Baby is here!

Baby Elaine finally decided to be born Feb 25th much to my sister's relief.  Here are a couple of pictures of her. Such a cutie!

 

Happy Aunt Patricia  

She was very quiet and content with her Uncle Jeff

  Proud Grandma!

Her brothers were just so fascinated with her ;)

Grandma's Chicken Spinach Soup

This recipe comes straight from the grandma herself!  Raising 5 kids on a dime made her come up with a simple, fast, healthy dinner that is still requested to this day.  Now she used frozen spinach and sometimes canned chicken but in all respect I just can't bring myself to use frozen spinach in this soup, fresh gives it such a nice texture and flavor and just pops with color.  If you want to go with the can-o-chicken fine, I'll look away, but I take my spinach seriously!

If a picture is worth a 1000 words then this recipe would be a whole encyclopedia set. I just couldn't put the camera down (step away from the soup...). One of the reasons for all the pictures is that this recipe was passed on to me with the measurements "handful of this, a dash of parm, and some of this...".  I thought it would be fun to keep the whimsy of making this soup intact but for those who want a visual of what a "handful" is to me just check out the storyboard below :)

Grandma's Chicken Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 (32oz) box of Chicken broth, low sodium preferred (try to use a box-o-broth as the canned broth tends to leave a metallic taste in this soup)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1-2 large chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 handfuls of fresh Spinach
• 2 eggs
• several good size dashes of Parmesan cheese 
• 1 fist-full of whole wheat Spaghetti (reg. ok)

1.  Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook in a skillet with a little bit of oil over medium heat till done (about 3-4 min each side). Set aside.  Meanwhile place a pot of plain water on the stove on high heat to cook the spaghetti separately.

2. Pour the chicken broth and 1/2 cup of water into a separate saucepan on medium high heat.

3. Chop the spinach (removing any large woody stems) and dump in pot with the chicken broth.

4. When the plain pot of water comes to a boil take the handful of spaghetti, break it into fourths, and add to the boiling water. Cook according to the package directions to "al dente".

5. While pasta is cooking cut the cooked chicken into chunks. Add to the simmering chicken broth pan.

6. When pasta is done drain and add to the saucepan with the chicken broth.

7. Whisk eggs in a bowl and add Parmesan cheese.  Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.

8. Bring the broth pot back to a boil with the added spaghetti and chicken.  Turn off heat and carefully drop spoonfuls of the beaten eggs into the soup. 

9. Remove from heat and (this is my favorite part) stir with a large serving spoon.  So much fun to see the eggs take over!  :)

 

Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Its been a while since I've made this...dont know why, I must be crazy! Seriously you can not go wrong with homemade croutons, they really make this such a good salad. We like to pile them on to where you almost can't see anymore lettuce, kinda takes the "salad" out of this meal but you can't help it.  I like the big chunky pieces of croutons so I buy either a french loaf or store bread uncut.
We went through a testing period of Caesar dressings to find one that was really good.  We prefer Cardini's Light Caesar Dressing, nice and creamy with a good flavor.  And the word "light" makes us not feel guilty about dumping it on in massive amounts  :)

This recipe makes two adult meals or several side salads (and really this makes a filling meal all by itself).  Cook it all up fresh, the warm croutons and chicken make a nice contrast to the cold lettuce and dressing.  drooool....

Chicken Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter or margarine 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp parsley, slightly crush in the palm of your hand with your thumb
• 1/2 tsp basil, slightly crushed also
• Loaf of uncut bread
• 6 chicken tenderloin pieces (or 2 chicken breasts)
• 2 heads of Romaine Lettuce
• grated Parmesan cheese
• your favorite Caesar salad dressing

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a large skillet over medium/ med high heat with a little bit of oil.  Lightly season chicken with salt and ground pepper and place in skillet. Cook till done, about 3-4 minutes each side.

2. Cut bread into large chunks.

3. Melt butter. Add olive oil, garlic powder, parsley, and basil and mix thoroughly.

4. Slowly pour half the butter mixture over half the bread, tossing with your fingers to get evenly coated. Add remaining bread and butter mixture and toss it all around till lightly coated.

5. Pour coated bread out in one layer on cookie sheet and bake in oven 10 minutes or until browned, shaking pan midway through cooking.

6. Wash and chop lettuce into pieces. Chop chicken into pieces. Place lettuce, chicken, and croutons in a large in bowl. Grate Parmesan cheese all over. Pour your favorite dressing and dig in!

Sausage and Kale Casserole

And we have a winner in the "can he eat kale and love it?" contest!!!  We both couldn't get enough of this dish, of course the fact that the kale is covered in heavy cream, cheese, and sausage I'm sure had nothing to do with it.   Uh huh...
Thanks to Dianasaur Dishes for the great recipe.  This was also was a good way to use up the sausage and kale from the soup I made before. I added a little more sausage and cheese from the original recipe just because I was feeling like being naughty from eating all the "healthier kale" this week.

Sausage and Kale Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of kale
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped summer sausage
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1. Preheat the broiler.  Rinse kale well and cut into bite size pieces, removing any tough stems.  Place a large skillet on medium high with the water and add the kale. Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes, letting the steam soften the kale.

2. Drain kale in a colander and return the pan to the stove on low heat.  Add olive oil, garlic, and sausage to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the cream to the pan and simmer on low for 8 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Stir in the cooked kale.

5. Add the breadcrumbs and cheese, mixing well.

6. Pack into a casserole dish (or use a bunch of little ones) and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes, till brown and bubbly.

Kale Soup with Sausage and Chickpeas

This is my first attempt at making Kale Soup and I was surprised at how easy and versatile this dish can be.  My initial fear was that the tomatoes would come out too chunky and overpower the rest of the soup but they cooked down to be tender and delicious.  The original recipe is from Kalyn's Kitchen and I only did slight modifications. Its worked out great too cause I had enough of the ingredients to make this soup again a couple of days later...and trust me it was wanted again!
This was a great lunch, I went for seconds and Jeff went for thirds!

Kale Soup with Sausage and Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (if using dry kinda crush the big pieces)
• 2 tsp fresh sage or 3/4 tsp dried sage
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped sausage links (I found a wonderful Italian seasoned Chicken sausage)
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes (no salt added preferred)
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (save the rest of the can for spaghetti later)
• 1/2 tsp seasoning blend, like Mrs Dash (optional)
• 1 small bunch of Kale
• 1 (15 oz) can of Chickpeas (Garbanzos)
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in heavy frying pan over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and saute for 3-4 minutes until onions are soft (not browned).

2. Lower heat a little and add minced garlic, rosemary, and sage and saute 2-3 minutes more.  Pour mixture into large soup pot with chicken stock and start to simmer.

3. Return frying pan back to medium heat and add sausage, cooking till browned. Add to soup pot.

4. Add to soup pot canned tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, black pepper, and seasoning blend. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat.

5. While soup simmers wash kale and cut into bite sized pieces.  Drain chickpeas in colander and rinse very well, removing any loose shells.

5. After soup simmers for 30 minutes add kale and chickpeas and simmer for 45 minutes more until kale is completely softened.  Serve hot with grated parmesan.

Kale and Avocado Salad

Kale........ sigh
I wish I knew more about you... you sweet, tough kale but I don't.  I wish I knew a way to make you more appealing towards my husband (yes we have that kind of relationship ;) and give him the nutritious powerhouse he needs.  But noooooooo I cant seem to do it short of dipping you in chocolate.  Any chocolate/kale recipes out there please let me know!
My current food obsession has turned to kale, and with all the delicious nutrition it provides I really want to be able to make it part of our diet.  Tons of vitamin A, C and K and low in calories it is something that we should be eating more of, but somehow we are not.  Its a total winter green and I have decided that I will buy tons and try to make Jeff looooove it.
This recipe has been showing up, in its various forms, on many of my search inquiries for kale and has been sloshing around in my head for a while.  I adjusted some of the measurements to my particular tastes but feel free to make this your own.  I have to say the massaging process breaks down the kale nicely (check out the difference from pic 1 to pic 3 below) and the cayenne pepper gives it a kick.  I was licking my fingers after I finished prepping ... it was sooo good.
Unfortunately "the man" was not too thrilled at the taste and texture and he only ate a couple of bites before calling it quits.  Oh well, I really enjoyed this recipe and playing with my food.... I'm a kid again!

Kale and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 large bunch of kale
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch of sea salt to taste

1. Wash Kale and shred into pieces

2. Half, pit, and remove avocado from skin.  Add all ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Using both hands massage all ingredients together till kale is wilted. This will take about 10 minutes to get the kale really tender so set the timer and put a show on to watch  ;)

4. Try it with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, or any salad veggie.

Brownies to die for

My Super Bowl treat to bring to our friend's house for the past couple of years has been brownies.  Brownies you say?  How boooooring....
Oh contrare, these are not your everyday brownies but the real thing made with melted chocolate...and I use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips just to see people swoon.  I love the very few ingredients this requires, you would never know it cause of the richness and complexity of the flavors.
This recipe came from a very old Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, the kind of cookbook that the pages remain together only because of the food stains sticking them.
Instead of a birthday cake I make these brownies, its become a requirement every year now from my family. Try it with the mashed banana, gives it a little extra something!

Enjoy!

Moosewood Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

• butter for the pan
• about 5oz semi sweet chocolate 
• 1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened (not melted!)
• 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour (use 3/4 cup for fudgier brownies)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 rip banana, very well mashed (optional)

1. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Gently melt the chocolate, let it cool for about 5 minutes.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a medium-sized bowl until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the vanilla.

5. Stir constantly as you drizzle in the melted chocolate. After all the chocolate is in beat well for a minute or two.  Beat in the cinnamon and banana .

6. Stir in flour, mix just enough to blend thoroughly.

7. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  Bake 25- 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cut into squares while still hot, then allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Massive Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Have you ever gone shopping, bought something, and then when you got home it didn't look the same as you saw in the store?  Well I think I am the only one who can say that can also apply to food.  I've had this desire to cook up a nice big piece of meat for several weeks now and decided to finally give into the craving.  At the store I couldn't help notice that these little pieces of tenderloin were double the price per pound than the slightly larger ones next to it.  Being a semi-smart shopper I went for the deal, and it didn't even look all that much bigger, especially laying next to all those other large slabs of meat that looked like half a cow.

Hooboy! You know its a lot of meat when you have to cut it to fit in a 9x13 in pan...and feeding only two people at that!  Jeff called to ask me what we were having for dinner and I just responded "a big hunk of meat".  Now what man wouldn't rush home to that!  This is going to feed us for several days, and considering the meat cost less than $8 that's a pretty good deal.  The marinade is a combo of a marinade I tasted and loved long ago and using up some leftover ingredients from the Chicken Salad Sandwiches from my sister's baby shower.
This makes a lot of marinade so if you want to go with the smaller tenderloin just half it.

Massive Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• The big hunk of meat (2-3 lbs pork tenderloin)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 Tbsp green onions thinly sliced (green parts only)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cinnamon stick

1. Combine all ingredients (except the meat) and whisk till thoroughly mixed.  Place meat in a large gallon zip-lock bag and add marinade.  Marinade overnight in fridge (place sealed bag in bowl or shallow dish just in case it leaks).

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cinnamon stick and place meat with marinade in a 9x13 in dish and cook uncovered, occasionally spooning juices over meat, for 45-55 minutes until internal temperature is 145 degrees.  Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Even Better Potatoes Gratin

So our month of trying to get back on track and be healthy went pretty good.  Yesterday I was able to run 2 miles which its been a while since I've gone that far.  My goal is to get back into the 5k I was doing a year and a half ago, preferably without feeling like my heart is going to explode and knees collapse at any moment.
With all this talk about health you would think I would be posting my super-duper healthy recipe........nah. 
We had our day off and I wanted to experiment more with the potatoes I did before.  I think this recipe is more of your normal gratin...but made so much better with condensed milk.  Wow!  This one is way better than the first one I did, and it stayed together nicely when cutting from the pan. Leftovers are going to be my breakfast...hows that for healthy!  :)
Enjoy!

Even Better Potatoes Gratin

Ingredients:

• 5 medium Russet potatoes
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 (5oz) can of Evaporated Milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 slices of turkey bacon, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and thinly slice potatoes, making sure slices are the same size.

2. Over medium heat, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.

3. Add in the regular and evaporated milk, salt and pepper, nutmeg, and garlic, whisking till well blended.  Heat till it just starts to bubble (thicken) stirring constantly.

4. Add the cheese and stir till melted.  

5. Remove from heat and add in the chopped turkey bacon.

6. Spray a 9x9 in casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Place a layer of potatoes in dish and spoon out about 4 Tbsp of sauce over potatoes, trying to spread a thin layer.  Repeat layering potatoes and little bits of sauce making sure you leave enough sauce to cover the entire dish at the end.

7.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes in the oven, removing foil for the last 15 minutes to brown potatoes.