Sausage and Tortellini Soup

If I had to pick one soup and designate it as my absolute favorite, I think it would be a tie between this soup and French Onion Soup. But because my boyfriend is not a fan of French Onion Soup, I make this soup a lot. More than any other soup. As I build my blog, you'll notice that my soups are broth based. I believe that you can get a great soup without all the extra fat and calories and I love that wine is so easily used in soups and the flavor it adds is unbeatable. What I love most about this soup, besides its incredible flavor, is how easy it is.

I like a little bite to this soup so I use Italian hot sausage and sweet sausage. Feel free to use whichever fits your taste buds the best though.

Sausage and Tortellini Soup

(photo courtesy of all recipes.com)

1 lb. Italian sausage (sweet, mild or hot), casings removed (or you can use ground)

1 medium Vidalia Onion, roughly chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

6 cups beef broth

1 cup dry red wine (I use a dry Cab or shiraz)

4 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes (I like to get ones seasoned with garlic or basil for more flavor)

(if you want to use fresh tomatoes, you'll need about 4 large tomatoes, seeded peeled and chopped)

1 cup sliced carrots

3-4 large basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 - 8 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups sliced zucchini

8-10 ounces of fresh tortellini (frozen or bagged work also)

1) In a stock pot, brown the sausage until cooked through. Remove sausage and reserve 2 tablespoons of grease from the sausage. Sauté onions and garlic in the drippings from the sausage.

2) Add beef stock, wine, tomatoes, carrots, basil (I make it look like confetti), oregano, tomato sauce and sausage to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil for about 20 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 3-4 hours. (you can do less cooking time, I prefer my soups that get to sit in the pan for a while and get happy)

3) Stir in the zucchini and cook for another 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last ten minutes. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese

4) ENJOY!

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Lightened Up, Kicked up Baked Pasta

If you're like me, a simple pasta dish is always a great meal to have on deck for those busy week nights. But all too often for me, I have hopes of something being delicious and it falls short of my expectations. I adapted this recipe from one I saw on a recipe site that I frequent...a lot. It's probably considered stalking at this point lol. But it looked delicious and easy and I just needed to give it a try. From start to finish this dish took about 35-45 minutes (and most of that time was in the oven

The verdict: IT WAS AWESOME!!! It simply was awesome. And even better for leftovers the next day. And since its lightened up, you won't find yourself having to run 121 miles to burn it off. I hope you enjoy!!

Lightened Up, Kicked up Baked Pasta

 

1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese

8 oz. Fat Free Ricotta

8 oz Part Skim shredded Mozzarella Cheese

13 oz Hot Italian Sausage, casings removed

Box of high fiber Penne Pasta

Olive Oil

3 Cloves of Garlic, chopped

6-8 Cups fresh Kale, stems removed and roughly chopped

Salt and Pepper

1 1/2 jars of your favorite Marinara Sauce

1) Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees. Using your Misto (or favorite cooking spray), spray a glass casserole dish

2) Cook your noodles according to package directions, but remove 4 minutes before they would be Al Dente

3) In a medium bowl, combine together the Ricotta and half the mozzarella cheese and half of the parmesan cheese.

4) While your noodles are cooking, heat a deep skillet on medium high heat. Add the sausage and break up into rough pieces until it is cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Using a little bit of the grease from the sausage, sauté the garlic for a minute or two. Add in the kale, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 8 minutes. If you use spinach you will only need to cook it for a minute or two. Add the sausage back into the pan and add the marinara sauce. Cook on low for about 5 minutes to incorporate all of these wonderful flavors.

5) Once the noodles are done, drain them and place half of them in the glass casserole dish. Use a little less than half of your sauce mixture and coat the noodles then top them with the ricotta mixture. Then add in the remainder of the noodles and use the rest of the sauce to coat those. Top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese that you set aside and cover with aluminum foil.

6) Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 8-10 minutes to melt the cheese.

When I serve this, I garnish it with a little bit more parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes.



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Bella's Perfectly Chocolate Cupcake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

It's all in the name!!

My amazing and wonderfully smart daughter turns 4 tomorrow! And a few days ago I asked her what kind of cupcakes she would like me to make for her birthday party. I thought that she would give me a shoulder shrug, say "a good one",  or just stare at me like they do in cartoons when they are waiting for the children to answer a question. To my surprise, my little girl tugged at my heart strings and said "CHOCOLATE MOMMA". In her really dainty but excited voice and with a smile that went from ear to ear. Well....in our house on Bella's birthday, if she wants a chocolate cupcake she's going to get one hell of a chocolate cupcake!!!

But...in true fashion, I needed a test run on the recipe. After all, I can't be posting about delicious cupcakes when I've not tried them and I certainly needed some extra practice on my piping skills (don't let the picture fool you, I still have a loonnnnngggg way to go before a perfectly frosted cupcake comes natural to me). And my mom and my nephew joined us for dinner last night so I just knew I had the right crowd to try them out on.

Please don't let the lengthy list of ingredients scare you away. I promise you that these are all ingredients you should have on hand and the few extra steps result in a much better cupcake than a boxed cake mix can deliver.
The frosting is also very much worth a little extra time too.

The verdict: Well...you be the judge. Last night I gave Bella, Landon, Shawn and my Mom their cupcakes and set mine down on the little table the kids were sitting at. In the time that it took me to walk 10 steps into the kitchen, pour myself a glass of milk, then make the 10 step trek back to the living room, both kids had not only devoured their own cupcakes, but they split mine in half and shoved it in their mouths. How could I be upset when I'm looking at the faces of a 3 and 4 year old with lips covered in frosting and them laughing and smiling at me? You just can't. Good thing I had more in the kitchen or those kids would have had another thing coming LOL.

I hope you enjoy this easy yet so so delicious recipe. And fittingly, I'm naming it after my daughter since she is the reason that I made them!!

Bella's Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting

Cake:                                                               

1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 c. HOT water
1 c. Buttermilk
2 c. White Sugar
2  Eggs
1/2 c. Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla
2 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 c. Heavy Cream

Directions:
1) In a medium size bowl, combine the Cocoa Powder and hot water and whisk until the coca powder is completely dissolved.

2) Slowly add in the buttermilk to the cocoa powder mixture to cool it down, then add in the white sugar and whisk until its well combined.

3) Next, add in the egg and vanilla and continue to mix.

4) Combine together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, powder, soda and salt) in a small bowl then slowly add it to the chocolate mixture until there are no lumps.

5) Stir in the heavy cream until it is mixed in.

6) Pour into lined cupcake or mini cupcake tins and bake on 350*F for 18-22 minutes. Be sure to pull them out just before an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow these to come to room temperature and for best results, allow them to chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes after coming to room temp.

Salted Caramel Buttercream
1/4 c. White Sugar

2 T. Water

1/4 c. Heavy Cream

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla

1/2 c. Butter, softened

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 package Dream Whip

3 C. Powdered Sugar

1) To make your own caramel sauce - combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir. Over medium high heat, bring this to a boil and allow it to cook UNSTIRRED until the mixture becomes a deep amber color (about 10 minutes).

2) Remove from the heat, allow to cool off for a few minutes, then slowly add in the heavy cream and vanilla. You must do this slowly because adding it all at once will shock the hot sugar mixture and clump it up. Stir until the sauce is velvety smooth. Let the caramel cool off (about 20 minutes) until its barely warm but still pourable.

**if you prefer to use prepared caramel sauce, use just under half a cup of it**
3) Cream butter and salt until it is fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add dry dream whip packet. Next beat in the powdered sugar until the mixture is well combined. Add the caramel and continue to beat on medium, scrapping the sides as needed. You want it to be a light and fluffy consistency that is firm. If it is too runny its probably because the caramel was too warm. Just chill the frosting for a little longer or add a little more powdered sugar. The cupcakes should be cooled off before frosting.

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Award Winning Apple Pie

There are a wealth of fond memories that I have from my childhood. All of them involve, in some way or another, being with family. I am one of three children, my mom one of four children, my grandmother was one of three or four children....you get the point. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas revolved around the thanks of the season, God, and gathering at my Grandma and Grandpa's home to share the joys that we had in our lives.

When my Grandmother passed away (I was in 4th grade) I started to see that she was the glue that kept our family together. Each year after that, fewer and fewer family members gathered and soon my Aunt began to host Thanksgiving at her home. It was important for that tradition to become someone else's joy but in a way, it never replaces those memories of being at Grandma and Grandpa's. But...when my Aunt took over the hosting duties one of the things that she improved was the dessert spread! I am talking 20+ pies, all different varieties, shapes, you name it. I remember one year going over early (I may have even spent the night, I'm not positive) and I was challenged with the task of helping her prepare the pies. It is a great memory that I hold dear in my heart. I'm not sure how it happened, but the following year or two my Aunt made me responsible for the Apple Pies, and I can remember what she said to this day. She said "Since everyone liked your apple pie better....". Which is NOT true. I used the same recipe that she used, I just think she wanted to pass along the task of peeling those pesky things lol.

Well....somewhere between that Thanksgiving and 8 years ago, I misplaced the recipe that I was using. Now, I know some people might say apple pie is apple pie. And in some cases, this is true. But its about having the perfect pie crust recipe, the right blend of apples, the right balance of cinnamon and sugar and just the perfect touch of love. That's what makes a great apple pie. So, once I realized that I had lost this pie recipe, I went searching for one that could hold its own. Maybe even trick people into thinking it was the same. The recipe that I found and adopted as my own was highly recommend and flaunted as a "Pie that has won hundreds of pie competitions". Really? How can you go wrong??!

I have used this recipe, with some tweaking to make it my own, for the last 8 years and really have gotten some wonderful feedback on it.

I hope that your family enjoys this Apple Pie just as much as mine does. I would LOVE to hear your feedback!

(picture courtesy of images.google.com)


Melissa's Gooey Apple Pie

1 Homemade Pie Crust (my recipe is below)

10 T. unsalted butter

3 T all-purpose flour

1/4 c. water

2/3 c. white sugar

2/3 c. dark brown sugar

3 T Apple Pie Seasoning (or use a mixture of nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon), divided

8-10 medium sized apples (I use combination of: golden delicious, granny smith, cortland, and jonagold), peeled, cored and sliced

** for any type of dish that calls for baking apples, AVOID these varieties: McIntosh, Red Delicious, and Fuji**

Homemade Pie Crust:
4 c. all purpose flour

1 3/4 c. shortening

3 T. white sugar

2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. cold water

1 egg

For the Crust:1) Combine all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Blend together with a pastry cutter until crumbly.

2) In a small bowl, mix egg with water. Blend into flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Pie: 

(preheat oven to 425 F)

1) In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour to form a paste. I add in 1 Tablespoon at a time until a paste is made (sometimes i'll use the allotted amount, sometimes it takes more or less). Add in the white and brown sugar and water to the flour paste you've made and bring the mixture to a boil. Add in 2T of apple pie seasoning, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, place the bottom crust into your lightly sprayed pie dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and poke a few holes in it with a fork so that it doesn't bubble up. Bake in the 425* oven for 5-6 minutes. This will prevent the bottom crust from being too soggy when you eat it. To me this is a key step.

3) Once you've 'pre-baked' the bottom crust, fill the crust with the sliced apples and mound it.  The filling will reduce while it bakes so be generous but not over-zealous with the mounding here. Pour 2/3 of the brown sugar mixture over the sliced apples. Add your top crust, using a lattice technique. Pour the remaining mixture ERY SLOWLY over the lattice work, sprinkle with remaining apple pie spice and put into the oven. Cover the edges of the crust with a baking shield or aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes on 425F. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for 35-45 minutes. Remove the shield from the edges of the crust when the pie has about 15 minutes remaining on it. This will allow that crust to be cooked but not burnt.

4) Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing. You'll have better luck keeping a nice shape to the pie this way. Serve with milk or vanilla bean ice cream to take this over the top!

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My Family's Chili

Growing up, I remember cooking being a shared task between my mom and dad. Each had their own dishes that only they could rock and was therefore always in charges of. Among my dad's dishes was his chili. Oh his chili....... Over the last few years, I have honed in on what makes his chili better than anyone else's and I think I have come pretty darn close to matching it. I'd be willing to take on Bobby Flay in case anyone has him on speed dial and wants to see a Throwdown. LOL

Of course I add in my own flare every now and then to make it my own but the underlying taste is pretty much just like his. Even though he'll probably never read this, thanks Dad for showing me how to make a mean pot of chili (that inevitably won me the heart of Shawn lol). I hope I won't be shunned for sharing this recipe with the world (ok...maybe not the world but still....)

I will warn you ahead of time...I am HORRIBLE at gauging what I put in so you may end up with two pots. But really, our family motto is "there's never too much chili". For the readers, I have tried my best at reducing the ingredients to just make one pot.

Gould Family Chili

2 - 14.5 oz cans Tomatoes, Diced (I like to get seasoned ones but its a preference, really)

1 - 14.5 oz can Tomato Sauce

2 cans Dark Red Kidney Beans, (not sure on the weight but same size can as the tomatoes), rinsed and drained

1 can Chili Beans

1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 pound Ground Beef (I prefer 80/20 in my chili)

1 medium to large Green Bell Pepper, diced

1 small White Onion, diced

2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1-2 jalapeno pepper, sliced (depending on how spicy you like it)

Water

Chili Powder

Paprika

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Dried Minced Onion

1) In a skillet on medium heat, cook your beef until it starts to produce a good amount of grease. Dump the grease and add a healthy dose of chili powder and cook until no longer pink. I break it up but not too much. Its nice to have some chunk-age in your chili lol.

2) Meanwhile, put the pot that you'll be cooking your chili in on medium heat and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans. Do not drain/rinse the chili beans. Bring this to a boil and add the beef when its done cooking.

3) In the skillet you used for the beef, put 1 T of reserved grease and add the white onion and green pepper. Sauté until the veggies are crisp but not raw, maybe 5-6 minutes. Halfway through, add the garlic and jalapeno. Slice the jalapeno in half lengthwise (from stem to bottom), seed it, then cut in thin slices and add it to the green pepper/onion mixture. Season this mixture with some salt and pepper and add it to the pot with the tomatoes and such.

4) Now for the tricky part. Add your seasonings to taste. I don't measure them, I used taste as my measuring spoon. Go healthy with it. These seasonings will give your chili the depth of flavor and the rich color. If I had to guess - I would say I start with about 5-6 T of chili powder, 3-4 seconds of shaking of the other seasonings. I know I know....I apologized in the beginning for this part. It really is all taste.

5) Once all the seasonings are in the pot and the chili has began to boil, turn the heat down a bit, cover and allow it to cook 4-5 hours, stirring occasionally. Make sure you don't burn it. You'll want the chili to be thick but not THICK. Add water little by little to get the right consistency. Don't make it too soupy though. That's a big NO NO.

The flavor of the chili drastically changes the longer its cooked. We don't eat the chili right away. I'll get it all cooking around 9am and we'll eat it for dinner that night. And keep tasting it as you go and add seasonings as you need to. I guess its good to start off light until you know where your flavor preference lands.

I love to garnish mine with some sour cream and cheddar cheese while Shawn likes his plain.

**Note, if you find that the chili is too spicy, add a little drop of honey to mellow the heat out. Taste and repeat until its just right. This works on all dishes, not just chili. If you find that its not spicy enough ADD ANOTHER JALAPENO!!!

If you get bored with having the same thing for dinner, try these variations that we are rather fond of:
Chili Mac

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Chili and Cheese Nachos

Chili Cheese Burritos
Taco Salad

(I will update this with a picture when I get home tonight)

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Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

A few weeks ago my Facebook feed was nothing but posts about this friend and that friend going to The Cheesecake Factory. I have never been there...which as insane as it sounds, it might have to stay that way. I think the nearest one is about 25 minutes from my house so it's not that it's too far to drive to. Even though I've never looked at the prices, I'm sure it's an affordable date night option for my boyfriend and I. It's not the inability of the menu items to tickle my fancy. In fact...it's precisely the opposite. Cheesecake is my indulgent dessert of choice. And I am an equal opportunity taste tester. I've not met a cheesecake that I didn't love. I love it all. No bake, drizzled, no crust, graham cracker crust, single layer, double layer .... I could go on but I'll stop.

So one of my friends posted a picture of the Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory and I was intrigued. Very intrigued. I figured with all the buzz about this place and the looks of that gorgeous slice of heaven, I had to get my hands on a piece of it. Since I wasn't able to convince her that it was toxic for her health and that she should bring it to me, my fingers started typing away on my iPad and I landed on recipe that was highly rated for it's awesomeness and exactness to the Cheesecake Factory's creation. So....I got started. I was actually home from work sick that day but I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I picked myself out of bed, took a shot of cold medicine and headed for the kitchen.**Side note - I love having the option of using fat free or reduce fat cream cheese in recipes. I love it. However, I don't recommend this short cut when baking, especially when the cream cheese is THE star of the recipe**

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

 

Crust:

Cinnamon Graham Crackers
6 T melted butter

2 T sugar

Cinnamon, to taste

Cheesecake:

3-8oz packages Cream Cheese, softened
3 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 tsp PURE vanilla

1 1/2 c. Pumpkin Pie mix (Libby's brand)

Homemade Whipped Cream Topping:
1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream

1 c. Powdered Sugar

2 tsp Pure Vanilla

1) Preheat the oven to 350*

2) To prepare crust, open two packages of cinnamon graham crackers. Place them in a Ziploc bag and crush them until they are finely crushed. Pour them into a bowl and dump the melted butter on to them and combine. Add the sugar and cinnamon to taste (I wanted a very cinnamon-ey crust). You may need to add butter 1/2T at a time to get the right consistency. You want the crumbs to stick together but not make them too wet. Make sense? When you have the right consistency, press the crust on to the bottom of a springform pan and 1/2 way up the sides. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to set the crust. Set aside but leave the oven on.

3) In a bowl, combine the cheese, sugar and vanilla and beat until it is smooth.

4) Add in the eggs, pumpkin and spices (if you're adding them). Beat until it is a creamy smooth mixture.

5) Pour into crust and bake for approximately 60 minutes.

6) Allow to come to room temperature then put in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.

When you are ready to serve, top with freshly made whipped cream!

1) Pour heavy whipping cream in a very cold metal bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. (set on high and it will take about 4-5 minutes).

2) Add sugar and vanilla and beat a little longer.

3) Enjoy!!

I added a bit of cinnamon to my whipped topping for this to enhance the cinnamon experience!

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Lightened Up Corn and Potato Chowder

When it comes to soup, I like very much prefer broth based soups over its cream based competitors. I love the comfort of soup but I don't think you need to load a soup with calories and fat for it to be delicious. This is the reason I've never had a love affair with cream of _____  or  _____ chowder or ____bisque....you get my drift.

But I was inspired by a lightened chowder recipe that I got in one of my Weight Watchers Weekly's that I got from a meeting last fall and thought I'd use it as a starting point.

I made it my own by switching up a few things and the end result was a delicious, hearty soup that didn't add inches to my waist line. That's a win-win in my book!!  (Picture courtesy of this website)

Fall Harvest Skinny Corn Chowder

2 medium potatoes (for ease, I opted for the microwavable ones)

1 medium sized Zucchini

1/3 cup chopped onion (i used a Vidalia onion but white would work too)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c. Roasted Red Bell Peppers, diced

1/3 c. celery, chopped

1 Bag frozen corn (regular sized bag)

6 Strips thick cut bacon, diced

2 C. Skim Milk

1 c. low fat chicken broth (more or less depending on how thick/runny you like your soup) 

Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1) Microwave potatoes per directions on the package. If you use regular potatoes, pierce them with a fork and cook in the microwave on high for about 8 minutes, or until tender. Move on to step 2 while this is cooking.

2) Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook bacon until it is crispy. Place on paper towel to allow oil to drain off of it. Drain oil from the skillet but reserve 1 T or so to cook vegetables in. Place celery, onion and zucchini in skillet and cook in oil until tender but slightly crisp. Add frozen corn and roasted red peppers during the last two minutes to bring to temp.

3) In a soup pot on medium heat, pour milk, chicken broth, garlic, bacon, cooked veggies, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. Cut cooked potatoes in spoon-sized chunks (really a preference thing). Reserve 5-6 chunks, and add the remaining potatoes to the pot. Mash the reserved potatoes and add mash to the soup pot. Simmer for 30-40 minutes to allow all the flavors to marry. Do not bring to a boil (you don't want to ruin the milk).
4) Bowl it up and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!!

(soup is so hard to judge how much it makes because bowl sizes vary. This recipe makes 3/4 of a normal size pot)

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