My Outback Classic Wedge Salad

My Outback Classic Wedge Salad
Serves 4

I live in a place where the closest Outback Steakhouse is, or at least feels, like farther away than I want to travel for a salad. I was really craving one, so I made a list of all the things that were familiar about the salad and this is what I came up with. This is the closest taste I have ever had to the salad I've been craving. Sans prime rib.

Ingredients

• 1 head of lettuce cut into 4 wedges.
• 1 cup real bacon bits
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion sliced thin
• 4 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups Ken's Steakhouse Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
• 3/4 cup Ken's Steakhouse Sweet Vidalia Onion Dressing

Instructions

1. Mix the two dressings in a bowl together until they are thoroughly mixed together.
2. In 4 bowls, put the 1 lettuce wedge, 1/4 of the onions, and 1/4 of the cherry tomatoes.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the walnuts, blue cheese crumble, and bacon bits on each wedge.
4. Drizzle 1/4 of the dressing onto each wedge. Then drizzle 1 TBSP of the balsamic vinegar on each.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Pierogi and Squash Soup

Pierogi and Squash Soup
Serves 4

I saw this recipe in my Food Network magazine and I was super excited to make it. I love pierogies. I love tomato-y soups. Perfect! But then I forgot a few of the ingredients and had to change some of the recipe. So this is an inspired-by recipe from the Food Network. It was so good and those Progresso Recipe Starters are seriously delicious and helpful!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 Knorr Vegetable
• 1 can Progresso Recipe Starters Fire Roasted Tomato
• 48 oz low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups shredded coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
• Half of a fresh butternut squash cut up into cubes (about 2-3 cups)
• 8-12 frozen cheddar and potato pierogies
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, cook the onions, garlic, and sausage with olive oil on high.
2. When the meat is cooked through, add the cabbage to soften it a bit.
3. Add in the squash, chicken broth, and the Progresso Recipe Starter. Cover, and cook on high until the squash is almost cooked through.
4. Add in the pierogies and cook uncovered until heated through. They will rise to the top of the pot.
5. Salt and Pepper to taste at any time through cooking. Serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Redux)

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Redux)
Serves 4-6

When I first started this blog, I was living in Scotland and I was just really stepping into cooking. I was looking for recipes to try to help build my background in food. I remember cooking this recipe back then and I thought it was actually quite delicious. Now, with a few years behind me and many, many recipes, I thought I would retry the recipe. It doesn't hurt that a week or so ago, the episode of Top Chef had a quickfire using lettuce (some as a wrap) and it made me think of these rolls. So I reworked certain parts of it and I'm hoping it turns out just as delicious!

This original recipe I got from Liz's cooking Blog. But now that I've made some changes, I have to say I'm claiming it as a little bit more of my own recipe.

Ingredients:

• 12 Large Cabbage leaves
• 1 lb Ground Turkey
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 2 cups plain greek yogurt
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 TBSP Salt
• 2 TBSP pepper (1 for the turkey, 1 for the mixture)
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 C uncooked Brown Rice
• 1 29oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Lemon Juice (1/2 cup for the turkey, 1/2 cup for the sauce)
• 1 cup Worcestershire

Instructions:

1. Get out the slow cooker.
2. Start by browning your ground turkey. Season your ground turkey as it browns with garlic, salt, pepper and lemon. When this is done, set aside.
3. Start water boiling in a large pot for your cabbage. Cut the bottom of the cabbage off and slowly wiggle the leaves apart. Then boil as many as will submerge in the pot at a time until tender and flexible. If you still have trouble getting leaves off without ripping them, submerge the whole head of cabbage in the pot and then pull of leaves, re-submerging when needed. Do this until you have about 12 whole leaves.
4. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, greek yogurt, onion, spices, and rice. Mix well. 
5. Take about 1/4 C of this mix and put into the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides, then fold up the bottom until it looks like a little burrito. Place them seam side down in the slow cooker until you have gone through your leaves or ran out of mix.
6. In another bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire. Pour this over the cabbage.
7. Set to cook for 6 hours. 
8. Make sure the cabbage is tender.  Serve.

Cheesy Ham and Corn Chowder

Cheesy Ham and Corn Chowder
Serves 4 (as a meal)

Once again, Ray has found a recipe that has been quite delicious. This was a recipe he had saved from a long time ago when he wanted to start cooking meals and when he looked it up again, he realized it came from Hormel! The soup, though, was definitely a treat when I arrived home after struggling through snow just to get home. It wasn't completely what I thought, but it was delicious. Chowders are a creamy broth with whole food chunks. I had thought it was going to be a creamy corn soup with ham. I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't what I expected. A must cook again treat! Leftovers were also very delicious!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
• 4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded Colby cheese
• 2 cups Farmland diced ham
• 1 4oz jar of Dromedary Pimentos
• Sliced green onions (garnish)
• 1 TBSP poultry seasoning (sage)

Instructions

1. In large saucepan, cook onion in oil, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.
2. Stir in flour until smooth. Keep stirring, making sure it does not burn.
3. Stir in water, bouillon, potatoes, seasoning and pepper.
4. Cover saucepan; cook, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
5. Stir in milk, corn, cheese, ham and roasted peppers. Cook 8 to 10 minutes longer or until heated thoroughly.
6. Once broth is to a preferred consistency and potatoes are cooked, serve and garnish with sliced green onions.

Mediterranean Capellini

Mediterranean Capellini
Serves 4

Yet another quick and easy meal made by my husband. We made very few changes to the recipe he found and it was absolutely delicious.  Great for busy weeknights. It would also be a great base for a protein dish. Shrimp or Chicken might be good. It's a start.

Ingredients

• 1 (12-oz) pkg angel hair pasta
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 14 1/2-oz can chopped tomatoes with their juice
• 1 10-oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies with juices
• 4 tsp drained capers
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• grated Parmesan cheese (garnish)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta. Add 1 TBSP olive oil and salt to the water. Drain, set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, in large pan, heat oil and saute garlic, onion, and red pepper over medium heat until tender.
3. Add tomatoes with their juice, tomatoes and green chilies, capers, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Toss with pasta and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi

Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi
Serves 4

Necessity is the mother of invention. I know that I have cod. I know that I have gnocchi. What can I do with cod and gnocchi? I found a recipe on Life Takes Lemons and I was excited to try it. In all honestly, my husband was dubious at best. Fish AND gnocchi are not a winning combination for him. But I went ahead with it anyways. I have split up the two recipes into two different entries, making my own adjustments to what we cooked based on the original recipes, but they link to each other. Paired, they are Spicy Panko Cod with Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi. This meal was so delicious and filling! Even my cod and gnocchi disliking husband demanded we cook it again.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg gnocchi
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Bacon Bits (real bacon preferred)
• pepper to taste
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 TBSP Tarragon
• 6 TBSP butter

Instructions

1. Boil water and cook gnocchi for 2-3 minutes or as directed. 
2. Meanwhile, break off the asparagus by snapping it in the place where it gives the most. 
3. In a frying pan, add the asparagus, butter, bacon bits, garlic and tarragon. Cook asparagus to preferred doneness.  
4. In a bowl, toss lemon juice, pepper, and asparagus.
5. Add gnocchi and toss again. Serve.

Spicy Panko Cod

Spicy Panko Cod
Serves 4

Necessity is the mother of invention. I know that I have cod. I know that I have gnocchi. What can I do with cod and gnocchi? I found a recipe on Life Takes Lemons and I was excited to try it. In all honestly, my husband was dubious at best. Fish AND gnocchi are not a winning combination for him. But I went ahead with it anyways. I have split up the two recipes into two different entries, making my own adjustments to what we cooked based on the original recipes, but they link to each other. Paired, they are Spicy Panko Cod with Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi. This meal was so delicious and filling! Even my cod and gnocchi disliking husband demanded we cook it again.

Ingredients

• 4  4oz pieces of Cod (frozen or fresh)
• 2 cups panko
• 1 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 TBSP pepper
• 2 TBSP chilli powder

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients together. 
2. Pat fish dry. 
3. Coat each filet evenly in mix. 
4. Saute fish on medium in canola oil until coating is golden brown and fish is flaky.  Remember not to flip the fish too many times.

Pair with Lemony Asparagus Gnocchi.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Serves 8 (makes 2 pizzas)

I like to try to make different kinds of pizzas at home with flavors that I really enjoy. After Ray, my husband, played around with taco pizzas, I couldn't pass up making a Buffalo Chicken Pizza using the Buffalo Sauce for the pizza sauce, especially on Super Bowl Sunday! We LOVED it more than any pizza I've made before. This is a must keep.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Sargento Shredded Provolone and Mozzarella
• 2 cans white chicken
• 1 cup Buffalo Sauce
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 thin premade pizza crusts (you can use a thicker crust per preference)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to the crust directions (425 usually).
2. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce on each pizza crust.
3. Spread out one can of white chicken on each pizza.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of onion and 1 stalk of celery evenly over the pizza.
5. Crumble half of the 3/4 cup of blue cheese on each pizza. 
6. Spread 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese on each.
7. Bake until desired crispiness. 
8. SERVE AND ENJOY!!! Mmmmmmmm......