Lasagna Soup

I always hesitate to try more then one new recipe in a week in fear of having to many “iffy” meals. My boys are becoming quite the food critics, in a good way, sort of.  So when I’m exploring my cookbooks or looking on Pinterest for new recipes to try, I try to keep to one new one a week. BUT this week I tried two. The first one was a twist to a recipe that I have made before and it was a fantastic turn out. So much so that my husband called to tell me It was fantastic. (We had different schedules that prevented us eating together last night) My kids even said “This is the best!” So having such success on one new recipe I was hesitant to try a new one. Because honestly in the past, I get excited and maybe prideful that a recipe turned out so well, and the next evening we end up eating grilled cheese because the recipe failed. Hahaha. But this week has been so flavorful, I just had to share this recipe.

I have actually had this recipe for a few years. My mom and another friend sent me this with each having a slight variation to it. I just never have tried it until today. It was one of those days I forgot to take out meat from the freezer, then homeschool mixed with public school band, and then Keith and I ended up spending the afternoon tapping our maple trees. We anticipate the weather to warm up above 32° and the sap to start flowing good tomorrow, so my afternoon was spent out in the 9° with a wind chill of -2°. Did I say I am looking forward to the warmer weather tomorrow? After a afternoon out in that wind chill, soup sounded really good. So I dug through my books looking for recipes using burger meat. I saw this one and had most of all the ingredients so I figured I would try it. Good thing I did, because my boys said this was a HOME RUN, the kind that they’d would run home for! SCORE!! With fresh bread this was the perfect soup to warm up to.
 
Lasagna Soup
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds of Italian sausage (now I didn’t have this, I used burger seasoned with 1 tsp Italian seasoning and 1 tsp Adobo)
3 chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried oregano (I used 2 drops of oregano essential oil)
1/2 cup tomato sauce, half a can
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes with chilies
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
8 oz Mafalda or fusilli pasta ( I actually didn’t have this so I used a box of lasagna noodles that I did have, I just broke them into little pieces)
Salt and pepper to taste

For topping:
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
2 cups mozzarella cheese.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage or burger and brown. If using burger, add the Italian seasoning while browning. When brown add onions and cook till softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and oregano. Cook one minute. Add tomato sauce. Stir well to incorporate. Cook about 3 minute. Stir in diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook till al dente. Do not over cook or the pasta will soak up all the liquid. If you want, cook the pasta separate and pour in your bowl an drink top it with your soup. That way the pasta won’t absorb all the liquid.

Mix together the ricotta, Parmesan and salt.

Serve up your bowl with pasta and  soup. Top with ricotta mixture and mozzarella. Stir well and enjoy with fresh bread. Delicious!

Cranberry Orange Cake

Cranberries. They were a round firm berry that we would string on the Christmas tree and that was ALL that I knew what to do with them. In Alaska I made very tart muffins with them. I didn't really like them but I used them because that is what we had.  I never really appreciated this tart berry and the potential that it could have. ..... That is till we moved to Maine where Cranberries are home grown in the bogs and beds around. You wouldn't even know you are driving by them unless you know what you are looking at. Back in college, when I was living with my Meema, we always talked about road tripping it up to New England to see how they grew cranberries. Visiting a Cranberry bog, It was like a thought out of a Hallmark movie. Fast forward to present day, where we live near and are friends with Cranberry farm owners. I have learned TONS about these cool berries, but since this is a recipe blog I will not give you all the information that I now know and just share recipes I have tried

Unlike the small, delicate berries we had in Alaska, Maine's berries are big and usually pretty firm and since living here, I have looked for and tried many new recipes for these berries. Besides scones, this one is one of my favorite ways to use them. I am not sure why I always make this at Christmas time, but it turns out to be such a flavorful cake and you can really decorate it pretty. It sets a mood for a Christmas cake. It might take a little more effort but the result is so worth it! Here is the recipe for the cake, the frosting, and the sugared berries. The sugared berries were so delicious that I made extra just so we could snack on them. They are the perfect combination of sweet and tart! Trust me, Make extra!

This recipe fills a 8 cup bundt pan, which is a small bundt pan, but I doubled the recipe and filled two 8 in round pans to make the round cake. So if you want to make it just like my picture double it and spray two round 8 inch pans. Or is you want to fill a big bundt pan, double the recipe. If you make this in a bundt cake, you may want to make a orange glaze instead of a cream cheese icing.

Cranberry Cake(I double this recipe for 2 round pans)
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 TBSP orange zest
Juice of 1 orange ( I use the one i got the zest from)
1/2 cup butter
2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 cup chopped cranberries

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Spray bundt pan or 8 inch round pan and then coat with a dusting of flour.
Cream together butter and sugar. 4-5 minutes till light and fluffy. add eggs one ate a time. Mix well. add orange juice and zest and sour cream. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and stir well. add to cream mixture. add chopped cranberries and stir in. Pour into pan. Bake 50-55 minutes. Rest 5 minutes then invert out of pan. Let cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter
2 block cream cheese(softened)
3-4 cups powder sugar
1 Tbsp Orange Zest
 Cream together butter and Cream cheese. Add powder sugar and Zest. Whip till spreading consistency.  Spread on cake.

Sugared Cranberries
2 cups sugar (divided 1 cup each)
1 cup water
12 oz Cranberries(I actually doubled the amount of berries because there was plenty of syrup to cover them)
In a sauce pan over medium high heat. Heat water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to boil and boil 10-15 minutes till it thickens. Cool 15 minutes. Line a cookie sheet (with edges) with parchment paper, Place cookie rack over the pan. toss the cranberries in batches in the syrup. Place on rack to dry 45 minutes. Then toss in 1 cup of Sugar. let dry a little longer. decorate cake with berries.
 

Chicken Thighs with Apple, Mushroom & Bacon Cream Sauce

According to my three little food critics, if I were to open a restaurant, this recipe would be the one to make me famous. It is the most requested dish in our house, besides tacos. It is a great recipe to have in Maine during apple season. But I make it year round. This recipe was created after finding one on Pinterest that I sounded yummy, but the process was not what I wanted. So I just went with it and created my own. I must say it is pretty tasty and my tough critics love it. So now I'm sharing it with you who read this.

Chicken Thighs with Apple, Mushroom & Bacon Cream Sauce

6 Chicken Thighs
2 TBSP oil
2 slices of bacon(diced)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1 cup apple cider
1 cup water with bouillion cube (or chicken stock)
1/2 cup apple butter(or apple sauce)
2 cups chopped apples
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 heavy cream
1 TBSP corn starch(mixed in a little bit of water)
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper (I use Adobo which is a Puerto Rican seasoning). Place thighs in hot oil and cook till golden brown and a bit crispy, flip and cook other side. When cooked through move to plate till later.

In pan with drippings, add bacon and cook till done. Add onions and mushrooms, and cook till tender. about 5 minutes. Pour in Apple cider and Chicken stock. Mix in Apple butter and Italian seasoning. Mix well, add apples and cook on low about 5 minutes. Add Cream.  Mix in corn starch. Cook till thickened. Add chicken back to pan and simmer in cream sauce 5 minutes.

Serve with Wild Rice, roasted potatoes or our favorite is Roasted Butternut squash.

Taco Bowls

I found a recipe for Taco bowls that sounds delicious and I planned to make them later this week with the left over meat I made for tacos tonight. I mean it is Taco Tuesday, but keith is out of town so I knew we wouldn't eat all the meat tonight with just us 4.... or so I thought.  I have always had the best of intentions of making my own taco seasoning, to make it all healthy and MSG free and all that Jazz, but honestly, taco seasoning seemed easier! Well let me tell you, It's Not much faster and the flavor just doesn't cut it. You want to know why my sudden change of heart??... THIS RECIPE. I think I figured out the secret that is hiding in it, that I never would have thought to put in my taco meat, but man I will NEVER use pre-made taco seasoning again! My boys told me not to ever again to. So I made taco meat with all the intention of having leftovers for Thursdays Taco bowls..... but I better get out some more meat out of the freezer. my boys even want to make taco salad tomorrow. We shall see. I will be making the Taco Bowls on Thursday as planned and I will report back if they are delicious or not, but I will give you the recipe anyways just because the taco meat was delicious!

Taco Bowls

Cilantro Lime Rice:
2 TBSP Butter
1 1/4 cup basmati Rice
2 1/4 cup chicken broth
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin

Add butter and dry rice to sauce pan. Heat over med heat till melted and rice is a little toasted. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and Reduce to low Cook 15- 20 Minutes when rice is done. Doesn't this rice sound AWESOME?!?!


Taco Meat:
1 1/2 pound burger meat
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp brown sugar(I think this is the secret ingredient!)
1/4 tsp black pepper
Now I cooked the burger till done and mixed all the spices together and then added it to the meat and mixed well. This is what I used for my taco meat.

Now to finish the Taco  Bowl meat add
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced chilies
1 can chili beans (do not drain)

For taco bowls layer your rice, meat and any toppings you want such as:
Corn Chips
shredded lettuce
cheese
chopped tomatoes
pico de gallo
guacamole
sour cream

Load it up and ENJOY!!!!

Halibut/Fish Supreme

I have been making this recipe since we lived in Alaska. Our good friend Rob would make it and it was fantastic! He kindly gave me the recipe and we make it often and think of Rob and Jen a lot! Though Halibut was a little hard to come by in North Carolina, I learned it works well with Amberjack and other firm white fish. It also does great in the crockpot! I will post the adjustments for that below. But this recipe is delicious and has my mouth watering just thinking about it and I am not much of a fish person!

Halibut/Fish Supreme

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 TBSP flour
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon diced onions(I like more so I add about half an onion)
1/8 tsp  cayenne pepper( I use a cajun seasoning called "Slap ya Mama" Though I really suggest you NOT slap your mom, she might slap you back! )
2 pounds Halibut steaks ( I used Amberjack or any firm white fish I have on hand)

Preheat oven 425 degrees Lightly grease a baking dish
In a bowl, Mix the cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, flour, lemon juice, onion, and cayenne pepper. place the fish in the dish and cover with the cheese mixture.Bake 10 minutes in oven THEN REDUCE heat to 350 degrees and bake 15 -20 minutes more, till fish is flaky. I like to serve it with potatoes.

~To cook this in a slow cooker, I layers my seasoned  potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker, then I put the fish on top, topped it with the cheese mixture and I cooked it on high for 3 hours. My topping didn't get golden brown like I like it so I quickly transferred it to a broiler safe pan and broiled it for a few minutes till it was golden on top. This was a great way to fix dinner before a baseball game and come home to a yummy cooked dinner.

*I have not tried this on LOW in the slow cooker, so I don't know if it would work as well for LONG cooking times.

Irish Nachos

It's St. Patrick's Day and like all good (Not So) Irish people, we had to have some Irish food. Ok, since I have never been to Ireland, I am not a pro on this subject, but I have googled and researched and according to my research Potatoes, Corned Beef and Cabbage is Irish.... so let me know if I'm wrong. But I found a recipe that I really wanted to try called Rueben Nachos. However I dislike sauerkraut! Strongly! But I had an idea and changed the recipe. I actually changed it a lot. Here's my version of Irish  nachos.

Irish Nachos

Peel and slice 4 large potatos. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you want (I used a Pampered Chef Rosemary blend) Layer on a baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees till soft and edges are crisp. Scatter chopped corned beef over potatoes. Top with cheese. I used a fiesta blend and mozzarella. Bake till cheese is melted. When done top with ranch dressing. The recipe calls for sauerkraut but as I said before I dislike it, so I made a Zambian Cabbage.  Top the nachos and enjoy! 

For Zambian Cabbage, I heat some oil in a sauce pan, then add chopped onions and chopped tomatoes. Let it stew a little and then add Cabbage that is cut thin. Add just a little bit of water. Cover and let it cook and stir occasionally till its soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Korean Beef

First thing first. I am NOT Korean and I have never made Korean food before, but I love to EAT Korean Food! I won't ever try to spell anything we have eaten correctly, but our neighbor in Alaska who was Korean got Keith and I hooked on Korean food. Last night I was relaxing and planning out meals, which involves searching for "new to try" recipes on Pintrest. I ran across this recipe and then all of a sudden I was craving Korean food. Besides Sesame oil, I had all the ingredients! I made this Korean Beef for dinner and made white rice to go with it. Then I had an idea that these might make yummy Lettuce Wraps! Getting my kids to eat anything green is a challenge, but they gobbled this up!  It was super easy, super fast and super delicious! So I'm not claiming this to be authentic Korean food, but it sure tasted great and I was rewarded with 3 "you should make this again!" Score one for Mommy tonight!

Korean Beef
1 lbs Ground Beef
3 Garlic cloves
1/4 cup Soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger(the recipe called for 3 in of fresh ginger but I never know how to use that)
Cooked Rice
Roasted Sesame seeds -garnish
3 Scallions-garnish

Brown beef with garlic till the meat is a little crunchy. In a bowl mix Soy sauce, Brown sugar, Sesame oil and ginger. Pour over cooked beef and mix well and cook till heated through. Serve over rice.  Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. This is when we mixed up the rice and meat and loaded it into a leaf of lettuce. We will be eating this again!