Yummy Potato Corn Chowder

We had a cold snap last week, and I couldn't think of a better reason to have a thick and hearty (not to mention delicious) soup for dinner.

The original recipe for this came from Swanson when they introduced their Cream Soup Starter (which I can no longer find and now have to do a roux from scratch), and of course I jacked it up a bit.

Here's what you'll need:

1 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped (about a cup)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped (about a cup)
8 oz. baby red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1.5 cups)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped green chilies
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces and fried crispy
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese
1.5 sticks butter
1.5 cup flour
2 cans chicken broth

Cook and drain the bacon.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, red pepper, potatoes, paprika, and green chilies.

Season with salt and black pepper.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Make a roux with the butter, flour and chicken broth.

Melt the butter, then add the flour and stir until combined and about the consistency of cream of wheat.  Slowly add one and a half cans of chicken broth and continue stirring.  Stir.  Stir.  Stir.  And pay attention, because suddenly you've got wallpaper paste.  Add more of the broth (or a bit of milk) to help bring the consistency to a rich, thick cream.

When the potatoes are tender, add the roux, the bacon, and the corn and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese.  Let the chowder simmer for a bit, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Easy Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

Simple and delicious - two of my favorite adjectives for a weeknight dinner.  Even better, you can substitute just about anything in the veggie mix, and you can use any kind of sausage!

Get out your biggest sheet pan and line with foil.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice open and cut into two-inch pieces any 16oz package of fully cooked sausage (Hillshire, Butterball, whatever).  Last night I used chicken sausage.  Place on the foil.

Chunk up a zucchini or yellow squash, slice up some mushrooms, smash and chop up four cloves of garlic, thinly slice about half of a red onion and cut up a few mini bell peppers.

Dump into a mixing bowl and drizzle about a half cup of good olive oil.  Add some salt and pepper, some red pepper flakes and a tablespoon or so of Italian seasonings.  Mix well and then add to foil lined pan - distribute evenly.

Place in oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring about halfway through.  Grate some fresh parm on top before serving.

Sweet Potato Turkey Sausage Caramelized Onion And Pepper Hash

Yesterday I realized that I had two sweet potatoes I needed to use.  And while deciding on what to make to go with them, I hit upon this idea.

I hadn't made hash in quite a while, and the last time I made it, it was for breakfast.  I began putting together my ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes (salt, pepper, olive oil)
1 package of smoked turkey sausage (Hillshire, Butterball, whatever)
1 large yellow onion (although I think a red onion might be even better)
3-4 mini bell peppers (I used red and yellow)
3-4 tablespoons of green chilies (probably one of those small cans would work - to your taste)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, bacon/jalapeno salt (thank you BFF and Specs)
2-3 tsps maple syrup


Start by roasting the sweet potatoes.  Peel and cut the spuds into small hash-friendly pieces and load into a shallow-rimmed pan.

Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Make sure the potatoes are in a single layer.

Cover with foil and put into the bottom third of a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and roast for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, caramelize the onions.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add onions.  Keep on a medium heat and let it go for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Don't let them burn.

Once they're soft and such a lovely brown color, add in the peppers and green chilies.  Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic powder.  Then, sprinkle in some bacon/jalapeno salt (or ground jalapeno powder or ground chipotle powder, or whatever you want to spice it up with).

This mixture will cook down further in the next 10 minutes or so, and when it looks more like a pile of dirty yarn, set aside and cook up the sausage.

I used the same skillet to incorporate all the goodness of the onion/pepper mix.  When the sausage started browning, I added a maple syrup.  

It was at this moment, Joe asked me what I was making.  The house smelled sooooo good!

When the sausages were brown and sticky, I added in the onion/pepper mixture and the perfectly roasted sweet potatoes.  Yum!

Delicious with a side of cornbread!

Christmas Candy Recipes - Sugar Cookies (Yeah, I Know...Not A Candy) And Icing

Let's face it, it's just not Christmas without sugar cookies - cut into shapes like trees, santas, candy canes, bells, and reindeer and decorated with homemade dye-colored icing and sprinkles - just like you're great aunt used to make.  Santa was ALWAYS grateful for these cookies...and I always got just what I'd asked for!

The Best Sugar Cookies Ya Ev'r Et Er Snitched

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup veggie oil
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar

Cream butter and sugar with mixer until smooth and fluffy.
Add the next four ingredients (eggs, oil, salt, vanilla) with beaters on.
Sift dry ingredients together (flour, soda, cream of tartar) and slowly combine.

Roll out and cut out shaped cookies or discs.  Place on lightly greased cookie sheet (you could also use parchment paper or a sil-pat).

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden.

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla
Food coloring
Decorations

Stir sugar and milk until smooth.  Beat in the corn syrup and vanilla until icing is smooth and glossy (if it's too thick, add a little more corn syrup).  Divide icing into separate bowls and stir in food coloring, as desired.  You can dip the cookies, paint them with a paint brush or spread them using a knife or the back of a spoon.  Continue the fun with sprinkles, silver candy balls or whatever you think Santa would like.

Christmas Candy Recipes - Divinity

My grandmother would divine the shit out of this recipe.  It's really just whipped meringue fudge, but it's the whipping that makes it sooooo freakin' good.  Get a friend to help beat it, and you'll do yourself proud with this divine deliciousness.

2 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 light corn syrup
1/2 cup water*
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Heat sugar, corn syrup and water in 2qt saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.  Cook, without stirring to 260 degrees on a candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball.  Remove from heat.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites.  Add vanilla; beat until mixture holds its shape and become sightly dull (mixture may become too stiff for mixer - this is where your friend comes in).  Fold in nuts.  Drop mixture from the tip of buttered spoon onto waxed paper.  Store in refrigerator.

*Use 1 tablespoon less on humid days

Christmas Candy Recipes - Toffee

My dentist loved that I loved these candies.

1 cup chopped pecans (cashews work, too)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease an 9-inch square pan.  Heat sugar and butter to boiling in 1qt saucepan, stirring constantly.  Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 7 minutes (your biceps will love you).  Spread mixture in pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot mixture and place a cookie sheet over the pan (to help hold in heat) until the chips are melted.  Spread out the chocolate so it covers the candy.  While still melty, sprinkle the nuts over the top.  Cut into squares while still warm.  Refrigerate until firm. 

Christmas Candy Recipes - Creamy Caramels

I'm sure if I thought about it long enough, I could turn this into chocolate salted caramels, but let's start with the basic recipe.  Before you begin, cut about 40 3-inch square pieces of waxed paper.  When the caramels are cool, you can wrap them separately.

The key with caramels is stirring.  Constant.  Overall.  Stirring.  You can't let the sugar get to hot or it will burn.  Like the fires of hell.  I'm not kidding around.  Stir it.  Stir it NOW!

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half & half

Grease an 8-inch square pan.  Heat sugar, corn syrup, butter and 1 cup of the half & half to boiling in a 3qt saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in remaining half & half.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, to 245 degrees on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a firm ball (this is called a cold water test).  Immediately spread into pan and cool.  Cut into 1-inch squares.   Store in a cool place (not the fridge).