Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. white wine to deglaze the pan *

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

2 Russett potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 c. fresh kale, chopped **

3 c. chicken broth

2.5 c. water

1 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper

* I cut this out.

** I didn't have any kale on hand so I just did without.

Recipe:

1.  Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside.

2. Add the chopped onion to the pan and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant.

3. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits.

4. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth, and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot.

5. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through.

6. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Rating: 3 of 5

When we go to Olive Garden, this is the soup I always get. I love it because of it's strong flavors! So, while this was a good copy-cat, I really don't think it comes close. Not nearly strong enough. But, if you like flavor/heat on the weaker side, then this is your dish!

Source: Annie's Eats, Zuppa Toscana

Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:

6 Italian sausage or chicken sausage

2 green peppers

1 red peppers

1 large red onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans Italian diced tomatoes

2 T. Italian seasoning

bread

noodles

mozzarella cheese

Recipe: 

1. Split between two bags, seal, mix, lay flat, freeze.

2. To cook: add drizzle of olive oil, cook on low 6 hours, serve over hot noodles or fresh French bread with mozzarella cheese.

Rating: 3 of 5

This one was fine, but not great. I felt like it was lacking in taste....as funny as that sounds. We had it on bread, but I think next time we'll serve it on Italian herb and cheese bread or something. I just thought it was a very bland dish. But, it has a ton of potential with some tweaking. 

Source: Ring Around the Rosies, Sausage and Peppers

Colorful Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 c. quinoa, thoroughly washed in a fine sieve

1 3/4 c. water

15-oz. can black beans, thoroughly rinsed

1 c. frozen corn *

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped**

1 Jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 red onion, finely chopped ***

1/4 c. cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/3 c. olive oil

1/4 c. balsamic  vinegar****

salt and pepper

*used a can instead

** I used what I had on hand and that meant cutting out the red pepper and jalapeno and replacing it with just a green bell pepper.

*** I didn't have a red onion on hand so I just used my normal onion substitute of dried chopped onion.

**** I don't really like the balsamic taste, so I substituted it with lime juice. Much better.

Recipe:

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer (not removing the lid!), until all of the water has been absorbed. *

2. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro. Mix well.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic and pour over the quinoa; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

*I don't have a rice cooker. I followed the instructions on the packaging.

Rating: 4 of 5

Did I like it? Yes. Would I make it again? Yes. Did LaDon like the quinoa? Surprisingly, yes! I really don't think I would have liked this with the balsamic, so I'm glad I switched it out for the lime juice. Cilantro and lime go better together anyway. Even Ally liked it and that girl never eats new food.

Source: Girl Cooks World, Colorful Quinoa Black Bean and Corn Salad

Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Ingredients:

Meat:

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. lime juice

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. carne asada beef or flank steak *

1/2 c. finely chopped white onion

2 cloves minced garlic

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

4 soft tortilla breads or tortillas

Guacamole:

2 avocados, peeled and seeded

1 T. lime juice

1/4 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. blacker pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (I'm throwing this one in there)

Toppings:

3/4 c. corn

1/2 c. finely diced red bell pepper

cilantro, chopped

cheese, shredded

sour cream

salsa

* We had some Wal-Mart ribeyes that we had purchased a long time ago (a mistake, because they are not good as a steak), but thought I'd give them a try in a taco. Besides, I had to use that meat)

Recipe:

1. Mix the corn and red bell pepper together. Set aside.

Meat:

1. Place oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl, whisking to combine.

2. Place beef, onions, and garlic into a large Ziploc bag and pour lime mixture inside bag. Close bag and with hands, massage beef with marinade to coat evenly.

3. Place in refrigerator and marinade for 1 hour.

4. Heat 2 T. olive oil in grill pan over medium heat. Grill beef until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.

5. Cut thin slices against the grain or on the bias.

6. Serve in warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Guacamole:

1. Place avocado, lime juice, salt, pepper (and garlic) into a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until well combined.

Rating: 5 of 5

Despite the cheap-o steak meat, these turned out fantastic! The meat tasted just like carne asada in a restaurant. So good. The guacamole, I've got to give a good score to as well. Simple. Tasty. Easy. The meat is super easy to prepare and cook as is everything in this recipe! I will definitely be making this one again!

Source: Picky Palate, Carne Asada Soft Tacos

Southwestern Cobb Salad

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

3 T. white wine vinegar

1 t. honey

3/4 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. smoked paprika *

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. ground red pepper

2 T. canola oil

Salad:

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

cooking spray

8 oz. skinless, boneless turkey or chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces **

1/4 t. salt

8 c. torn romaine lettuce ***

1/2 c. pico de gallo

1/2 c. diced avocado

1/2 c. (2 oz) crumbled queso fresco, feta, or shredded pepperjack ****

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

*Never knew smoked paprika was an option. So, I used what I had and that was ground paprika.

** Got my chicken breast from a rotisserie. Hooray for Costco's $5 chickens!

*** I'm a lettuce snob. I pretty much use green leaf over any other kind of lettuce.

****I went with a mix of shredded pepperjack, mozzarella, and cheddar cheeses.

Recipe:

1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine, or place in a jar and shake. Set aside.

2. To prepare salad, heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle turkey or chicken with salt and add to pan. Saute until done, about 4 minutes.*

3. Arrange 2 c. lettuce on each of 4 plates and divide ingredients among them. If you want to be specific, each serving should have about: 2 t. bacon, 5 T. chicken, 2 T. pico de gallo, 2 T. avocado, 2 T. cheese, 1 T. green onions, and 1/3 c. beans.

4. Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over salads.

*I'm not sure if the 4 minutes is for raw or cooked chicken. My chicken was already cooked. Rather than coating the pan with cooking spray, I cooked my bacon first, removed the bacon, drained the fat out, and then threw in the chicken. Not that that lowered the calories in any way...

Rating: 4.5 of 5

This salad surprised me! I wasn't expecting much since I knew the onion in the pico de gallo was really strong and the pepper hot, but the vinaigrette and every thing else on the salad blended perfectly! LaDon doesn't like vinaigrette very often, so the fact that he really liked this salad including the dressing is saying a lot. Good veggies. Lots of flavor. And very delicious.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Southwestern Cobb Salad

Thai Chicken

Ingredients:

Sauce:

4 chicken breast halves - steamed and cubed or shredded

1 c. chicken broth

2 T. soy sauce

4 T. chunky or creamy peanut butter

1 garlic clove, crushed *

red pepper flakes to taste (usually about 1/4 t.)

Condiments: (whatever you would like)

chopped peanuts

coconut

crushed pineapple

red, green, yellow diced peppers (Melissa's favorite!)

canned Mandarin oranges (my favorite!)

raisins or Crainsins

chow mein noodles (are those the crunchy ones?)

cilantro, chopped

* I usually just used minced garlic

Recipe:

1. Combine and heat chicken broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, and pepper until peanut butter is dissolved.

2. Add pre-cooked chicken.

3. Serve over steamed rice with your choice of condiments. *

*I like to make my rice chicken flavored by adding a bouillon cube to the water. So. Much. Better.

Rating: 5 of 5

This is one of our absolute favorite recipes! We love it....so good. The great thing about this dish is that it's new every time you have it because you can make it taste so different depending on what you put on it! And, if you don't like too much kick you have total control over that and can experiment with just the right amount. We, however, like the kick. Oh, and I usually don't have all the favorite condiments on hand, but I usually have enough to make it work! Another perk, this is quick!

Also use the sauce can be used for Satay Chicken Pizza.

Source: Melissa Black

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream

Ingredients:

1 12-oz package bow tie pasta

2 T. olive oil *

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled **

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 c. diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-oz can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped ***

1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 t. salt

3 T. minced fresh parsley

* I didn't use the olive oil at all.

** I just bought a package of Italian sausage, browned and drained it.

*** Bought a can of Italian-style diced tomatoes and didn't drain.

Recipe:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook in boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly browned. Stir in onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes.

3. Stir cooked pasta into sauce and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

We loved it! The red pepper adds a nice little kick. The cream sauce is perfect. It's just really good. And best of all, it's served with "butterfly noodles."

Source: AllRecipes: Dinner Tonight, p. 186

Sausage and Broccoli Skillet

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground pork sausage

1 medium onion, chopped *

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 10.75-oz can condensed cream of broccoli soup **

1/2 c. milk

1 16-oz. package frozen chopped broccoli

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

4 1/2 c. fusili pasta, cooked and drained ***

red pepper flakes, as needed

*I, of course, just replaced it with dried chopped onion.

** I could only find Broccoli and Cheese, so I used that. Also, I recommend 2 cans of soup. The end result is really chunky and not so saucy.

*** When I went to the store, I had no idea what fusili pasta was. Turns out, it's just corkscrew type pasta. I used angel hair. I don't like corkscrew type pasta anyway.

Recipe:

1. Cook the sausage in a sauce-pot over medium-high heat until the sausage is well browned. Stir frequently to break up the meat.

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook until tender. Pour off fat.

3. Stir the soup, milk, broccoli and 1/4 c. of the cheese into the sauce-pot. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Put the pasta in a large serving bowl. Pour the sausage mixture over the pasta. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Serve with red pepper, if desired.

Rating: 3 of 5

This was pretty good. I think next time I will cut the meat and broccoli in half. It was just a little to thick. This was a pretty good dish.

Source: Food on the Table

Homemade Pizza Dough and Sauce

We chose to do Canadian bacon with pineapple and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top.

Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

About 12 plum tomatoes, seeded, skinned, and pureed in a food processor *

1 white onion, chopped fine **

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic ***

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tablespoon red pepper

2 tablespoons minced garlic ****

* I didn't have that many tomatoes, nor will I buy that many for pizza sauce. So, I just used a can of tomato sauce.

** I don't like working with onions, so I replaced it with 1/3 c. dried chopped onion

*** I didn't have fresh garlic on hand so I used garlic powder to taste
**** I didn't have 2 T. of minced garlic so I used 3 t.

Recipe:

1. Heat your oil in an 8 quart pan. Add your onions–we want to sweat them until they are transparent. This should take about six minutes. Then, add your garlic. By now, your kitchen should be filling with a delectable aroma–excellent!
2. At this point, we want to add the tomato puree we made, along with the sugar, salt, and red pepper. Bring the whole mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, as the sauce thickens. The sauce should be pretty smooth when we finished, provided we did okay during the food-processing.

Rating: 2.5 of 5

We liked this recipe ok. The red pepper was way too strong. Next time I think I will either eliminate the pepper or just cut it by half. There was enough sauce for 2 pizza crusts so I put the extra in the freezer for later.

Source: http://www.pizzasaucerecipe.org/

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

2 T. yeast

1 t. salt

2 T. sugar

2 c. warm water

4 c. flour

Recipe:

1. Mix together the water, sugar, yeast, and salt. Let is rise for 10 minutes.

2. Add approximately 4 cups flour and let rise for 20 minutes.

3. Divide dough in half and form into 2 pizza crusts. *

4. Garnish with sauce, cheese, and favorite toppings.

5. Bake at 375-degrees for 15-20 minutes.

*Because I was trying to do 5 things at once I let the crust rise after putting all the extra stuff on for about 20 more minutes.

Rating: 4 of 5

This crust was soft and tasty. We really enjoyed it!

Source: I believe this is my Aunt Renee's recipe.