I know I have been neglecting you...

But I promise this week to post these recipes...

1. Alfredo sauce & Ravioli dough

2. Danish Butter Cookies

3. Cinnamon & Sugar Almonds

This coming Saturday I will be having a dinner party and I will try to post the recipes for everything I make... I am still working on the final head count so I can make my full menu... but when I have it I will let you all know. :D

Zuppa... Zuppa Tuscano...

Spicy Italian sausage... potatoes... bacon... Come on... What is not to love! I first fell in love with this soup at Olive Garden... I am not a fan of their salads so the waitress talked me into trying a soup... this is the one I chose...After the first bite my fate was sealed... I was in love with a soup... I had already started envisioning our future life together... laughing at family reunions... sitting around the dinner table with the family... special occasions (baby blessings & graduations)... it was like my life was finally complete...

After that first meal together it took a long time before we saw each other again... I thought for sure after spending so much time apart things would be different the next time... but no... we just picked up where we left off... it was as if no time had passed between our last rendezvous... When I left that night my mind was made... I would not rest until I found a way for us to be together...

I had tried many of times but everything kept falling through... Until one day... Christmas to be exact... I received a gift that made it possible to be together... a recipe book with the exact recipe I was looking for... Since that day we have enjoyed all the things I envisioned... I was not let down...

So here it is for all of you to try as well... Hopefully you too fall in love... But be warned it is addicting... and it gets better over time...

Zuppa Tuscano

1 lb spicy Italian sausage

1/2 lb smoked bacon, cooked and chopped

1 quart water

29 oz (2 14.5 oz cans) chicken broth

3 large potatoes, cleaned and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped (I am not an onion fan so I just put a teaspoon of onion powder)

2 cups kale, rinsed and chopped

1 cup heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet brown the sausage, breaking it up as you cook it. Once meat is cooked all the way through drain it and rinse it well (if you do not rinse well the soup will turn red instead if the creamy white color). Cook the bacon in a skillet until fully cooked. drain the bacon and then chop it into small bite size pieces. Place water, broth, potatoes garlic and onion in soup pot and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add the sausage and bacon then simmer for 10 more minutes. Add the heavy cream, kale and salt and pepper. Heat through and then it is ready...

***FYI this soup tastes even better if it has had a while to sit... I usually will make it the night before whenever possible***

Dare I say it.... Shredded Beef!

I have always tried finding a decent shredded beef recipe so I could make shredded beef sandwiches... but they have always been too dry... or bland... or just plain Toss-it-in-the-trash-and-burn-the-recipe bad... So when I found this recipe I must say I was a little... ok a lot... skeptical. There were just so many things that made me nervous... first it uses no liquid of any type... second you don't have it sit in some marinade overnight... and third it cooks for 6-8 hours... so I was thinking... dry, bland and overcooked... but I read reviews and they all said the same... it was an amazing recipe one to keep in the family recipe book... blah blah blah... come on if so many people (3 lol) were giving it 5 star reviews it has to be good.... right?!

Well..... I tried it.... and.... yeah it was great... I dunno about 5 stars... but well up there... like 4.5 or something... if it was 5 stars I would have expected some fireworks or something to go off when I bit into the sandwich... **Note to self... Make for 4th of July**

Now I did not change anything in the recipe... so I am just going to put a link.... here ... for it. I would strongly suggest making it... BTW I just ate two sandwiches while typing this up... I told you I do not stick to the breakfast lunch and dinner guidelines. ;)

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Soup....

Yes Soup....

It has already started to snow so it is now officially soup weather in my book....

Though truth be told I could eat soup anytime of the year... I could eat most any food any time of the year... I do not like to box my food up in any way (well unless it is Chinese take-out) ... Hamburgers for breakfast... breakfast burrito for dinner... lunch works for anything really... I mean... is there really a strictly lunch category for others... I do not know....

But back to the soup... I fell in love with Chicken pot pie soup when I lived in Minnesota... This grocery store carried it and I used to get it quite often (multiple times a week to be honest)... I have never been able to find anything that tastes just like it... but this recipe comes very close to it so I have decided to post it for you all...

A last minute tidbit for you... It was not as thick (creamy) as I would have liked so keep in mind you might want to add more flour or some corn starch if you want it creamier...

*

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Adapted from recipe by Aaron McCargo Jr.

• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 quarts water
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, split
• 1 tablespoon bouillon flavoring
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 small white onion, diced **I used dehydrated chopped onion**
• 2 stalks celery, diced **I omitted this from mine but used celery seeds for flavor**
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Pinch sea salt (or Kosher)

Bring water to boil in large pot and add chicken bullion and let simmer until reduced by half.

Pan fry the chicken, onion and celery in butter and Italian seasoning until cooked all the way through.

Remove chicken and add flour mixing to make a roux. Pour the roux into the pot of chicken broth.

Also add the mixed veggies, chicken, heavy cream, potato pieces, salt and pepper. Simmer until potatoes are done, about 30 minutes.

I like to serve mine with buttery crackers or even biscuits... This helps to give it more of the pot pie flavor.

I will give it another go....

So many have asked why I have quit blogging in general... not just on my cooking one but on my personal blog... well let me shed some light on my cooking blog... I am really bad at taking pictures... What I mean is that as soon as I bake/cook my little yummy treats I always forget to take pictures before we eat them... Now I do not know if you all are like me but I need the picture to go along with the recipe... No one really wants to make/eat something that resembles a pile of poo... no matter how good it tastes... so here is my new resolution...

I WILL TAKE PICTURES OF MY TREATS/FOOD.....

I WILL POST ABOUT IT IF IT TASTES GOOD.....

I WILL DO ONE POST A WEEK.....

I WILL GIVE THIS ANOTHER GO!!!!!

**Please note this resolution does not apply to my personal blog... There I make no promises