Thanksgiving 2016

Posted on November 17, 2016 | 1 comment
Fully Baked Cremini Pumpkin Lasagna

Fully Baked Cremini Pumpkin Lasagna

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Fully Cooked Cranberry Crisp

Fully Cooked Cranberry Crisp

Karyn's Cranberry Crisp and Fresh Cranberry Sauce

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Magnolia Banana Pudding

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Sweet and Spicy Nuts

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Hurricane Sandy Cranberry Bread

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Corn Bread Pudding

Set Table

pre marshmallow topping

pre marshmallow topping

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Michele’s White Chocolate Jumbo Macadamia Cookies

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Butternut Squash Soup–No Cream

Rome and Thanksgiving 077 More October 088 More October 082 More October 081 More October 078 DSCN4489 DSCN4470 DSCN4466 photo 2 (9)photo (37)It’s right around the corner and before you know it November 24th is here and happening. It’s my most favorite holiday to celebrate with family and friends. So it’s November 17th and I think it’s time to lay down a few menu guidelines. We have a new baby coming in our family so I will be making my Thanksgiving at my daughter’s house and she may or not be  in the Hospital. We’re winging it this year but I am still going to make a few of our beloved dishes.  If anyone out there has any great suggestions for me please do email me, I’d love to see them. I can’t promise to make them this year but I will certainly try and look them all over. My menu is almost always the same and if you’ve been a faithful fan you’ve probably gotten to taste Karyn’s Cranberry Crisp, Corn bread Pudding, and my favorite stuffing just to name a few “oldies but goodies”. Check out the recipes on my blog: cookingwithcandi.com subscribe for free and fun and get my emails. Once you’ve successfully subscribed just enter a recipe into the search and that’s it! and go through my blog you may find something you want to add to your Thanksgiving Table that isn’t on this post. Hopefully this will be helpful in your planning your Holiday Meal. Look for some new recipes in enough time to try out for this year’s table. I will be posting all weekend for Thanksgiving! So time to put on the fat pants!

Happy Cooking Thanksgiving 2016 and remember Gratitude not Attitude!

Thanksgiving 2016

for starters I always make my Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts. I have a few variations but they are always delicious and I try not to serve too many appetizers because it’s really an overwhelming meal.

I always do a Baked Brie served with Fig Jam and you know what? I buy it at Whole Foods and keep it in the freezer till I bake it, super perfect and you have to budget your time some how. Whole Foods makes a great one and I expend enough energy on the meal without doing this too.

 

Seasonal Salad:   whatever you like and I have to say salad is really not necessary with all of the other sides. So use your judgement here . I love a simple green salad with some pears, nuts and my most favorite Mustard Vinaigrette which tastes just about perfect on any salad. Kale and Brussels Salad is great as well but a little filling. Checkout my new Autumn Salad that is now posted as well– can be made a few hours ahead and is a winner!

Two Soups for Thanksgiving:  Butternut Squash (no cream) always wins out in my family. My Pumpkin Lentil Soup is also super inviting . Both soups can and should be made ahead of time. I usually make it 3 days prior to serving , it can keep in fridge. You can also freeze it and just add some liquid when heating up. I also make a delicious Butternut Squash Soup with Chipotle Cream for a little twist on a standard.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread or Hurricane Sandy Pumpkin Cranberry Bread:

Cremini Mushroom Pumpkin Lasagna ( vegetarian), Ultimate Comfort Food Macaroni and Cheese ( vegetarian) and this year I may make a Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. Obviously you don’t need this choice if everyone is good with eating meat but if you’d like to offer a vegetarian choice one of these is perfect and can all be made ahead of time. Look for the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna which will be coming soon. I always add a pasta , don’t ask my why.

Stuffing that will be on our table: This is my stuffing that I always make. Look for it under this title. This is my tried and true. Worth the work.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes: when I’ve tried to eliminate I always get caught so they will be here again this year.

Candied Yam Souffle: East Peasy. Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes, Aunt Pammy’s Chipotle Sweet Potatoes which are nothing short of A-mazing!!

Fresh Cranberry Sauce, Karyn’s Famous Thanksgiving Cranberry Crisp ( also nothing short of amazing) and Joy’s Cranberry Sauce. If you haven’t made Karyn’s Cranberry Crisp you’re really missing out on something wonderful.

Fresh Green Beans with Lemons and Almonds

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Corn Bread Pudding–this is a must , one of the best Thanksgiving recipes ever!

Roast Whole Turkey and a Turkey Breast: if you’re family prefers white meat a turkey roast is just perfection. We also have dark meat lovers so I do both.

Michele’s White Chocolate Jumbo Macadamia Cookies, Pumpkin Cheesecake The cookies will always make an appearance and I think this year an Apple Crisp is in order because Joel has made a personal request for this. Magnolia Banana Pudding is another strong contender.

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Creamy Mashed Potatoes

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Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

Like I said just a guide line to help with your shopping, menus, and hopefully some new ideas for you. Enjoy and please do reach out if you have some suggestions.

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Posted in Holiday/ Thanksgiving Recipes

Chicken Marsala

Posted on November 17, 2016 | Leave a comment

Chicken Marsala

One night last week I prepared a version of Chicken Marsala which came out totally delicious, and worthy of posting this recipe. I am always trying out new recipes for this dish. I combined about 3 recipes and I must say this final recipe worked out just perfectly. It would have been more perfect with a green vegetable served alongside, like brussel sprouts but it was sort of last minute and didn’t have the veggies, which was just fine with Joel. I served it with a plain brown rice which worked out nicely.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all purpose flour for coating

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

I used 1 package thin chicken cutlets ( 5 pieces ) about 1 1/2 lbs.

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup olive oil

8 ounces Cremini Mushrooms sliced (stemmed)

1/2 cup Marsala ( you can buy in supermarket in the oil or vinegar section usually)

1/4 cup Sherry ( I used what I had in the house , it’s not really cooking Sherry but it was fine)

1/2 cup chicken stock

*1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley ( I didn’t have so I didn’t use)

Directions:

In a shallow bowl or large plate, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. coat chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

In a large skillet, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot place chicken in the pan and lightly brown. A little hint, don’t futz with the chicken , place it in ( make sure the oil is very hot) and let it be , turn after about 5 minutes, it should be a light golden brown, then do the same for the other side. Use tongs , try not to pierce the skin of the chicken. Remove chicken to a plate, I take paper towel and blot it.

Lower the heat, put mushrooms in pan. I sprinkle a little salt on the mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes till their moisture has evaporated, and then deglaze the pan with the sherry, Marsala,  and the chicken broth. Let it cook for another few minutes. The sauce will reduce slightly. Return the chicken to the pan, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, turning once. Before you serve sprinkle some chopped parsley on it if you like. I served over brown rice.

Chicken Marsala

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Couscous and Butternut Squash Salad with Kale or Arugula –Perfect Autumn Salad

Posted on November 14, 2016 | 1 comment

This salad always makes me think of the Fall and the Winter.  I suppose it’s due to the butternut squash . This salad would really be delicious anytime of the year and if you added a protein it would make a delicious dinner salad. I made this salad the other evening and it was just perfection on a plate. Beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. Fairly Healthy and you can keep it vegan without any dairy or add cheese for a delicious vegetarian salad .  It takes a bit of prep work but you can prep a few hours ahead and be done with it prior to the meal which is always a good thing in my book.

I prepped butternut squash and couscous and used baby arugula this time. I dressed the salad and let it sit , Kale is better when it’s soft and broken down so if you’re using Kale I suggest chopping it.  I love Kale but don’t want to feel like I’m eating my front lawn. It is delicious with kale or arugula or really any greens you prefer.

If you like a heavier dressed salad I would definitely double up the recipe.

Of course you can add any protein you would like but sometimes it’s nice to just go meatless especially after such a heavy eating food weekend like we just had with Thanksgiving.

 

This is what I did. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb . butternut squash – 1 package of pre-cut squash and then I cut into small 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper – to taste

1 cup dry Pearl Couscous , cook in water according to package directions

app. 2 cups chopped Kale Leaves or Arugula is also a great choice if you’re not a kale fan or really 2 cups of any kind of greens you like.

1/3 cup dried cherries–you can use craisins, raisins, cranberries whatever dried fruit you like

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

*app. 2 oz. crumbled goat or feta cheese if you’d like

Orange Vinaigrette Dressing:

2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp. Freshly-Squeezed Orange Juice –this is a must

pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

To make the salad:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and cut butternut squash into 1/2 inch cubes.

Spread the butternut squash out in an even layer on a baking sheet that’s been sprayed with cooking spray add 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil to squash to coat, sprinkle a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to the squash .  Bake for 15 minutes then flip squash over (as best you can) Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the squash is tender and slightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and transfer back to the large mixing bowl. Depending on your oven the squash could take a little longer to cook, you just want it soft enough that it’s cooked through and a little browned up.

To make the vinaigrette:

Whisk all ingredients, (orange juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and pinch of salt and pepper to taste. I used all of the vinaigrette and it was very lightly dressed and rather tasty. If you prefer more dressing on the side , double the recipe.

Add cooked couscous, kale, cherries, walnuts, goat cheese* and vinaigrette,  toss to combine. Taste for Salt and Pepper after all combined.img_2936img_2933img_2929img_2928

Serve Warm, or refrigerate and this will keep for app. 3 days in fridge.

It’s a very light salad dressing so the kale absorbs it and it will keep nicely in fridge.

 

 

 

 

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Roasted Potatoes with Mustard and Onions

Posted on November 13, 2016 | Leave a comment

I saw this on the Barefoot Contessa TV show and thought this would be so tasty. It was! I made it with chicken and steak, but honestly this would be great alongside any dish. Very easy and pretty perfect. This was how I prepared it. It served 6 very well, and it could probably serve 8 – 10 as a side dish. A perfect dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas or any dinner party.

Ingredients:

2 – 2 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes

2 medium size yellow onions

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Kosher Salt – about 2 teaspoons

Freshly Ground Black Pepper – a few good grinds of the pepper mill

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the potatoes in quarters, and then I cut them again, I found they crisped up better smaller.  Place on a very large sheet pan, do not crowd. I actually used two baking sheets for this amount of potatoes.  Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half, slice them crosswise in app. 1/4 ” slices to make half rounds. Toss the onions and potatoes on the sheet pan. ( I also sprayed pans generously with Pam cooking spray)

In a separate bowl, with a wire whisk mix the mustard and the olive oil, and pour over potatoes. With clean hands I mixed up everything on sheet pan, then sprinkled 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper on the potatoes and mixed again.  I baked for about an hour at 400, or until the potatoes were lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. I prefer a little crispy, do them however you like. I tossed a few times with a metal spatula during cooking process.

Taste for salt, and you can always add more salt at the end. 

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Easy Skillet Lasagna

Posted on November 10, 2016 | Leave a comment

This was truly one of the most epic meals! The whole meal in under an hour, and yes that’s lasagna folks. While I love a real lasagna I didn’t have the time to put the whole thing together and deal with it. Once you have the ingredients the prep time is minimal and you aren’t using store bought sauce , this is with sauce you make and I can’t say enough about the way it tasted! This can be done a few different ways and I invite you to play around with the ingredients and spices to your own liking. All I can say is Wow!  Delicious! Joel was very happy with our Sunday night dinner, I should have taken a picture of the big smile he had on his face when he saw this on his plate.  All in one pot is truly a great way to cook, no fuss, no muss and no having to deal with cooking lasagna noodles!!!!!! Yeah!

This can easily be made with ricotta cheese and spinach or any veggies you like. I would even try it with cut up eggplant!

*You’ll need a large oven proof skillet with lid

Ingredients:

1 to 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil–I used 1 1/2 you can start with 1 and add more to onions if you need it

1/2 lb. ground beef ( I used 80/20)

3 Italian sausage links, casings removed ( I used Hot Italian Sausage) use what you like , you can use turkey or chicken sausage as well

1 onion, diced

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8oz.can tomato sauce

*Italian seasonings , if you have Italian seasonings in a jar that’s great if not use a little dried oregano and dried basil. Italian Seasonings is available in the spice department of all food stores.

*1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

App. 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt and more to taste

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

app. 10 lasagna noodles, broken into 1/4’s, if it breaks up differently don’t worry it’s a very loose recipe! 8 ounces Farfalle Pasta also works if you don’t feel like using the lasagna noodles. Un-cooked Noodles!!!!!

8 oz. mozzarella balls ( fresh) I used the small ones this time. Use whatever cheese you like but these worked out beautifully.  You can always use shredded mozzarella, or just cut a large ball of mozzarella into small pieces ( as much or as little as you’d like) if using shredded mozzarella, you’ll need about 1 cup

2 cups water

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving

*you can also use 1 cup Ricotta Cheese for a very cheesy version, I would use this if I was making it with spinach and going veggie.

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook till translucent, add garlic towards the end of onion process. Add ground beef to the onions, stirring occasionally till browned. I removed with slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. I then cooked up the sausage making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooked.  I then removed sausage to bowl with meat , onions, and garlic and drained all excess fat from pan.

Pre-heat oven to Broil

Return meat to pan, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spices, add 1/4 tsp. kosher salt to taste, if you need more add it. Add in the meat mixture and stir, bring to a simmer and add in broken lasagna pieces and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13- 15 minutes for al dente. I stirred it gently a few times just to make certain that the noodles cooked through and didn’t stick together.

Remove from the heat . I placed my Mozzarella on top and placed in oven under broiler for about 5 mins. Check on it because you don’t want it to blacken. All ovens are different, in mine it needed about 6 minutes to just start browning without burning, but you don’t want to burn this up so set timer and keep an eye on it!

Remove from the oven and let it sit out for a few minutes. Plate it up and let everyone add their own parmesan cheese! Enjoy! you will.

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Plated up and ready to eat

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Finished Product

 

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adding mozzarella before placing under broiler

 

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placing un-cooked noodles into sauce

 

 

This would serve 4. It’s tough to double because you would need a super large pan.

This makes for an amazing leftover!

 

 

 

 

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Veggie Soup with Rotisserie Chicken – Perfect Winter Soup

Posted on November 7, 2016 | 3 comments

Winter '13 colorado 002Winter '13 colorado 003Winter '13 colorado 006This is a soup, and a little like a stew, and I think Rachael Ray calls it a stoup, because it’s a little bit stew and a little bit soup. I combined a lot of different recipes for this one, and used a lot of ingredients from the pantry as well. I served alongside a toasted baguette with goat cheese. A perfect ending to a chilly day and just in time for soup season!  And did I say filling? it is a meal in itself. There are a lot of ingredients, but it really did make this soup wonderful. I enjoyed the prep, it’s very therapeutic and it’s not difficult at all.   I find it is very very important to read through a whole recipe before starting to cook, because you don’t want any surprises 1/2 way through and I always set out all of my ingredients before I start cooking, don’t want to be running around looking for an ingredient. You can also substitute wherever you’d like in this recipe using ingredients you would prefer. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 whole Rotisserie Chicken ( skin and bones removed and shred meat) (store bought is perfect here) unless you are in the mood to roast a chicken.

Olive Oil

1 4 oz. package of diced pancetta

1 medium yellow onion ( diced)

3 carrots , peeled and diced

3 stalks of celery , diced

2 1/2 cups of diced peeled butternut squash

4 cloves garlic  minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes

1 15oz. can cannellini beans , drained and rinsed

1/2 cup dry white wine

baby spinach leaves ( I only used a little bit, but feel free to use whole 8 ounces) Kale would also work beautifully here

1 cup small pasta , like ditalini. I used small elbows because that is what I had on hand.

2 Tablespoons Pesto , I happen to have some frozen, but buy the store bought one if you don’t happen to have this on hand.

1 baguette or crusty type bread

6 cups of chicken broth, hold on to the extra 2 cups because you may need them

2 bay leaves

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

*freshly grated Parmesan Cheese ( optional) for serving

Directions:

Heat 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in a large heavy pot ( Le Creuset) or any Dutch type Oven. Add the pancetta and cook for about 6 – 8 minutes over medium low heat, stirring occasionally , until lightly browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, squash, garlic and thyme, and cook over medium heat. I cooked for about 12 minutes till everything started to break down and soften.

Add the can of tomatoes, 6 cups of the chicken stock, bay leaves, I added 2 teaspoons of Kosher Salt and about 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. You can taste later and add if you need more. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for app. 45 minutes to an hour.

I cooked pasta separately till al dente.

Discard bay leaves, add pasta , beans and shredded chicken to soup. Heat through. Soup should be quite thick and if it’s too thick add some more chicken stock or some water.  Just before serving if you’re using it add in the spinach a little at a time, I used very little because Joel really doesn’t care for it, use as much as you’d like, keep stirring. Stir in the white wine and pesto. Check for salt and pepper.

Serve in nice large shallow bowls, with bread on the side. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if you’d like.

I sliced a baguette on the diagonal and brushed olive oil on both sides, Baked in the oven at 425 degrees, turning bread once , total cooking time about 8 minutes, took bread out and spread some goat cheese on each slice and put back in the oven for about 4 minutes. Delicious!

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Mustard Roasted Chicken

Posted on November 2, 2016 | 3 comments

I just bought the newest cookbook from Ina Garten titled “Foolproof” . I love her recipes and couldn’t wait to try them. I made her Crispy mustard Roasted Chicken and while it was amazing, it was super super salty. Even for Joel who loves a lot of salt. I went back and read the recipe again and noticed that she never said anything about what kind of Panko , just 2 cups panko. Her recipes while amazing can be a little salty but this was crazy salty. I finally figured out that it should be Plain panko crumbs and I would add 1 teaspoon of salt and taste crumbs and then add the other teaspoon. I think if you start out with plain panko crumbs you’ll be fine following the rest of the recipe. I remade it with plain panko and it was delicious. I also think that if you use seasoned panko you can just omit the salt all together. I was gun-shy about the salt though, so I added 1 teaspoon at a time as I said. Go for it, and her book is fabulous as ever.

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves ( I used a teaspoon of dried thyme)

2 cups Plain Panko Crumbs ( Japanese bread flakes)

2 teaspoons kosher salt ( make sure if you’re adding salt you are using plain panko)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest ( 2 small lemons)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup Dijon Mustard

1/2 dry white wine, if you’re buying to cook with use Pinot Grigio it’s the dryest, if not use whatever is open unless it’s super fruity

1 3 1/2 – 4 lb. chicken cut up in 8’s

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Place the garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter and pulse a few times to moisten the panko. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken with salt and peppr ( I omitted this step or it would have been way to salty) using the plain panko it would be fine, but the 2 teaspoons of salt should be enough. Taste the crumbs before salting the chicken . Dip each piece in the mustard mixture to coat on all sides, and then place skin side down only into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on a sprayed cookie sheet crumb side up. Press the remaining crumbs on to the chicken pieces.

Bake the chicken for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through.

*if you’d like to make in advance, prepare the chicken without baking it. Refrigerate till ready to use and then bake before dinner.

Serves 4 nicely

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Sausage and White Bean Soup

Posted on October 30, 2016 | 4 comments

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It’s Soup Season time again and I find myself craving a nice hearty soup either for lunch or dinner. This soup will satisfy that craving for sure.

This was an absolutely delicious dinner soup I made the other night. I like my soups to simmer for a while on the stove top, I made this soup about 2 hours before we were going to eat it. This soup can be made rather quickly or you can allow it to simmer for a few hours. It’s even better the next day. If serving the next day you will most likely need to add liquid, I added a little bit of water or you can add stock. Just add a little at a time.

There is a little effort involved here but mostly chopping and prepping.

I used my mini-processor for chopping carrots because I wanted them finely chopped.

The fresh herbs tasted wonderful and I wouldn’t omit.

You can use turkey or chicken sausage or any kind of sausage you would prefer.

I served alongside a crusty bread,  manchego cheese and a beautiful red wine.

*this soup can easily be frozen

*will serve 6-8 easily

Enjoy this !

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound spicy turkey sausage, Italian sausage (casings removed) chicken sausage, whatever you prefer, chopped.

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped– to obtain this chop I used my mini processor

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons finely chopped sage

1 Tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt –which was enough

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes–clearly this is optional but it adds a little kick

4 cups Chicken / Vegetable Stock –low sodium or regular it’s you’re call

1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

app. 1/2 lb. baby spinach–or any greens you’d like. You can eyeball it to see how much you’d like to use. You could use heartier greens, like kale or collard greens–just be certain to cook them in the soup for at least 5 minutes prior to serving. You want them to wilt and break down a bit.

Directions:

In a large stockpot heat the olive oil over medium-heat.

Cook Sausage, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces as it cooks. Cook until browned, app. 10 minutes or so. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to another plate.

Add onions, carrots, and garlic to pot and cook in the oil from sausage. Stir frequently, until onions are tender. App. another 10 minutes.

Add sage, rosemary, salt , pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir in chicken stock, tomatoes and their juices, and reserved sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded together, at least 15 minutes. I let it sit and simmer for about 2 hours on a very low simmer, stirring occasionally.

Before you’re ready to serve you will do this next step: this will add 15 minutes more of cooking time, you can always simmer longer.

Coarsely mash beans from 1 can of rinsed , drained beans. You can use a fork for this or a potato masher. Then add this mash to soup. Stir in the almond milk and remaining 2 cans of rinsed, drained beans. Let simmer for another 15 minutes at least. Taste for salt and pepper at this point. I didn’t need to add any.

I added the spinach a few minutes before serving, just eyeball out about 1/2 cup of baby spinach or whatever greens you are using. The heartier greens like kale will take a little longer to break down.

You can top soup with freshly grated parmesan if you’d like.

 

 

 

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Easy Chicken Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Posted on October 27, 2016 | 2 comments

photo 4 (24) photo 5 (27)photo 2 (33)I literally started this soup at 5 p.m. and app. one hour later I was eating it.  Now that’s always a good thing in my book. Usually I slow cook my broth etc. and it takes hours ( Homemade Chicken Soup ) but this time there was no time, I wasn’t feeling great and wanted that homemade flavor without all the work . You can certainly cook your own chicken if it works out for you time wise. This would also be perfect with leftover chicken. I bought a rotisserie chicken and this is what I did. For those of you who saw it on Instagram and Facebook–this one’s for you. One more little thing, the fresh dill is the secret ingredient and gives it that wonderful layer of flavor, don’t skip it. I also squeezed fresh lemon into each bowl of soup , this added yet another wonderful layer of flavor to this soup. This is also a fairly low-calorie soup because whole soup is made with only 1/2 cup of orzo and it was plenty. I used these vegetables this time but feel free to add parsnips, mushrooms, kale or any other veggies you like.

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken, skin removed and shredded .

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise about 1/2″ thick

2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices (app.)

2 large carrots cut into 1/2″ rounds. I found beautiful organic baby carrots and used them, it’s about 2 large carrots but feel free to use a little more or less.

1/2 cup of orzo

6 – 8 cups chicken broth, if you have homemade broth/stock good for you and use it. If not the box ones are awesome. Low-Sodium is good here if you’re concerned about the salt.

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

app. 1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill

*Lemon halves for serving

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the leek, celery and carrots. Cook veggies, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes. I threw a little salt and pepper in to vegetables during this period, you can taste for salt and pepper again.

Add 6 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes, just till carrots are soft.

After about 20 minutes, I added 1/2 cup of orzo and cooked for 8- 10 minutes. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

I then added the shredded chicken and dill and I also added a bit more of the chicken stock at this point since broth cooked down a bit. You can always add a little water if you’ve run out of broth.  I heated soup a bit more and served with lemon halves, squeezing a bit of lemon into each bowl of chicken soup before serving.

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Pasta with Sausage, Beans and Greens

Posted on October 25, 2016 | 3 comments

I love pasta and am always on the lookout for new and delicious ways to prepare it. This recipe is the real deal and reminded me of many a pasta dish I enjoyed in Italy.  If Joel liked greens more I would have added more kale and as it is he always wonders why I contaminate the pasta with all the beans and green stuff. If I were making for myself I would have added more kale or whatever greens you like. It’s not the most simple recipe as it has a few steps but thoroughly worth the effort involved. I loved the way the beans gave it so much flavor. I used Paccheri Pasta — I was able to pick up a homemade version of this pasta.  It’s just a smooth, giant rigatoni with thinner walls . It soaked up the beans and broth ! I used a can of cannelinni beans but fava beans would be a nice change or chickpeas. I used Italian spicy sausage but you can try spicy lamb sausage as well or any sausage you would like.

Now if you leave out the sausage it can be made completely vegetarian!

Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

8 oz. spicy Italian sausage, casings removed — if you don’t like spicy use sweet

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans (white kidney) rinsed and drained. You can use fava or chickpeas as well .

1/2 cup dry white wine if no wine in the house try chicken broth

12 oz. paccheri, rigatoni or any tubular pasta–try a homemade pasta from your local market

6 cups (lightly packed) torn escarole, baby kale, regular kale, Swiss chard leaves, regular kale even spinach will work–whatever you like

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 cup + 1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-heat. Add sausage to pot and cook breaking up with a wooden spoon, stir occasionally until browned and cooked through, app. 10 mins. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a separate plate.

Add white beans to pot (drained and rinsed) and cook tossing occasionally, I mashed some beans with the back of a wooden spoon. So about 1/2 the beans mashed and the rest I left whole. Cook beans till slightly browned for about 5 minutes. Transfer 1/2 of this mixture to plate with sausage. Leave the other 1/2 in pot. Add the wine to the pot, bring to a boil and cook until liquid is almost gone–about 2 minutes. I sprinkled a little kosher salt in to the bean mixture at this point. You’ll taste again for salt .

Meanwhile, cook your pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, cook until very al dente, a few minutes less than you would normally cook. Don’t overcook!

I used a pasta insert to cook my pasta . I reserved a few cups of the cooking water –you’ll need it. Don’t throw it down the drain. Drain Pasta and then transfer pasta to pot with beans and add your greens and 1 cup of pasta water . Your heat should be on low under the pot just so it’s cooking without burning. Cook and stir often until greens are wilted , pasta is al dente and sauce is thickening up probably 5 minutes or so. Stir and Stir. Add another 1/4 cup of pasta water, then gradually add in 1/2 cup of grated cheese, tossing until melted and cheese dissolves into a beautiful glossy sauce. Thin out the sauce with more pasta water if too thick. Taste for salt  and I put a little freshly ground black pepper in at this point.

Now add in reserved sausage and beans. Delicious pasta right here right now in your pot! and so professional looking and tasting.

Sprinkle with extra cheese if you’d like and crushed red pepper if you’d like.

Pasta was rich and tasty served hot off the stove.

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