Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup (stew or stoup)

I can't help but chuckle at the title because I know that a lot of my readers and blogger friends despise Rachael Ray.  I know she's quirky and annoys people but that doesn't stop me from trying her recipes and it shouldn't stop you either. I like her and more importantly, this dish is delicious!  I added a potato and handful of Trader Joe's frozen sliced peppers (in addition to the cubanelle's), a can of roman beans, some crushed red pepper (since I didn't use spicy sausage) and Italian seasoning.  I loved it!  I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today!



Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/sausage-peppers-and-onions-stoup-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into small pieces or smashed with a masher or spoon
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 cubanelle peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
1 large potato, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can roman beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
1 tsp Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper to taste (if you use spicy sausage you don't need this)
1 cup Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in deep skillet, add sausage and brown a few minutes then add potato, garlic, peppers, onions and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Deglaze pan with vinegar abd stir in stock, tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cook 10 -15 minutes and then add beans and cook for another 5-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grated cheese on top.

Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup (stew or stoup)

I can't help but chuckle at the title because I know that a lot of my readers and blogger friends despise Rachael Ray.  I know she's quirky and annoys people but that doesn't stop me from trying her recipes and it shouldn't stop you either. I like her and more importantly, this dish is delicious!  I added a potato and handful of Trader Joe's frozen sliced peppers (in addition to the cubanelle's), a can of roman beans, some crushed red pepper (since I didn't use spicy sausage) and Italian seasoning.  I loved it!  I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today!



Sausage, Pepper and Potato Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/sausage-peppers-and-onions-stoup-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet Italian sausage, cut into small pieces or smashed with a masher or spoon
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 4 cubanelle peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
1 large potato, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can roman beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
1 tsp Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper to taste (if you use spicy sausage you don't need this)
1 cup Romano cheese

Directions:

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in deep skillet, add sausage and brown a few minutes then add potato, garlic, peppers, onions and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Deglaze pan with vinegar abd stir in stock, tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cook 10 -15 minutes and then add beans and cook for another 5-10 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with grated cheese on top.

Chicken Salad

I've never made chicken salad before this weekend.  I don't know why, maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of tons of mayonaisse.  I don't mind a little on my sandwich but potato salads that have a ton of it or tuna that is swimming in it, I don't know, it grosses me out.  This definitely has mayo in it but it's cut by sour cream and it's so much better than all mayo.  Trust me.  The chicken is roasted instead of poached and what a difference it makes.  Throw in some extra breasts and save the chicken for other recipes.  I did and it's come in handy already. The recipe is by Ina Garten's and I made a couple of small changes.  I'll post what I did here and you can click on the link for the original recipe.


Chicken Salad

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-salad-contessa-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (1 1/2 pounds)
olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pecan halves (or walnuts)
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup scallions or chives
1 cup green or red grapes, cut in half
Lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken with two fork or with your fingers.
Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a pan and set aside to cool.

For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste . Fold in parsley and chives.

Place the shredded chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well.  Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Chicken Salad

I've never made chicken salad before this weekend.  I don't know why, maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of tons of mayonaisse.  I don't mind a little on my sandwich but potato salads that have a ton of it or tuna that is swimming in it, I don't know, it grosses me out.  This definitely has mayo in it but it's cut by sour cream and it's so much better than all mayo.  Trust me.  The chicken is roasted instead of poached and what a difference it makes.  Throw in some extra breasts and save the chicken for other recipes.  I did and it's come in handy already. The recipe is by Ina Garten's and I made a couple of small changes.  I'll post what I did here and you can click on the link for the original recipe.


Chicken Salad

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-salad-contessa-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:


2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (1 1/2 pounds)
olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pecan halves (or walnuts)
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup scallions or chives
1 cup green or red grapes, cut in half
Lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken with two fork or with your fingers.
Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a pan and set aside to cool.

For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste . Fold in parsley and chives.

Place the shredded chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well.  Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

Hash Brown Quiche

I don't usually make many Paula Deen recipes but over the weekend I made two.  This quiche made with a hash brown crust was a big hit with my friends.  I'll definitely make it again for breakfast or brunch.  I followed the recipe exactly as written with one exception.  I used one whole bag of refrigerated shredded potatoes (Simply Potatoes) instead of frozen.  This was recommended by some reviewers on the food network website.  I like my potatoes to be a little darker so I put it under the broiler in addition to the recommended cooking time.  It turned out perfectly.

Hash Brown Quiche

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/hash-brown-quiche-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter into the plate. Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

4. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top.

 

Hash Brown Quiche

I don't usually make many Paula Deen recipes but over the weekend I made two.  This quiche made with a hash brown crust was a big hit with my friends.  I'll definitely make it again for breakfast or brunch.  I followed the recipe exactly as written with one exception.  I used one whole bag of refrigerated shredded potatoes (Simply Potatoes) instead of frozen.  This was recommended by some reviewers on the food network website.  I like my potatoes to be a little darker so I put it under the broiler in addition to the recommended cooking time.  It turned out perfectly.

Hash Brown Quiche

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/hash-brown-quiche-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter into the plate. Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

4. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top.

 

Anise Cookies

These cookies may look like biscotti but technically they are not.  Biscotti are baked twice, the first time like I did here and the second time after they are sliced.  The result is a crisp cookie that's excellent for dunking.  This version is soft and only baked once.  Anise extract is used to flavor the cookies but if you don't like that liqourice flavor you can use vanilla and/or almond extract instead which I used to do for my sister. 

This recipe was given to me by a coworker years ago when I was a bank teller.  I remember her name was Martha.  My family loved them and  I used to bake theme all the time  I just found the recipe after years of thinking it's been lost! 

Anise Cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup oil
3 large eggs
2 ½ tsp. anise extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add anise. Combine flour and baking powder. Add to sugar and oil one cup at a time.

Pour batter into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 25 minutes in a warm place.

Divide dough in half and pour each half onto the middle of a baking sheet and shape into an oval (You will need two baking sheets.) Dough will be sticky.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes, slice.

The dough won't look perfect but it turns out okay once it comes out of the oven. 

Anise Cookies

These cookies may look like biscotti but technically they are not.  Biscotti are baked twice, the first time like I did here and the second time after they are sliced.  The result is a crisp cookie that's excellent for dunking.  This version is soft and only baked once.  Anise extract is used to flavor the cookies but if you don't like that liqourice flavor you can use vanilla and/or almond extract instead which I used to do for my sister. 

This recipe was given to me by a coworker years ago when I was a bank teller.  I remember her name was Martha.  My family loved them and  I used to bake theme all the time  I just found the recipe after years of thinking it's been lost! 

Anise Cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup oil
3 large eggs
2 ½ tsp. anise extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add anise. Combine flour and baking powder. Add to sugar and oil one cup at a time.

Pour batter into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 25 minutes in a warm place.

Divide dough in half and pour each half onto the middle of a baking sheet and shape into an oval (You will need two baking sheets.) Dough will be sticky.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes, slice.

The dough won't look perfect but it turns out okay once it comes out of the oven. 

Lasagna Rolls

Yesterday I told you how we make an American Holiday Italian-American by serving an Antipasto course. Not only do we do that but we also have a pasta course. My mom has been trying to cut one of these out for years but I won't have it. They are traditions that I love. Believe me, I understand that it's a lot of food but we all love the leftovers and now that I'm older and help with the cooking it's not too much work for one person (my mother). I originally was going to make homemade manicotti but my mom didn't want it. So sort of at the last minute I decided to make this lasagna rolls which is more portion controlled than lasagna and less work than manicotti but essentially, it's the same thing. It makes a lot and I have a nice tray in my fridge for during the week and another small one in my freezer.

Lasagna Rolls


Ingredients:

2 packages of lasagna sheets (NOT the no boil) (you will have some leftover)
6 pounds part skim ricotta (usually comes in 3lb containers)
2 pounds shredded or cubed mozzarella
2 large eggs, beaten
fresh parsley
romano cheese
pepper
Prepared Meat Sauce - use 3 cans crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Cook lasagna sheets in boiling salted water with a drizzle of oil, according to box directions.  This is the ONLY time you should add oil to your pasta water.  These sheets tend to stick and the oil helps to keep them seperated. 

2.  Mix ricotta, romano cheese, pepper and parsley.  Taste and add more romano if needed.  The amount of cheese depends on how salty and strong you  like it.  Add eggs and combine with cheese misture.

3.  In a large casserole pan add enough sauce to cover the bottom.  This keeps the lasagna moist and prevents sticking.  On a large flat surface place a couple of cooked lasagna sheets. Spread some of the ricotta mixture, top with some mozzarella and a spoonful of meat sauce.  Roll and put into the casserole dish. 

4.  Cover with sauce and more mozzarella.   You can freeze now for later use or bake at 350 for 30 minutes to heat through and melt the mozzarella. 

This makes two large casserole dishes.  I used an aluminum pan because I didn't have anything big enough.  It made about 36 rolls.  If you have leftover lasagna sheets (which I did) you can tear them or cut them and toss with sauce.  It's like eating pappardelle, sort of.  Otherwise, make 1 1/2 boxes instead of two. 

I am asking you in advance to forgive my sloppy picture below ( I am not a professional cook or photographer).  I made the mistake of first rolling the sheets in sauce...too messy and completely  unnecessary. 
 
Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
6-7 basil leaves (or 2 frozen cubes)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
Mrs. Dash
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp sugar

Directions:
Brown ground beef in about 1 Tbsp of oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break up the meat so you don't have any large chunks. Drain oil from meat and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in EVOO. Return meat to pot and add tomatoes. Swish water in the cans and add about ½ can of water or as needed so it’s not too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add basil. Let cook for ½ hour, stirring occasionally so sauce does not burn. Taste again for seasoning. Add 1 tsp of sugar or a little more if needed. Allow sauce to cook for ½ hour more and taste again.

Lasagna Rolls

Yesterday I told you how we make an American Holiday Italian-American by serving an Antipasto course. Not only do we do that but we also have a pasta course. My mom has been trying to cut one of these out for years but I won't have it. They are traditions that I love. Believe me, I understand that it's a lot of food but we all love the leftovers and now that I'm older and help with the cooking it's not too much work for one person (my mother). I originally was going to make homemade manicotti but my mom didn't want it. So sort of at the last minute I decided to make this lasagna rolls which is more portion controlled than lasagna and less work than manicotti but essentially, it's the same thing. It makes a lot and I have a nice tray in my fridge for during the week and another small one in my freezer.

Lasagna Rolls


Ingredients:

2 packages of lasagna sheets (NOT the no boil) (you will have some leftover)
6 pounds part skim ricotta (usually comes in 3lb containers)
2 pounds shredded or cubed mozzarella
2 large eggs, beaten
fresh parsley
romano cheese
pepper
Prepared Meat Sauce - use 3 cans crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1.  Cook lasagna sheets in boiling salted water with a drizzle of oil, according to box directions.  This is the ONLY time you should add oil to your pasta water.  These sheets tend to stick and the oil helps to keep them seperated. 

2.  Mix ricotta, romano cheese, pepper and parsley.  Taste and add more romano if needed.  The amount of cheese depends on how salty and strong you  like it.  Add eggs and combine with cheese misture.

3.  In a large casserole pan add enough sauce to cover the bottom.  This keeps the lasagna moist and prevents sticking.  On a large flat surface place a couple of cooked lasagna sheets. Spread some of the ricotta mixture, top with some mozzarella and a spoonful of meat sauce.  Roll and put into the casserole dish. 

4.  Cover with sauce and more mozzarella.   You can freeze now for later use or bake at 350 for 30 minutes to heat through and melt the mozzarella. 

This makes two large casserole dishes.  I used an aluminum pan because I didn't have anything big enough.  It made about 36 rolls.  If you have leftover lasagna sheets (which I did) you can tear them or cut them and toss with sauce.  It's like eating pappardelle, sort of.  Otherwise, make 1 1/2 boxes instead of two. 

I am asking you in advance to forgive my sloppy picture below ( I am not a professional cook or photographer).  I made the mistake of first rolling the sheets in sauce...too messy and completely  unnecessary. 
 
Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
6-7 basil leaves (or 2 frozen cubes)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
Mrs. Dash
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp sugar

Directions:
Brown ground beef in about 1 Tbsp of oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break up the meat so you don't have any large chunks. Drain oil from meat and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in EVOO. Return meat to pot and add tomatoes. Swish water in the cans and add about ½ can of water or as needed so it’s not too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add basil. Let cook for ½ hour, stirring occasionally so sauce does not burn. Taste again for seasoning. Add 1 tsp of sugar or a little more if needed. Allow sauce to cook for ½ hour more and taste again.