Italian Sausage and Orzo Soup

I was gonna skip this week's recipe swap, because I really need to get to bed as we're leaving for vacation in the morning. But then I saw it was a swap of soup recipes this week, and I LOVE SOUP! I LOVE MAKING SOUP! So, here it is!

My friend DB and I went to Maggiano's in Boston one day for an excellent meal. For my appetizer, I had this wonderful sausage orzo soup. I loved it so much that I had to try to replicate it. I dug out a cookbook I have with 1000 soup recipes and combined two of them to get pretty close. I continue to refine it, but I think it's pretty darn close.

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
1½ cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
6 cups beef broth
2 cans (14.5 ounce) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
4 to 6 ounces (1/4 to 1/3 of a 1 pound box) dried orzo

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Directions:

1. In soup pot, squeeze the Italian sausage from its casing and brown over high heat, using wooden spoon to break up. About halfway through the browning, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to sauté with the sausage.
2. Once the sausage is cooked, add the broth, canned tomatoes, and spices. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add orzo and cook for 9-10 minutes or as specified on package.

Sweet Potato Casserole

So, over at Overwhelmed with Joy, there is a holiday recipe swap going on! You can click on the picture above to access the link to all of the recipes. There are already 30 out there, so please go take a look!

I'm not really much for the sweet sugary syrupy sweet potatoes. I actually like to just bake them and eat them with a little butter, but then I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens in 1997.

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds sweet potatoes (I use the yellow ones rather than the orange ones, but either will work)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 beaten egg

3 Tbsp butter, cubed

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 pecan pieces

pecan halves (optional)

1. Scrub and peel sweet potatoes. Cut off and discard woody portions and ends. Cut potatoes into cubes. Cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 20-30 minutes until tender. Drain.
2. Combine hot sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, egg, the 3 Tbsp cubed butter, and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir to break up potatoes but not complete mash them. Put mixture into a greased 2 quart baking dish.
3. Combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in the 2 Tbsp butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecan pieces and sprinkle crumb mixture on top of potatoes.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25 minutes. Garnish with pecan halves, if desired.

This recipe makes 8 side dish servings. I usually double it for large holiday meals because aren't leftovers really the best?

Bolognese Sauce

I haven't done a recipe swap in MONTHS! The last one I posted was way back in May. I see that this week's swap on Overwhelmed with Joy is the Sauce Edition. So, here is a sauce you can try. This recipe was given to me by a co-worker years ago when we lived in Florida. Supposedly, her grandmother had been a cook at Delmonico's in New York and this was their Bolognese sauce recipe (or some variation on it). I LOVE Bolognese sauce, and some of my favorite Bolognese comes from Salvatore's restaurant and Lawrence and South Boston. I like to serve this Bolognese with linguine.




For more sauce recipes from this week, click the graphic!


Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 3 whole allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch sugar
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 16-ounce can Del Monte stewed tomatoes
• 32-ounce can Hunt's tomato sauce
• 1-1/2 pounds ground round
• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash cayenne and pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Brown beef and sausage, drain fat. In dutch oven, saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until golden. Add beef and sausage. Add wine to deglaze the pan. Add all spices. Cover and let simmer for one hour.

Key Lime Pie - WW 3 points

This week's theme for Overwhelmed With Joy's recipe swap is Weight Watchers. This one was easy for me. Many of you might remember that I lost about 35 pounds on WW five years ago. For the most part, I've kept it off. I'm a few pounds above my goal weight today, and I really need to get back on the bandwagon, but can't seem to find the willpower to stick with it for more than a day or so right now. Oh well.

For more WW recipes, you can click on the logo below! For an archive of all the recipes I've submitted to the swap, click on the Recipes link in the left column.




Anyway, I'm including this recipe for WW Key Lime Pie...only 3 points in each slice. This is a good recipe to make when you have a sweet tooth craving that needs to be satisfied while you're watching your points. I have a lot of other good WW recipes...maybe I'll try to include more of them in the swap.

Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1 package (4-serving size) sugar-free lime-flavor gelatin
2 containers (6 oz.) fat-free key lime pie yogurt
1 tub (8 oz.) frozen reduced-fat non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 Keebler Reduced Fat graham cracker pie crust

1. In microwave-safe measuring cup heat water on high (100% power) for 45 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes or until boiling. Whisk in gelatin until dissolved.
2. In large bowl whisk together gelatin mixture and yogurt. Fold in whipped topping. Carefully spread in crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set.
3. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Kung Pao Shrimp

This week's submission to Favorite Ingredients Friday is Kung Pao Shrimp. We haven't made this in a really long time (probably because Sophie can't eat shellfish yet), but it's really yummy. This is a recipe from Food and Wine magazine in 2002. For more recipes in this week's exchange, visit Overwhelmed with Joy by clicking the picture above.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 small dried red chiles, 4 halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound shelled and deveined large shrimp
1 cup roasted cashews
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1. In a bowl, mix the orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch.


2. In a wok, heat the oil over high heat until smoking. Add the chiles and salt; stir-fry until browned, 45 seconds. Add the onion, ginger and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, 15 seconds. Add the peppers and cook until crisp-tender, 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir the sauce, add to the wok and cook until thickened slightly, 30 seconds. Stir in the cashews and sesame oil; serve.

Broccoli Cheese Dip

The theme for this week's recipe swap is Spreads and Dips. Here is a recipe for Broccoli Cheese Dip that I found online at allrecipes.com a year or so ago. It's really easy to make. For other spreads and dips, click on the picture below to visit the sponsor of the recipe swap, Overwhelmed With Joy.


Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
10 oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 envelope Good Seasonings dressing mix (I use mild)
8 oz shredded cheddar

Mix 1.5 cups of the shredded cheddar with the remaining ingredients. Put in 9 inch dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Add remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes.

Chicken Barley Casserole

This week's recipe is one I haven't made in a while but I'm hungry for it. I don't really remember where I found this recipe...somewhere online, but I just don't remember so I can't give proper credit.

If you'd like to see more recipes, click on this logo to visit the blog that sponsors the weekly recipe swap, Overwhelmed with Joy:


Ingredients
4 slices bacon, fat removed and meat finely chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diced
12 button mushrooms, quartered
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup barley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf, crushed
ground black pepper to taste
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 dark meat chicken pieces (we prefer white meat, so I usually use breasts that are cut in half)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet, fry bacon until browned. Reserve bacon fat for sautéing chicken later. Add onions and carrots to skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, stock, barley, thyme, marjoram, parsley, bay leaf and pepper to taste.
3. Mix all together and spread mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add green bell pepper on top and stir to settle.
4. Heat reserved bacon fat in skillet and brown chicken. Place browned chicken on top of barley mixture, cover baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Oreo Cookie Freakout

This week's recipe exchange, sponsored by Overwhelmed With Joy, is the dessert edition...yummy! Click on the pic above to link to other recipes for this week.

This recipe is really easy to make and great for kids and family-friendly events. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe YEARS ago...not sure of its original source.

Ingredients:
1 large package Oreo cookies
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1 can Hershey's syrup
1 can cocktail peanuts
1 container Cool Whip

1. Crush the Oreo cookies and line a 13x9 galss dish with the crumbs, saving a few for the topping.
2. Spoon the softened ice cream on top of the cookie crumbs and smooth out.
3. Pour on the chocolate syrup and sprinkle with nuts.
4. Freeze several hours until firm.
5. Add Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with remaining cookies.

You need to keep this frozen until a little before you serve it. Enjoy!

Mustard Chicken wtih Brussel Sprouts

This week's recipe exchange, sponsored by Overwhelmed With Joy, is a non-theme week, so here is a recipe I hope to make this week (compliments of the Dec 2007 issue of Everyday Food). Click on the pic above to link to other recipes for this week.

We eat A LOT of brussel sprouts in our house. We probably eat them 2 or 3 times a month. When EJ was maybe three, we were in the produce section of the grocery store, and she begged me, "Mom, can we PLEASE have brussel sprouts for dinner tonight?" A woman standing nearby spun around and said that she'd never heard those words come out of a child's mouth before! Sophie seems to be following in suit - she loves them too.

Anyway, this is a simple recipe and great to make on a busy weeknight.

Ingredients:

8 chicken drumsticks or thighs (actually, I use breasts that are cut in half because we prefer white meat)

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

1 pint brussel sprouts, trimmed and quartered

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 with racks in upper and lower thirds. Place chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Add mustard, and toss to coat; season wtih salt and pepper.


2. On another large rimmed baking sheet, toss brussel sprouts with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on upper rack adn sprouts on lower rack; bake until chicken is cooked through and sprouts are browned around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes, turning chicken halfway through.

Sticky Buns with Pecans

Have I told you about the great company I work for? We have a terrific employee wellness program. They pay for me to do Weight Watchers at Work, and this week, I had a one-on-one consultation with a nutritionist. I didn't tell them what I'll be eating for breakfast on Easter morning. But hey, there is such a thing as mental wellness, too.

This week's Favorite Ingredient Friday recipe theme is Easter. If you click on this logo, you will go to the blog that sponsors the recipe swap, Overwhelmed With Joy, to find other Easter recipes.


K usually makes this recipe for either Easter or Mother's Day. Actually, let me clarify that he makes them the day before...they are a bit time-consuming, which is why he makes them instead of me. In the interest of full disclosure, this recipe is from the Sept 2004 issue of my favorite cooking magazine, Cook's Illustrated. Click here to see a photo of last year's sticky buns!

This recipe has four components: the dough that is shaped into buns, the filling that creates the swirl in the shaped buns, the caramel glaze that bakes in the bottom of the baking dish along with the buns, and the pecan topping that garnishes the buns once baked. Although the ingredient list may look long, note that many ingredients are repeated. Leftover sticky buns can be wrapped in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days, but they should be warmed through before serving. They reheat quickly in a microwave oven (for 2 buns, about 2 minutes at 50 percent power works well); they can also be put into a 325-degree oven for about 8 minutes. Makes 12 3 1/2-inch buns

Dough
3 large eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
4 1/4 Cups (21 ¼ oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour , plus additional for dusting work surface
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled until warm

Caramel Glaze
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup (5 ¼ oz.) light brown sugar , packed
3 tablespoons corn syrup , light or dark
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 pinch table salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
3/4 cup (5 ¼ oz.) light brown sugar , packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 pinch table salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted

Pecan Topping
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup (1 ¾ oz.) light brown sugar , packed
3 tablespoons corn syrup , light or dark
1 pinch table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (3 oz.) pecans , toasted in a pan in oven while buns are baking. Turn every 5 min. until fragrant and browned, about 15 minutes, then cooled and coarsely chopped.

1. For the dough: In bowl of standing mixer, whisk eggs to combine; add buttermilk and whisk to combine. Whisk in sugar, salt, and yeast. Add about 2 cups flour and butter; stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until evenly moistened and combined. Add all but about 1/4 cup remaining flour and knead with dough hook at low speed 5 minutes. Check consistency of dough (dough should feel soft and moist but should not be wet and sticky; add more flour, if necessary); knead at low speed 5 minutes longer (dough should clear sides of bowl but stick to bottom). Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 1 minute to ensure that dough is uniform (dough should not stick to work surface during hand kneading; if it does stick, knead in additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time).
2. Lightly spray large bowl or plastic container with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to bowl, spray dough lightly with cooking spray, then cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in warm, draftfree spot until doubled in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
3. For the glaze: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for glaze in small saucepan; cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until butter is melted and mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into nonstick metal 13- by 9-inch baking dish; using rubber spatula, spread mixture to cover surface of baking dish. Set baking dish aside.
4. To assemble and bake buns: For filling, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined, using fingers to break up sugar lumps; set aside. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Gently shape dough into rough rectangle with long side nearest you. Lightly flour dough and roll to 16- by 12-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 1 tablespoon melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along top edge; with butter remaining on brush, brush sides of baking dish. Sprinkle filling mixture over dough, leaving 3/4-inch border along top edge; smooth filling in even layer with hand, then gently press mixture into dough to adhere. Beginning with long edge nearest you, roll dough into taut cylinder. Firmly pinch seam to seal and roll cylinder seam-side down. Very gently stretch to cylinder of even diameter and 18-inch length; push ends in to create even thickness. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, slice cylinder in half, then slice each half in half again to create evenly sized quarters. Slice each quarter evenly into thirds, yielding 12 buns (end pieces may be slightly smaller).
5. Arrange buns cut-side down in prepared baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in warm, draft-free spot until puffy and pressed against one another, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place pizza stone (if using) on rack, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Place baking pan on pizza stone; bake until golden brown and center of dough registers about 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert onto rimmed baking sheet, large rectangular platter, or cutting board. With rubber spatula, scrape any glaze remaining in baking pan onto buns; let cool while making pecan topping.
7. For the topping: Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally to thoroughly combine. Off heat, stir in vanilla and pecans until pecans are evenly coated. Using soup spoon, spoon heaping tablespoon nuts and topping over center of each sticky bun. Continue to cool until sticky buns are warm, 15 to 20 minutes. Pull apart or use serrated knife to cut apart sticky buns; serve.

Tortilla Pie

One of the blogs I follow regularly is Kaffee Klatsch. Every week, Magi posts a recipe to participate in Favorite Ingredients Friday. For the past year, I've been thinking that I should participate in the weekly recipe swap too, but I never seem to find just 10 minutes to do it.

Until today. If you click on the picture below, you will connect to Overwhelmed With Joy, the sponsor of the recipe swap, and you will find other delicious recipes to try!


Okay, this week's theme for recipes is Mexican, so I'm including my recipe for Tortilla Pie. This recipe is from the December '06 issue of Everyday Food. We've made it a bunch of times. It's really good AND easy to make!

Ingredients:

4 10-inch flour tortillas
1 Tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the pan
1 medium onion, shopped
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef sirloin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 10 ounce package frozen corn kernals
3 packed cups loose baby spinach, torn into pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan (use the removable bottom of the pan as a guide). Assemble the pan with the bottom upside down, lightly oil the bottom and sides. Set aside.


2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, cumin, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Raise heat to medium-high; add beef and garlic. Cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes. Add corn and spinach; stir until spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.


3. Place one tortilla in the prepared pan. Spreading evenly, top with 1-1/2 packed cups of beef mixture, then 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat with two more layers. Top with the last tortilla, and sprinkle with remianing 1/2 cup cheese.


4. Bake pie until top is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan; remove sides. Using two wide metal spatulas, lift pie from the bottom of pan, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into wedges. If desired, serve with cilantro and sour cream.

A few notes...I don't put in all the spinach. I can't hide all three cups from K! And sometimes I use cheddar cheese instead. I also often add more tomato paste.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the recipe. I'd like to participate in the recipe swap a few times each month, so check back for more! I've put a link in the left column so you will be able to find them easily!