Sunday, July 17, 2011

Experimental Soup Night

Megan here... tonight I was on my own in the kitchen.  It's kind of dangerous to leave me alone in the kitchen with no specific idea of what I am going to make to eat... you NEVER know what my crazy little brain will conceive!   Tonight was no exception.  I had bulk breakfast sausage leftover from making biscuits and gravy the other morning and some shredded lettuce beginning to wilt - also a left over, this time from fish tacos, some stock and some lentils... sounded like soup to me! When I served it up, my hubby said "This is good! Really good.  You need to post this on the blog." So here you go. 


Sausage Soup
4 oz. breakfast sausage (not in links, if that is what you have, remove it from the casings prior to cooking)
2 cups shredded lettuce (any green would work - spinach, kale, spring salad mix)
1 carton chicken stock
6 baby carrots, sliced thin
1 cup cooked lentils
3 fat cloves of garlic, sliced thin
2 t. lemon pepper
salt to taste


In a 4 qt or larger pot, crumble sausage and cook until lightly browned.  Add the shredded lettuce and stir along with the cooked sausage until the lettuce begins to wilt.  Add the chicken stock.  Add your carrots slices.  Cook over medium high heat until carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. At this point I grabbed my immersion blender and whizzed everything together. If you don't have a stick blender, you could just leave everything chunky and make this a more rustic soup.  Next I added the lentils and garlic slices (I have a basic mandolin I use to get thin, even slices for the carrots and garlic). Finally the lemon pepper and salt.  I served this in large deep soup bowls and drizzled with a nice fruity extra virgin olive oil. 


Soup before blending.

Served with really yummy olive oil dribbled on top.

We enjoyed this soup thoroughly and I know it will become a regular in our house!  I might try mixing up the ingredients next time... bacon instead of the sausage, and spinach instead of the lettuce and maybe orzo instead of the lentils... sounds like another experiment to me!


~Megan~



Monday, July 4, 2011

Welcome Home Aymie!

First let me apologize for not getting this post up sooner! A run in with the metal baby gate left me with a cracked knee cap and loads of nasty bruises - I've been too tired and busy icing to get this up sooner.  Hope you try out some of the recipes, they were so tasty, I know we'll be making them again!

For Aymie's first Two Chicks Night after her trip to Africa, we made a D-LISH meal that is perfect for summer.  We started with Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers, followed them up with Crock Pot Roasted Chicken and a Roasted Corn Salad, then finished the meal off with a very tasty Lemon Blender Pie with fresh strawberries and whipped cream!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
From "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond
18 fresh jalapenos
8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped
18 slices thin bacon, cut in half
barbecue Sauce
toothpicks
Rubber gloves
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 275*
- Donning rubber glove, begin by slicing jalapenos in half lengthwise.  Scrape out the seeds and any membranes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together cram cheese, green onions, & cheddar cheese until combined.
- Next, stuff each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture.
-Wrap once slice of bacon around each stuffed jalapeno, covering as much of the surface as you can, being careful not to stretch the bacon too much as it contracts while it cooks. 
- Brush the surface with barbecue sauce.
- Secure with a toothpick and pop into the oven for 1 hour or until the bacon is sizzling.

Crock Pot Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 a small yellow onion
1 lemon cut into wedges
lemon peper
kosher salt
aluminum foil
Directions:
- Begin by taking a long sheet of foil and crunching it up and coiling it into a ring.  Place the foil ring in the bottom of your crock pot.
- Apply lemon pepper and salt liberally to the inside and out side of your chicken.
- Stuff the onion and lemon wedges inside the bird.
- Place the prepared chicken on top of the foil ring in your crock pot.  Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
- Remove chicken to a roasting rack and broil in your oven for 8 - 10 minutes or until the skin in browned and crisp.  Serve.

Roasted Corn Salad
From "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond
Veggies
Olive Oil
8 ears fresh corn
1 red onion
2 yellow squash, quartered length wise
3 baby bell pepers
1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
12 basil leaves, chiffonade into ribbons
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloved, minced
pepper to taste
Directions:
Brush veggies with oil and grill until some brown marks show - just until tender and heated through, still firm.  We used a grill pan but you certainly could use an outdoor grill.  Roughly chop the onion, squash, and peppers. Using a sharp knife, scrape the corn kernels from the cob.  Add the chopped onion, squash, peppers, and corn to a large bowl.  Toss in the tomatoes.   Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and poor over the veggies. Stir to coat and serve.

Lemon Blender Pie I'll have Aymie post the recipe soon!  Trust me, you'll want to add it to your arsenal of fast and easy dessert recipes! For now I'll leave you with the picture so you can drool!

Happy summer eating!   
 ~Megan~