Harvest Soup

i have had a lot of requests, so here it is:

1 lb ground sausage (jimmy dean or breakfast, not just ground pork)
3/4 c chopped onion
2 + chopped garlic cloves
(cook together till done and onions soft)
3 1/2 c water
(the amounts of the cubed potatoes and squashes are debatable and up to you, but this is the ratio i use...)
2 c sweet potatoes
1 c red potatoes
1 c acorn squash
2 + (i always add more) tsp beef boulion granules (sp?)
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 ground cloves (this is what makes the soup what it is..)
(boil 20 min? or in a crock pot apperently, for a few hours till squash and friends are done. then add:)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 c tomato catsup
(let heat for a bit, then taste and mess with the spices. i usually end up adding boulion and more catsup to beef up the broth.)

Sweet potato/Black Bean salad

Rachel and I made this last night and it was so tasty. Lots of flavors all mixed together. I used 2 jalepenos and it was not very spicy.

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large onion, preferably red, chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeño

1 clove garlic, peeled

Juice of 2 limes

2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are fine)

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.

2. Put chilies in a blender or mini food processor along with garlic, lime juice, remaining olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Process until blended.

3. Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a day.

Yield: 4 servings.

ity- bity eggs

we have eggs!! sure it takes two of them to make one egg, but these are the real deal. just one whiff would send levi running for cover... but they are SO cute!

Twice Baked Potatoes

We had potatoes that needed to be eaten, but not much else. My family isn't as big on P n' toppings as I am, so I made up this version:

1. Baked potato (i cheated and cooked them mostly in the micro, then finished in the oven for better taste)

2. Some kinda Meat (bacon, ham, we used breakfast sausage, chopped up- highly recommended!)

3. shredded cheese.

Scoop out the potato insides, leaving a bowl. Save insides.

Mix meat, cheese, and some (not all!) of the potato insides, and a bit of salt/spices.

Salt/pepper the bowl, then pack it with mixture.

It seemed a little boring last time I tried it, so i drizzled some butter over the top, then piled on the cheese.

Bake 400* for about 13-15 min, till heated through and cheese is melty. It was good served with broccolli.

I have also heard of adding cream cheese, garlic, and sour cream to mixture. yum.

Breadfruit

When I was young, I read a series of books from the Auberry library about two brothers who were always going off on adventures to exotic locations. It seemed like wherever they went, and whatever crazy antics they got up to, they were always able to sustain themselves by eating delicious breadfuit. I was intrigued. What is this 'breadfruit'? Is it a bread, or is it a fruit? Would I ever need to keep myself alive by eating breadfruit? (I certainly hoped so).
Last week at a fruit stand, I noticed they had breadfruit. When i asked how to cook it, the two men had a lengthy conversation in Spanish which resulted in a one-word instruction to me: "Boil."
So, in case you ever need it, here is my breadfruit recipe:

1 medium sized breadfruit
1/2 c. butter
salt
pepper
lemon juice
cumin

Remove green rind. The fruit has a spongy center and gets firmer towards the edge. Cut into cubes. I did not use the center part, but maybe you can. Boil for 10-12 minutes until cubes are the texture of a boiled potato. Melt butter in frying pan, and stir remaining ingredients into the butter. Add breadfruit cubes to butter mixture and saute on medium high until pieces are coated in spices and slightly crisped. Add more cumin and lemon than you originally thought. Serve to unsuspecting dinner guests.

i guess we won't have THAT again...

1. i make a "resolution" to make better dinners.

2. i carefully chose some great looking recipes of this site and others.

3. i shop for all the ingredients, determined not to fudge or subsitute. nothing is too good for my family!

4. i spent 1 1/2 hours making chicken spagettii (pioneer woman).

5. spent 1 1/2 hours chiding, scolding, frowning, ignoring pleas, and eliciting the following facial expressions from my children...

i thought it tasted great!

Ashby Garlic Bread

1 loaf bread cut into pieces
butter
garlic

Cut up bread and arrange on a cookie sheet. Turn oven to broil. Insert tray. Now the next step is very important - Walk away. Get distracted until the smell of something burning brings you back to the kitchen and to a sudden realization that you have done it again. Remove smoking tray and head for the nearest door.

Crab Chowder

½ lb. bacon

1 can of crab (slightly bigger than a tuna can- maybe 6 oz?)

½ onion, chopped

Potatoes, cooked and chopped (I used one can of potatoes, cause that’s what I had. So, if you use fresh, maybe 1-2 medium to large potatoes?)

A few dashes of cayenne pepper, or other powdered red pepper (or chop up some fresh if you have it)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

2 cans of milk

1 can corn, drained

Good pinch of thyme

Salt

Pepper

Cook up bacon in large soup pan. Near the end, add the crab (I had the pan at an angle at this point to avoid saturating the crab in bacon grease, but that was pointless, since it all ends up in the same place).

Remove bacon and crab, leaving grease in pan. Place mixture on paper towel.

Add onion to grease, and cook until onion is tender (add red pepper here if you use fresh, to allow it time to cook). Add potatoes and red pepper. Stir and let simmer for a couple minutes.

Mix in soups, milk, corn and thyme.

Stir thoroughly.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add back in the bacon/crab mixture.

Let soup warm through, and enjoy.

Chicken Parmesan

This was easy, fast, and delicious. The only non-staple ingredient was fresh parmesan.

I was working off this recipe http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001998parmesan_chicken.php.

Cut 3 chicken breasts into 8 pieces. Cut them the long way first, so you have two wide round peices that are 1/2 the thickness of the original piece. You're trying to maximize surface area for the cheese part.

Dip #1
1/3 cup butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 egg

Dip #2
equal parts breadcrumbs and fresh parmesan
italian seasoning (or i used seasoned breadcrumbs)
salt/pepper

So roll the chicken pieces around, then put them in a 9x13 baking dish. Cook at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cans of chicken soup stock
1 cup of water (could have used more)
1 boullion cube
1 big chicken breast
celery
carrots
1 lb pasta
1 bay leaf
salt/pepper
any other seasonings you wish- some recipes call for basil or oregano

Throw everything in the pot and bring up to pressure. Cook for 4 minutes. Serve with biscuits on a rainy day.
Note: I don't really like the soup part of soup, so I went a little too light on the liquids department. Mine ended up more like chicken soup flavored pasta, which was alright too.

Breakfast Burrito

Eggs
Cheese
Bell pepper
Onion
Salsa/sour cream
Tortillas

Other optional additions:
potatoes
meat of some kind

Pasta Salad

Since this is an idea blog as much as a recipe blog, I thought I'd add pasta salad up in here. I don't have an actual recipe for this, and if I leave anything out, feel free to add.

1 lb rotelle pasta

Any of the following:
artichoke hearts
broccoli
tomatoes (sun-dried or normal type)
salami
peas
cheese
olives
cucumber
red onion

Cover in italian dressing. Refrigerate. I believe Bernsteins Restaurant Style Italian is the dressing of choice. Again, if you have any tips or tricks to add, please do.

Pasta Carbonara

This might as well be called bacon and egg pasta, but carbonara sounds so much more fancy. It was really easy and tasted very much like a restaurant pasta. The only ingredients you may not have are fresh parsley and fresh parmesan.

I used this recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/cooking-with-ryan-pasta-carbonara/

chicken vegetable soup

Ingredients:
Chicken, carrots, potatoes, 4 cups chicken stock, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp parsley, salt/pepper, whatever other spices you're in the mood for.

Cut every thing about the same size, put in a pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure. Cook for 4 whole minutes. Use quick release method to release the steam. Eat the soup. The potatoes were even a bit over done, so I might cut down the cooking time next time.

Graham Crackers and Milk

ingredients:
Graham crackers
Glass of milk
directions:
get some graham crackers and break them into pieces
put them into a glass or bowl
pour in some milk
grab a spoon and enjoy
you can also just dunk the grahams if you prefer