Okay, friends. I guess you thought I had given up on my food blog. Well, I had, really...but I just had a friend ask me for a recipe that I make for sausage potato soup. He absolutely loves it and whenever I make it, I always send a container of it over to his house next door.  He wanted to include it in his church cookbook. So, I took  a moment to actually write it down...and that was tough! I make so much of my food from memory & by instinct, I have a hard time getting it down to exact measurements. Now, I really do understand what my Mimi and my mom-in-law, Willadean, talk about when they say they just "know"...I hope I am getting that good! LOL


Since I had to write it down, I thought I would go ahead and post it on here. Yes, I know it is hot and maybe soup isn't striking your fancy right now...but one day, it will...and this soup is awesome! Let me know if you try it and what you think of it. Enjoy!

Sausage & Potato Soup

1 lb.     ground sausage, browned & drained

1          32 oz. package southern style frozen hash browns

1          26 oz. can of cream of chicken soup

1          32 oz. box chicken stock

2          cups 2% milk

2          cups half & half

3          cups water—a little more or less depending on desired thickness

2          tablespoons Zatarain’s Cajun seasoning

10        dashes of hot sauce—omit if you want or add more if you like it spicy

Salt & pepper to taste

Shredded cheese to garnish—preferably Colby-jack

Brown sausage in a skillet, draining the fat. Set aside.

To a large 5 qt. stock pot (I use cast iron) over medium-high heat, add cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, milk and half & half. Whisk until combined.

Then, add frozen hash browns & browned sausage. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Add Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, and salt & pepper. Begin adding the water as the mixture comes to a boil, starting with one cup at a time. Remember, you can always add more water—but can’t take away.

Once the soup has come to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer on low for at least 45 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Stir often so that the potatoes do not stick on the bottom of the pot.

Garnish with shredded cheese.

This soup is best served with hot skillet cornbread, hot out of the oven...preferably Mimi's cornbread. And if I posted that recipe on here, I would be in trouble. :)

Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Got this originally from Paula Deen--of course. I've tweaked it for my taste and had to double to recipe because--well, just because. :) Enjoy!

Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps--serves 6

1 head iceberg lettuce, washed, cored and leaves separated

2 lbs. uncooked shrimp--shelled, deveined, tails off and chopped

1 red bell pepper

1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained

3 tbsp. fresh grated ginger

3 gloves garlic, peeled and diced

4 tbsp. soy sauce, divided

6 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

4 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice

2 green onions, diced

Jasmine rice for serving (I use the Uncle Ben's--90 seconds in the microwave, baby!)

Step One

Combine 4 tbsp. oil, 2 tbsp. soy, lime juice, ginger & garlic in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step Two

Chop the red pepper & water chestnuts in the food processor until fine--they will almost make a paste. 

Step Three

In a large non-stick pan, heat the 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the green onions and the red pepper/water chestnut mixture. Cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Add the entire shrimp & marinade mixture to the pan. Cook another 5 minutes or until the shrimp are completely done. Layer the jasmine rice on a platter and cover it with this delicious shrimp concoction. Use a lettuce wrap like a tortilla, scooping a spoonful of the rice & shrimp into the lettuce leaf. Enjoy!

Vanilla Sugar & Strawberries

Today's entry is short--but I think it is awesome!

Vanilla Sugar
4 cups of sugar
2 vanilla beans

This is a simple yet fantastic way to use sugar. You will need an airtight container, like a Ball jar or something like that--large enough to hold the 4 cups of sugar. I use one of those jars with the latch and rubber seal. I like it because it is old fashioned, but use whatever you might have on hand.
Tip: The cheapest place I have found vanilla beans is at World Market. Most grocery stores are much more expensive.

Put the 4 cups of sugar in your chosen container.

Take the vanilla beans and lay them out flat on your cutting surface.
Take a sharp knife and slice the bean down the center, not cutting all the way through. Then, peel open the bean to expose the soft black paste of beans inside. Scrape that out with your knife and drop it in the sugar. Do this with both beans.

Now, take the scraped pods and drop them in the sugar container. Seal it then shake. This sugar will keep on your shelf for a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG time. If you ever use vanilla beans for anything else, simply drop the used beans in the container. NEVER WASTE THOSE EXPENSIVE BEANS!  Also, as you use the sugar, just add more to keep the container full.

I use this sugar in my tea with a little mint. You can basically use it whenever you have to add sugar and vanilla extract to any recipe. It just adds that special something and people will ask you makes it so good. :)

Here is my favorite use for the sugar...
After slicing up a pint of fresh strawberries, mix in 2-4 tablespoons of this vanilla sugar (depending on the tartness of the strawberries). Let them sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can also kick it up a notch by adding AT LEAST 2 tablespoons of amaretto. Serve this with a simple yellow cake or pound cake and some whip cream.  FABULOUS!

I'm Back!

Hello, friends! I guess you were wondering where I have been--or maybe you weren't. LOL  My husband told me that there were lots of people asking for different recipes from me and I thought, "Maybe I should do a blog...Oh, wait, I already HAVE a blog. Maybe I should just update it."  So, I logged on and I just realized that it has been since DECEMBER since I have posted anything. Geez!

So, for the summer, I am going to try to start back up again. Hopefully, I will be more faithful to it and others will also comment and share their ideas. Are you with me??

First off, a request from Yolanda Johnson. She would like an easy pasta recipe that her husband would like (since she HATES pasta).  Something simple that doesn't require a lot of ingredients...and not just simply a jar of Ragu and whatever dried pasta you have around (but what is really wrong with that when you are in a pinch, right?).  Yolanda, this one is one of Greg's favorites!

Baked Cheese Tortellini--I'm even giving you the name brands I use :)

Makes enough to feed 4 or 2 with leftovers

1 20 oz.pkg.  Buitoni fresh 3-cheese tortellini

1 26 oz. jar Ragu Garden Primavera spaghetti sauce

1 8 0z. container Belgioso marscapone cheese (Italian cream cheese, found in the specialty cheese aisle at any grocery store. It is in a small size dip container.)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 pan lightly with butter. 

Boil the tortellini until almost done (usually 3-5 minutes), according to the directions on the package. 

Do this next step while the tortellini is boiling. Pour spaghetti sauce into a large mixing bowl.  Add the marscapone cheese and whisk it together until well blended. 

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the tortellini out of the hot water and drop it into the spaghetti & marscapone mixture. It is fine if a little water gets in--the starch will add a nice thickness to the sauce. Once all of the tortellini is in the bowl, add 1/2 cup of the shredded Parmesan cheese and stir.

Then, pour this mixture into the greased casserole dish.  Top with mozzarella & a little more Parmesan. Bake 30-35 minutes or more, depending on your oven. The cheese should be a nice golden brown. Serve with a side salad and enjoy!

Snowballs!

One of the things I learned from Ina Garten is that you should have a few basic recipes that you know by heart and that just by changing a few key ingredients, you create something totally different. That is what this recipe is...a great basic cookie recipe that you can switch out the extract and flavorings to make something different each time. Tonight, I made snowballs using coconut extract--mainly because those are my favorite. My second favorite of this is using peppermint extract. Be creative and enjoy!




2 sticks butter, softened
¼ cup powdered sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2  tsp. salt
2 cups shredded coconut
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or good vanilla extract--no imitation :)
powdered sugar for rolling
               
 Preheat oven to 350.  Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add flour, extracts and salt.  Mix just until combined.  Using a large spoon, stir in the coconut.  Roll mixture into 1 inch balls and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  While cookies are hot, roll them in powdered sugar and let them cool on a wire rack.  

Sin in a Dish... LOL

This one is for Carlene. :)

Sin in a Dish

1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips--I like to use dark sometimes or mix it up and do half and half of bittersweet and semi-sweet. It is all according to your taste.

1  8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed

2 Snicker bars, chopped (I use the king size since I like a lot of Snickers)

1 1/4 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped nuts--I like peanuts or pecans

Graham crackers and pretzels for dipping

Preheat oven to 375.

Put chocolate chips and whipped topping in a microwave-safe bowl.  Cook in 30 second intervals, uncovered, whisking at each stopping point until all chips are melted. Total time is 1-2 minutes. Pour mixture into small baking dish.  Add chopped candy bars to mixture, sprinkling them so that the top is covered.  Top with marshmallows and sprinkle the nuts on top of the marshmallows.  Bake 8-10 minutes or a little longer if you used a lot of Snickers so that you are sure that they have melted. YUM!!!!

Easy Holiday Recipes

Okay, I apologize. I guess I am realizing that blogging may not be my thing--since I can't seem to put up a new post more than once a month--or even less it seems. LOL

I am going to try and make up for it starting today. Notice I said try. :)

Starting off, two dips that are easy and perfect for taking to holiday parties. Following this, another quick appetizer. Enjoy!

Mexican Corn Dip

2 cans Mexican corn, drained

2 jars of pimentos, drained

1 can diced green chiles--I use the fire-roasted ones

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese--I like to use pepper jack if everyone likes it spicy.     Then, I omit the chiles above--or I might leave them in--just depends on the crowd. 

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Shredded Parmesan & Jack cheese for the top

Grease a 13x9 pan. Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a bowl then pour into the greased pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

**You can also add black olives or more spices. Just adjust to your tastes and enjoy!

Refried Bean Dip

This might be the easiest recipe ever. 

2 cans refried beans--your preference on vegetarian, low fat or regular

2 package taco seasoning--use more or less, depending on your taste

3 cups monterey jack or Mexican blend cheese, shredded.

Grease a 13x9 pan. Preheat oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl, reserving 1 cup of cheese for the top. Pour into pan, sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes. More time may be needed if you double the recipe to be sure that all cheese is melted and the beans are warmed. Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips. 

And one more appetizer guaranteed to impress. :) LOL

Gouda with a Twist

1 package of Smoked Gouda, unwrapped. I usually buy mine in bulk and slice about a 2 inch thick slice.

1 package crescent rolls--I use Pillsbury

1 cup packed brown sugar

Wheat Thins for serving

Preheat oven to 375 (package directions). Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet to prevent sticking.

Take the crescent rolls out of the package and separate them into triangles. Lay them in a sun formation, leaving a hole in the middle and all the small points sticking out. The wide sides of the triangles should overlap. 

Lay the slice of Gouda in the center, covering the hole. Take the brown sugar and lay it on top of the Gouda.  Then, bring all the crescent rolls to a point over the Gouda, wrapping it like a present. At the center, twist the dough to form a seal. Be sure that all the sides are covered so that the brown sugar doesn't come out. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the crescent rolls are golden--may need a little more than that depending on your oven.  Serve with Wheat Thins. Delicious!