Sausage Soup

1. Brown your sausage. I used about three links of the mild italian sausage, cut into bite sized pieces. Cook more or less depending on how many people you're serving. Drain any grease off.

2. While your meat is browning, take a large saucepan and add about a cup of diced carrots, one finely chopped celery stalk, minced onion and one clove diced garlic to the pan. I also add a few tablespoons of chicken broth to keep veggies from sticking. Saute on medium heat until veggies are tender, normally a few minutes.









3. To the veggies add one container chicken broth ( I used the 48 oz one)
Also add in one can tomato sauce (or 1 can pureed diced tomatoes)
and about 1 heaping tablespoon of basil pesto (I like the Classico brand)
Also, if you have it on hand add in the puree of 1 eggplant (for directions on how to make eggplant puree, see my previous post- it's really quick and easy and can be baking while you're preparing this soup if you put it in the oven before you start the meat and veggies...plus it is tasty and adds extra nutrients to the soup!) 
Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add sausage to the soup mixture and bring to a boil. When boiling add in your favorite "fresh" pasta. The mini ravioli or tortellini from Buitoni work really well. When the noodles are done, they will float to the top. This normally takes about 5 minutes.

5. Your soup should look something like this by now.

6. Serve with your favorite bread or salad and garnish with a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese, if you've got it.

Eat!

My New Favorite Secret Ingredient...

I have been in a food rut. We seem to make the same 10 dishes over and over again and I admit that I have kind of come to dread dinnertime, because nothing really sounds exciting. Then a miracle happened. I went to the grocery store. ALONE. As in I didn't let any of my 4 children join me.
I was amazed at the produce section. I am always in such a rush that I hurry in and grab my staples; lettuce, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and onions. Then I zip through to the next aisle, because I don't want to be stuck in the store in case my kids decide to start misbehaving. I never really stopped to look at all the variety of stuff in there. Food shopping had become a chore to be rushed through. (But I digress...)
The point is that when I was able to go alone I decided that I would try one new thing that I had never tried before. There in the produce aisle I found it. It was beautiful and completely foreign to me. EGGPLANT. So I  bought it, having no idea how to cook it or what it tasted like. After a little bit of research I found out that it can be pureed and added to sauces. It is AMAZING! It is so easy to do that I have been secretly sneaking eggplant into common every day meals, and my kids are none the wiser. It makes spaghetti sauces richer and soups are thicker, and heartier.
I decided to share my secret with you... Here's my eggplant technique- sneak it in a few dishes and see how you like it.
PS Don't tell my kids- they still don't know what they're eating! :)

 1. Cut your eggplant in 1/2, drizzle with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper them.

 2.Place your eggplant flesh side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 25- 35 minutes. Flesh may be darkened a little, and that's okay.

 3. This is what it looks like when you pull it out of the oven.

 4. Carefully lift you eggplant half  and scrape the contents out of the "shell" into a bowl. It should scrape right out without any difficulty.

 5. It will look like this. The little tiny seeds are completely edible and get pureed so don't worry about them.

 6. Use a hand mixer to puree eggplant.

7. When you are done, it will have the consistency and color of pureed bananas.

8. Your eggplant is now ready to sneak into your favorite sauce or soup.

Other than baking times, the whole process from start to finish takes me about 5 minutes to complete.







FOR YOUR INFO:
Eggplant is supposed to be really good for you and is a low calorie food! Go to
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=22
for more information about the health benefits of eggplant.

My breadstick secret is out.... :)

Carrie asked me to share my bread-stick recipe that was pictured in a previous photo. Well here it is- my secret is out- I CHEAT! 

I have found these awesome crescent roll "rounds" at my grocery store- and I love them! I have unrolled and stuffed them, cinnamon roll style. (see older posts of mine)   I have seasoned them with garlic salt or spread a light layer of pesto on them for extra flavor. I have even unrolled them, let the kids twist them, and bake them like bread-sticks instead of rounds. (Have I mentioned yet that I love them?) Then I follow the cooking times on the package. I hope you enjoy my secret! 

Souper Pepper French Bread Pizzas

My Mom showed my kids how to make this and it is a HUGE family hit:

French Bread cut to make bottom and top halves
1 lb hamburger
1-2 cans cream o' mushroom
sliced bell peppers
Cheese

Brown hamburger, drain
heat back up with soup
spread over each half of french bread
top with peppers and cheese

bake at 350 till cheese is melted

Serve

AMAZING Chicken Salad Sandwich in less than 5 minutes!

 In a bowl, mix together:
1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 green onion stalk, finely sliced
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 leaves fresh basil, finely cut
1/2 cup grated Italian blend cheese
1 can chicken breast, drained

It will look like this...

Serve on your favorite sandwich bread or roll, I used french bread here.
It is also excellent on lightly toasted bread, too!
EAT.
(serves about 6)

BEEF... with options!

I am always ALL about the quickest, easiest, most versatile meals I can come up with. This recipe is great, because I can change it up pretty easily to make a variety of meals. Let's start with the basics...

1st
Select your beef. In the pictures, I used some thinly sliced skillet steak and cut it into bite size chunks. (I have also used leftover roast or steak, or stew meat.) If meat is uncooked, I take about 5 minutes to brown it before adding it to the crockpot.
2nd
In your favorite crock pot dump in 1 can beef broth, (or enough broth so that everything is touching some of the liquid)
about a cup of clean baby carrots,
some onion, (My kids aren't big onion fans, but we like the flavor, so I leave mine in big chunks so they're easy to pull out.)
the browned or leftover beef, and
chunky cut mushrooms
season with salt, pepper and garlic

(This is what it looks like after steps 1 and 2 are done.)

Steps 1 and 2 normally take about 5-10 minutes to throw together. Simmer on low heat until ready to eat. Mine usually sits all day- everything becomes really soft and tender. When you're ready to eat choose your "thickener". (I have found that if I add my thickener earlier my dish gets really gooey and clumpy... so that is why I wait until about time to serve)
3rd (Thickening options)
OPTION A :Italian "stew"
add 1 small can tomato paste, Italian herbs to taste ( I really like fresh basil!), and serve over your favorite pasta or with polenta. 
OPTION B: Gravied beef and veggies
Remove most of the liquid from the crockpot and use it to make a beef gravy. You can use a gravy packet if you want- substituting the broth for water in the recipes, or you can thicken the liquid by incorporating flour, corn starch or cleargel. ( Cleargel is a great thickener, if you can find it!) Add the gravy back into the crockpot, coating everything. Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

(After the broth has been made into gravy and added back into the crock pot before serving.)

(Finished beef with gravy and veggies...)

OPTION C: Stroganoff
Add about a cup of sour cream to the crockpot and incorporate it in. You can also add a can of cream of mushroom soup if you want your sauce to be even creamier and thicker.  Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Bella Brie

Brie with most of rind removed

Butter

Brown Sugar

Kahlua

Walnuts or Pecans

Sliced Green Apples

Sweet Crestini's or thinly sliced crusty bread

Place the Brie on an oven safe platter.

Combine butter, brown sugar, kahlua, and walnuts in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; stirring constantly to ensure all ingred combine fully.

Pour hot sauce over Brie and then bake in 350 degree oven until Brie begins to shimmer (you just want the Brie to be warmed through and soft) this happens very quickly so don't walk away.

Remove from oven and serve immediately with apple slices and sweet crestini! YUMMMM!

Sweet Crestini

Sweet Crestini

Thin bagguette or day old bread (sliced into thin rounds)

Butter

Walnut Oil (or lightly flavored oil)

Cinnamon

Crushed Almonds

Brown Sugar

Dash Nutmeg

Arrange rounds on a cookie sheet (parchment paper optional).

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat until combined and fragrant.

Brush the mixture onto each bread round (being sure to get some of the almonds on each slice.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden (may take less time depending on the size of your bread rounds)

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with a sweet dipping sauce or along side baked Brie.