Fantastic Food

 So soup is one of my favorite family meals.  Whole meal in one pot? Yes please!  We eat it year-round because it's easy and hearty and delicious.  Even during the peak of summer heat you can bet I'll be cooking soup at least once a week (sooo thankful for AC!).  This particular soup recipe I have cooked a few times, and while I've tried it with a variety of different ingredients, I think I hit on the perfect  combination this last time.  Everyone was raving about it (except my husband, who happens to be trying an all-meat diet currently and had to pass on the soup for a giant steak; yes, he's crazy), and after I finished I was looking forward to eating more of it the next day for lunch (and it did not disappoint the second time either).  Ya'll should give it a try for sure... Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 13 oz. package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped 1 yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 3 medium...

We went to my in-law's home a year ago or so (no I don't hate them, they just live a 10 hour drive from me!) and my MIL made sausage pot pie.  I'd only ever had chicken pot pie, which, most of the time, I thought was just "okay".  The sausage pot pie was yummy.  My kids thought it was a gift sent from God from His own table.  My son loved it so much he requested it for his birthday dinner (a good 10 months from then).  And then every month he would bring it up again that he still wanted that for his birthday.  Well the pie was  really good, so I asked my MIL for the recipe.  I'll give you the bad news first:  It had canned EVERYTHING, the worst being a can of mushroom soup.  And store-bought pie crusts. First of all, store-bought crust tastes like cardboard.  It just does, so no thank you.  Also, I sorta have a thing against cooking with canned soups.  I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it is a "must cook from scratch" ...

"Hmmm, two pasta recipes in a row?" you say.  You must say that because you haven't been following every post and don't already know from the previous post that I accidentally-on-purpose bought too much tortellini at the store.  While Carbonara is most often made with long, slender pasta like spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, etc.....well, I had to do something  with that tortellini!  I therefore give you use #2 for cheese tortellini you need to use up--Carbonara. Now don't get too wigged out by the fact that the sauce in this recipe is made from eggs that will  appear to not be cooked.  We don't judge based on looks around here, so I'll thank you to conform to that while using this recipe.  The eggs are tempered , which essentially means that they are not raw, but sorta look that way still.  I promise it is delicious.  But if you need the reassurance, mentally, that you aren't eating raw eggs, I give you my solemn assurance.  Now you ma...

Total time: 20 minutes INGREDIENTS: 3 medium carrots, sliced 2 celery ribs, chopped 1/2 large onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 2-3 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 6 cups chicken broth 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham 1/2 tablespoon chili powder 3 cloves minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 bay leaf salt to taste INSTRUCTIONS: In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and bell pepper in butter until tender.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook for 15 minutes or until heated through. Discard bay leaf.                                 Yield:  7 servings.

I'm always on the lookout for a great, new, pork loin recipe, especially one that has ingredients I already own.  I get tired of chicken & turkey now and then, and pork loin, these days, can be just as healthy for you because of how lean it is.  Only problem is, I only know a few pork recipes, and only one of them is P90X approved.  So I found this one on cooking light, and it is AMAZING!!  check it out... INGREDIENTS: 1  (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice 3 tablespoons   canola oil, divided 1 tablespoon   chopped peeled fresh ginger 3  garlic cloves, minced 6 ounces   pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips   1/2 cup   shelled edamame (green soybeans) 1/2 cup   preshredded carrot 3/4 cup   diagonally cut green onions  (can substitute regular onion) 1/2 cup   (1/4-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper, each cut in half   2 tablespoons   low-sodium soy sauce 1/2 cup ...

1 medium onion, minced 2 green bell peppers, chopped 1 lb. bacon 3 Tbs. worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup Ketchup 1 15 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained (or crushed pineapple) 8-9 cups pork & beans (or 1 3lb., 5oz. can + 1 1lb. 15 oz. can) 1 cup brown sugar 2 Tbs. molasses 1 1/2 Tbs. red vinegar Directions: Cook bacon so that it's easily crumbled.  Using a couple Tbs. of leftover bacon grease, saute onion and peppers for 2 or 3 minutes, then add all remaining ingredients except  pork & beans.  Simmer for a few minutes, then mix with pork & beans in a large bowl.  Pour in a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour, uncovered.  (it might not all fit in the 9x13 dish, especially if you use more beans.  I typically cook it in the next size smaller and put the rest in another dish, then put them in the oven together.)  Serves 15 or so.

Yet another recipe from Tyler Florence, but with a few of my own changes. *This feeds a good size crowd, probably 15 or so depending on the appetites...   Ingredients Dry Rub: 3 tablespoons paprika 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon dry mustard 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt 1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce: 1 cup cider vinegar 2/3 cup yellow or brown mustard 1 cup ketchup 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon cayenne 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pan drippings from the pork *The sauce smells VERY strongly of vinegar (and this is quite a bit toned down from his original recipe), but don't worry--when mixed with the meat, it all comes together perfectly! 12 hamburger buns 1 recipe Cole Slaw, recipe follows Pickle spears, for serving Directions Mix the paprika, garlic power,...

This is a slightly altered version of a recipe I found on Food Network.  It's been my favorite chili so far! 1 pound pork sausage 2 pounds ground beef 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped 1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 2 28oz. cans chili beans 2 15oz. cans crushed tomatoes 2 large onions, finely chopped 1 28oz. can tomato sauce 1 tablespoon black pepper 3 tablespoons red chili powder 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper 1 generous cup ketchup 4 dashes hot sauce (or to taste) 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup water 3+ tablespoons sugar (to taste) Brown sausage in a frying pan, then drain and add to a large pot.  Brown beef in frying pan, then drain and add to the sausage.  Add all remaining ingredients to pot and simmer for 4 to 6 hours for best results (or pressure cook in instant pot on 5 minute manual setting). For those who like it hot hot, use HOT sausage ins...

I haven't had this for a while, but I made it for a friend the other day and remembered how delicious it is.  It's a recipe my Mom made for us growing up; to me it's a wonderfully homey, feel-good meal.  Here is what you'll need: 1 2lb. bag broccoli cuts 1lb. regular ground sausage 1 1/2 cans cream of mushroom soup 1 1/2 cups white rice 1. Cook rice on stove or in rice cooker according to package directions. 2.  Brown sausage. 3.  Cook broccoli according to package directions, and then drain all but about an 1/8 cup water. 4.  Combine broccoli, sausage, and soup together in the pot you cooked the broccoli in, and heat through on stove. 5.  Serve on or beside fluffed rice. You can serve this with baked potatoes instead of rice as well.   I've also put it with pasta and topped the mixture w/ cheese and baked it for 15 minutes.  It's a very versatile concoction, try something at let me know how it goes!