Lentil & Sausage Soup

last week it when it was rainy and windy i went grocery shopping. while strolling through the aisles, i thought soup would be good in this weather. with Christmas coming up and parties, dinners, etc…i didn’t end up making my soup last week. so guess what we’re having tonight??!!!

get out a large, heavy bottom pot and over medium high heat, saute 2 diced onions, 2 cups of chopped carrots and 4 cloves of minced garlic in a TBSP of olive oil.

when the veggies are soft, add 1lb of sliced smoked sausage.

let it brown up a little bit, then add 2 tsps of dried thyme, 1 tsp rubbed sage and 1 tsp of herbs of provence.

next, add 1lb of rinsed and picked lentils.

mix the lentils in with the sausage veggie mixture and add 1 tsp of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

add 4-6 (depends how soupy ya want it, i did 6) cups of beef/chicken/veggie stock (i used a mix of beef and chicken cause that’s what i had)

bring it to a boil and reduce heat to low. simmer for 30 minutes…

tick tock tick tock tick tock…

while you wait, wash and chop 10 oz of kale (i took out the thick stems).

Beep Beep Beep…wow! 30 minutes goes by fast!

add your kale.

continue to simmer for 20 min or so…check for seasoning and Yay!

you got soup!!!

Stuffed Mushroom Cheeseball

Fry one package of thick cut bacon. Crumble and set aside.

Drain some of the excess fat from the pan and saute one small diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic.

add the chopped mushrooms and cook until soft.

Put 24 oz of cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until soft, add 1 packet ranch dressing mix.

mix well. add the mushroom and onion mixture. add 3/4 c of shredded cheddar cheese. add 4 chopped green onions.

add the bacon! BACON!!!

mix mix mix…put in fridge for a little bit. meanwhile in a dry pan over medium high heat…
toast those pecans!

chop them up! i did it in the food processor, i’m lazy like that. Take your cheese mixture outta the fridge, shape into a “ball”…as you can see i did a disc…roll/coat with the pecans.

serve with veggies, crackers, bread, chips, or just a big ass spoon! YUM! *=)

Okinawan Sweet Potato Pie

i failed at pictures for this one, but here’s the deal…

make your favorite pie crust.

Cook 1lb Okinawan (purple) sweet potatoes
Mash them and add 1/2c melted butter, 1/2c white sugar, 3/4c coconut milk, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs. Mix well, pour into pie crust. Bake 350 degrees for about 50 min!

Turkey Pot Pie

Yay! you have survived Thanksgiving! but now the fridge is crammed with leftovers. Turkey sandwiches, yum! Turkey a la King…uhm! Turkey Pot Pie? hmmmm…left over disc of Martha Stewart’s pate brisee (pie crust)…pot pies it is!

but what to cook them in?! i don’t have a handy dandy pie maker like my sister. and uh, a huge pie isn’t gonna work, so let’s use the muffin tins!

so to start:
in a medium pot melt 2 Tbsps Butter and 2 Tbsps Olive Oil.

Saute some mushrooms, onions and garlic.

add 1/4c of flour. cook until lightly browned.

add about 3 cups of turkey stock (i made mine, but you can substitute chicken broth).

cook until it starts thickening.

at this point you can add anything else you want to add. i added the remaining green bean casserole and the turkey, about 2 cups worth, chopped.

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roll your pie dough out and cut it to fit the muffin tins. place them in the greased muffin tin and fill the well with the filling mixture.

i don’t like peas and carrots so i added them at this point (some had peas and carrots, others did not). Put the pastry lid on and seal.

Brush with an egg wash, make a small vent in the top and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

remove from oven when tops are golden brown.

gently remove from pan and serve!

i gotta make pie crust???!!!

my mom LOVES good pie. her definition of food pie, is a buttery, flaky pie crust. well guess what?! i don’t bake. if you haven’t already seen, i’m not good at exact measurements or following recipes. so for Thanksgiving this year i handed off the pie making to my sister. i had no desire to attempt a homemade crust, and mom doesn’t like store bought crust or graham cracker crust for her pumpkin pie. so since my sister is making a pumpkin pie, what am i blogging about??!!!

i do NOT like pumpkin pie…at all! i typically make a pumpkin cheesecake, but this year, mom wanted pie. well Thanksgiving is a day I overindulge in carbs (truthfully, i do this rather often, but it’s “allowed” on Thanksgiving), and i needed dessert! so, i am braving pastry, and attempting my first ever pecan pie.

i adore pecan pie, and have never made it before. i turned to the internet for my recipe basics…Martha Stewart for her Pate Brisee recipe and cooks.com for the filling.

Pate Brisee (the pastry part)
2&1/2 c flour and 1 tsp salt

pulse until mixed. add 1c cold butter cut into small cubes.

pulse until it looks like coarse sand. through the feeder tube, with the food processor running add 1/4c ice water. (mom said she uses half vodka, half water cause it makes it easier to roll out later, so that’s what i did). mix, no more than 30 seconds, until combined. if it’s not sticking together, add more ice water, 1 tsp at a time.

sorry, i got distracted and forgot to take a picture, but i tured it out on a lightly floured counter, divided it into 2 pieces and shaped it into discs. once they are discs, refridgerate at least 1 hour before rolling out. (up to 24 hours or you can freeze for up to a month).

roll out the disc to the size that will fit your pie plate. trim the edges and viola! pie crust!

now my pie recipe called for unbaked crust so that’s what i did…now the filling.

lightly beat 3 eggs. add 1 c sugar, 1 c corn syrup or agave nectar (i used the agave), 1 tbsp flour, 1 tbsp butter, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.

line the unbaked crust with pecans, then pour the filling over it.

don’t freak out, the pecans will float up.
bake in a 350 degree oven for 45min to 1 hr.

we won’t be eating our Thanksgiving meal until tomorrow, so I can’t tell ya how I did, but, i think it’s gorgeous…don’t you??

stuffed cabbage

in a tsp of oil, brown an onion.
while the onion is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt the water.

add 1lb of ground beef to the onion. season with a tsp of kosher salt.

once the water is boiling, add a head of cabbage, bring back to a boil, cover and turn off the heat. leave to cook for 15-20 minutes.

add 3tbsp of brown rice, minced garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to the cooked beef.

stir in oregano and parsley (a couple of tbsps of parsley, a tsp of oregano).

take the cabbage out of the water and drain. peel off 12-16 leaves.

place some of the meat mixture in the center of a leaf of cabbage. roll it up like a burrito, tucking in the sides.

place in a deep casserole dish.

mix 1c diced tomatoes, 1&1/2c tomato sauce and 1-2 tbsp honey.

pour the mixture over the cabbage rolls. bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for an hour and a half.

pasta e fagioli…my version

brown 1lb of hot italian sausage in a heavy bottom pot.

add one chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, 3 stalks of celery and 3-5 cloved of garlic, minced. cook until the onions are translucent.

add 1 lg can of crushed san marzano tomatoes, 1 box of beef stock and 2 cans of dark kidney beans.

add oregano (i grow some in my garden, so i used about 2 TBSPs of fresh chopped), 1 TBSP dried thyme, and 1 can of whole san marzano tomatoes that i ran through the blender until it was smooth.

let it simmer over low heat for about an hour. check for seasoning (salt and pepper). serve over a little bit of pasta (i used elbow macaroni or small shells).