25 Rice Recipes

Rice. I love rice. It's a simple, affordable, and versatile grain product that's very familiar to most Americans. You can fry it, and come up with fried rice or even pan-fried rice cakes. You can bake it inside stuffed peppers, or casseroles loaded with veggies. You can serve it with a saucy stir fry with the sole intention of using it to soak up that sauce. One of my favorite ways to eat rice? In a bowl with a little soy sauce drizzled over it. Simple. Yet delicious. I credit rice with helping our budget when we first moved to Kentucky. Due to its low price, I added rice to a ton of dishes and served it often in our first years in the bluegrass state. We still eat a lot of it, even though things are much different these days. I wish I could get the hubby to enjoy brown rice, but you can't win all the battles :-)

Lasagna with Spicy Sausage & Spinach

Let's just continue our journey of around-the-world cuisine, shall we?

I was all set to blog about muffins this morning, and then did an abrupt 360º at the last minute. I mean, I already posted cupcakes this week, and what are muffins but slightly less sweet cupcakes? Plus, I jibber-jabbered all day yesterday about my world-traveling recipes so why not expound on that?

My thoughts exactly :-)

Recipe Redux: Oktoberfest Stew

Recipe Redux.

Recipe Re-do.

Whatever you want to call it, it's time for this month's Recipe Redux! This one is definitely a keeper. I've been making it ever since the hubby and I moved into our new house. Literally, I think this was THE first new recipe I ever made in my brand new kitchen. Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

When the hubby and I moved out of our rental in Ashland, it was the most organized move I'd ever, well, organized. I was on top of my game. I started packing 4 weeks before our move-out date, and I went slowly, room by room. Each box I packed had a room marked on it that it should go to. Underneath the name of the room, I listed every. single. thing. in the box. It was the most helpful thing I'd ever done.

Top Recipes of 2014

Well peeps, it's almost 2015. Only 2 more days. 2 days that are holidays to me every year. 2 days, you ask? Yes. Today is my birthday (!!!) and tomorrow is, of course, New Year's Eve. I coast right into the new year every year after 2 lively days of celebrating.

Oh my gosh, typing that sentence just brought Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song" to mind. "Instead of 1 days of presents, we get 8 CRAZY nights". LOL. Instead of 1 night of celebrating on New Year's Eve, I get 2 crazy nights :)

25 Winter Soup Recipes

Hap, hap, happy Friday folks!

I know, I know, I told you I was either bringing you a pumpkin recipe or DIY gift idea today. Well, guess what? I lied! Both posts need more work, so I'm here with another round-up. I think I'm going to be doing round-up's once a month from now on, they have been going over really well. People seem to like them, and I'm going to keep giving the people what they want. And as we march further and further into winter, soup becomes a very popular menu item. I can't count how many times the hubby has come home from a very cold day, and been utterly delighted to find cozy soup and crusty french bread for dinner. Indeed, I think we have soup and bread at least once a week in the winter. I end up making tons of soups to freeze, and then I pretty much just pull a meal from the freezer once a week. I love it. 

Soup is one of those things that pretty much anyone can make. You don't need to be a gourmet chef. It doesn't take much technique. In fact, I've found almost every soup has a similar preparation process. For most soups, you heat a little bit of oil or butter to sauté your mirepoix. Mirepoix is French for "onions, carrots, and celery". Not every soup has that exact combination, but almost every soup starts out by sautéing some vegetables. It could be onions and peppers. Onions, carrots, celery, and shallot. Garlic. You name it. After sautéing the mirepoix, it seems everything else goes. Except if it's dairy based. I'm talking wine, broth, vegetables that aren't as hard as onions and carrots, beans, meat, spices. After you throw everything else in, you simmer for any given amount of time. Next would come the aforementioned dairy, if you are making a creamy soup. And last, but certainly not least, you would throw in any fresh parsley, basil, or cilantro you would be using. Again, if any. It's really pretty simple. Never fear the soup recipe, my friends. 

Another benefit of soup--It can be prepared early, or even a day in advance. Soup always seems to come together the day after it's made to make extraordinary flavors. 

One more thing before I go... Most of you know I link my weekly recipes at the end of the week to several different "linky" parties. All in the hopes of driving traffic. I have a near-constant goal of getting featured on said parties, and sometimes, I reach my goal. Today is one of those days! My General Tso's Chicken was the most viewed recipe of the week over on The Country Cook's Weekly Potluck! This is huge honor, as the last time this happened (for my Pecan Pie Cake) I ended up with a ton of new readers, followers on Pinterest, and FaceBook likes. For the smallest of small blogs, this is  super-exciting and keeps me in a tizzy all weekend. I'll have a smile on my face for the next couple of days for sure! :)

There you have it folks. I'll leave you with 25 scrumptious soup recipes to try. Have a great weekend!

1. Roasted Fennel, Chickpea, and Tomato Soup

2. Winter Minestrone

3. Vegetable Beef

4. Creamy Broccoli and Cheese Soup

5. Creamy Chicken, White Bean, and Green Chile Soup

6. Semi-Homemade Chicken and Dumplins'

7. Chickpea Minestrone

8. Caprese Soup

9. Chicken Soup with Egg Noodles

10. New England Clam Chowder

11. Chicken Soup with Shells and Kale

12. Chicken Taco Soup

13. Eggplant and Orzo Casserole Soup

14. Loaded Baked Potato Soup

15. Lentil Soup with Spicy Sausage and Kale

16. Oktoberfest Stew

17. Pasta Fagoli

18. Skinny Potato Soup

19. Roasted Cauliflower Soup

20. Smoky Black Bean Soup

21. Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

22. Spanish Rice Soup

23. Turkey Pumpkin Chili

24. Tortilla Soup

25. White Bean and Spinach Soup

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party, Snickerdoodle Sunday, Treasure Box Tuesday

Red Bean and Rice Tacos

Stay with me here. I know this sounds like a strange combination. Red Beans and Rice... in a taco? With taco fix-in's? You've gotta be crazy.

Well, I'm not. I can't explain it, but this recipe just works. Cajun and Mexican, all rolled up into one. I'm constantly looking for new ways to use leftovers. I made a large batch of Red Beans and Rice this week, and that always leaves me with plenty of excess. I froze a pretty large bag for later, but I was left with a couple of good-sized portions. What to do?

I must admit, I didn't come up with this idea on my own.  Believe it or not, the last time I made Red Beans and Rice (before this week, of course) was 2 years ago. We had newly moved in with the hubby's aunt and uncle while our house was under construction. This was one of the first meals I made while living there, and we had gobs of leftovers. Aunt suggested we put the leftovers in tortillas and make tacos. It didn't sound appetizing right off the bat, but I'm always down to experiment. Boy was I surprised that the Red Beans and Rice made a fantastic taco filling! If you have members of your family who don't "do" leftovers (like me) this is an easy way to turn leftovers into something new. 

I'm actually tossing around the idea of "Leftover Week" on the blog. I love talking about home economics. Believe me, I could talk your ear off on the money-saving benefits of cooking from scratch. A lot of times home cooks have leftovers from their meals that they can easily turn into a new and different meal. Using leftovers saves time and money. And leftovers don't have to be drab, sad, and unappealing. These tacos look anything but drab, right? The idea of "Leftover Week" came to me last night as I made a pesto pasta faster than I could make a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Pesto pasta that had 100 times more flavor than boxed mac and cheese, yet was just as convenient. Don't be surprised if you see "Leftover Week" here on the blog soon :)

I have one more topic before I scurry off for the day. Today is the 10th anniversary of the series finale of "Friends".  10 years? Are you kidding me? I'm still shaking my head in a bit of disbelief that it's been 10 years, as I can still remember exactly where I was that day. 

It was 2004 (duh). I was in college, living in the ... dun, dun, dun... sorority house. My little sis (in the sorority, I don't have any sisters in real life) lived in an apartment off campus. We spent the finale working on a 12-pack of Zima in her apartment, sobbing our eyes out while her live-in boyfriend stared at us in horror from his work spot at the dining room table. Does anyone remember Zima? Man, that stuff was nasty. That memory still makes me laugh. And makes me sad that that was 10 years ago. Holy moly, where does the time go?

All right, well, I hope this recipe changes your minds' about leftovers. Even if it's just a little bit :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients:

corn tortillas

Red Beans and Rice, heated

sour cream

grated cheddar cheese

sliced green onions

salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200º. Dampen a dish cloth, then wrap damp cloth around a stack of tortillas. Wrap dish cloth in aluminum foil. Place packet in oven, allow to cook for 20 minutes. Keep tortillas wrapped to keep them moist and warm.

2. Heat Red Beans and Rice. I just used the microwave :)

3. Spoon Red Bean mixture onto tortillas. Top with sour cream, cheese, onions, and salsa. Serve immediately. 

Printable Recipe

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

Smoky Black Bean Soup

I really enjoyed this soup. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. Sometimes I get all gung-ho to make a recipe, and then somehow, I lose my excitement right in the middle of making it! That happened with this one. All was set right after the first taste test, however :)

I always forget how much I love black bean soup. I first tried it in college, and immediately fell in love. I love the thick, creamy texture, and being able to customize each bowl with sour cream and shredded cheese. The weather during those 4 years of college seemed to be rain 90% of the time, so a toasty bowl of soup was always appreciated after running home soaked after class.

I found this recipe to be a thick, comforting soup. It wasn't bad for a summer evening, but I can tell this will be perfect comfort food for a bitterly cold winter's night. I served mine with bread and butter, which was delicious. A light salad would also make a good side dish to this filling soup. Bonus: This soup doesn't take a lot of ching-ching to make. It was actually extremely wallet friendly, mostly utilizing pantry items.

I hope everyone made it through Monday! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning, but I had lunch with a friend in the afternoon. It was my first experience trying a Chinese restaurant in the area, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's always nice to add more variety to an already small and homogenous repertoire of restaurants :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 (3 oz) links chicken sausage, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken broth
1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
4 tsp lime juice, divided
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add sausage in a single layer. Let cook for 2 minutes, stir to flip sausages over. Cook another 2 minutes, or until sausages are browned. Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon, set aside.
2. Add onion and bell pepper to pan, saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and cumin through pepper to the pan.
3. In a small bowl, add 1 can of beans. Using a potato masher, mash the can of beans. Add mashed beans, normal beans, broth, and chipotle to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes.
4. While soup is simmering, combine sour cream, 1 tsp lime juice, honey, and salt. Set aside.
5. Remove soup from heat, stir in reserved sausage and 3 tsp lime juice. Salt to taste. Serve immediately, topped with sour cream mixture.

Recipe adapted from Fitness Magazine

Sausage, Potato, and Pepper Skillet

This is the third time I've attempted this "recipe", and I feel like I've finally figured it out.

I've adapted this from a Skinnytaste recipe that I found over the summer that just looked too good to pass up. Sausage? Good. Potatoes? Good. Peppers? Gooooood. The only problem? I tried the recipe as is (as I always do on a trial-run), and it just didn't turn out. The original recipe calls for the potatoes to be cooked in the pan, browned, and then steamed with a lid on the pan. The sausage is then added to the pan, and browned as well, before adding the rest of the vegetables. You are then supposed to cover the pan, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. For me, this resulted in soggy potatoes and soggy sausage.

Second time at the pass, I broiled the potatoes in the oven until they were almost done so they were nice and crispy. I then added them back to the pan after the vegetables, but before the final cook with the lid on. My potatoes lost their crisp, and my sausage which I had also nicely browned, got soggy again. Grr.

I decided to do away with the final lid covering. It wasn't working for me. My new plan involved roasting the potatoes in the oven, making sure they were evenly browned, and cooked all the way. The next step is to brown the sausage in a hot skillet, and set it aside. Thirdly, I cooked all the vegetables until they were crisp-tender, and only then did I add the potatoes and sausage at the last minute for a quick toss. Delish! Crisp potatoes that were soft on the inside: mission complete. Sausage that wasn't soggy: mission complete. A delicious one pot meal: mission complete. A bonus- this was the hubby's favorite of the versions I've tried. A happy, full husband? Always a mission complete :)

Ingredients:

cooking spray
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (12 oz) package of chicken sausage, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (you could also use parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, etc. Basically whatever fresh herb you want.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with 2 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread potatoes in single layer over cookie sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to brown evenly. Remove from oven, set aside.
3. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. When pan is heated, add sausage to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes, or until sausage is evenly browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
4. Heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil in skillet. Add onion. Saute 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, peppers, and zucchini to pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Turn down heat, cover skillet and let cook for 4-5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
5. Add sausage and potatoes to skillet. Toss until sausage and potatoes are heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and stir in fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste

Lentil Soup with Spicy Sausage and Kale

Pinterest strikes again!

I'm soooo loving this hearty soup I found. It was just what the doctor ordered on a freakin' cold, windy winter day. One where the high was 37 degrees, and the sun didn't peek out once. Not even once.

Truly a one-pot meal, this soup has everything and the kitchen sink in it. Lentils, sausage, and kale (uh, duh). Carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Protein, fiber, and 175% of your daily value of Vitamin A. Served piping hot, and filling your house with a savory aroma as it simmers. But to take it really over the top? Warm, crusty french bread served on the side.

Yes, please! Sign me up. An added bonus: the leftovers are even more out-of-this-world amazing :)

Ingredients:

3 links hot Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup brown lentils
1-2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 bay leaves
3-4 cups kale, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, minced
Parmesan Reggiano cheese, shredded (for topping)

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Remove casings from sausage, and when the pot is hot add sausage to pot. Brown sausages on each side, about 2 minutes each. Stir to crumble. Cook until all sausage is browned.
2. Add onions through garlic to the pot. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes through bay leaves to the pot. Add more salt and pepper if needed, to taste. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
4. Add kale to the pot. Simmer for 8 more minutes, or until kale is tender. Turn off heat, and stir in parsley.
5. Ladle soup into bowls, and top with the shredded Parmesan Reggiano.

*Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen*

2/8/13: A Day In The Life

Time: 10:02 am

Weather outside: 39 degrees and cloudy. We are not getting a blizzard like the rest of the East Coast though, so I am thankful.

On my desk: A new issue of Self Magazine, Cooking Light's Everyday Baking cookbook, and a rough draft menu plan for next week, complete with a mass of cross-outs and numbers scritch-scratched all over it.

On my nightstand: My iPhone. I like to catch up on my blog reading before I go to bed. It helps me fall asleep. Hmm. It doesn't sound like much a compliment that reading everyone else's blogs put me to sleep. 

On my DVR: The American's, Justified (yum!), The Soup, Rachael and Guy's Celebrity Cook-Off (go Hines!), and... Supermassive Black Holes. Umm, yeah. That's not mine. And that's astronomy related, get your minds out of the gutter peeps! :)

In my ears: Live with Kelly and Michael, and the wind howling outside.

In my garden: Nothing yet. Please plant the basil, cilantro, and parsley, hubby. Mmm k?

In the oven: I haven't decided. I'm seriously considering making these Snicker's Brownie Bites though.

In my tummy: Kashi's Go Lean Cinnamon Crisp cereal with banana slices and almond milk. My favorite breakfast.

In my future: Working out. Not looking forward to that today. And maybe baking. Looking forward to that!

On tap for dinner: Lentil Soup with Sausage and Kale, and a French baguette.

Latest obsession: Raspberry Banana Oat Muffins, and Middle Sister's Red Table Wine.

On my mind: Dreading working out. How much longer it takes to clean a 1800-square foot house vs. a 600-square foot house. How annoying it is that Kroger's ad for next week is not out yet. Where am I going to find a rustic wooden planter box to put in my living room? Needless to say, there's a lot on my mind :)

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend!

Blog Love: Oktoberfest Stew

I missed cooking so, so much. So much that I never not want to be able to cook ever again.

Never, ever, ever again.

Like, ever.

In all seriousness, I've been cooking since Day 3 in the new house. Priority #1 was my kitchen. I always want my kitchen to be done. I'd rather be running into boxes in the bedroom in the middle of the night over not cooking. And while I have been cooking, it has been quick standbys, not new recipes.

This was the first new recipe I tried. And I did not regret it. Ooh child, this was delicious.

I found this recipe somewhere where I spend a majority of my time, Pinterest. I love Pinterest so much, I don't know what I would do without it. Probably be very, very sad. This recipe is from one of my newly beloved blogs, The Cozy Apron. Pinterest led me to this blog, and I'm so happy it did.

I missed Oktoberfest season this year, so maybe I'm just trying to make up for that fact. The hubby and I both had colds when I made this, and it was perfect comfort food. It actually reminds me of a dish my mom used to make, hers with smoked sausage, potatoes, and green beans. At any rate, this dish is full of flavor and would be perfect for a cold, windy night. It's too good to save for once a year :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 (14 oz) smoked beef sausage, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp pepper
Pinch of salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beer (German style lager)
2 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp flat-leave parsley, chopped

Freshies. Yum!

I had a hard time finding German-style lager at my small-town grocery store, so I went with this.

Homemade chicken stock

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan until heated. Add beef sausage, cook 4-5 minutes or until browned.
2. Add onions to pan. Cook until golden brown and softened. Add cabbage to pan and allow cabbage to soften.
3. Add salt and pepper to pan. Add garlic to pan, cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add lager to the pan. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes or until lager has slightly reduced.
5. Add potatoes and chicken broth to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, place lid slightly askew on the pan to allow steam to escape, and simmer gently for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
6. Turn heat off. Stir in the apple cider vinegar and the parsley. Serve immediately.

Veggies simmering in lager. Smells so amazing!

Recipe adapted from The Cozy Apron