Five Cup Fruit Salad

I haven't posted anything here yet because I'm slow!  This is one of my favorite recipes to make around the holidays.  Here is a link to it: Five Cup Fruit Salad  The best part is that there are only 5 ingredients and all you have to do is mix them together.  Yum yum!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Italian Sausage Soup a Fall Favorite

Its hard to beleive that almost 16 years ago I was interviewing for live in Nanny jobs in Boston. What a weird time! Sometimes I look back and still can't beleive that was me.Another post for a nother time!
 When I met the Bertelson family Lisa( the mom) was still pregnant with Abby. We chatted and talked about life- I saw their home(ummm HUGE) and looked at the nursery. We then went into the kitchen where the most wonderful smell was waiting for us to have lunch. It was the recipe below and I beleive it was the real reason I "chose" them!! Lisa and Bob are wonderful in the kitchen and I learned alot about cooking, grilling and crockpotting from them. I learned to eat MORE fish and all sorts of Mexican HOT and spicy dishes(which included peppers of all sorts from the Santa Fe School of Cooking) YES they ordered their peppers and had them shipped in! - We ate Jack-O-Latern soup(SOOOOOOOOOO FUN) on Halloween and never let the weather(shoveling off the desk right around the grill) stop us from a great grilled hamburger or steak. I just have such wonderful memories of cooking and learning from them about food and wine. Every Fall when I bust out my favorite recipes this soup is always among them. Its hearty and full of LOVE! It makes me miss all of them so much. I hope you try it! It is ALOT of prep but so worth it- enough for a few families to share--

Italian Sausage & Cheese Tortellini Soup

6 servings

1 lb of sweet Italian sausage (casing removed)

1 cup of chopped onion

2 large garlic cloves, sliced

5 cups of beef stock(low sodium)

2 cups chopped tomatoes(about 3/4 lb fresh or 1 ½ 14 oz can)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 large zucchini sliced into strips

1 large carrot thinly sliced

1 medium green bell pepper diced

½ cup dry red wine(or dark cooking wine)

2 tlbs dried basil

2 tlbs dried oregano

9 oz package of fresh cheese tortellini

freshly grated parmesan cheese



sauté sausage over medium/high heat until cooked through, crumbling with the back of the spoon, about 10 mins using slotted spoon transfer sausage to a large bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from pan.



Add onion, garlic to pan and sauté until translucent about 5 mins. (low fat version may need olive oil)

Return sausage to pan. Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, veggies and wine, basil and oregano. Simmer until veggies are tender about 40 minutes.

Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with s&p. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread.

Chicken Pot Pie

Fall is just around the corner and it is time to get out the recipes for some comfort food! This is a staple at our house. So thankful for Aunt Bec giving us the easy easy recipe!

Refrigerated pie crusts

3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1-2 cans cream of chicken soup

½ bag frozen peas, carrots, corn (or use canned)

1 can diced potatoes

(you can pick and choose which veggies you use--one large can Veg-all would be really easy)

Place crust in pie dish. Mix all the above and place in prepared crust. Place other crust on top and slice for ventilation. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes -1 hour.

Be sure to place on cookie sheet while baking to catch any drippings. They tend to make the smoke/heat detector in my kitchen go off. (Who puts a smoke/heat detector in the kitchen? Crazy builders.)

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

I Love Jamie Oliver recipes!

This is one of those dishes that looks like a lot so I keep it to a weekend meal making day--and enjoy it all week long!

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

PRINT RECIPE

3 large chicken breasts

5 C corn flakes

3/4 C flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 C milk

6 T olive oil 

1   12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle)

Sauce:

1   10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 C chicken broth

1/2 C milk 

fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

  

1. In a small food processor crush the corn flakes into crumbs. 

 

2. Add the 1/2 t salt to the 3/4 C flour. Stir to combine. 

 

3. Place the flour, milk and crushed cornflakes each into their own separate pan. Loaf pans work well for this. If you don't have three loaf pans, do not dismay. You could use pie tins, or round cake pans...what ever works for you. 

4. Place your chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and seal the top. 

Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. You will really be thankful for the Ziploc bag in this step. Who wants a bunch of chicken guts flying around their kitchen? Not me...that's who. 

 

5. Take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and cut each breast in half. 

 

6. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Be sure it gets covered on both sides. 

 

Lay the floured chicken onto a small cookie sheet and slide the sheet into the freezer. Let it hang out there for about 5 minutes.

 

7. Start cooking your pasta.

8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge each piece in the milk......

.....and then immediately into the corn flake crumbs. Again, be sure both sides are covered well. 

 

9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet. 

10. Carefully lay each chicken piece into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes....

 

....or until the underside of each piece is nice and golden brown. Turn the pieces over. If the bottom of the pan is dry add just a bit more olive oil to the side of the pan. Swirl the pan around a bit to let the oil flow to all sides.

 

11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium.  Let the chicken cook for about 7 more minutes, being careful not to burn the bottoms. Burned bottoms are not advised. In any shape or form. Thank you. 

12. When your chicken has been cooked through remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. Cover with tin foil.  

13. Into the same pan pour your broth.

 

Philly Cooking Creme, 

Cream of Chicken, 

and milk. Whisk the sauce around and let it get all warm and bubbly. Should only take about 3 minutes. 

 

14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over your cooked pasta and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley if you choose.

Enjoy!

Broccoli & Pasta 2 yummies in one dish

A simple pasta salad recipe is one of those things everyone needs all summer long.  This one is very easy, super portable, and kid-friendly while still a bit sophisticated.  The capers add a little salty punch, but if you don’t mention them to the little ones, they probably won’t notice.  Add more of those, and more red pepper flakes, if you want a bigger kick, and add diced cooked chicken or cooked shrimp if you want to make it more of a main dish.

• 3 cups roughly chopped broccoli
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Bring a very large pot of water to a boil  Add a couple of tablespoons of salt, return to a boil, and cook the pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.  About 2 minutes before the pasta is tender, add the chopped broccoli.  Drain when both the pasta and the broccoli are just tender, and rinse with cold water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, mustard, onion, capers, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.  Turn the rinsed pasta and broccoli into the bowl, and use a rubber spatula (or your clean hands) to mix everything together until the pasta is well coated with the dressing.  Add a bit more olive oil if it seems too dry.

YUMMY Chicken bites=Pinterest recipe #2

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken breasts
20 thin bacon slices
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp coarse mustard
fresh lemon juice
Optional: salt
Directions:
Cut the chicken breasts—or fillets, as we call them here—in thin strips. Not too thin, the bacon has to brown and if the chicken is too thin it’ll get dry before the bacon gets crispy. That would be a sin.

Note:
I’m using the Dutch equivalent to bacon in this recipe. It’s called Ontbijtspek and is saltier than regular bacon. You can sprinkle some salt (and/or pepper) on the chicken strips, if you like.

Grab a bowl and combine 3 tbsp honey with 2 tsp coarse mustard.

Squeeze in some lemon juice. Not too much, about a tbsp or so. I think orange juice will be great, too.

Bacon rights all the wrongs in this world. It brings justice to all the injustices. Or something like that.

I asked my favorite pair of extra hands to wrap the bacon around the chicken strips.

Place them in a roasting tray or on a cookie sheet. If you’re afraid of cleaning up, line the tray or sheet with some tin-foil first. I’m hard-core (And own a dish washing machine. It helps).

Brush the chicken bites with half the marinade.

Bake them in a preheated oven at 425F (225C) for 10 to 13 minutes. Until the bacon is crispy.

As soon as one side is done, take the tray out of the oven. Does this look good or what? I could never be a vegetarian simply because I cannot forsake bacon. I absolutely love it, in an artery clogging kind of way!

Flip them over and brush them with the remaining marinade.

Put them back in the oven for another 10 to 13 minutes, until the other side is crispy as well. Keep an eye on them.

Don’t these just scream: love me, bite me, chew me, eat me, devour me? If I can give you a tip, a really useful one at it, it would be to fix twice the amount you think you’ll need. And then some.

Balsamic Glazed Pork in the crock pot= Pinterest Recipe #1

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.