Trying to use up a ham-bone

Duane is really into pork. So about once every three months or so we buy a spiral-cut ham (yum) and then freeze it in small baggies and eat it for breakfast meat and in other dishes but it means we sometimes stockpile the soup bones. I have been wanting to use one but none of the usual recipes sounded yummy so I just kind of made something up. It turned out to be delicious so I'll share my concoction with you!

I put a layer of dry pinto beans on the bottom of my crock pot and added the ham bone (with lots of leftover bits of meat on it), a pitcher full of water and a heaping tablespoon of chicken bullion. I put the crock pot on low for about 4 hours before I added some pealed and cubed potatoes and carrots along with a chopped up onion, some pepper, garlic, thyme, basil, and some extra chicken stock to taste. I took out the ham bone and let it cool. When the potatoes were done I added back the ham meat. At the last second I threw in some frozen okra for greens and some leftover mini pasta noodles I had around. I served it with garlic bread. Yum!

I love when an culinary experiment turns out well!

Sweet Potato - Lentil Stew

Hi everyone! I miss you guys. I was looking at the blog and thought about what we've been eating and thought I would share an amazing meal we've had twice now due to the leftovers (which have been equally as yummy, if not better). It's a little different but so so so good! We ate it with bread the first night and on top of brown rice for the leftovers. It's from a book called The Kind Diet. It's a very interesting read and all the recipes I've tried so far have been really good!

Sweet Potato - Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

1/4 cup safflower oil (I used olive oil)

1 medium onion, diced

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger (I always keep a stick of this in the freezer; it keeps in there forever)

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cayenne (I used about half of this since the girls would be eating it)

Fine sea salt

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes

7 cups veggie broth (I'm sure you could use chicken broth and it would be just fine)

1 cup brown lentils

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, deep pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, or 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and a small pinch of salt. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then taste for seasonings; try to use only enough salt to heighten the flavors.

Add the sweet potatoes, broth and lentils. Stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the mixture come to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.

Turkey Pozole Soup with green chilies

Prep and cook time: 2 hours
Yields: 3-4 quarts

Ingredients:
2 pounds turkey meat (or pork) cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons peeled, chopped garlic
1 15oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 quarts chicken broth
1 28oz can golden or white hominy
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped scallions
sour cream
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Serving:
Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat ofver medioum heat.
Season the turkey with the salt and pepper. Add to the pot and sute until well-browned. Using a slotted spoon transfre the turkey to a bowl and set aside.
Add the onions, red pepper and jalapeno to the pot and brown until golden, which takes aproximately 7 minutes.
When the onion begins to carmelize, return to the turkey to the pot, sprinkle with the cumin and chili powder, stir in the garlic, green chilies and tomatoes.
Add the chicken broth plus 2 cups of water, stir and ring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and let the chili simmer, partially covered, for one hour.
Add the hominy. Continue to cook until turkey is tender, which takes approximately 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve with cilantro, scallions, and sour cream as topping.

Tortilla Soup

Prep: 12 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Serves 6

Ingrediants:
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 4oz can diced green chilies
3/4 cups tomato puree
1 tablespoon enchelada sauce mix
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend
3/4 cup crushed baked blue corn chips
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Heat a large pot of a medium high heat. Add oil, onions and ground turkey. Saute until turkey is just cooked, stirring frequently to break up clumps.

Add the chicken stock to the pot and stir in garlic, chilies, tomato puree, and enchilada sauce mix. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Put some of the chopped avocado in the bottom of each serving bowl and ladle the soup on top. Stir to combine. Top with cheese, crushed chips, and sour cream. Garnish with cilantro.

Olive Garden® Zuppa Toscana

I'm planning to make this soup for tomorrow's club! YUM!!

Olive Garden® Zuppa Toscana

Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1 tsp red peppers flakes

1 large diced white onion

4 slices bacon (cut into smaller pieces)

2 tsp garlic (minced)

10 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

8 sliced Russet potatoes

¼ of a bunch of kale (roughly chopped)

1.   Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2.   In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

3.   Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

4.   Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about 20 min.

5.   Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

6.   Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Highly tasty soup recipes! (Hearty Minestrone and Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo)

If any of you know my husband (Stuart), you might know that he is a very picky eater. So, finding a recipe that will please him is a hard thing to do, however, once I find a recipe that he approves of, I definitely know that it is worth sharing. The following two soup recipes come to you with a seal of approval from Stuart. He loves them and begs for more every time I make it. I am horrible about following a recipe to exactness so I will put the parts that I change in parentheses.

Hearty Minestrone (from the Simple and Delicious Magazine)
1 lb. ground beef or pork
1/2 cup chopped celery (I never measure this and just chop what looks right)
1/2 cup chopped onion (same as celery)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I am a bit of a garlic fiend and I use 4 cloves. Call me crazy!)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (I use 1 quart of home canned stewed tomatoes)
1 (16 oz) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (Stu detests these so I leave them out)
2 cups tomato juice (Stu doesn't like super tomatoey sauces so I don't include this. I make up for the liquid with water or beef broth.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomato sauce (I use half a can of tomato PASTE instead. It thickens to the broth of the soup just a little, which is how Stuart likes it.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth (I generally use beef bouillon cubes and water to taste, which is normally around 2 bouillon cubes and 3 cups water. One time I was out of beef bouillon and just seasoned the broth with other spices and it turned out fine.)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (I don't always put this in.)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1- 1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 sugar, optional
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 - 1 cup water
1 cup uncooked ziti pasta (or in my case whatever I have on hand)

In a large pot (or Dutch oven), cook the ground beef, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth , carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add remaining water and pasta. Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is tender. *This recipe can also be frozen as long as you leave out the pasta. This recipe makes a large amount! We like to top our soup with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo (from a newspaper chef who cooked for Mardi Gras)
2 lbs. shrimp (We use about a pound)
2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth (I cut this in half and use 4 cups water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
5 oz beef broth (I sometimes leave this out)
1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I use a 1/2 pound of andouille because I like the slightly spicy flavor better than the smoked sausage)
Vegetable oil
1 cup flour ( I never use this much. I might only use 1/3 of a cup. I'll explain more about this in the directions portion.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (3 is never enough for me. I might use 5 cloves depending on my mood)
2 bay leaves (I generally only use 1)
2 tsp Creole seasoning (I don't have this so sometimes I use Jamaican Jerk or season with Mrs. Dash)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tsp hot sauce ( I leave this out so the kids will sample this and Stu add the hot sauce in while he is eating.)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
So, if you want to make a true New Orleans gumbo, you have to boil the shrimp shells to help flavor the sauce. I can give you those directions if you want but I never do that because it makes the gumbo too fishy for Stuart's liking. So here is what I do. Peel shrimp and set aside. Cook sausage, onions, garlic and celery in until browned. Set aside. With the drippings and a little oil (probably 2 tsps depending on the fat content of sausage), make a roux by adding flour slowly (like 1 Tbsp at a time) until it thickens to a paste. You want the roux to "flow smoothly" so don't over flour the mixture. If you really want true gumbo, you cook the roux over medium low heat until it turns a chocolate brown color. I don't. It takes forever. I cook it for maybe 5 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add sausage, onions, garlic, celery, and the rest of the chopped vegetables to the roux. Add chicken broth and beef broth slowly. Stir well. Stir in bay leaves, Creole seasoning, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce (if you want). Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the broth thickens. The recipe suggest 50 minutes but I rarely simmer longer than 25 minutes. Shir in shrimp and green onions. Return to a low boil and simmer 10 minutes until shrimp is pink and not transparent looking. Under cooked shrimp is a BAD thing. Discard bay leaves. Serve over hot rice.

TASTY! My stomach is growling as I type this. Hope you all enjoy these as much as we do!

Some Recipes from Todays COOKIE EXCHANGE

ORANGE BLOSSOMS:

Yields:27 cookies       Preheat Oven: 400       Bake Time: 10 minutes

DOUGH:
11 TBSP unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TBSP grated orange rind (zest)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Fiori di Sicilia (optional - the one we tasted today did not have this)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

ICING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 TBSP grated orange rind (zest)
3 TBSP orange juice

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease (or line with parchemnt) two baking sheets.
To make dough: In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter sugar, until light. Beat in the egg, then the orange juice and zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Fiori di Sicilia. Stir in the flour.
Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until they're just begining to brown. Remove them from the oven and transfer to rack to cool.
To make the icing: In a medium sized bowl, cream together the confectioners' sugar, butter, and orange zest, then stir in the orange juice, adding additional juice, if necessary, to make a spreadable icing. Ice the cooled cookies and place them on the rack until set.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER LOLLIPOP

1/2 cup butter completely softened
4 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies
12oz. semi-sweet chocolate
12oz. milk chocolate
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and peanut butter in the bowl of an elecrtric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on low speed until well combined. Mix in the Rice Krispies.

Using your hands, form into  1oz. balls (the size of a walnut), insert a lollipop stick and refridgerate until firm (about 1 hour). Combine the chocolates in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl over  a small pot of simmering water and melt, stirring occasionally until smooth. Stir in vegetable oil. Spread the chopped peanuts on a plate.

Dip the lillipops one at a time into the mented chocolate to coat then let the excess drip off a bit. Set the lillipop down in the peanuts. Allow to set up at room temperatire for several hours or chill in the refridgerator for 30 minutes.

MRS. FIELDS COOKIES

Makes: 112 cookies Preheat: 375 degrees Bake Time: 8-10 minutes

Cream together:
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar

Add:
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla (I had to use 3 to make all the dry ingrediants stick together)

Mix together:
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal (the original recipe calls for you to blend or food process the oatmeal until it turns to powder -- I just used oatmeal baby food)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

(I mixed the dry ingrediants and then added the wet ingrediants to it)
Add 24 oz. of chocolate chips, one 8 oz hershey bar (grated)  and 3 cups chopped nuts. (I skipped chocolate bar and nuts today). Make golf-ball sized balls. Drop 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Makes 112 cookies.
Recipe may be cut in half for approximately 5 dozen cookies

And of course the yummy CROCK POT LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP that we all enjoyed for lunch:

1/2 stick butter
1 whole medium onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2-3 chopped cloves
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
8 whole large baking potatoes
3 cans chicken broth
8 oz. fluid sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 package cooked crumbled bacon

TURN crockpot on high and put in the butter. Add chopped onion and celery. (If using fresh garlic add it now). Add salt and pepper. Stir and let cook while you peel and chop the potatoes. C
Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch squares. Add potatoes and garlic (if you aren't using fresh) to the pot. Add 2 cans of the chicken stock. Add some of the remaining can if the potatoes are not covered.
Cook on high for 4 hours (8 on low) or until the potatoes are down.
Once potatoes are done, mash some up witha potato masher. We like a lot of chunks so we only mash about 1/4 of the potatoes.
Add in sour cream, heavy cream, cheese and bacon (minus a handful to put on top for garnish)
If the soup is too thick, add enough of the remaining can of chicken stockto thin the soup. If it is too thin, cook remaining baked potato in the microwave; scoop out, mash and add to soup. Each crock pot is different so the required broth may vary.
Ladle soup into bowls and add additional cheddar and bacon for garnish.