour; mix well.
Form into balls the size of small walnuts. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Flatten with fork dipped in water. (Can put into freezer at this point and cook later)
Bake 12 minutes. (If frozen allow a couple of more minutes baking time) Allow to cool on cookie sheet a few minutes before removing.
Chicken Torcello (Chicken Spaghetti)
We can thank Aunt Diane for this recipe. I think it’s the family favorite.
3 pounds Chicken — cubed
2 tablespoons Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon garlic — minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup Chicken Stock
4 tomato
1/2 cup parsley
1 medium green pepper — diced
Spaghetti
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Dust Chicken in first 4 ingredients.
Brown Chicken in butter, oil and garlic.
Quarter and core the tomatoes add to Chicken with stock. Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.
Add parsley and chopped green pepper to chicken. Remove from heat and let stand 5 min.
Bring Water to a boil add spaghetti and cook until done. Follow package directions.
Drain Spaghetti and plate.
Serve chicken and sauce over spaghetti sprinkling cheese on top.
Start to Finish Time: “0:45″
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Serving Ideas : Serve with Green Salad and Garlic Bread
