Zuppa Toscana

This recipe is a perfect copy cat of the original Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden. The warm, tender potatoes accompanied with the savory meats make it comfort food during those cold, winter months. This is one of my favorite soups. It is a hit with family and those we share it with every time.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled (I use Jimmy Dean)
1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped
1 quart water
(2) 14.5 cans (about 3 2/3 cup) chicken broth
2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean and cubed
2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed
1 small onion - peeled, chopped
2 cups kale or Swiss chard - chopped or torn
1 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain and set aside.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain and set aside.
Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chopped Kale and cream to pot. Season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Immitation Piroshky

Last year I went on a weekend getaway up to Seattle with some high school friends. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and all of the fun little places to eat. One of my friends became obsessed with Piroshky's, a little Russian bakery that makes sweet and savory stuffed breads. Having a sweet tooth I always went for the sweet breads, but my friend who raved about the savory breads let me try hers and it was fantastic. Well, here we are a year later. I was thrown back into time when I came upon this recipe from the My Kitchen Cafe food blog. It very much reminded me of Peroshky's savory breads. This recipe calls for the toppings you would put on a baked potato, but it is so much yummier in a warm roll. Go ahead and try your own variations.

Bread Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Filling
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 cups chopped ham (leftover ham or deli ham works great here)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli
2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss, Cheddar..options are limitless)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely chopped green onions

In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. I rolled my dough to about 13 inches by 17 inches.

In a small bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Spread the rolled out dough with the butter/cream cheese mixture. Top with the ham, broccoli, cheese, Parmesan cheese, and green onions. Roll the dough up, pinching the seam to seal. Slice the roll into about 1-inch segments. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until nearly doubled and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

John's Brownies

I made these brownies last night. The recipe is from my sister-in law, who got them from her friend's, husband's, sister's niece...etc. I am not sure if its origin can be traced, but I will tell you this, they are fantastic (the best ever perhaps) if you can get the frosting just right.

Ingredients:

2 sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour

Add ingredients in the order listed. Bake in a greased 9x13 pan at 350 for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before spreading the frosting.

Frosting: In a sauce pan mix:
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup cocoa
1/8 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. corn syrup

Boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Take off stove. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Place pan in a cold water bath. Add powdered sugar to thicken to desired consistency (about 1 cup). Frosting will be thick, yet spreadable.

Grape Tomato Caprese Salad

This picture isn't great, but the salad is. I made this as a side to our dinner. We didn't eat it all so I used it the next day as a topping on my grilled pizza. It was super yummy both ways.

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered... or not.
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and patted dry
1 cup chopped fresh basil

In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes so that the tomatoes give up some of their juices.

Add the mozzarella cheese and basil. Drizzle the vinegar and olive oil over the tomatoes and mozzarella. Toss in the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This isn't a recipe that screams summer-time meal, but I had all the stuff on hand, it was easy, and it tasted good in my mouth. I got this one from www.picky-palate.com.

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Rice Casserole

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

½ lb diced ham

2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast

4 Tablespoons butter

¼ Cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

14 oz can chicken broth

3 Cups cooked rice of choice (I used white long grain)

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Cup shredded mozzarella or swiss cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil into a large 5 qt rimmed skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ham and chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Melt butter then stir in flour, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly stir in chicken broth until well combined. Stir in cooked rice then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cover the dish with foil the last 10 minutes for oozing cheese.

Delish Bread

"Grandma Sidney Wallaces Bread"

Here is my grandma's bread recipe. It is absolutley delish. I copied this word for word, but added a few of my own. I use half whole wheat flour and half bread flour. You can experiment and do what you want. I do use lecithin and glutin flour. I also half the recipe because it makes a lot for me. If you have any questions let me know.

Ingredients:

14 c flour (Any flour may be used; white, unbleached, whole wheat, rye, triticale, bread flour, etc. I use “bread flour” for white bread, and use “some” bread flour in the other kinds of bread. For “whole wheat” bread I use 5 or 6 C. stone-ground whole wheat flour with bread flo

5 c lukewarm water
1 ½ c powdered milk (If fresh milk is used follow directions for “scalding.)

1 c (2 squares) melted margarine.

1 c honey (or brown sugar or white sugar)

2 Tbs salt

Softened yeast (proofed): 1 Tbs + s t. yeast in ½ c lukewarm water with a Tbs sugar. Stir and let bubble).

Optional, but fantastic:

2 “globs” liquid lecithin.

¾ c gluten flour (expensive kind)

Directions:

Pour lukewarm water in mixing bowl, add melted fat, sweetener (honey, etc.) and salt, and start mixing.

Gradually add about 4 c of the flour, then the powdered milk, gluten flour, and lecithin. (Lecithin is very “sticky.” Pour it into the dough, wipe lip of bottle with paper towel without touching lecithin. Discard towel.)

Add more of the flour and then add the softened yeast. (The yeast must be added only after part of the flour has been added. If done before, the yeast will bond to the fat and not be as effective.)

Keep adding the flour until the mix is no longer “sticky,” but is a soft dough. If mixing with a dough hook, knead the dough for about 8 min. If by hand, knead the dough for about 10-15 min. This is important!

[I then let the dough rise in my oven, no heat, until doubled in size. I place the dough in a big bowl and cover it with a towel. I also occasionally spray the dough with water so it doesn’t dry out. I placed the dough in greased bread pans and let rise till I thought it looked right. I took them out of the oven and then heated it and baked the bread as grandma wrote, well minus about 6 minutes because it was done, so watch your bread. I let the bread cool for a few minutes then took it out of the pans and let cool on racks.]

Pre-heat oven to 500˚. Put bread in oven while lowering to 450˚. Bake at 450˚ for only 5 min, then lower oven heat to 375˚ for remaining 20-25 min.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

I got this recipe from my sister in-law last week and made it for our family and for a friend's family. It was wonderful comfort food. I decided everyone needs a good ol' Chicken Pot Pie recipe. This is a great one. It is actually the Betty Crocker recipe straight from the cookbook.

Ingredients for Filling:

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas & carrots (1 1/2 pkg)

1/3 cup margarine or butter (1/2 cup butter)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour (1/2 cup flour)

1/3 cup chopped onion (1/2 cup)

1/2 tsp. salt (3/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp. pepper (1/3 tsp pepper)

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (2 2/3 cup)

2/3 cup milk (1 cup)

2 1/2 to 3 cups cut-up chicken or turkey (3ish cups)

Directions for Filling:

Rinse frozen peas & carrots to separate. Drain. Heat margarine/butter in large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Stir in flour, onion, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is bubbly then briefly remove from heat while you stir in broth & milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil & stir for 1 minute. Stir in chicken & vegetables.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry.

Ingredients for 10" Pastry:

1 cup shortening or butter (1 1/2 cups butter)

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (3 1/3 cups flour)

1 tsp. salt (1 1/2 tsp salt)

7-8 tablespoons cold water (14ish Tbs)

Directions for 10" Pastry:

Cut shortening/butter into flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans sides of bowl (1-2 tsp more water can be added, if needed).

Gather pastry and form into 2 balls. Roll out one ball until it is big enough to cover bottom and sides of pan. Press firmly against bottom & side. Then roll out 2nd ball to lay on top. Pour filling into pie. Seal up sides of pie by pinching, fork, etc. and trim off excess.

**Baking Instructions: Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Sister in-law's Addendum:

So I made this last week. No it wasn't the quickest & easiest recipe ever but I found it to be very do-able and basic. The filling was a cinch and the pastry was...well a pastry. Mine WAS NOT pretty but it was very tasty. As per my friend's recommendation, I 1 1/2 X both parts of the recipe (see adjusted measurements in italics above). It filled up a 9x13 nicely. I know you can make a couple at a time to freeze. It was delicioso!!!

Lemon Tiramisu Cake

I mentioned this recipe to Kristi and she asked me to post it so she could make it. It looks like a bit of work, but I am sure it is delish! My husband doesn't like lemon dessert, so I have never made it. If any of you make this cake, let me know how it turns out. I might just have to make it anyway.

Ingredients
Cake: 6 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups sifted cake flour
Filling:
½ cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 (10-ounce) jar lemon curd, divided
Glaze and garnishes:
¼ cup lemon liqueur (substitute with a few tsp lemon extract)
½ cup prepared lemonade
Confectioners’ sugar
Lemon slices, optional

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Line with wax paper. Grease wax paper.
2. To prepare cake, place egg whites in a large bowl. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat until frothy with a mixer at high speed. Gradually add granulated sugar. Beat until peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Place egg yolks in a small bowl; beat with a fork. Add lemon and vanilla extracts. Fold yolk mixture into egg whites. Gradually fold in flour. Spread evenly in pan.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
5. To prepare filling, beat whipping cream and granulated sugar with a mixer at high speed, until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
6. Combine Mascarpone cheese and confectioners’ sugar; beat well with a mixer at medium speed. Blend in ricotta cheese. Add vanilla, lemon rind and 1/3 cup lemon curd; mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Mascarpone mixture into the remaining lemon curd.
7. To prepare glaze, combine lemon liqueur and lemonade.
8. To assemble, remove wax paper from cake. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice cake into three layers. Place one layer on a serving plate. Brush with about ¼ cup of the glaze and spread with about 1½ cups of the Mascarpone filling. Repeat with the second layer. Top with the third layer and brush with remaining glaze. Spread with remaining lemon curd. Frost sides of the cake with remaining Mascarpone filling. Refrigerate several hours to overnight.
9. Just before serving, dust cake with confectioners’ sugar and garnish with lemon slices, if desired. Serves 8 to 12.
americanprofile.com

Sausage Cups

A few of you asked for this recipe. It's super easy and always a crowd pleaser- especially with the guys.

1 lb. regular sausage
1 lb. spicy sausage
2- 8 oz. cream cheese
1 onion
2 packages crescent rolls

Brown all of the sausage and the onion together. Mix in the cold cream cheese and stir all together (you can make this part the day before if you want to). Unroll your crescent rolls and press the rectangles together. Cut them into squares (you should be able to get 24 squares out of 1 package of crescent rolls). Place rolls into mini muffin tins. Place a scoop of sausage mixture into roll. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until the crescent roll is browned and the sausage mixture is hot. Enjoy!

Avocado, Tomato, and Mango Salsa!!

I made this super yummy and oh so easy salsa for the big game and it was a crowd pleaser!!  Enjoy!

• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1 mango-peeled, pitted, and diced
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

I used two avocado's, and forgot to put in the jalapeno, and it was still fantastic.  This would also be tasty over fish or chicken!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I just made this up last night and it turned out to be a great (& cheaper) alternative to fish tacos, but still keeps that light, fresh taste!

3 Boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (I use tenderloins which cook in about 20 min.)
1 Bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
4-5 Limes, juiced
1/2 Head lettuce, shredded
4-5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 Avocado, sliced or in chunks
Corn tortillas
(Taco seasoning sprinkled on chicken if desired)

After chicken is cooked and shredded, squeeze some lime juice over the top and, if desired, some taco seasoning. Fill tortilla with chicken, top with cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes and avocados (and more lime juice if desired).

My hubby also brought out the salsa and shredded cheese to add to his. Don't Forget the rice black beans and perhaps some pico de gallo!

This is a blog that my sisters in law and a couple of friends have started and contribute recipes to. They are recipes that are tried and true. The only recipes that get contributed to the blog are ones that we have made for our families and they go in if they were a hit. It is a really fun blog and I wanted to share it. It has amazing recipes and will continue to have more amazing recipes as time goes on.

If anyone is interested in taking a button for their own blog... you can take one from the sidebar on The Recipe Society blog. Please take one so that you can share our blog with your friends and family. All you have to do is copy the HTML code underneath the blog button in the sidebar and paste the HTML code to your sidebar.

And if anyone tries any of the recipes OR if you have any questions about any of the recipes, please feel free to comment on The Recipe Society blog. Your questions will be answered as soon as possible and you can let us all know how you enjoyed it.

Happy Cooking !

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice-Box Cake

I posted this on my blog, and Kristy asked me to post it here too!

So today for Family Night I made this heavenly dessert. It was seriously so easy to make and it tasted so amazing! I just had to share. It is from Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine, which is my all-time go to mag for recipe ideas!!

• 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/3 cup smooth natural peanut butter (not unsalted)
• 1 box (9 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whip 1 1/2 cups cream with sugar until soft peaks form. In a small bowl, whisk peanut butter until soft and smooth; whisk in 1/2 cup cream until light and fluffy. Fold peanut-butter mixture into whipped cream until incorporated.
2. Dab the bottom of 6 cookies with a very small amount of cream mixture and arrange in a circle on a serving plate; place 1 cookie in the middle of circle. Top with cup cream mixture, spreading outward to cover all but outer edges of cookies. Repeat process five more times (staggering the cookie layers), ending with cream. Cut 3 cookies in half; decorate top of cake with cookie halves.
3. Refrigerate cake at least 8 hours (or up to overnight). To serve, cut into wedges with a serrated knife.

I refrigerated mine for about 6 hours, and then put it in the freezer about an hour before I served it! Enjoy!!

Shepherd's Pie

2 lbs. all purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
salt and pepper
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup apple or white grape juice
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 10-oz. pkg frozen peas, thawed
1 10-oz. pkg frozen corn, thawed
Cheese

1. Boil potatoes until tender. Drain - (OR, I used one package of the instant potatoes from Costco and they worked great.) Add milk, cream cheese, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Mash or stir together until smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brown the beef. Add 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Remove beef from cooking skillet.
3. In the same skillet that you browned the beef, add the onions and carrots. Add 1/4 each of salt and pepper. Cook vegetables for about 8 minutes, or until tender. Add the juice. Cook for 2 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in the thyme and reserved beef with any juices.
4. In a 9x13 dish, spread half of the mashed potatoes in an even layer. Top with beef/vegetable mixture and then the thawed peas and corn. Spoon remaining mashed potatoes over the veggies to cover filling. Top with desired amount of cheese and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melting and a little bit golden brown.