Sausage & Potato Soup

YUMMY!!! This is one of my new favorite soups ... it's been a while since we've had Ham and Potato Soup but I think I enjoy this one more ... LOTS of flavor!!! Sydney finished her dinner in record time tonight!!! (And that's a huge accomplishment) I used maple sausage which added a lot to the flavor of the soup ... I might try an Italian sausage next time as a comparison but this was DE-LICIOUS!!! Served with Onion and Cheddar Biscuits ... I'll blog that recipe on another day :-)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion/scallion
• 3/4 cup sliced carrots
• 1 pound sausage
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper, or to taste
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• Garnish: Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Green Onion

Directions:

1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, carrots, water and chicken broth in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook sausage over medium high until done, about 10 minutes. Drain any grease from sausage and add sausage the stockpot a long with the salt and pepper.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Chicken with Wine Sauce (Hubby's Recipe)

Here's the recipe for our dinner that my wonderful Hubby made tonight ... it was very tasty :-) He served this over linguine noodles with steamed broccoli and caesar salad for sides!

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
2. Melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm. 
3. Add mushrooms and white wine to skillet. Cook, stirring continually, for about 2 minutes.
4. Add parsley and heavy cream to skillet. Cook over low heat stirring continually until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. 
5. Serve sauce over chicken and ENJOY!!

Strawberry Shortcake

This is one our favorite desserts and while I can't claim to have made any of the "ingredients", I still wanted to share this DELICIOUS "recipe" :-)

Ingredients:

• Pound Cake (toasted ... this make a huge difference)
• Strawberries, sliced
• Whipped Cream
• Chocolate Sauce (my favorite is Chocolate Espresso Merlot!!!) 

Directions:

Cut the pound cake (from Costco) into 3/4" slices and toast. The toasted Pound Cake holds up so nicely against the juices of the strawberries and adds another texture to the dish! Normally I just pop them into the toaster but when entertaining large groups, it works great to put them on a cookie sheet and in the oven on broil for 2-4 minutes per side. Once toasted, top with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate sauce ... I highly recommend a Chocolate Espresso Merlot!!! So many of my favorite things in one dish: coffee, vino, chocolate and fruit ... makes me want to go back for seconds :-)

Baked Tilapia w/ Mango Peach Salsa

I was looking for something quick and easy (and healthy ... shhh!) to make for dinner and have been wanting to try my hand at Tilapia for some time now ... Prior to tonight I have yet to prepare, cook, or consume Tilapia, but after tonight it will me a staple in our home. This was GREAT!!! I made 3 Tilapia fillets for our family of 4, which worked out great for us, and served the fish with Sticky Lemon Rice and an Italian Spinach Salad ...

Ingredients:

• 3 (4 oz) Tilapia Fillets 
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Lemon Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon Butter
• 2/3 cup Mango Peach Salsa (I love the brand from Costco!!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 
2. Coat bottom of baking dish with olive oil and place Tilapia fillets in dish. 
3. Season with desired amounts of salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. Flip fillets and season again. (At this point, I allowed the fillets to marinate for about 45 minutes) 
4. Prior to baking, drop 1 teaspoon butter in the dish.
5. Place in preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes.
6. Remove from over and cover each fillet with Mango Peach Salsa. Return to oven and cook for addition 2 minutes. (Fish should flake easily with a fork when cooked)
7. Serve and enjoy :-)

Slow Cooker Chicken

This is a recipe that I received from my Hubby's Cousin's Wife ... and I LOVE it!!! It's so SIMPLE and VERSATILE that I make sure to have all 3 ingredients on hand at all times :-) I have used this chicken recipe for everything from Tacos and Tostadas to Mexican Salads and Enchilada Casseroles.

Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 10-12 Sweet Banana Wax Peppers (with about 1/4 cup juice)
• 1 cup Italian Salad Dressing (homemade or store bought) 

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook until chicken is done (I've made this on both Low and High settings with thawed and frozen chicken, adjusting the cooking time accordingly)
2. Remove the cooked chicken and shred.
3. Remove and dice the peppers, discarding the stems.
4. Combine the shredded chicken and diced peppers and add desired about of cooking broth from the slow cooker. 

From here, the possibilities are endless :-) 

All ready to cook ... and no prep dishes :-) YAY!

 Shredded and ready to enjoy with all the "accessories"

Tostada - My fav!

(Side note: on our old kitchen's counter top ... )

Soft Taco - Hubby's fav!

(And the new kitchen's counter top!!!)

Citrus Teriyaki Salmon w/ Mushroom Rice

Opted for something with some "Spring" flavor for dinner tonight even though we are expecting a "huge" snow storm ... it was very refreshing and the Hubby and Kiddos loved it! Served with sour dough and sauteed brussels sprouts. Enjoy ... 

 Citrus Teriyaki Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon fillet
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons lemon pepper, divided
• 1 ½  teaspoon garlic powder, divided
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons ginger
• 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

Directions

1. Rub salmon with about 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Lightly sprinkle with lemon pepper and garlic powder; rub seasoning into fish.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake to mix.
3. Add salmon to bag and allow 30 - 60 minutes to marinate.
4. Preheat broiler. Place fish in a foil-lined baking pan drizzled with additional olive oil. Reserve marinade.
5. Pour remaining marinade into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer for about 7 minutes.
6. Broil fish skin-side up, 2 minutes. Remove from oven, pull skin off with tongs. Baste with marinade, return to oven, and broil 2 minutes more. Turn fish, and broil until fish flakes easily, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven, and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Mushroom Rice with Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 ½  cups water
• ¾  cup uncooked jasmine rice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook mushrooms, garlic and onion until mushrooms are cooked and liquid has evaporated.
2. Add rice and water to rice cooker. Stir in mushroom, garlic and onion mixture along with parsley.
3. Cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and parmesan.

Serve and enjoy :-)

Seared Scallops over Linguine with a Red Pepper Sauce

This turned out great! It was DELICIOUS ... if I do say so myself :-) Lylah LOVED the scallops (hence the pic of her I've included) and I hope you enjoy them just as much should you try this recipe. I served it with blanched and sautéed green beans and three cheddar bread.

Ingredients:
1 cup Heavy Cream
½ cup Half & Half
1 T Minced Garlic
1 large Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped (or 2 small peppers)
Dash Sugar
1/8 t White Pepper
1 T Lemon Juice
¾ t Cajun Seasoning (more or less to taste)
Dash Cayenne Pepper
20 Scallops – sprinkled with add’l Cajun Seasoning
1 T Butter
1 T Olive Oil
1 T Minced Garlic
7 oz Linguine Noodles (cooked according to directions)
Directions
1. Combine the bell peppers, heavy cream, half & half and sugar in a pot and bring to boil over medium heat; reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the cream reduces to about 1 cup, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Cajun seasoning, lemon juice, salt, white pepper, and cayenne pepper.
2. Pour the sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.
3. While the sauce is cooking, heat oil and butter over medium heat.
4. Add garlic and scallops. Sear scallops on each side for 2-3 minutes or until done.
5. Place the seared scallops over the pasta and drizzle the red pepper sauce over top.