Zupa Toscana

5 1/2 cups chicken broth (we use No-Chicken Broth)
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 bunch Kale, chopped
1 lb mild Italian sausage, browned (may use spicy if prefer more heat - the red pepper flakes provide enough heat for our family)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours or bring to a simmer on the stove for approx 1 hour. (My crock-pot doesn't hold all the ingredients so I always just do it on the stove. You just have to simmer long enough for the potatoes to be cooked through, but may simmer longer.)

Serves 4-5

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing (Cafe Rio Style)

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
2-3 tomatillos, remove husk, cut in 1/2
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (cut off most of stems)
1 generous tsp of minced garlic
juice of 1 lime (I use two!)
1 jalapeno (I’m a wimp so I remove the seeds, leave them in if you like it SPICY!)

Throw it all in the blender and BLEND!  Refrigerate.

(For a party of 10, we doubled pork, rice, and dressing. We had plenty of everything except the rice - so triple the rice next time, and way too much dressing - one recipe is plenty! So for a party of 10 - double pork, triple rice, single dressing.)

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

2-3 lb pork tenderloin (2 small-med pork loins)
1 1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup loosely packed oregano leaves (fresh is best, but if you don't have access to fresh oregano, you could use 1 TBS plus 1 tsp of dried oregano leaves)
2 TBS fresh lime juice
1 TBS red wine vinegar
3 TBS chopped garlic (6-7 cloves)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped.

Transfer to a bowl and add the red pepper flakes. Stir in extra virgin olive oil by hand. Don't put the olive oil in the food processor because you run the risk of turning the entire sauce bitter.

Put about 1/2 - 3/4 cup chimichurri and place in a ziploc bag with the pork. Cover the remaining chimichurri and set both aside for about an hour.

When ready to cook, preheat grill. Remove tenderloins from bag and let excess marinade drip off. Place on grill and cook for about 5-8 minutes before flipping to the other side. You want the internal temperature to be about 160, so check with the thermometer and take it off the grill when it reaches 155-158 since it will continue to cook a bit as it sits. Remove from the grill and let stand 5 before cutting. Slice and serve with remaining chimichurri drizzled on top.

Taken from Our Best Bites

Oriental Chicken Marinade

3/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar (omit if grilling)

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

juice of 1 lime

8-10 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken

Marinate overnight. Chicken can be grilled or baked.

Switzerland Swiss Cheese Fondue

1 lb Swiss cheese, shredded (we usually use 1/2 Emmental, 1/2 Gruyere)

3 TBS flour

1 clove garlic

2 cups dry white wine

1 TBS lemon juice

2 TBS kirsch

nutmeg, salt, pepper, paprika to taste

2 large baguettes, cubed

Dredge cheese lightly in flour.

Rub cooking pot with garlic. Discard garlic. Pour in wine over medium heat. When wine is hot but not boiling, add lemon juice. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until cheese is melted. Bring fondue to a bubble briefly, add kirsch and spices, stirring until blended.

Pour into fondue pot and set over a burner. (It's generally a good idea to use warm water to heat the pot first.) Serve with baguette cubes.

The recipe serves 4 - but our family of 6 easily polishes off a double batch. :)

It's tradition that if a lady loses her bread in the pot, she owes the nearest man a kiss. If a man loses his bread in the pot, he buys the next round of drinks. However, it is not good form to make anyone lose their bread!

Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Glaze

1 TBS olive oil

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), excess fat and silver skin removed

course salt and ground pepper

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 TBS unsulfured molasses

1/4 cup dried cranberries (the original recipe called for dried currants, but we couldn't find them. the cranberries work well. Also, I usually add more cranberries - more like 3/4 cup.)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Generously season pork with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet until browned on all sides, 6-8 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until an an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 150 (10-15 minutes). Transfer pork to a platter (reserve skillet) and tent with foil.

Return skillet to stove and add pomegranate juice, molasses, and dried cranberries to skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until sauce is thickened to a glaze (5-6 minutes).

Thinly slice pork and drizzle with glaze.

Taco Soup

Sorry, Dan - this one isn't for you. :)

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

16 oz can Mexican-style tomatoes, undrained

16 oz can ranch-style beans, undrained

16 oz can whole-kernel corn, undrained

16 oz can kidney beans, undrained

16 oz can black beans, undrained

16 oz jar picante sauce (salsa)

Brown meat and onions in skillet. Drain. Combine with rest of ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips as toppings.

*When I'm feeling lazy, or have already applied my make-up - I cheat and just sprinkle some (2-ish TBS) dehydrated onion flakes in with the ground beef. It works just fine.*

Fish 'n' Chips

1 1/2 pounds boiling or yellow fleshed potatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 cup plus 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

6 cloves garlic, smashed (minced) and peeled

2 TBS finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (we used dried)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

juice and grated peel of 1 lemon (optional: 1 lemon cut in wedges for serving)

four 6-8 oz red snapper fillets (we used Tilapia)

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

4 scallions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with 3 TBS olive oil, the garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast until the potatoes are tender and golden at the edges, 20-25 minutes.

While the potatoes are working, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, over medium-high heat. Combine the cornmeal, flour, cheese and lemon peel on a plate. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then coat evenly with cornmeal mixture. Fry in the skillet, turning once, until golden brown, about 7 minutes total.

In a medium bowl, toss together the tomatoes, scallions, lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Top the fish with the sauce and serve with the potatoes.

From Every Day with Rachael Ray June/July 2007

***The recipe called for red snapper, but we couldn't find any. I thought the Tilapia worked well. I also think this recipe would work with halibut or cod. Fresh herbs can be expensive, so we just used dried rosemary - but I forgot to chop it! I will definitely remember that next time. I also forgot to drizzle the tomato sauce with olive oil and it was delicious without. I'm not sure if I'll try it with next time or not. We had some tartar sauce on hand - I couldn't imagine fish 'n' chips without tartar sauce! I really liked combining a bit of tartar sauce with the tomato sauce on the fish. There is lemon juice in the tomato sauce, which I found worked well, but Mom really liked having a few extra lemon wedges for her fish.***

Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:
2 potatoes (I usually use at least 3 potatoes. Gotta have enough potatoes!)
3 Tbs margarine/butter
1 medium onion (approx 1 cup)
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock (we use no-chicken broth because LSOC is allergic to chicken)
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed potato flakes
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper (This is quite a bit of pepper. We usually use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 oz bacon - cooked and crumbled
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.) Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool.
2. Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes. Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the potatoes into 1/2" cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half and half. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.

Yields: 6 servings
Time: Close to 2 hours (including baking potatoes).

Sausage and Bean Soup

1 Tbs olive oil
1 package of all beef kielbasa sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz each) cannellini beans, drained
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, with juices
28-32 oz broth (we usually use no-chicken broth - which comes in 32 oz box)
2-3 carrots (I actually like to use about 2/3 a package of matchstick carrots. It's really easy to quickly chop them into bite size pieces.)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Saute the garlic and sausage in the oil, briefly, in the bottom of a dutch oven. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes to 2 hours. Enjoy with some yummy bread.

Potato Cheddar Soup

12 slices precooked bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 TBS butter/margerine
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp mustard
32 oz broth/stock
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups half and half cream
12 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
dash of hot sauce (tobasco sauce)

In a dutch oven, heat up the bacon to render the fat. If you have more than a TBS of fat rendered, discard the excess. Add the margarine and melt. Add onions and saute until tender. Add the sage and mustard and cook 1 minute. Add potatoes, broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 13 minutes. Mash the potatoes against the side of the pot. Remove the pot from heat and slowly add the cream while stirring. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add the hot sauce and stir to combine. Serve with a yummy, crusty bread and great salad.

Smoky Tomato Soup

medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 TBS fresh thyme leaves (I used dried)
2 28oz cans whole fire-roasted tomatoes (I couldn't find that so I used 4 14.5oz cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 14.5oz can chicken broth
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and chipotle; lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Using a blender, puree the soup (Mom got a hand held blender stick for Christmas and it was so much easier to use than pouring the soup into a blender!) Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches (ours were made with pumpernickel bread and da Vinci Gouda cheese. Yum!)

This soup has a really nice fresh flavor. However, I think it needs cream. I added a couple dollops of sour cream to it and some members of my family put some milk in their servings. Next time, I will have some half and half cream available. Also, the chipotle chile was a lot spicier than we were expecting. The cream will help, but I'll probably try to remove some of the seeds next time. I think this would also be good as a dip for crostini if it weren't quite so soupy - maybe omit the chicken broth (and the cream)? Something to experiment with.

Recipe from a Rachael Ray magazine.