Sausage and White Bean Soup

It's frigging freezing people! Look my toes are turning black from a lack of warmth {hee, hee}.   I think I have frostbite!

Seriously though, I think the current conditions are making me delirious!  I'll prove my point below.  I went to get my nails done today for an upcoming holiday party.  Let me share with you that my nails have not been painted in a looooooooong time.  At least 5 years.  This is because the silly polish never lasts for more than one day which is so annoying.  So the last time I had a pedicure the girls were telling me about a gel nail polish that will last for 2 or 3 weeks and it is not damaging to the nails like acrylic.  Really, now that I'm going to have to try?  I dream about having long sexy painted nails, but that's just not my reality.  I am way to hard on my hands for my own nails to grow long and acrylic is just so damaging I can't stand it.  Maybe this gel nail polish will do the trick!

Anyways, I went in today to get done up and hit a snag.  The gel nails come in limited colors.  So I had to pick a color for my nails AND a color for my toes.  Just picking one color would have been so much simpler!  Since my dress is a deep eggplant color I picked the only dark non red color that was available for the nails.  And then I picked a dark purple color for my toes.  Yes I said purple.  Do those toes look purple?  Have I gone color blind due to the freezing cold?  Usually I'm pretty good with colors.  What happened, LOL?   I swear that polish only looked one shade darker than the gel nail polish in the bottle.  

Oh well.  I figure only my big toe will be peeping through my shoes and I'll have black hose on anyways.  No one's going to know the difference.  And seriously only someone with a foot fetish would notice anyways {giggles, giggles, giggles}

So to warm up my brain and stop the delirium I want to share a recipe I saw and slightly adapted from Mommy's Kitchen for Sausage and Bean Soup.  

{ I promise to start sharing some Christmas goodies next week.  If I have a bunch of goodies around the house I'll never fit into my dress! Which would be horrible! }

Ahhh, my brain is thawing out just looking at the photo!

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Here's what you'll need:

2 links of spicy Italian sausage, casings removed 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

15 ounce can northern beans, drained and rinsed

4 to 5 cups of chicken broth

14.5 ounce can of Italian diced tomatoes

1/2 cup ditalini pasta

1/4 cup parmesan or romano cheese

Heat olive oil in a pan.  Remove casings from the sausage and brown until almost done.

Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the sausage is browned.

Add in the chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, and spices.  Simmer for 15 minutes.

Note - don't use dried rosemary leaves!  I threw this in before I noticed I had picked up the wrong jar.  Use dried crushed rosemary.  This way you won't feel like you're eating grass in your soup.  I tell you it's a wonder I can cook somedays.

Add in the pasta and simmer 7 more minutes.

Sprinkle each bowl with a little cheese and serve with crackers or crusty Italian bread.

       

Hopefully if you're freezing, like me,  this will thaw you out and allow you to think straight :-)!

Enjoy!

Shannon

20 Minute Tacos

I'm alive! I've missed you!

Gosh it seems like forever since a new recipe has gone up on the blog!  The hustle and bustle of the holidays is officially here my friends.  Are your lives getting crazier by the day?  Is your shopping/wrapping done? Decorations up? Treats made? Travel plans in place?  House ready for guests?  I have to say I'm falling behind this year.  

AND to top it off the cold weather has arrived.   It's 28 friggin degrees right now.  And going down to 16 tonight!  Holy Smokes I just can't warm up lately. Unless of course it's 2:00 am and I'm on fire!  Hormones are a b...c! I'm sure you can fill in the blanks on that one {giggles and winks}.  

Well anyways with crazy days we all need a quick meal to put on the table.  These tacos are surprisingly simple and full of flavor without using a mix.  Now I'm not above using a taco mix, but this is a nice change from tacos with a ton of chili powder in them.  

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Here's what you'll need:

1/4 cup finely diced bell pepper

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup finely diced celery

1 pound of lean ground beef

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Tex Mex spice (you will find the Tex Mex Spice about 1/2 way down the page)

Mix together the veggies and tex mex spice in a COLD skillet.

Place the meat on top of the veggie spice mixture in the COLD skillet.  Turn the burner on to a medium heat.  When the meat starts to simmer, stir and break up.  Simmer on low for 20 minutes stirring and breaking up the meat as needed.  I forgot to take the picture of the taco meat when it was done - opps {giggles}.  But, I'm sure you know what browned hamburger looks like.

While the meat is cooking make some mexican rice.  This is our all time favorite boxed mexican rice.  No others compare!  They don't even come close.  This is our opinion and not a paid advertisement.  Nueva Cocina has no idea we even exist!

This rice is as close to restaurant style that you're gonna get out of a box.  Trust me!

Put your favorite toppings on your tacos.  Plate it up and enjoy!

Cheers,

Shannon

Homemade Chicken and Noodles - The Ultimate Comfort Food!

Homemade Chicken and Noodles are the ULTIMATE fall/winter comfort food! I have fond memories of my grade school friend's grandmother making them almost every time she visited.  The whole house smelled heavenly while it was cooking.  Every now and again I have tried to duplicate her chicken and noodles with no luck.  My chicken broth always turned out good but I just couldn't get the noodles or finished consistency correct.  So disappointing!  


The other day Rhondi, one of my blogger friends, posted her grandmothers recipe for chicken and noodles.  Just reading her post I could smell the deliciousness and was inspired to try again.  Her grandmothers noodles were perfect, and I used a flour slurry to thicken the broth that was spot on.  


Woo Hoo!! {dancing around the kitchen} Got it!  


Try it, I bet you'll like it!  Maybe even love it!


PRINTABLE RECIPE
What you'll need:
1 chicken
1 large onion
3 or 4 whole carrots, cut into large pieces
2 or 3 celery stalks, cut into large pieces
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 tablespoon salt (1 for the broth, 1 for the noodles)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
water




Place the chicken in a large pot.  I would recommend at least an 8 quart pot.  Place the chopped veggies, garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon of salt on and around the chicken.  Fill the pot with water until it is about 1 inch over the top of the chicken and veggies.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and let it go for 2 hours.

Now get ready to make the noodles.

Place the flour, eggs, and salt in a large bowl.

Stir and slowly add water until you get a stiff dough.

Turn dough out onto a large flour sack towel covered lightly with flour.  Divide dough into two sections and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.  Use plenty of flour to keep the dough from sticking.

Using a pizza cutter cut thin vertical strips and then come back and make horizontal cuts however long you like your noodles.  The noodles will puff up while cooking so keep that in mind when cutting.  Let rest and dry until the chicken is done.

After 2 hours.  Pull the chicken out of the broth.  The chicken will literally fall apart.  I use tongs and a slotted spoon to get it out.  

When cool enough to handle separate the meat, skin, and bones.  Discard the bones and skin.  Set chicken meat aside.

So now we need to strain the broth.

Place a large bowl in the sink.

Place cheesecloth, or coffee filters torn open, in a colander.

Pour the broth into the colander and let drain into the bowl.  Using the back of a spoon push all the juice out of the veggies.

So here it is.

Pour the broth into a gravy separator in batches. Then pour only the broth back into the original pot.  It's hard to see in the photo but there is about a 1/4 to 1/2 layer of fat on the top.  Discard the fat.  Reserve 1 cup of broth for the flour slurry we'll be mixing in at the end.  

Bring the broth to a boil.  In small batches drop in the noodles stirring to make sure they don't stick together.  Once they are all in let them boil 20 to 25 minutes. 

Add chicken back in and bring back to a simmer.  In a small bowl add 1/2 cup of flour to the 1 cup of reserved chicken broth.  Whisk.  Make sure there are no lumps or your chicken and noodles will be lumpy!  Slowly pour the mixture into the broth mixture stirring constantly.  Let simmer for a few minutes to thicken.  

Voila your done!  A little time consuming but so worth it!  Serve alone or for the over the top ultimate comfort food serve over mashed potatoes.


Cheers,
Shannon

7 Cup Fruit Salad

 7 Cup Fruit Salad is a holiday tradition in our family.  This is the one dish that I just could not do without.  One of the first Christmases I spent with "G's" family I brought this salad.  Right then and there I was instructed that I must always bring this dish from that point on no matter what.  Sometimes I tease them and say that I don't think I'm bringing the fruit salad this year just to get a rise out them (hee, hee, hee).  


Something purely magical happens when these ingredients come together.  It is the fruit salad of all fruit salads!  You must make this immediately!  


PRINTABLE RECIPE
Here's what you'll need
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained
1 cup marshmallows
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sour cream


Isn't that easy!  One cup of everything.  Now to be honest the mandarin oranges and cherries I just use the whole can which is actually a little more than 1 cup.  We wouldn't want good food to go to waste! Check the number of servings on the back of the can and get as close to 1 cup total as possible.  

Drain the mandarin oranges, pineapple, and maraschino cherries.  Really squish the juice out of the pineapple with the back of a spoon.

Place the chopped pecans, coconut, and marshmallows in a large mixing bowl.

Add the drained fruit and sour cream.  Yes, sour cream.  Seems strange doesn't it? People are always in shock about this ingredient.  Trust me!  

Stir it all up and let sit in the refrigerator 24 hours.  Don't skimp on this.  Let it sit and do it's magic.  Great things take time!

Serve it up and watch your friends and families eyes roll back in their head with pure joy! 

Quote of the Day

Pay attention to your dreams - God's angels often speak to our hearts when we are asleep.  ~Eileen Elias The Angel's Little Instruction Book

Submit your favorite quote here.      

Cheers, 

Shannon


7 Cup Fruit Salad has been linked up with the following blogs.  Stop by and check out all the delicious entries! 
Prairie Story Recipe Swap Thursday
House of Hepworths - Rock Your Recipes
Ekat's Kitchen Friday Potluck
Simply Sweet Home Friday Favorites

A Stylish Blogger Award!

Early this morning (2:00 AM) Mac had to go out and do his business.  I swear he goes out just to snoop around and make sure all is well outside in the middle of the night.  My own little security guard :-)!  Anyways, while I was waiting for him to come back in I sat down to see what was going on in the blog world.  Lo and behold I received a Stylish Blogger Award from Rhiannon@FromTheHeart.  What? An award?  Really??  Me Stylish?Really??? Couldn't be.  After picking myself up off of the floor I refocused my eyes and made sure I was reading the computer screen correctly.  You know, that computer screen is crazy bright at 2:00AM!  Yep, that's what she said......I gave you an award today.   I was in shock!  Complete shock! Thank you Rhiannon!

So the rules for the award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.

7 Things About Me......

1.  I have lived in 3 states.  Oklahoma, Georgia, and North Carolina.  Each location has greatly contributed to the person I am today.  I was kicking and screaming when we moved from Oklahoma but now I'm glad to have experienced a little bit of the big world.  I am especially thankful for the friends I have met along the way.

2.  My parents are the best.  We laugh at ourselves and our dysfunction often.  I'm an only child. On one hand I'm shy and conservative, and on the other hand a bit of a rebel and hardheaded.  A true Gemini.   I love with all my heart.  

3.  My husband absolutely spoils me.  We have been married 13 1/3 years.  We grew up in the same town and have known each other for 25 years.  Didn't date until we were in our mid 20's.  We sowed our wild oats first, LOL!  He's my best friend.

4.  I'm turning 40 in 2011.  What happened to my 20's and 30's?  I thought I would feel old and outdated at 40 but I don't.  40 schmorty!  Bring it on baby!  Life's just gettin' started!

5.  Our yellow lab Mac is our baby.  He's 10 but thinks he's 2.  There's nothing like the unconditional love of a dog.

6.  I have the best in-laws. Thank God!  I've heard horror stories about in-laws.  My mother-inlaw Carroll, and sisters-in-law Lisa and Denise are the warmest, most genuine, loving women.  I am blessed to have them in my life.

7. Sometimes I snort when I laugh.  How embarrassing!

Enough about me!!!

Drum rrrrroll please.  Here are the bloggers I would like to pass this along to:

The Brambleberry Cottage

Big Mama's Home Kitchen

Ekats Kitchen

Aunt Peg's Recipe Box

Recipe Addict

Purple Chocolat

Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner

Less Cake {More Frosting}

Prairie Story Care of Alison Zulyniak

Brenda's Canadian Kitchen

Louanne's Kitchen

It's a Keeper

Lisa's Recipe Cards

Add a Pinch

Life at the Lake

When you have a minute stop by their blogs and say howdy!

Cheers,

Shannon

Giveaway - Kenmore Refrigerator/ Washer & Dryer/ Oven/ Dishwasher

Do you need a new Refrigerator, Washer/Dryer, Freestanding Double Oven, or Dishwasher?  Sears gave these Kenmore Elite appliances to 4 bloggers to review at Blogher.  And now one lucky reader will get to pick from the following:

ONE (1) PRIZE winner to receive ONE (1) Kenmore appliance prize from the following FOUR (4) choices:

1) Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel French-Door Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator model #71063 - ARV $3,399.99

2) Kenmore Elite Top-Load Washer model #29272 with Kenmore Elite Dryer model #29272 (gas) OR model #69278 - ARV $2,499.98

3) Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel Built-In Dishwasher model #14043 -ARV $2,116.99

4) Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel Freestanding Range model #78903 (gas) OR model # $97503 - ARV $2,299.99

WoooWhoooo!  It's totally FREE to enter, you just need to set up a free account with Blogher if you don't already have one.  The Sweepstakes ends on 12-15-10.

FYI - I am in no way associated with this giveaway.  I am a Blogher member and read a promotional post from Jaden at Steamy Kitchen about the washer and dryer.  I am always in need of a new appliance of some sort and thought you might be as well.

Go here to read all about it and ENTER!

Good Luck!

Cheers,

Shannon

Food Processor Biscuits

I am still in search of a homemade biscuit that I really like. I haven't quite put my finger on what it is about the taste that I feel like I'm missing in a homemade biscuit.  Unfortunately there is not a biscuit recipe or method that has been passed down in the family.  Growing up I remember canned biscuits, Bisquick biscuits, and eating biscuits at restaurants, but never biscuits from scratch.  Hmmmm, what's a girl to do?  Try lots of recipes!  I have learned that I prefer to use regular milk instead of buttermilk.  Blasphemy, I know!  Buttermilk biscuits reign in southern cooking.  How could I possibly not like them?  I don't know I just don't.  They make me really really really thirsty.  Like I need to drink a gallon of water!

After searching and tweaking here is a recipe I made one Sunday morning with some baked bacon that is good enough to share. 


PRINTABLE RECIPE
Here's what you'll need
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
3/4 cup cold milk.  (whole or 2% - not skim)

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor.  Pulse to combine.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Now turn the processor on and add the milk while the motor is running.  Continue processing until the dough forms a ball.  Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times. 

Roll out to about 1/2 inch and cut with a biscuit cutter or glass.  DO NOT TWIST THE CUTTER OR GLASS.  PRESS STRAIGHT DOWN AND LIFT UP.  No matter what biscuits you are making follow this rule.  If you twist they won't rise properly!  Place evenly spaced upside down on a greased baking.  Why upside down?  It will help them to rise straight up instead of sliding or falling over. 

Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. 



Quote of the day

The best angle to approach a problem is the try-angle. 

~ Author Unknown

Submit your favorite quote here.

Cheers,
Shannon