Italian Sausage Soup

I bought some of those chicken sausage links (Italian seasoned) the other day and didn't really know what to do with them. And with all this snow and cold, a soup was calling me.  I've never actually made a sausage soup...weird, I know. So I just started throwing things together and this is what I came up with. It was actually really good and warmed me right up. Kids liked it, too.

Ingredients:
2 Italian sausage links, I prefer chicken sausage (probably about half a pound?) Or ground Italian sausage.
1/2 cup diced onion
1 large or 2 small potatoes, chopped
1 can white beans (any type you like), drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped spinach
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water (or more, depending on how thin you want it)
1 cup milk
Bay leaf
Basil
Garlic powder, Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: Small pasta, like Ditilini

Directions:
Remove sausage from casings and cook in pot with onions. (I cooked it in bacon grease, because I love the flavor it adds. You could use oil.) Add potatoes and broth/water, bay leaf and other spices. Cook for a few minutes then add beans and pasta, if using. (I don't think it really needs pasta, but I wanted it to be more filling.  Either way will be yummy.)  When potatoes are almost done, add spinach. Cook until noodles and potatoes are tender. Stir in milk. Taste and adjust if needed.

Quick Ranch Dressing

This is so easy to throw together. Its also great to be able to season it to your liking. Try adding cilantro or bacon or cucumber. It doesn't keep long, so only make up how much you will use within a few days.
For base:
Any combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk or plain yogurt. (I use whey from straining my home made yogurt if I have it on hand.) What you use depends on how thick you like it, your tastes and what you have in the fridge. Any or all will work. Here's what I used...

1/3 c mayonnaise
1/3 c sour cream
1/3 c buttermilk

Season to taste, example:
1/2 t. Dried chives
1/2 t. Parsley
1/2 t. dried dill
1/4 t. Onion powder
1/4 t. Garlic powder
Dash salt & pepper

Stir and refrigerate for half hour before serving.

Pineapple Upside-down Cake Frozen Yogurt

I was going to make a regular cake batter frozen yogurt, but Justus-in his geniusness- suggested we add pineapple. (he loves pineapple upside down cake.) It was a great idea and turned out AWESOME!  I might make one and a half this recipe next time, it didn't fill my ice cream maker.

Mix in a bowl:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup boxed cake mix (I used  yellow, the kind with "pudding in the mix")
1/2 cup sugar

Freeze in ice cream maker.

Thai Massaman Curry

Our all time favorite Thai dish. This is really yummy, but we are still trying to perfect it. We keep it mild so the kids will eat it (and they love it) but you can add more curry paste if you like it hot.

Ingredients:
3 T Massaman curry paste (you can substitute other curry paste, but beware some are hotter than others.)
1/4 cup onion, chopped in chunks
1t. Garlic, diced
1/2 t. Fresh ginger, diced
2 cans or <1 quart coconut milk (not lite)
1-2 carrots, coined
1 potato, cut in chunks
1 chicken breast or 2 tenderloins, raw (you could also used already cooked chicken and just at it towards the end)
Optional: 1/2 can pineapple chunks, drained (Jim likes them in his. I don't.)
*some people like to put chopped peanuts our cilantro on top. I don't care either way.

Spices: ( if you don't have these things that is still good without them. You can also adjust the amount to your tastes.)
1/2 t. Ground cardamom
1/2 t. Ground Coriander
Pinch ground cloves

Directions:
saute onion, garlic, ginger and curry paste in a little oil for a couple of minutes. Add in the thick part of the coconut milk that is on the top of the can, about 1/2 cup. let that cook on medium low while you are chopping up the vegetables, at least 5 minutes. add in vegetables, chicken and spices with remaining coconut milk. (the exact amount of coconut milk is not really important, you can add more if you like more liquid) when chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pot and cut into chunks. if you are using pineapple, add it now. continue cooking until vegetables are barely tender. return chicken to the pot then adjust spices to taste.
Serve over jasmine rice.
Tip: serve the curry in a bowl beside the rice so you can scoop it over top as you go. if you pour all on top to begin with, it will soak in and become dry toward the end.

Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups low fat milk
1 cup plain yogurt, store-bought or homemade
2/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional stir-ins: fruit, chocolate, cookies, etc. (I used frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed.)
In a heavy pot, combine sugar and cornstarch (leave out if using strained/Greek yogurt).  Stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. Don't worry if mixture doesn't thicken without cornstarch. 

Remove from heat and cool.  Blend in vanilla and yogurt.  Freeze in your ice cream maker about half an hour or until it reaches soft serve consistency. If you want to add something smooth (melted chocolate, pureed fruit, etc.) you can add it now. If it is chunky, add it when ice cream is almost set.

Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas

I can't think of a time I have ever disliked a chicken enchilada. There are so many ways to make them, and I change it up depending on my mood and what I have on hand. This is currently my favorite easy enchilada recipe.

Ingredients:
White sauce seasoned with chicken flavoring, garlic and onion powder
1/2 cup salsa Verde or tomatillo salsa (more our less to taste)
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1-2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded (leftover chicken works great)
1 can white beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
Tortillas

Directions:
Make seasoned white sauce. Add salsa and cream cheese. Reserve about 3/4 cup for topping. Add chicken and beans. Scoop mixture in middle of tortilla and roll up, closing both ends. Place in greased baking pan. Continue until you run out of filling, lining enchiladas side by side. (If you have more than you need, these freeze wonderfully, uncooked)
Top enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese.
Cook at 375 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Hawaiian Haystacks

No recipe. Just make a cream sauce and rice. Add any toppings you like. (if you need a recipe, see my white sauce recipe and add chicken bouillon, garlic and onion powder, salt & pepper to taste.)
Topping ideas:
Chicken
Pineapple
Mandarin oranges
Cheese
Bell peppers
Tomato
Broccoli

Assemble toppings in a bar style and everyone can chose what to put on their own plate of rice.

Justus took this picture of his haystack.

Chimichangas

Here is our version of chimichangas. We came up with it when we had a freezer full of scrap elk meat (leftovers from when Jim butchered his Elk) and had to get creative using it all. That's the nice thing about these, you can use less than ideal cuts of meat and it will still turn out good because it is slow cooked forever. I like to make a huge batch and freeze portions.

Ingredients:
Roast (any kind of meat will work)
Green Enchilada sauce
Canned Green Chiles (optional)
Seasonings (garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper)
Flour Tortillas
Cheese (we use cheddar)
For topping:
Sour cream
Red enchilada sauce

Instructions:
Cook meat in crock pot with seasonings and green chillies on low until meat is completely done and begins to shred apart. Take meat out, drain grease and cut out excess fat. Cut meat into chunks, if needed. Return to crock pot and add green enchilada sauce (enough to generously coat all the meat). Continue cooking until meat falls apart and become very tender.

When ready to fry, pour enough oil into pan to just coat the bottom. (you could deep fry these, but I'd rather not.) Make a line of meat down the middle of a tortilla and top with cheese. Roll up, sealing both ends. If you are having a hard time keeping it closed, you can "seal" the end with beaten egg. Place the side with the seal down in the frying pan. Cook until brown then turn until all sides are done.
I can usually manage about 3 or 4 at a time without burning anything. :)
We either top these with or dip them in red enchilada sauce and sour cream. The kids prefer dipping because they are hard to cut.

White Chicken Chili

Adapted from melskitchencafe.com

This is seriously amazing. I like how quick and easy it is to make. I LOVE it with crusty bread to dip, but you could also serve with tortilla chips. Or plain. It's good enough for that.
Tip: if you have lots leftover, thicken it up and use it as enchilada filling! Yum!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (4 cups) white beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (or about 2 cups) chicken broth
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies (or 1/4 cup salsa Verde)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Cook onions and garlic with chicken in a little oil or butter.
Add remaining ingredients except sour cream and whipping cream. Simmer for about 30 minutes. (less is fine, really) Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. (I add some of the hot soup to the sour cream first, it mixes better that way.)

Artisan Bread

From melskitchencafe.com

I've tried this recipe from the cook book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day years ago and I must've done something won't because it just wasn't good. I decided to try it again today and it was awesome! It made the perfect dipping bread for soup. Don't let the short ingredient list and simple instructions fool you.
This recipe makes a double batch, you keep the unused dough in the fridge for up to two weeks until you are ready to bake it. I am exited to try the other half as mini bread bowls!
Note: I ignored the part about heating the stone in the oven then sliding it in using parchment paper. I just let the shaped dough rise on my pizza stone and put it straight into the preheated oven. Worked great for me.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting dough
Directions

In a large bowl mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel but don't seal the bowl airtight. Let the dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered in an airtight container, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife (I have only ever made two loaves out of the batch of dough so I just divide the dough in half to form my first loaf). Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put the dough on a piece of parchment paper set on a pizza peel or a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes for room temperature dough; if you have used the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.
Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Place a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat the stone at that temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
After the dough has rested and is ready to bake, dust the dough lightly with flour, slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide the dough (with the parchment paper) onto the baking stone. Pour one cup of hot water into the broiler pan and shut the oven quickly to trap the steam. Bake the bread until well browned, about 24-28 minutes. Cool completely.
If you don't have a baking stone, try turning a rimmed baking sheet upside down and heating it in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes prior to baking. When ready to bake, slide the parchment paper with the dough on it directly onto the overturned baking sheet and bake according to the recipe. You can also stretch the rounded dough into an oval and place in a greased loaf pan. Let it rise for 40 minutes if fresh (add an extra hour if the dough has been refrigerated). Bake in the loaf pan in the 450 degree oven, watching the time carefully - check after 20-22 minutes.