d's delights- cooking and crafts

Zuppa Toscana (OG Copycat!) I had made a lot of tomato-based soups lately, so I decided to go wit this.   It is supposedly a copycat of the Olive Garden recipe.   As usual, I had to make some of my own adjustments.   (Not as much kale and more broth/cream than called for) This turned out sooooo good!   I am afraid I’m going to eat it all up before even having a chance to freeze any for later!   A great comfort food for depressing winters! Olive oil 1 lb Italian Sausage (casing removed) 4 slices of bacon, diced   (bacon, bacon, Bacon BACOOOOOOON!) 1 sm-md yellow onion, chopped 3 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth 2 cups (or cans worth!) of water 1 ½ lb russet potatoes (about 4)   sliced and diced.   (leave skin on if desired- rinse and scrub first!) 1 ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp crushed fennel seeds   (these are optional, but I wouldn’t leave them out if you can help it!) Salt and pepper 2 C half and half (I actually used 32 ...

My latest new recipe is a minestrone that originally came from my Taste of Home Cookbook.   I used to pour over ToH magazines looking for new and interesting recipes.   I still have them… though I don’t really know why because I’m sure all the things I’d like are on the internet now!  This turned out really good, and it is packed with vegetables and flavor.   Perfect for the kind of November weather we’ve been having here lately.   (It’s currently grey, spitting and ugly snow and is VERY cold!) The original recipe can be found here . Here is what I did to change it up. My changes are in red ·          2 cups coarsely chopped onions   (about 2-3 white onions) ·          1 cup sliced celery (about 2-3 stalks) ·          1/4 cup minced fresh parsley   (I didn’t use parsley… didn’t have any) ·    ...

Bi-coastal Salsa Chop up these ingredients and put in a big bowl: 3 cloves garlic 3 green onions 1 small or ½ large red onion 1 small or 1 large Vidalia or sweet onion (1/2 jalepeno) 3-5 Tomatoes 1 green bell pepper 1 red bell pepper 1 orange bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper (purple bell peppers are nice too, if available) ½ bunch chopped cilantro Mix together: 1-2 tbs red wine vinegar ¼ C lime juice (juice of 1 large  lime or two small ones) Grated lime peel Pepper ¼ tbs ground cumin 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp olive oil (or other salad oil of your choice) I adapted this recipe from two different salsa recipes.   One was from an LA Weigh Loss cook book, and another was from the South Beach cookbook… so, I named this “Bi-Coastal Salsa”! There is no cooking involved here, but the cutting can be tedious if it’s not your favorite thing to do. I like the peppers and onions to be chopped quite fine.   Putting them through a processor is a...

Summer Spinach Salad Dressing 2/3 cup sugar or Splenda 1/3 cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 small onion, finely chopped (in the food processor) 4 teaspoons prepared mustard (I use Dijon or deli mustard) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper This was originally recorded in my recipe journal on July 10, 2004 and came from a Taste of Home magazine.   My mom used to work in a FACS department and would get all the old Taste of Home Magazines.   I would sit and peruse them for hours trying to find things that looked good to try to make! Since it is such a sweet dressing, it pairs nicely with spinach, fruit and nuts.

Blue Ribbon Blackberry BBQ Sauce Here is a sauce that’s great for grilled chicken.   Rob liked this, as it wasn’t spicy and had just enough sweet tang to it.   I put aside 3 small ½ cup baggies to freeze and use again later. 2 tsp oil ¼ Cup finely chopped onion 1 1/2 C ketchup  1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons orange juice 12 oz blackberry jam (seedless) 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp orange zest Cook the onion on the oil for a few minutes.   Add in the other ingredients.   Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes.   Brush the sauce on the chicken after it has been browned on each side.