Gorgonzola and Arugula Pasta

Ingredients

3-5 tbls of butter

2 cups of arugula

red bell pepper

2 tbls of ground pepper

8 ox of goat cheese cut into 5-6 pats 

powdered garlic

Add the butter into your medium sauce pan. Melt the butter over medium heat and don't let turn to b butter.

Take your gorgonzola into sm slivers and add to the melted butter stirring frequently

Cheese will take a moment to melt, but be patient and stir constantly so it doesn't burn. While sauce melts, bring your stockpot filled with water to a ferocious boil. Add an lb of pasta the boiling water. 

When sauce is melted remove from heat and put to the side while the pasta cooks. Taste and add powdered garlic and pepper according to your preferences. 

Drain the pasta, reserving some of the past water. Add the cheese sauce, the red pepper diced and the arugula, chopped to sm bite size pieces. Mix throughly and taste. Season additionally according to your preferences.

Spiced chicken thighs with roasted vegetables

IN-gredients

3-5 chicken thighs

2 tsp of paprika

tsp of crushed red pepper

2 tsp of sea salt chyrstals

tsp of ground black pepper

potatoes- either 9-11 fingerling potatoes or 3 red potatoes 

3 medium shallots

11-13 brussels sprouts

sugar snap peas (apx cup)

red bell pepper, cut into slices

2 tsp of diced rosemary

5 tbs of olive oil

2 tbs of cider vinegar

2 tsp of whole grain mustard

1 tsp of honey

Plan of Attack 

Remove the skins from the chicken. Combine the paprika, red pepper, sea salt, pepper (and perhaps some cumin) and rub generously over the chicken pieces.Place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Dice the shallots with a medium hand, halve the Brussels sprouts, slice the red peppers into strips and then into smaller pieces, cut your potatoes into sm pieces so they cook at the same rate as the vegetables, Combine salt, olive oil, rosemary, and then add garlic...A Massive amount of garlic. 

Mix with your hands throughly so everything is coated.

Arrange the vegetables around the chicken. Put in the oven for 15- 16 minutes. Remove at minute 17, turn vegetable over using your spatula, and then put back in the oven for char to happen on the vegetables and for the chicken to cook through. While chicken is cooking mix the cider vinegar, mustard, honey and (the recipe calls for parley but I used cilantro because this is what I had)....

Remove from the login' oven and then drizzle the chicken with the sauce you just created. I recommend doubling the the sauce and doubling the rub...The only sadder than under seasoned chicken is unseasoned chicken....which thinks ii is seasoned. 

Homemade Meat and cheese ravioli

This recipe varies from the previous ravioli recipe in this blog because it makes very big ravioli, and the meat mixture is my own amalgamation of recipes I found on the internet. I don't have a ravioli cutter or press, so I used the traditional Italian method of hand cutting my ravioli using my sharpest knife.

Ingredients

Filling:

lb of lean ground beef

0.5 cups of grated parmesan

0.6 (or so) cups of ricotta

2 tbls of butter

medium Spanish onion

3-5 gloves of garlic

tbls of onion powder

tbls of powdered garlic

0.5 tsp of cinnamon

0.5 tsp of nutmeg

spring of Rosemary

Dough

2 cups of flour

2 eggs

garlic and salt (according to your taste)

                                           Plan of Attack

Prepare the dough: Arrange the flour (And additional flavorings)in a pile on your countertop or prep surface. Put the eggs into the mound and using your hands, fold the flour into the pile and knead until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. If it sticks to your hands, add more flour.

Put the ball of dough in a ziplock baggie (or covered dish) and put to the side.

Making the Filling:

Dice the onions and garlic. Put the butter and little bit of olive oil into a medium skillet and turn on the medium heat. Add the onions and garlic to the skillet.

Cook until the onions are clear, being careful not to burn the garlic. *I added rosemary during this step, but you could also add when you add the meat...*

Add the meat to the skillet. Using whatever utensil makes sense in your kitchen, the stir the beef so it is evenly distributed and cooks evenly.

When beef is cooked through, add the onion powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, powdered garlic, salt and ground pepper. Mix throughly and taste. Add more of everything you think you should after tasting the meat. 

Add the shredded parmesan and the ricotta. Turn off the heat and mix throughly.

Mix the mixture together, and add more cheese according to your palate. *In this photo, I have just added more parmesan*. Let the mxiture cool. It should be the consistency necessary to form sm balls and maintain its shape.

While the meat filling is cooling, prepare your dough. 

I used the hand crank pasta machine I bought after my ravioli class training, and it worked well, despite my counter top lip not having the exact space ideal for clamping on.

If you are using a hand crank machine: 

Put your dough in two balls. Be very generous with flouring the dough so it is not sticky.

Run each ball through the machine starting at the highest setting and then running through the settings which made sense.

I ran my dough through 3 times on 7, 3 times on 6 and 3 times on 5.

You should end with two ribbons of medium dough.

In this iteration of this recipe I was making massive ravioli, but if you were interested in making medium/sm ravioli you would run the dough through more times to get it thinner.

Using your hands, take spoonfuls of meat/cheese filling, and form into sm balls. Place the balls equal distance on ribbon of dough closest to you, being careful to ensure there is sufficient space between each meat mixture. (see photo below)

Take the additional sheet of ravioli/pasta dough and place it on top of the strip with the meat.

Press down the dough around the meat mixture, making secure pockets.

Using your sharp paring knife, make each ravioli into a square shape, taking care to leave sufficient space for each ravioli to have the meat sealed in.

When the ravioli have been assembled, using your fork to press the edges of each ravioli to seal in the meat.

Add the ravioli, in batches, to your pot of boiling water. Initially they'll sink, and when they float to the top they're done cooking! 

The ravioli in this recipe will be very hearty and cooked perfectly when they're a clean al dente. Serve, covered in sauce and with grated parmesan on top. 

*My comments: When I make this again I plan on adding more Rosemary and perhaps a little bit of oregano. I would say the dough would have benefited from some salt. If I could afford it I would have added pecorino Romano, but I satisfied myself with parmesan on top. This recipe produced 6 massive ravioli, and I would probably tun the dough through more times to stretch the dough. I froze the remaining filling - I had a considerable amount left. I platoon making again, with the adjustments I just talked about.

I don't have a food processor currently, so I could see how food processing my filling would make a smooth, as opposed to rustic, texture to the meat.

* Alternative cheese filling: cup of ricotta, tsp of sea salt (ground), 0.5 tsp of crushed black pepper, 0.5 cup of parmesan (finely grated) and powdered garlic (to your taste). Mix thoroughly.

Sweet and Salty Salmon

Ingredients

Salmon fillet (mine was about a lb)

2 cloves of garlic

0.25 cup of honey

0.25 cup of soy sauce

2 tbls of ketchup (yeah, ketchup)

Plan of Attack

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Put Honey, ketchup and soy sauce in a bowl. Dice the garlic and add to the marinade.

Pour the marinade over the salmon steak.

Flip the salmon over so the skin side is up while marinading. After evenly coated, place the pan (with Salmon again skin side down) in the preheated oven. *Original recipe called for this salmon to be cooked in a grill basket over a grill, but I adapted the recipe to accommodate the fact is was snowing outside when I was cooking this)

Remove from oven, and ENJOY!

*Serving suggestion : With Ginger cucumber salad (recipe follows)

This recipe was form the NY Times recipe blast, and it called for pickling ginger and serving it on top of the Salmon.  I would heading forward be interested in attempting this additional step.

*Pickled Ginger: Combine 0.25 cups of fish sauce, 1.5 rice wine vinegar, tsp of sugar and 0.25 cups of peeled and grated ginger to a container, and taking care to cover the ginger with liquid, refrigerate for at least a day before serving.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

I am my own big fan of cucumbers, but I am choosy about cucumbers...When I saw this recipe for SPICY cucumbers, I realized this might be the perfect food...

Ingredeints

An English cucumber (you can spot them because they're the cucumbers in the produce aisle smoking pipes, dressed like Sherlock Homes, who are usually eating scones)

Cup of Rice Wine Vinegar

0.25 cup of sugar

tbls of sea salt

0.5 tsp of togarashi (or crushed red pepper)

1.5 diced/grated ginger

Plan of Attack

Add rice vinegar to a sm/medium saucepan. Bring the vinegar to a boil. When it is boiling add sugar, salt, ginger and spice factor. Stire frequently over medium the mixture. 

When mixture is completely integrated, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Slice the cucumber into thin coins.

Layer them in the bottom of a glass bottomed dish (or another type of nonreactive dish). When the vinegar mixture has cooled, pour it over the cucumbers and refrigerate for at least an hour. *The colder the vinegar mixture when it goes in the dish, the crunchier the cucumbers will be when they're served* I have learned this the hard way...I should've consulted "pickles for dummies who might be more interested in their throwback hiphop which is playing when they make their cucumber salad than the crunch factor"...I tried but it was checked out of my library....

Caccio y pepe

Ingredients

lb of thin pasta (I used thin linguine)

wedge of parmesan

wedge of another cheese (every recipe calls for another cheese- I have seen pecorino Romano, pecorino, parmesan reggiano)...etc...my grocery store had Romano, so this what I used

2 tbls of crushed pepper

sea salt (to taste)

A taste of my childhood I have always craved...so I made it!

Shred a cup of parmesan (Some recipes call for using prepackaged parmesan crumbles, but I chose shredding the cheese by hand 

Put the parmesan in your mixing bowl. Shred 1.5 cups of an additional cheese, which should be pecorino, pecorino Romano, Parmesan reggiano, etc...I used Romano because my grocery store did not have other options. 

Measure your generous tablespoon of ground pepper, and add to the cheese. Mix everything together thoroughly. Add tbls of olive oil to the mixture.

Using your wood spoon, mix everything and crush the cheese. The recipe I used called for making everything into a paste, but I think perhaps I crushed everything a little bit too much. Heading forward I would not mix until it became an actual paste.

Add an lb of spaghetti, linguini or thin linguine to a pot of salted boiling water. When the pasta is ardent drain and immediately add the pasta to the mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly so the pasta is covered entirely. The cheese melts into a coating which covers all pasta. Add salt and reserved pasta water according to your preferences.

Clean the spoon and I won't judge ya if ya lick it with your mouth...Serve pasta hot and cover with parmesan cheese.

Published at 5:06

Masoor Dal (Spice Red Lentils)

I don't what this says about me, but after I took this lentil smile face photo, I could honestly hear my friend Bernie Spirk asking if the curtains match the drapes....of course would, if this was hair and not scallions....Of course I didn't actually hear him, I was just saying this would be his reaction...I collect only the classiest man friends....

                                                                  Ingredients

medium sweet potato

2-3 cloves of garlic

tsp of ground ginger (I used ginger root because I had it on hand)

2 tsp of tumeric

2 tsp of coriander

2 tsp of cumin

medium hot pepper (they call for birds eye or Thai chili but in my grocery story I could only find jalapeño)

tomatoes (original recipe calls for can of chopped tomatoes but I used 2 Roman tomatoes from the produce aisle instead)

cup of red lentils

medium onion (I chopped a Spanish onion and leftover scallions I had on hand)

2 tbls of oil (recipe called for vegetable oil but I used a combination of olive oil and a pat of butter)

Dice the Onions and add to the medium skillet with the oil and cook until clear.

Clean and dice the sweet potato, and add into the skillet with the onions. Cook until soft *The original recipe calls for the sweet potatoes to cook down so much, they don't retain their texture, and instead add to the lentils their bright color and sweetness. I was hungry, so I cooked until they were cooked through but not without texture.

This photo is of the consistency the potatoes were when I added the next ingredients

Add the lentils on top, stirring so all the lentils are coated with oil

Add garlic, spices, tomatoes. 

Mix thoroughly and then add 3- 5 cups of water on medium high heat. and 3-5 cups of water (I don't have a cover for the medium skillet I was using so I ended up adding about 6 cups of water but if it were covered it would keep more moisture before evaporating)

Cook until lentils are completely done and the additional liquid is cooked off!

Garnish with Cilantro! Enjoy hot, as dinner or as a side with baked cilantro salmon!

*I did not add the coconut slivers which were recommended as part of the recipe, but adding them towards the end would probably be awesome as well.

*As an additional protein, I think you could also add sausage coins (chicken or traditional pork) for a hearty offering! 

'Tis the season for comfort food, and this was quick, easy and flavorful! 

Rosemary honied carrots

WHAT! Love, according to my very good source, brings carrots..especially to the zoo!

6-9 medium carrots

sprig of rosemary

2 tbls of butter

3 tbls of honey

3 tbls of brown sugar

salt and pepper (taste)

Plan of Attack

Clean, peel and slice carrots, Place carrots in a medium sauce pan and cover with water. Add salt and bring to a boil.

Bring carrots a boil, watching carefully so as not to overcook

Melt butter over medium heat in medium skillet. When butter is liquid, add honey, brown sugar and rosemary sprig, and then stir frequently. Now you have to watch carefully to get sugar based sauces down pat...but ya got it in ya!

When sauce has been completely integrated (it should be the consistency of syrup), turn off heat and put aside. When carrots have completely cooked, strain them and then in the serving bowl, pour sugar mixture over them, mixing frequently. 

Crunchy Potato EXPLOSIONS (elegant explosions)

5-6 Medium Potatoes (I had 7, but in my dish I could fit in 5)

3-5 tbls of butter

0.5 cup of finely shredded horseradish cheddar cheese

parmesan cheese (grated as needed)

2 shallots

salt and pepper (to taste)

powdered garlic

                                                               Plan of Attack

Preheat oven to 370

Melt 2 tbls of butter and powdered garlic on medium heat (or in the microwave for 30 seconds)

Clean and thinly slice the potatoes around the their circumference (see example). Pour some of this mixture into your baking dish so it coats the bottom of the baking dish. Place the potatoes (As many as can be put in) in your baking dish

Dice the shallots and individually place in between the slices of potato. 

Melt the remaining butter, oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper (to taste). Pour over the potatoes in the baking dish being careful to coat everything abundantly. Put the baking dish into the oven for 60 minutes

Pour horseradish cheddar over the potatoes and then add parmesan on top. Put in the oven for 30 minutes, checking often to ensure there are no unfavorably charred pieces. Remove and serve hot, wearing something sweet...unless you're cooking for your parents (which I was)...in this case wear something you would wear to mass...and lipstick.

Apple and Sage Baked Pork Chops

Simple and completely devastatingly awesome!

ingredients

2-3 medium Apples

pkg pf sage leaves

2 medium prod chops (trimmed- no bones)

0.25 cup of butter (you won't use the whole thing, but have on hand)

garlic (2-3 cloves)

salt 

pepper

Choose Pork Chops at the Grocery Store with no bones and with relatively very little fat

Season the pork chops on both sides with ground pepper and seasalt

Put a generous pat of butter in a medium nonstick skillet and add in the porkchops

Brown on both sides and add to glass baking dish. Put them in the oven with a piece of foil on top.

While the pork chops are cooking, peel and dice the garlic and slice the apple into very thin slices. Try and use very firm apples so so they hold up to cooking

Add the apples, 6-9 sage leaves, garlic and another generous pat of butter into the skillet and cook on medium heat, stirring so both sides of the apples slices get cooked.

Cook until apples are toasted on both sides and then take the glass baking dish with the pork chops from the oven and pour apple mixture over the pork chops. Put the dish in the oven and cook for 13-16 minutes or until the pork is completely cooked through. Serve hot.

Suggested Serving: with quinoa and garnished with sage leaves.

Handmade Ricotta Ravioli with Sage butter Sauce (the key word is HOMEMADE_ WHAT!?!)

Ingredients

Dough:

1.5 cup of flour

2 eggs 

2 tbls of water

salt

garlic (powdered to taste)

                                                                    Filling

                                                     Filling Variation - Easy

Ricotta 

Egg

nutmeg or cinnamon (sm amount) or both

lemon juice

*To make combine ingredients and put aside until it is needed to be used as filling

                                        Filling Variation - Hard (Make your own Ricotta)

Quart of whole milk

2/3 cup of heavy cream

0.5 tsp of salt

lemon juice

Bring milk and cream to a boil and then add salt. Stir frequently t prevent scorching and then add lemon juice. Then cook for an additional 2 minutes...

Pur mixture into a cheesecloth lined sieve and let cool, while liquid drains for about 60 minutes.

Put cheese in fridge and cool until needed as filling. 

*If ya try this, lemme know because we didn't make ricotta in my ravioli making class, so I am just quoting the recipe which was posted at the exit of class.

Put flour ingredients in mixing bowl.

Add your egg(s). Mix with your son and then your hands. Mold into dough and let rest for 30 minutes.

Knead the dough, after it has rested, with the heel of your hand until it is the width of the hand crack pasta maker. 

. Feed into the pasta maker, immediately and then add, as needed, according to the settings of your pasta maker.

Put through the pasta maker until it is the consistency of a workable sheet. 

Lay the sheet on a floured workable surface

Fold the dough over, so there is your own demarcated space where the filling should go. On the filling side, spoon appropriate amounts of ricotta mixture onto the sheet with foresight about how they will become ravioli. Space them so there is room for the raviolli to be pressed into raviolis (incidentally, ravioli and raviolis, are not recognized as words by spell check. They sell them in Walmart so the Italian villainafiers (which is also a word) should just take a kneee with their egos. 

Fold the dough over so the filling make little mounds. Using your Ravioli cookie cutter, make individualized raviolis. Use your hand press around the filling of each, making individual raviolis.

Take your floured raviolis to a salted pot of boiling water. Put them in and when they rise to the top they're al dente...or as the Italian in my soul says -"DONE!"

Serving suggestion: Serve covered in butter. sage and lemon sauce which is provided very easily by adding browned butter and sage to lemon juice. Or with red sauce...whatever is your pleasure...

Sage and butter sauce: Add 2 sticks of butter (apx cup of butter) to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 6-9 sage leaves and bring to a boil. Just before serving squeeze the juice from a lemon into the mixture. Spoon the butter sauce over the ravioli and top with grated parmesan. 

My Comments: I am loving pasta making..I actually took an actual class to learn about ravioli making and this group of photos was taken in class. I have been perusing Amazone Prime and asking my cook/chef friends about the best possible pasta maker for the money, to make impossibly good pasta awesomeness! This sauce I just described is not exactly health food, but I would totally serve this ravioli with Kay Cessaro's special sauce (recipe featured in earlier posts)

Healthy Quiche (with no crust)

Ingredients

6 eggs 

red pepper

orange pepper

sm head of broccoli

olive oil

link of chicken sausage (I used garlic herb)

milk 2-3 tbls

cheddar cheese blend, shredded

salt and pepper

powdered garlic (sm amount)

*Optional: red pepper pesto

sm shallot

                                               Plan of Attack

                                Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees

Clean 0.5 of each of the peppers and take 5-6 florets of broccoli off the broccoli crown

Dice the vegetables and cut the sausage into sm pieces.

Add some of the olive oil to medium skillet and then add the chicken sausage pieces. This variety of chicken sausage is precooked, but I was interested in cooking them to get them to have the traditional crunch you would have with Italian Sausage.

When sausage has acquired the savory crunchiness, add the vegetables and the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables are cooked through. Put the mixture to the side to cool. If you're adding additional seasonings (I added red pepper pesto), add them toward the end of the cooking of the vegetables and sausage.

Add the eggs, milk and sm amount of salt and pepper to a bowl and whisk, as you would with scrambled eggs. Coat your glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or indulge, and put.butter (sm amount) on a paper towel and rub the inside of the dish. I had a 9x9 square dish in my Air Bnb, but using a traditional quiche dish would be pretty.

Pour the cooled vegetable and sausage mixture into your baking dish.

Pour some of the egg mixture on top of the vegetables and sausage.

Cover the mixture with shredded cheese. I opted to use pre-shreded Mexican cheese blend I had in my fridge, but use whatever speaks to ya. In the recipe I read online it called for American cheese, so do whatever works! Then add the remaining eggs on top of the cheese, evenly distributing them over the surface. Put in the oven for 11-13 minutes (more depending on your baking dish and oven). Enjoy!

My comments: delicious! I made the mistake of covering mine when it was still hot so the leftovers were not as crispy as I would have wanted. Heading forward when I make again, because I am gonna make it again, I would put cheese on the top of the quiche and leave it in the oven for a little bit more time. I got this recipe idea from the internet but adjusted to fit my palate and what I know about baking eggs. Yummy yum yum!

Penne Vodka with Chicken

Yum...drink up and cheers my dedication to my sauce which took over an hour

Ingredients

Cup of voka

2 30 oz cans of crushed tomatoes

medium onion

3-5 cloves of garlic

0.5 cups of butter

pint of heavy cream

                                              Plan of Attack

Dice onions and garlic

Add onions, butter and garlic to a medium saucepan 

Cook onions until they are clear and cooked (9-11 minutes). Remember not to miss stirring the ingredients so everything get cooked evenly. 

Add the vodka to the butter, onions and garlic. Cook for approximately 30 minutes.

Open and add crushed tomatoes...

Get sauced while making sauce...and magic smiley faces magically appear in your pan! Stir contents and cook tomatoes for 30 minutes.

Add cream to sauce (testing to make sure the sauce is not so hot it'll curdle)

Cook for 30 minutes until the sauce is integrated and throughly mixed. If it bubbles like the princess bride ooze, the heat is too high. MEDIUM HEAT GENTE!

While the sauce is cooking, cook a medium box of penne (tricolor pictured) and poach 2 chicken breasts in chicken stock in a sm covered saucepan. Shred the cooked chicken and put on top of drained/cooked pasta. Pour some of the sauce generously into the pot with the penne and chicken. Mix thoroughly.

Serve hot, smiling and sauced.

My comments: If you're planning on adding salt to the sauce, don't salt the pasta. Additional use for the vodka sauce: VODKA SAUCE PIZZA! WHAT WHAT! I simply prepared the crust according directions, brushed it with olive oil, liberally sprinkled it with powdered garlic, generously covered the crust with my leftover vodka sauce, and covered with sauce with slices of mozzarella. YUM! I gave some to my Dad and he was over the moon about it!

Massive Pizza Sized Peanut Blossom Cookie!

Ingredients

Just under 2 cups of flour

Peanut butter (0.5 cups)

Butter (salted) (0.5 cups)

dark sugar (0.5 cups)

regular sugar (0.5 cups)

tsp of baking soda 

sprinkling of sea salt

massive Hershey kiss

tsp of vanilla

2 tbls of milk

an egg 

                                                                      Plan of Attack

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Milk the flour, sugar, melted butter, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt together. After they're mixed add the peanut butter and integrate all the ingredients into a very cohesive mixture. Put the mixture on a pizza pan (I bought this pan at the grocery store and doubled up, to give the best support. Press the dough to the sides of the pan so everything is coated evenly, and bakes at a consistent pace.

Look at your massive Hershey Kiss and admire how awesome it is.

Look at your massive Hershey kiss unwrapped and admire how awesome it is

Remove cookie pizza from the oven and allow to cool after 9- 13 minutes (depending on your oven). When it is sufficiently cooled, (but still hot) place your Hershey kiss in the middle. Be prepared for it to melt!  Word to the wise and a lesson I learned- don't put it on before it is cooled! I place my Hershey kiss on when it was still very hot...intially it looked like this:

Then it started melting...hard core...so I put it on the fire escape

It kept melting so then I took off the top, put it in the freezer, put the cookie in the fridge...and then the freezer...and prayed!

I took both pieces from the freezer, very cold, and then I melted the bottom of the kiss with a lighter and put them together...It worked, and yet, on Christmas morning, there was much to be desired aesthetically.....

Let it be our holiday lesson... we give because we wanna, and then, the impossible happens! Massive Peanut Blossom- what what!

Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

Ingredients

3 potatoes

medium leek

3-5 cloves fo garlic

5 cups of chicken stock

tbs of butter

0.5 cup of heavy cream

5 slices of bacon

peppercorns (according to taste)

Dice the strips of bacon. Add to the bottom of a stockport and render until crispy. 

While the bacon is cooking, dice the leek and the garlic cloves. The core of the leek should be diced so it is in pieces. 

Add the garlic and leek into the stockpot with the bacon. Cook together until completely integrated and the leek pieces are clear. While they are cooking, rinse and clean the potatoes and dice them into bit sized pieces. 

Add the chicken stock, butter and potatoes to the stockpot. Turn off the heat and let it soak for an hour (or more). After soaking, turn on medium heat, cover and bring to a boil. Cook the mixture until the potatoes are cooked thoroughly.

With a wood spoon, move 0.5 of the mixture to a blender and puree.

Take the pureed mixture and add it to the soup which was not added to the blender. Mix throughly. 

Let the soup cool and then add the cream and frozen peas (bot optional). Turn on low heat until everything is integrated.  

*Serving suggestion: Top with grated horseradish cheddar.

My Comments: This recipe was created by moi, because I found a bunch of good recipes online, but nothing which spoke exactly to what I was thinking about making. There are ways to make this soup healthier, but I am in a little bit a decadent holiday mood, so I went ahead and added cream, and then said,  "What the hell, lemme add some frozen peas". oh, and butter...

I would say, I used, instead of traditional chicken stock, Goya chicken seasoning chicken broth. I added another partial packet of chicken seasoning and though my low blood pressure self loves sodium, I think I could've stuck to the traditional equation of 2 packets to 3 cups of water. I should've taken into account the cooking off of the liquid, which of course, concentrated the flavor. I still think it was delicious.

Cookies and Cream Fudge...because everybody loves cookies

Ingredients

Oreo cookies

white chocolate chips

can of condensed and sweetened milk

2- tbls of butter

tsp of ground sea salt

vanilla (tsp)

                                                         Plan of Attack

Take 22-25 Sandwich cookies and with your butter knife, scrape the frosting inside into another container. (if ya add 26, nobody is gonna complain!)

Put the cookies into a ziplock baggie. Using your hands (or a rolling pin) crush the Oreos into a mixture of crumbs and bite size pieces.

Line a 9x9 baking dish with wax paper (or parchment paper). Using a measured hand cover the bottom of the pan with crushed cookies, being careful to reserve a serious portion to mix into the fudge.

Add the an of condensed milk, 2-3 cups of white chocolate chips, 2-tbls of butter and a sprinkling of salt to medium saucepan over low heat. Add the chips in batches, making sure to continuously stir the mixture so the bottom of the pan does not burn and the chips, butter and milk are all integrated. When everything is mixed, you have the option of adding the vanilla.

Mix the remaining cookie pieces into the mixture and pour into the prepared pan. *If desired, decorate fudge in orderly rows, so each piece of fudge has a sliver of cookie on top as garnish. This decorating has to happen when the fudge is still hot. An example of this decorating technique can be seen at the top of this post!

Put the fudge into the refrigerator (or your local snowdrift) for 2-3 hours. I have this routine down pat, but when making this delicacy, you hafta plan for the time to set, as cutting the fudge when it is still hot or even room temperature can be a very messy endeavor. I usually make five rows of six (30 squares) but this pan is arranged in another way, to make room for the design look I was interested in creating on each square.

And then all the sudden we were in the fudge business!

Fudge, because it's the awesomest...to give and to get...

I am many things, but when I give ya some baked goods, I ain't no give my fudge back, girl...cause there's not ever any left

Ingredients

can of Eagle brand condensed and sweetened milk

3 cups of chocolate morsels (milk or dark/semisweet)

salt

vanilla (tbls)

*For garnishL M&M's, Reeses pieces, sprinkles, etc

Open the can of milk and empty into a medium saucepan. Put on Burner over low heat.

Add 3 cups, a cup at a time, taking care to stir the mixture over the heat. Keep stirring the saucepan mixture until the chocolate is smooth and the chips are all melted. Add salt with a measured hand. Add vanilla to the mixture and stir until it it is completely integrated.

Our the hot mixture into a wax paper lined baking dish (this is 9X9). In this photograph, it features mixture in which mint chocolate M&M's have been mixed in, in the pan.

Using your finger (or your spatula), smooth the top of the mixture, as you would brownie batter before your refrigerate.  Put in the fridge and allow to set for 2-3 hours. 

Remove the wax paper from the fridge and place on a cutting board. Slice into rows. You'll know the fudge has set if it slices easily.

Cut the opposite direction to make approximately uniform squares of fudge. 

Decoration Suggestions: Add M&M candies to each square (before or after being cut) so there is a colorful decoration on each square. Serve and ENJOY! *Freezes well and makes an awesome gift!

For Sale Starting Friday at Create Space Beacon!

Kale Chips - no moments on the hips!

I love things which are green and this gives a satisfying crunch, with a little parmesan to be a little bit of a treat!

Ingredients

2-3 Cups of Raw Kale, cleaned and chopped into bite size pieces

salt and pepper

powdered garlic

parmesan ( for grating on top)

Olive Oil (liberal amount

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 390

Liberally coat the kale with olive oil and spread on your baking sheet.

Season with salt, pepper and garlic (keeping in mind the Parmesan cheese you're gonna add has a high sodium count).

Grate parmesan cheese on top of the kale, with as much abundance as meets your personal love of cheese..and all things correct in the world! I love cheese!

Put the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 9 - 13 minutes until it achieves the appropriate amount of crunchiness...for your palate!

Enjoy!

(In photograph: kale chips covered in parmesan before being put in the lovin')

Chicken and cannellini beans soup with roasted tomatoes, rosemary and kale

A variation on a traditional Italian recipe

Ingredients

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

8-9 cloves of garlic

3-5 strips of bacon

3 tbs of olive oil

salt and pepper

Spanish onion

2 sprigs of Rosemary

5-6 Roma Tomatoes

3 medium carrots

0.5 of parsnip

celery root

Goya Chicken Seasoning (2.5 packets)

6 cups of water

3 can of Canellini beans, drained

cup (or 2) of raw kale

                                                             Plan of Attack

Poach the chicken breasts: Coat the bottom of a medium stockpot (with lid) with olive oil. Clean the fat of the chicken breasts and lightly season on both sides. Place the breasts in the pot. 

Cook breasts on both sides for 5-6 minutes each on Medium heat. Add 2 cups of chicken stock (made with Goya seasoning but you can use whatever chicken stock works.)

Cook Chicken breasts with the lid on until a meat thermometer read 160 degrees (apx 9-11 minutes). Remove from heat and put aside.

Roast the Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 350. Core and De-seed the tomatoes. Chop them into bite size pieces.

Take the Rosemary sprigs, remove the leaves from the stalk and chop the leaves finely

Toss the tomatoes and rosemary with olive oil and season with ground salt and pepper. Put on an oiled cookie sheet and put in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

Roast the tomatoes until the skins pucker and they taste roasted and sweet.. Remove and put aside.

While the tomatoes are roasting, make the base for the soup.

Dice the bacon and put on the bottom of medium stockpot on medium heat

Dice the onion and the garlic cloves. Add them to the pot and cook until clear until the bacon renderings. If necessary add a little bit of olive oil or butter the pot, and if the needs arises, deglaze the pot with tbs-2tbs of white wine.

While the onion and garlic cook, coin the carrots and parsnip, and cut the celery root into bite sized thin strips. Add the vegetables, and six cups of chicken stock into the pot. Put the lid on and cook until vegetables are cooked through. 

The parsnips will float to the top, but eventually the soup with become completely integrated if you allow it to cook. 

While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken and add to the broth. 

Open and drain the three cans of cannelloni beans. Turn soup on to medium heat and cook for 7-13 minutes, careful not to miss the opportunity to have the vegetables release their flavors in abundance.

Add the roasted tomatoes to the pot. Shred the kale, remove the soup from the heat and add kale to the soup. Add as much Kale as your palate is interested in and ENJOY! Consider this lady a food psychic- I see many empty soul bowls in your future!

My comments: YUM! The added step of roasting the tomatoes adds a level of sweetness and adding them at the end means they keep their shape, rather than cooking down. This receipe actually calls for serving the tomatoes as halves on top of the bowl which are added to the top of the soup when it is being served. While I think this would be a beautiful presentation, I think this way of incorporating everything is better for my uses, and it also is probably easier to eat. 

The recipe also called for cooking the Kale with Shallots and garlic in a skillet before adding to the soup, but I prefer this method. 

Instead of the celery the recipe called for I used celery root, which was awesome but since it has a stronger taste than traditional celery, I would make the pieces sm if you also use celery root. I had the parsnip left in my fridge, so I added and it was an awesome addition.

I'm a sucker for satisfying during the cold weather and this crosses off all the boxes- protein, starch, vegetables...and the immunity boosting power of mythical chicken soup! 

I did deglaze the pot with white wine after I added the onions and garlic, and it cooked off, but added another layer of flavor to the soup, which I welcomed!

Healthy S&P (Chicken Sausage variation of sausage and peppers)

Traditional Italian Sausage and Peppers uses the juice of the sausages to cook the vegetables. This recipe uses olive oil and tomatoes to create a flavorful base for the healthier chicken sausages.

Ingredients

Parmesan Cheese

Orange, Red and Green Bell Pepper

Bunch of Basil

5-6 Cloves of Garlic

Spanish Onion

3-6 Chicken Sausage Links *with red and green peppers

2-3 tbls of brown sugar

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Plum tomatoes (2-3 medium)

                                                                      Plan of Attack

Dice the onion and garlic

Coat the bottom of your stockpot with olive oil and turn on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are clear.

While the onions and garlic cook, dice the tomatoes. Add your tomatoes to the stockpot and cover; the point is for the tomatoes to cook down and create a base for the sausage and peppers. 

Coin the chicken sausages and add them to the stockpot. *You can also cut a slit down the links and use more sausages, but by coining the 3 I had in the house the sausage covered more ground portion wise.

Take the Peppers, core them and remove the seeds. Cut them lengthwise and put in a bowl.

Add the Peppers to the pot. Chop a sizable handful of basil and add to the pot. Stir ingredients throughly and then cover for 25-30 minutes, or until the peppers cook down. In the last 5-6 minutes, add 2-3 tbls of brown sugar (to taste) and then add salt, according ro your flavor preferences.

Spoon onto a hard roll and add shredded parmesan cheese on top before adding the lid. Serve Hot and with a vegetable on the side (Suggestion pictured- garlic broccoli with grated parmesan).

My Comments: I made this recipe from scratch so I have found (of course) a few edits. I would use Portuguese Ciabatta Rolls in lieu of traditional hard (kaiser) rolls because they have more substance than traditional hard kaiser rolls. There are a myriad of chicken sausage varieties and this particular brand does not have a high salt content, which is definitely my own departure from traditional Italian sausages, so have a measured approach to seasoning with sugar (and know you might have to add more salt than anticipated). I would consider adding some heat to the mixture in the way of red pepper flakes or even a chili pepper in future batches. I am planning on serving the leftovers of the mixture over penne, and the actual gravy created while cooking is gonna be awesome over pasta. If I had thought about it, I would have browned the sausage coins in the pot before everything, to give them the traditional crunch of sausage and peppers (which you get generally from sautéing them in the pan beforehand). Generally chicken sausages are precooked (this brand is), so it is more of a flavor/taste preference issue than an issue of health and hygiene.