COOK: Phil's Chorizo and Bean Soup

I love soups, they are easy to make, great to freeze, make you feel warm and cozy, and are fun to customize.  (They also pair wonderfully with yummy breads, chips, croutons, and I can't say no to carbs!)

This recipe comes from my dad, he brought us some last winter and I ate it for three days straight and was sad when it was gone!  Since it's finally winter here I asked him for the recipe last week, and after eating it for dinner last night I woke up and was counting the hours until I could have it for lunch, it's so yummy!

I did change a few things from my dad's recipe, he uses granulated garlic, and onion powder, I used a diced onion, and minced garlic cloves.  I also served it with lime wedges, and the hit of lime juice really brought out all of the flavors.  Both versions were delicious, so do whichever you prefer.

In addition to changing the types of beans you use you can make other substitutions.  I think it would also be good with italian sausage in place of the chorizo, you can play with the herbs as well, just depends on what you have in the fridge, and what you are craving.

(I made a half batch, I used 3 cans of beans since 2 1/2 cans seemed silly!)

Phil's Chorizo & Bean Soup

Servings: About 16

Ingredients:

24 Ounces Chorizo

5 15.5/16 Ounce Cans Beans (Mix and Match whatever you prefer)

2 14 Ounce Cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes

32 Ounces Water or Broth

1 Large Jalapeño (Thinly Sliced)

1 Medium Yellow Onion (Diced)

3-5 Garlic Cloves (Minced)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary (Minced) Optional but tasty!

1-2 teaspoons Cumin

1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro (Chopped, Save some for garnish)

To Taste:

    Garlic Powder

    Onion Powder

    Salt

    Pepper

Optional for serving:

Line Wedges

Hot Sauce

Tortilla Strips or Chips

Crusty Bread (Recipe here)

Preparation:

In a large pot (I used my 6.5 Quart Enameled Dutch Oven) cook Onions in a bit of oil until translucent, add Garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add in everything but the Chorizo, mix well, cover and let simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

In a separate pan cook Chorizo, add just before serving.

I garnished with extra Cilantro, and served with a Lime Wedge and Chile & Lime Tortilla Chips.

This soups freezes wonderfully!

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COOK: Burger and Sandwich Pockets (Great to make ahead and freeze!)

These burger or sandwich pockets, are great to make and then freeze, and with summer break coming up it's a great time to stock your freezer with quick and easy food that the kiddos can grab and heat up on their own.  

These are also great for appetizers, just make each pocket smaller so it can be eaten in a bite or two!

When I make these I wrap each one individually in foil, then label them and write down the time to microwave them on the foil, then put them all together in a big plastic bag in the freezer.  

I don't have an air fryer (yet!) but I think these would probably re-heat wonderfully in one, if anyone tries it please let me know so I can add the instruction to the post, and maybe send you a little gift! 

I use my pizza dough recipe for these, but you can use refrigerated pizza dough from the store to make it easier.

I'm going to give you three filling recipes that I like, but you can mix things up with different meats, chesses, sauces, etc.  One tip, you don't want your filling to be too watery as it can make in inside a bit soggy, so if you are using a lot of vegetables make sure to drain the liquid before adding any sauces or final seasonings.

I'm hoping to test some sweet fillings soon and will let you know how they turn out.

All recipes, including the pizza dough, can be cut in half.

Burger and Sandwich Pockets

Makes 12 or more depending on size

For all pocket recipes you'll need:

1 batch of my easy pizza dough (plan ahead as it takes at least 1 hour to rise) OR refrigerated pizza dough, enough for two pizzas (about 14-16 Ounces)

Egg Wash Mixture: 2-3 Egg Yolks with 2-3 Tablespoons Cold Water whisked together

Bacon Cheeseburger:

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Ground Beef

12 Slices Uncooked Bacon

2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

4 teaspoons Worcestershire 

16 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

4 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard (Or your favorite mustard)

Preparation:

Chop bacon into small pieces, mix together uncooked meats, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, and worcestershire sauce, cook until meat is cooked through, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. 

Mix in shredded cheese, mustard, and season to taste.

I like to serve these with dipping cups of ketchup, (If you haven't tried the Heinz Chipotle, Jalapeno, or Habanero flavored ketchups you should!) mustard, or barbecue sauce.  

Buffalo Chicken:

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Chicken Breast (Cooked and Shredded)

1 Cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sandwich Sauce (or other thick hot sauce)

16 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Shredded) 

8 Ounces Crumbled Blue Cheese

4-5 Stalks Celery (Finely Chopped)

Preparation:

Once shredded chicken has cooled to room temperature mix all ingredients together, add additional seasonings if needed.

Serve with Ranch or Blue Cheese Dip and Carrot Sticks

Beef French Dip:

Ingredients:

16 Ounces Thinly Sliced Ribeye, or Shaved Roast Beef

2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Medium Yellow Onion (Sliced)

2 Green Peppers (Sliced)

12 Ounces Cheddar (Shredded)

12 Ounces Monterey Jack (Shredded)

Preparation:

Season meat and set aside.  

In a large pan sauté onions and peppers until soft and slightly browned, remove from pan into a large bowl,  Add meat to pan and cook just until it's cooked through, remove and give it a quick rough chop so meat is in bite size pieces,  add to onions and peppers and let cool until room temperature.

Mix in cheeses, and add any additional spices if needed.

Serve with or horseradish sauce or beef au jus (I always have a bottle of Johnny's Au Jus in the fridge and an extra in the pantry!).

For all pockets:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, prepare baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.  (You can also use a cast iron pan like pictured above, however this causes small holes where they touch and isn't good if you'll be freezing them.)

Divide pizza dough into 12 or more balls depending on the size you want the pockets to be.  (12 will make large pockets, good for a filling dinner with a salad, if you are doing appetizers I'd cut it into 36 balls.  I usually do a few big for dinner that night, then some smaller to freeze for lunches.  Keep dough balls covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.  

Taking one ball at a time roll it out until it is a thin round circle, add filling of your choice to the center covering about 2/3 of the dough (I use my cookie scoops for the filling, this set  has three sizes and works great for all sizes of pockets.)  

After filling pull up each side of pocket and have them meet in the center above the filling and pinch so that it is sealed with no holes, flip over so seam is down on prepared baking sheet, leave at least an inch between each pocket. (I promise I'll add pictures or a video of this soon!) 

Using a pastry brush gently brush egg wash onto the top of each pocket, I like to sprinkle them with Everything Bagel Seasoning, Sesame Seeds, or Dried Minced Garlic.

Bake for about 20 minutes until tops are golden brown.  (If you are making appetizer sized pockets check them at about 12 minutes, tops should be golden and bottom slightly browned around the edges.)

Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauces.  If freezing cool completely on a cooling rack before wrapping in foil to freeze.

Reheating Instructions: From frozen, microwave 2 minutes, then wrap in a moist paper towel and microwave another 2 minutes.  When I pack these in lunches I put them in the fridge the night before, then you can just wrap it in a moist paper towel and microwave about two minutes.  

Please let me know if you have any questions, or what fun fillings you come up with!

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COOK: Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

For years KC has talked about his mom's Tortellini Soup, but he thought he'd lost the recipe.  Recently we were going though our cook books and we found the recipe in Story, Wyoming's Centennial Community Cookbook 1901-2001, a cookbook full of recipes from people living in the tiny mountain town of Story, Wyoming.  (This recipe is on page 14, Tortellini Soup by Jeannie Andreason)

I don't normally post a recipe unless it's one I've created or made major changes to, however I think Jeannie would be happy for me to share this with all of you.  (I did change the amount of garlic, we love garlic and almost always use more than a recipe calls for.)

This soup is delicious, hearty and filling, and it freezes well (which is good because it makes at lot!)

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

2 Lbs. Ground Italian Sausage (you can use sweet, mild, or spicy)

4 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)

1 Medium Onion (Chopped)

6 Cups Beef Broth

1 Cup Water

4 Cups Canned Diced Tomatoes (Drained)

3 1/2 Cups Tomato Sauce

2-3 Large Carrots (Peeled and Chopped)

2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano

3 teaspoons Dried Basil

2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

1 Bay Leaf (Remove before serving)

1 Medium Zucchini (Chopped)

20 Ounces Cheese Filled Tortellini (Fresh or Frozen)

Grated Parmesan for garnish

Preparation:

In a large pot (we use our 6 Quart Round Dutch Oven), brown sausage, keeping it in large chunks.  Remove the meat and reserve 2 Tablespoons of the fat, sauté the onion and garlic in fat.  

Next, add all ingredients, except zucchini and  tortellini, and add the sausage back in.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat, simmer for 2-3 hours.  

About 45 minutes before serving add in zucchini and tortellini, continue to let simmer.  

Serve with grated parmesan on top.  Goes great with Crusty Artisan Bread or my One Hour French Bread.

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COOK: Sandwich Bread

 I know a lot of you have been waiting for this recipe, it's so easy, and tastes so much better than store bought, plus it's cheaper!  

Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

2 Cups Warm Water (About 100-100 degrees)

1 Tablespoon Yeast

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 teaspoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil (Vegetable Oil will work too)

4 1/2-5 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (White or Wheat, or a mixture of both)

Preparation:

I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer and the dough hook, if you do not have a stand mixer you can mix with a wooden spoon, and kneed by hand for twice as long.

In large mixing bowl combine Yeast, Honey, and Warm Water, let sit about 10 minutes until yeast has bloomed (it should be foamy and bubbly.)

Add in Salt, Oil, and 4 1/2 Cups of Flour.  Mix on low, until combined and not overly sticky (if still very sticky add four 1/2 cup at a time and mix.

Increase speed to to medium and let mix/kneed, for 5 minutes.  

Remove dough to a lightly oiled bowl, flip dough to cover all sides.  Cover and let rise about 1 hour until doubled in size.

Punch down and form into two loaves, place into two large loaf pans.  Cover with a flour sack towel or loose plastic wrap.  Let rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, knock on the top and if it sounds hollow it's done.

Immediately remove from loaf pan to cool on a wire baking rack, if desired rub tops with butter.

Store in a sealed container or zippy bag for up to a week in the fridge.  Can also be frozen.

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COOK: Cheddar Potato Pierogies

 I love a good pierogi, and it was always on my list to try to make my own, but I was always afraid they wouldn't turn out.  Last week KC suggested we try to make them, so  I did some research and read a bunch of different recipes, and like I normally do I took a bit from each and gave it a go.  These were so good!  I wish I hadn't waited so long.

While this is a simple recipe, it takes a lot of time, and it makes about 50-60 pierogies, so it's best to do when you don't have other things cooking.  We made about half of the recipe on Thursday night, and then on Friday I put the rest together to freeze. 

I'll add more step-by-step pictures to this post the next time I make them.

Cheddar Potato Pierogies

Ingredients:

Filling

5 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes (Reserve 1 Cup water after boiling)

2.5 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 Slices Cooked Bacon (Chopped) Optional

1/2 Cup Milk or Half & Half Optional

Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Dough

5 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

2 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup Milk

1 Tablespoon Butter (Softened)

1 Cup Water from Boiled Potatoes

Preparation:

Filling

Put whole, unpeeled, potatoes into a large pot with cold water, boil until fork can be easily inserted.  Save 1 cup of the water, then drain, peel, and roughly chop potatoes.  In a large bowl mash potatoes, cheese, and bacon (if using).  (I use my Kitchen Aid to mash and mix, but a bowl with a potato masher works.) If you want the potatoes to be a bit creamier you can add some milk or half & half, but make sure your potatoes stay stiff.)  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Dough

In a large bowl mix together your flour and salt.  Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add in eggs and poke the yolks to break them, add the milk and softened butter and mix together using a large fork, until a shaggy dough starts to form.  Add it about half of your reserved potato water and kneed using your hands, after it's incorporated add additional water until the dough forms a ball, and is still slightly sticky.  Wrap in plastic wrap and set in fridge to rest for 20 minutes.

Assembling

Remove dough from fridge and cut into four pieces, re-wrap other dough to keep moist and set aside.  Roll dough out until it is about 1/8 inch thick.  Cut out about 3 inch circles using a biscuit cutter or a juice glass.  

Put about 1 Tablespoon of filling into the center of each round, wet the edge of half of the circle (I just dip my finger into a little bowl of water and rub it on.) then fold over and pinch the edges together until the are completely stuck together.  (I pinch going one direction and then back.  I also found it's better to pinch with the hand that you aren't using for water, otherwise you get a bit sticky!)  

Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Bring a pot of water to boiling, and add pierogies in small batches, once they pop to the top take them out and put on a rack.  Technically you can eat them now, but I like to give them a light fry in a cast iron skillet with butter, I love the nice crunch they get.  You can also add some finely sliced onions and minced garlic to the butter for an extra pop of flavor.

To Freeze

Unless you are feeding an army you will probably have more pierogies than you can eat, but they are so easy to freeze.  After you have assembled but before you have boiled your pierogies lay them on a sheet pan or plate, without touching, and put into the freezer, once they have frozen then you can put them into freezer bags or use a vacuum sealer to proportion them out for use later.  Then you simply just need to let them thaw, then boil them!

Please let me know if you have any questions! 

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COOK: Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

KC loves Sausage Breakfast Sandwiches, and I love that they are so easy to make in a big batch ahead of time, and throw in the freezer.  He can grab one for his lunch bag, or heat it while he's getting ready and eat it as he drives to work.

There are lots of ways you can customize these, different flavors of breakfast sausage, different cheeses, it's up to you.  I've tried these with bacon, and it tends to dry out and doesn't reheat as well.

These freeze wonderfully for about 3 months (they get gobbled up before they sit that long!)

Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:

12 English Muffins

12 Large Eggs (if desired)

1 Pound Breakfast Sausage 

OR

12 Slices Canadian Bacon

8 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (sliced)

Butter

Preparation:

If you are going to add eggs:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, crack an egg in each cup, (you can poke the yolk and even give it a quick scramble if you don't like a whole yolk), then bake for about 10-12 minutes, until eggs look set.  Remove eggs from muffin tin and set aside to cool.  

Next cook meat of choice:

For sausage; cut roll into 12 pieces and flatten into small patties (or save time and buy the premade patties, I find them a little to small for the English Muffins, and we like the sausage to be thinner.)  Pop them into a pan or on the griddle and cook both sides until done, set aside to cool.

For Canadian Bacon; simply put into a hot pan, or on the griddle, cook until warm and slightly browned.  If your Canadian Bacon tries to curl while you are cooking cut a slit from the center to one side, this will help it stay flat.  Set aside to cool.

Turn on your broiler, on the low setting if available.  Lightly butter the inside of each English Muffin half and pop it under your Broiler until lightly toasted.

Slice cheddar cheese, as you can see in my picture I wasn't having a good slicing day, luckily once it melts you can't tell!  

After everything has cooled (if it's still hot the muffins get a bit soggy.) you can assemble your sandwiches, you can start with the egg or meat, but you want to have the cheese on the top, it melts better when you heat them later.

Wrap each sandwich in a square of foil, then put all into a freezer zippy bag.  

To reheat from frozen: remove foil, place sandwich in microwave for heat for about 30 seconds, test, then microwave in 15 second intervals until warm and cheese is melted.  The bun will get hot, let it sit a second before handing to small children.

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COOK: Sausage Cheddar Muffins

I had been wanting to try a savory breakfast muffin for quite a while but wasn't sure how they would go over with everyone.  Berea said she wasn't sure about them, but KC was all for anything with sausage and eggs so I decided to try it.  Berea was home when I made them the first time and I asked her to just try a bite, she ate the whole thing and decided she loved them, KC agreed when he had his for breakfast the next day.

These are easy to make, and they freeze well, so I suggest making a double, or triple batch and popping the extras in the freezer, then you can just take out a few for breakfast and pop them in the microwave for about 1 minute and they are just as good as when they first come out of the oven!

I used basic breakfast sausage, but I'm excited to try with spicy sausage, or the sage sausage.  If you like sweet I bet the maple sausage would be yummy too!

As I was writing this I started thinking about the different cheeses or mixtures of cheese I could use, I'll update you on anything I try.

I'm going to try these with whole wheat flour next time, if it works I'll update the recipe.

Sausage Cheddar Muffins

Ingredients:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour 

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter (melted)

2 Eggs (slightly beaten)

1 Cup Breakfast Sausage (cooked, crumbled, and drained)

1 1/2 Cups Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, grease 12 muffin cups, or use liners. (I prefer to make these in liners, the cheese tends to stick to the sides of the cup, even in a well greased cup.)

As with most muffin recipes it's best to use a bowl and a wooden spoon, if you use a mixer you can over mix them leading to flat and tough muffins.

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion.  

Add in your milk and melted butter and mix well.  Add your eggs and mix until everything is incorporated, it's okay to have some lumps.  

Fold in the sausage and cheese, until just incorporated.  

Fill muffin cups to about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-23 minutes, let cool 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and let cool fully on a baking rack.  They can be kept in a plastic container in the fridge for a week, or in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to two months.

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COOK: Baked Chimichangas

I'm not going to lie and say these chimichangas are as good as a real fried chimi from a Mexican restaurant, but they are delicious, simple, and easy to freeze!

You can change up the fillings, I've always used chicken, because that's what I prefer, but you could use ground beef, steak, shredded pork, or grilled veggies.  Just be sure that you drain your filling, if there is any extra grease, water, juice it makes the tortillas soggy, and no one likes soggy tortillas!

Baked Chimichangas 

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast (cooked, I prefer shredded over chopped, see below for my shredded chicken recipe.)  

10-14 Ounce Can Chopped Green Chile Peppers (diced)

3 Cloves Minced Garlic

1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese

1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese (I use extra sharp)

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (omit if you don't want it to be too spicy)

1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder

Pinch Salt

6-8 Burrito Sized Tortillas
2-4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted) 

Preparation:

If you are going to use shredded chicken, (or any other shredded meat) you need to cook it first.  

[When I'm use shredded chicken I usually put one chicken breast (the breasts I usually find at my local market are about 1 pound each) into a 2.5-3 quart pot and cover with liquid (you can use water or broth, if using water I add a bit of salt.) Let the water come to a boil and then cover the pot and turn down to Simmer or Low, let cook about 10-15 minutes (until chicken reaches 165 degrees)  Then remove the chicken to a bowl and let cool.  Using two forks separate the meat until it's in small pieces.

Let the meat cool a bit, mix in chopped green chile peppers, minced garlic, both cheeses, cumin, cayenne, onion, and salt (as needed).  

(Put a small amount of filling aside for your kitty, she will gobble it, green chiles and all!)

Heat oven to 375 degrees and spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Put a tortilla on the counter and put a scoop of filling in the middle.

Then fold it like an envelope

Put your chimis on a prepared cookie sheet, then brush them with melted butter.  (Lightly, if your douse them they'll be soggy!)

Pop them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until brown on the edges and light golden on top.

Eat and enjoy, or you can refrigerate or freeze after they have cooled.  (If freezing wrap individually in foil.)  I prefer to reheat these in the microwave, in the oven they tend to dry out.  I wrap one in a wet paper towel for one minute, then flip and microwave one more minute, until warm in the middle. 

A HUGE thank you to my good friend Jeff Cordsen for his help with this post!

Let me know if you have questions!

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