Zucchini Bruschetta (or as my kiddos call them Zucchini "Boats")

I made these today for lunch and they were DELISH!  The only way to make them better is to make them on a grill outside!  (I'll post a picture tomorrow.)

Ingredients:

• Zucchini
• Cherry tomatoes
• Grana Padano cheese
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• Diced fresh herbs that you desire
• S&P
• EVOO

1. Preheat the broiler on your oven.
2. Wash and cut the ends off of your zucchini
3. Slice the zucchini long-ways right down the middle.
4. Using a spoon, scoop the "seedy" part out of the center of the zucchini  (You don't need to do too much - just enough to make "wells" in the center)
5. Drizzle some EVOO over the flesh side of the zucchini (into the wells) and sprinkle with S&P to taste
6. Place zucchini skin side down on a cookie sheet (if you're grilling place them flesh side down on the grill)
7. Grill/Broil until zucchini is just tender
8. Meanwhile dice or halve cherry tomatoes & toss gently with 1 clove pressed garlic, more S&P to taste and any other fresh herb you might want.
9. Carefully fill the wells of the zucchini with your tomato-garlic mixture and place back in oven/on grill skin side down until tomatoes are starting to crinkle
10. Carefully sprinkle freshly grated grana padano on top of the tomatoes & place under broiler one last time.
11. Allow cheese to bubble and turn golden
12. Let zucchini cool slightly and serve while still warm!

Roasted Broccolini

I love baby broccoli - or, if you buy it at Trader Joe's "Broccolini."  A crazy lady I used to nanny for used to have broccolini in her house ALL THE TIME and I had to steam it for her kiddos anytime I made them dinner.  If I recall the kiddos never ate the steamed version & now I know why...  BECAUSE ROASTED BROCCOLINI is THE BEST!  :)  This is how I made our broccolini tonight.

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Rinse broccolini and pat dry
3.  Take out a cookie sheet and spread rinsed/dried broccolini on cookie sheet
4.  Drizzle EVOO over broccolini - toss with your hands to evenly cover broccolini with EVOO
5.  Sprinkle some good sea salt over EVOO coated broccolini
6.  Place cookie sheet in oven and roast broccolini until crispy (about 15-20minutes) - It's almost like broccolini chippies!
7.  Let cool slightly and serve as a side.

Basil Hummus

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs Simply Recipes and I had to share it because it was so good & super easy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 cups sweet basil leaves, packed (yes, this is a ton of basil, but its worth it!)
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed then minced
• 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained*
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Up to 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
• Several dashes Tabasco
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

METHOD

1. Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium high heat. Stir them when they start to brown. When most of them have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. (Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish.)
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Pulse several times, for several seconds each time, until the hummus is smooth. Add more Tabasco and salt or lemon juice to taste. Add water to the point of desired consistency.
3. To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts. Serve with pita wedges, crackers, or rustic bread.

Makes about 3 cups

Pork Tostadas (as seen on America's Test Kitchen)

(photo courtesy of America's Test Kitchen)

These slightly spicy pork tostadas were AMAZING! They are not hard to make, they just take some time. We also made our tostadas the way they describe in the recipe (fried in oil) but I suppose if you're looking for a healthier alternative you could brush the tortillas with EVOO and bake them until crispy. (But for the record they won't be the same... so go ahead... just this once and indulge in a crispy fried tortilla!! :-)

I was just reading on America's Test Kitchen's website that the video of how to make these should be available in a few weeks. Click on this link, it will take you to the web page, check there to see if the video has been posted. After watching it you'll see how easy these are to make!!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless pork butt, (I used a pork shoulder and it turned out just fine) trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions , 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
• 5 medium garlic cloves , 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced or pressed through garlic press
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• S&P
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1(14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (use only a 1/2 a tsp. if you don't want the pork to be too spicy)
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Cut up your pork in 1-inch pieces and trim it of most the excess fat. Don't trim all the fat off as it will keep the pork tender as it cooks. 
2. Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. 
3. Drain pork mixture, through a colander, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid or the stock. Discard the onion, garlic, and thyme. 
4. Return pork to saucepan and, using potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ½-inch pieces, set aside.
5. Heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook, stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. 
6. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. Stir in tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, reserved pork cooking liquid, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the tostadas:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 inch corn tortillas
• Salt

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in small skillet over medium heat (if you have a thermometer heat it to 350 degrees).
2. Using fork, poke center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing and allow for even cooking). Fry 1 at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged (see photo below), until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is necessary). 
3. Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Serve your tostadas with the pork and your favorite garnishes. Here are a few suggestions, avocado, cilantro, lettuce, tomato, queso fresco or your favorite cheese.

Panang Curry Recipe

Serves 1 (I usually make double)
1 Tbl Panang Curry Paste (I use the Mae Ploy Panang Curry Paste)
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbl sugar
2 Tbl fish sauce (even though this smells terrible you CAN'T leave it out!)
peanuts (optional)
Meat of choice (I have had it with salmon, pork and chicken)
Veggies of choice (according to the man at Uwajimaya you HAVE to have potatoes, but I have put in zucchini, broccoli or cauliflower, red peppers, onions and carrots)

Heat dry wok over medium heat, add curry paste and stir into pan until fragrant

Add meat and veggies and 1/4 cup coconut milk and stir until meat is cooked

Once meat is cooked add remaining coconut milk

In a separate dish mix sugar, fish sauce and peanuts and add to the mixture.

Stir until thick and serve over rice.

This recipe is compliments of a friend from school. It is very easy and delicious! It can be a bit spicy, but if you can handle the heat... it's a keeper!

Grilled Chicken & Arugula Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled & shredded

arugula

raw corn cut from 2 cobs

gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

cherry tomatoes, halved

Mix chicken, arugula, corn, tomatoes and cheese in large bowl

Mix 2 Tbs. olive oil & 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and pour over salad; Enjoy!!

Opah's Grilled Chicken

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

juice of 2 limes

1/4 c. EVO

handful of minced fresh basil

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3 in. strips (or use chicken tenders)

1. Combine all ingredients in ziplock bag, add chicken, seal and refrigerate for 4 hrs. or up to overnight

2. Heat grill to medium high, place chicken on grill and cook 6-10 min.

Serve on a bed of arugula drizzled with a little EVO (optional)

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Gourmet Magazine gets all the credit for this one. We tried this for the first time when we were visiting the McDougall's in Ft. Bragg and I've made it again since I got home. Its a simple way to prepare salmon and its really good especially alongside a spinach and strawberry salad for dinner. Try it out.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons lime butter sauce (see recipe below)

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

If you aren't able to grill outdoors, salmon can be cooked in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.

Lime Butter Sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Purée garlic with lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add melted butter and blend until emulsified, about 30 seconds.

Lime butter sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir before using.

Garlic Confit Vinaigrette

I know the name makes it sound way to high-class, but it is such a good dressing and its something I stumbled upon thats a keeper for me now.

Confit (French, pronounced "con-fee") is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavor and preservation. Sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months. Confit is one of the oldest ways to preserve food, and is a speciality of southwestern France.

In this case its garlic that have been slowly simmered in olive oil and then used as the base for a salad dressing. I would add this to almost any salad, its light, full of flavor, and because you're cooked the garlic, its not rough on the stomach. Plus you get this leftover garlic confit to put in other dishes and some amazing infused garlic oil. Like I said, its a keeper for sure.

Garlic Confit Vinaigrette
Makes 3/4 cup of vinaigrette. The extra garlic confit can be stored in the refrigerator submerged in the remaining oil for about a week.

(For the garlic confit)
the cloves from 2 heads of garlic, peeled and stem ends sliced off
3 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
1 to 1/2 cups olive oil

(For the vinaigrette)
8 cloves (or so) garlic confit
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup garlic-infused olive oil

First make the garlic confit. In a very small saucepan, combine the peeled garlic cloves, thyme or rosemary and the olive oil. Make sure the olive oil completely covers the garlic cloves. Cook the mixture over as low a heat as possible for 25 to 35 minutes, until the garlic cloves are golden brown and very tender. Allow the garlic and oil to return to room temperature.

To make the vinaigrette, take 8 or so of the garlic cloves and place in a small bowl or in a food processor (my preferred method). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and using a spoon (or pulse the food processor), mash the garlic until it is very smooth. Add the lemon juice and vinegar and whisk to combine. In a slow, steady stream, add 1/2 cup of the oil that the garlic cooked in, whisking to emulsify. Grind in a bit of fresh cracked black pepper and taste to see if the seasonings need adjusting.

Homemade Vegetable Broccoli Soup!

Sorry no picture, but if you can imagine green creamy soup, that's what this looks like :)
I actually found this recipe online from a website called homemademothering. It is easy, yummy and great for those picky eaters when it comes to vegetables.

2 TBSP butter
1 Onion - diced
4-5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 C carrotts - diced
4 Medium Potatoes (I like 5 or 6 to make it a little thicker)
8 C liquid (water or broth)
3 medium heads of broccoli - chopped
(The recipe doesn't call for Cauliflower but I think it would be a great addition or use it in place of some of the potatoes for less carbs)

In a large pot melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and saute until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add potatoes and carrotts, cook 5 minutes.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
Pour in liquid and bring to a boil.
Cook until potatoes begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in chopped broccoli flourets and stems and cool until just begining to soften.
Puree using a handheld immersion blender or in batches using a regular counter top blender.

(note: I don't have an immersion blender so I used my counter top blender, let the soup cool down a little first!! I might be stating the obviouse but when I did it I was in such a hurry to get to work that I didn't have time to let it cool and the lid blew off from the pressure making a big green mess in the kitchen. Just fyi)

Red Pepper, Corn, Tomato Soup

April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day!

I decided to make a red pepper, corn, tomato soup to go with our grilled cheese on National Grilled Cheese Day! This recipe calls for fresh whole cherry tomatoes, whenever you get a bite with a cherry tomato in it there is a burst of sweetness! (That was my husbands favorite part.) The soup turned out really great, a little spicy but that's how I like my tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 package of cherry tomatoes, keep whole
• 1 package of frozen corn, slightly thawed
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small jar of salsa, I use Trader Joe's classic salsa
• a few dashes of hot sauce to add some spice
• S&P
• 2 tbl. EVOO
• Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Pour EVOO in a medium-large size pot, turn heat on medium high. Put onions in the pot and saute for about 3-4 minutes stirring around. Add bell peppers and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add corn and tomatoes to the pot, saute until corn is warmed about another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add broth, salsa and as much hot sauce as desired. Salt and pepper the soup.
4. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to low. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Blend about 1/3 of the soup in a blender, when returning the liquid to the pot pour through a colander with small holes to keep some of the tomato and bell pepper skins out. I wasn't super particular about this and my soup ended up a bit chunky but I was okay with that. Don't forget to let the soup cool a bit before you try to blend it.
6. Serve the soup with a bit of crumbled feta on top and a grilled cheese!

Salmon Niçoise Salad

This easy french niçoise salad (pronounced ni-swaa) is a great fresh tasting main course! I was first introduced to this salad during my bridal shower. I loved the blanched vegetables and potatoes! This particular recipe calls for salmon which was a nice addition but not mandatory if you are looking for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 2 skinless salmon fillets (or about a 1lb. piece)
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 heads of Romain lettuce
• Steamed Green Beans
• Fingerling Potatoes
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 3 Hard-Cooked Eggs
• 1 medium red onion
• 1/4 cup Kalamata (or black) olives
• Dijon Vinaigrette (see recipe below) 

Directions:

 

1. If you haven't already hard boiled your eggs, do that first so you can place them in an ice bath allowing them to cool down while you prepare everything else.

2. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil; add fingerling potatoes about four to five per person for each person you'll be serving. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 14 to 16 minutes.

3. With a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a bowl salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Add a generous handful of green beans to the pot of boiling water. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Rinse under cool water, and set aside.

4. This recipe suggests you cook your salmon in a skillet on your range. I always cook my salmon under the broiler so I opted for that method. If you decide to broil your salmon place it on some foil S&P it and set it under the broiler for 7-10 minutes; until it is opaque throughout. Here is the skillet method: Fill a deep skillet with 1/4 inch water. Season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper; place in skillet. Bring water to a gentle simmer; cover, and cook until salmon is opaque throughout, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate; flake with a fork, and let cool.

5. While salmon is cooking, tear lettuce into pieces, quarter potatoes and tomatoes, peel and quarter eggs, and thinly slice onion.

6. On a large platter (or four serving plates), arrange lettuce, salmon, green beans, potatoes, eggs, tomatoes, onion, and olives. Serve with Dijon Vinaigrette on the side.

 

Dijon Vinaigrette:
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Pork Tenderloin with Pesto, Provolone, and Pancetta

2 pork tenderloins
pesto
6 slices of provolone cheese
10-12 slices pancetta


1. Slit tenderloins lengthwise, creating a generous size pocket
2. Smear a generous amount of pesto in pocket, and then place half-slices of cheese on top, & push down into pocket
3. Lay pancetta along the length of tenderloin and pull pocket closed, tying in several places with cotton twine to hold together
4. Place in baking dish and bake 25 min. @ 400 degrees; Check with meat thermometer before removing from oven

(I cooked 3 tenderloins in same dish and it too approx. 40 min.

Hearty Beef and Potato Stew

I got a Le Creuset dutch oven for our wedding (3 years ago) and haven't made very many things with it. So this winter I've been on the hunt for good dutch oven recipes! As I've experimented I have to say I love cooking with it! I highly recommend getting a dutch oven, I know Le Creuset's are expensive but I think they are worth every penny! Ben requested a "beef stew" recipe and I had this one among my collection. We were very pleased with it.

Ingredients:

Serve 6 (or 4 with left overs for lunch the next day!)

• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion chopped
• 1.5 lbs chuck roast, cubed (a lot of the time you can find beef specifically for stew already pre-cubed in the meat section)
• 1/2 cup red wine (if you prefer not cooking with wine you can substitute for more beef broth/stock)
• 3 carrots chopped
• 2 tsp rosemary
• S&P
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 1/2 lbs baking potatoes cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 tbsp flour (or cornstarch to make this recipe gluten-free, just be sure to dissolve the cornstarch in water before adding it to the pot)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Heat a medium-large dutch oven or medium-high heat. Coat pan with EVOO or cooking spray. Add garlic, saute 1 minute remove garlic with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Coat pan with EVOO; add onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add onion to garlic. Coat pan with EVOO add beef to pan; saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Add beef and accumulated juices to onion and garlic mixture.
3. Add wine (or 1/2 cup beef broth) to pan and and loosen browned bits. Add beef mixture. Stir in carrot, rosemary, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Add 1/2 cup water, broth, and tomatoes; stir to combine. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; cover and bake at 300 for 90 minutes. Remove from oven; uncover and stir in potatoes.
4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup water and flour; stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir flour mixture into the stew. Cover and bake an additional 90 minutes until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves.
5. Serve with bread and a salad!

BBQ Bone-In Pork Chops

I made these in my cast iron grill pan, but I'm sure you could make them in a regular skillet. This recipe is just the rub for the pork chops, it calls for quite a few spices. I didn't have all the spices but I found that Whole Foods Market has a bulk spice section where I could get just the amount of paprika, or dry mustard that I would need. This was a much more cost effective way to make this recipe!

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp. all spice
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (or I used a few cracks of my black pepper)
• 4 bone-in center-cut pork chops (I used bone-in pork chops but if you don't want to purchase bone-in this rub would work just fine with boneless.)

Directions:

1. Combine the first 9 ingredients; rub over both sides of pork and let them sit (in the refrigerator) for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat your grill pan or skillet over MEDIUM-high heat. Coat pan with olive oil, add pork and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes more or until done, turning occasionally. Remove from pan and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
3. Serve with potatoes and your favorite vegetable.

Zuppa Toscana-Wanna-be aka Zuppa Tosouppa

Since so many of our poll respondents wanted soup recipes, here is a favorite of mine. Anyone who enjoys Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana will appreciate this yummy soup, adapted from a copycat recipe found on the internet. Some say they like it even better than the original. Fat and calories are reduced by using turkey bacon, turkey or chicken sausage, and half & half instead of cream.

Ingredients:
1 lb. mild (spicy if you want) Italian chicken or turkey sausage, crumbled
1/2 lb. turkey bacon (Wellshire Peppered Turkey Bacon is great)
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth (if using canned, use 2 14.5 oz. cans plus 1/3 cup water)
2 med. russet potatoes (peeled or well-scrubbed and cubed)
1 small head cauliflower (cut into small florets) Note: Not in original recipe, but I think this makes it healthier and yummier. You can omit and add another potato if desired or you can omit the potatoes to make it low carb.
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 med. onion (peeled and chopped)
1 bunch kale (washed and torn away from tough veins)
1 cup half & half
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
-In a skillet over med. heat, brown crumbled sausage, drain (if nec.), set aside.
-In same skillet brown bacon (I cut it into small pieces with shears before browning), drain (if nec.-very little fat with turkey bacon), set aside.
-Place water, broth, potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, and onion in a soup pot; simmer over med. heat until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.
-Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 min.
-Add kale and half & half to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Serve with a salad dressed with Italian Vinaigrette and breadsticks. Very satisfying. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Love To All,
Jules

Tomato-Lime Tortilla Soup

We had this soup tonight for dinner & it was so souper delicious! Ha! :) I got the recipe from one of my most recent Food Network magazines. It was way easy and Lydia (my 4 year old) inhaled it, John raved about it, and I (the preggo momma) ate 2 bowls. Micah was the only one who decided to eat just chips - but really, who can blame him on that choice?!?! :) Anyway, here is the recipe:

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium sized shallots or 4-5 garlic cloves finely diced
2 pints fresh cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)
8 cups chicken stock or broth
1 large can (28oz.) diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen corn kernels
4 limes juiced
1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro (or 2 tablespoons dried cilantro)
2 tsp. dried, ground cumin
2 chicken breasts, boiled & then shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1) Saute diced shallots in olive oil until they soften
* Salt & pepper the shallots to make them sweat - a pinch of sugar works too
2) Add cherry tomatoes & saute until the skins begin to burst
3) Add 8 cups chicken stock or broth, canned tomatoes, corn, lime juice, cilantro, and cumin.
4) Bring soup to a boil, stir, and then simmer for 20 minutes to an hour
5) Add shredded chicken breasts

Serve & top with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and salsa.

** Take out the chips and I believe this is gluten free! **

Update and Sauteed Mushrooms

I've had a few people ask if I've been sticking with my resolution to make every recipe out of my magazine clipping collection before I have any repeats. The answer is YES! It has been fun, but sometimes Ben gets depressed when I make something he really likes. He says, "You're really not going to make this again until your done trying every recipe?" I suppose I can make a exception here and there but so far I haven't had any repeats. The following posts are a few of my newest finds/favorites.

I've had fun tracking our poll lately. Soup continues to be the winner, so all you Dinner-Belles out there lets post some good soup recipes! Here are the rest of the results to the poll for those who are wondering:

Soup - 25%

Dessert- 14%

Easy Meals (5 Items or less) - 14%

Gluten Free - 14%

Crockpot - 11%

Salads - 7%

Vegetarian - 7%

Steak - 4%

Pork - 4%

Chicken - 0%

Now for the sauteed mushrooms... I was making a salmon dish one night and decided to serve it with mushrooms. Things got a little crazy, I had too many pots going at once so I hollered for Ben to help. He happily took care of the mushrooms. As he was making the mushrooms he was quoting from Julie and Julia, "don't crowd the mushrooms!"

Ben did an excellent job at sauteeing the mushrooms they turned out to be the best thing on the plate that night. The salmon I was making had a white sauce over it and neither of us cared for the sauce, so I won't be posting that one!

These mushrooms are truly tasty and would be a great side kick to any meal, try em out!

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• >1 tsp. EVOO
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms (I got the cheap cremini kind)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Directions

1. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms; season with S&P, and cook until tender and lightly browned, 12-13 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar.

Chicken Curry

This chicken curry dish a easy to make and you can prepare it in the morning and let it cook in your crockpot all day long!  A great dinner for those nights when there is a lot going on and not enough time to make dinner.

Ingredients:

Serves 8 

I use the same amount of garlic, coconut milk, ginger, and spices, that the recipe calls for even if I am cooking less meat.  (I want the flavors to come out the same.)  So if you are trying to cut this recipe in half my reccomendation is to only reduce the amount of chicken, peas, and onions you use.

• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I always use chicken breast just because it is what I have in my freezer.)
• 2 medium onions
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 16 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
• 2 c. unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tbl. curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 packages frozen peas (if you don't love peas you could use brocoli, green beans, zucchini, really any vegetable you like would work great with this dish.)

Directions:

1. In your crockpot, toss chicken, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin.  Mix around to make sure chicken is well coated.  Season with salt.  Cover and cook for the amount of time you desire.  Cook on HIGH for 4 hours, MEDIUM for 6 hours, LOW for 8-10 hours.
2. Once your chicken is done uncover and stir in coconut milk, cover and cook for another 20 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a large bowl and shred with forks.  Return to pot; toss with sauce.
3. Heat peas in microwave/stove.
4. Serve chicken and onions with sauce over a bed of rice, top with cooked peas, add cilantro if desired.

One-Pot (really!) Sausage Lentil Soup

Ciao tutti!

Here is a delicious and souper :) easy Sausage Lentil Soup recipe. Last year a lady in my Bible study brough it for dinner and it was a hit. I am pretty sure it's gluten free too - Julie you'd have to let me know on that one! :) I love it because it literally takes one pot to make this soup. Tonight I made it in about an hour and 20 minutes. 20 minutes to brown sausage & chop veggies and then 1 hour to let it all simmer together into yummy goodness! Great recipe for a momma with young and busy kiddos. Oh, and did I mention the kiddos eat this!?!? :)

Sausage Lentil Soup

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage (tonight I used Trader Joe's "Hoefbrau Brats" - you can use any sweet italian sausage though)
1 onion chopped
2 bell peppers chopped
2 carrots chopped
3 garlic clove pressed
1 bay leaf
1 qt. chicken broth
16 oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup water
3/4 dry lentils

Directions:
1. Take sausage out of casings and brown sausage, add veggies and saute for a few minutes.
- If you MUST drain the fat off of the browned sausage you can do so, however, I've found that if I buy a lean sausage there is no need to do so.

2. Add rest of ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Serve with dijon mustard (sounds funny but the soup isn't quite as tasty without a little dollop of dijon mustard stirred into each individual bowl!)