Tuscan Kale and Cannellini Bean Soup

 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 bunch of kale, washed, stemmed and chopped coarsely
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini bean
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Chop carrots and onions and mince garlic. 

In a large Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup olive oil and the minced garlic over medium-low heat until the garlic begins to soften (about 2-3 minutes).  DO NOT BROWN the garlic!

Add the chopped carrots and onions to the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the vegetables are softened.  This will probably take 6-7 minutes. 

Wash and rinse kale thoroughly.  Drain well.  Remove stems and coarsely chop the kale.

Stir in the kale and add about 1/4 cup of water to carrot, onion and garlic mixture.  

Cover the pot and let the kale cook until wilted, about 10-12 minutes. 

 To the kale mixture cooking in your Dutch oven, add in the can of tomatoes with the liquid and the can of cannellini beans with the liquid. 

Add desired amount of crushed red pepper flakes and the parsley. and stir thoroughly.  

Lower the heat, cover the pot partially and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  (You can add as much as a cup of water, if desired, to thin the soup.)

Serve up this Italian "Comfort In A Bowl" and enjoy!

Southwestern Taco Soup

This is a very hearty soup (more like chili) and is always a "hit" with my family.  It is one of my favorites, too, because it could not be any simpler to prepare.  AND it is one of those "comfort foods" that we ALL love this time of year as the weather is starting to get colder!

2 lbs. ground beef
1 (1.25 oz.) packet of taco seasoning
1 can chili beans
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 4 oz. can green chilies
2 - 2 1/2 cups water
1 packet ranch dressing mix

Place ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven.

Brown ground beef over medium heat until there is no pink remaining.  Drain thoroughly.

Sprinkle entire packet of Taco Seasoning mix over the top of the ground beef and stir thoroughly.

Add all of the canned vegetables and continue to stir until well combined.

Sprinkle the packet of Ranch Dressing mix over top of mixture.

Stir until well-combined and simmer over low heat for a minimum of 20-30 minutes.  (The longer the mixture simmers, the better the finished product will be.)

Serve with desired toppings such as grated cheese, sour cream, corn chips, and/or cornbread.   

*Shown here with a buttered and toasted slice of good ole' Southern Buttermilk Cornbread.

One-Pot Pork Chop Supper

In my early years of marriage, I used to prepare this dish often...especially since pork chops have always been one of my husband's favorites!  I made it again recently and was reminded of just how simple and how good this dish is! 

One of the best things about the preparation of this dish is that it is all done in one pot, so clean-up is a cinch. It is very simple to prepare, and once you have it in the skillet you can have a little time to yourself!

4 bone-in center cut pork chops
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 can tomato soup **
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, if making GF)
6-8 small potatoes, quartered
15-20 baby carrots, or 4 carrots cut into 2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut in 1/8ths


** Can substitute a 16 oz. Creamy Tomato Soup or Roasted Red Pepper Soup as in picture above if you are looking for a Gluten Free (GF) option. Omit water if using one of these soups.

Generously salt and pepper both sides of pork chops.

Heat oil in skillet on Medium heat and brown pork chops on both sides. Drain well.

While chops are browning, prepare vegetables.
If using condensed tomato soup, mix soup with water in a bowl until well-combined.

After chops are browned on both sides, add all remaining ingredients to skillet.

Cover and cook over Medium Low heat for approximately 1 1/4 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

The sauce this dish makes is really yummy over rice.  Add a tossed salad and dinner is served!  Enjoy!

Beef Bourguignon Soup

4 bone-in short ribs

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz. mushrooms, cut into 1/8's

3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, diced

4 carrots, finely chopped

1 carrot, cut into 1/2" pieces

2 strips bacon, thinly sliced diagonally

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 cup dry red wine

8 cups beef stock

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)

Season ribs with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Coat ribs in cornstarch.

Heat olive oil in heavy pot (I use enameled cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add ribs to preheated pot.

Brown ribs on all sides until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.

Add chopped mushrooms to pot.

Cook mushrooms until brown. Transfer to a bowl.

Add onions, celery, carrots and sliced bacon to pot and cook until caramelized; about 7-8 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste.

Place the ribs back into the pot.  Add minced garlic, bay leaf and thyme.

Raise the heat to high.  Add red wine; stirring constantly and scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Continue cooking until slightly reduced; about a minute or so.

Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for approximately 2 1/2 hours, or until beef is tender.

Remove ribs from pot and allow to cool. Separate the meat from the bones and discard bones.  Shred meat into bite size pieces and return to pot.

Return mushrooms to pot and bring to a simmer.  Add 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar (optional) and stir. 


Season with salt.

Serve in a bowl over cooked egg noodles or jasmine rice for a really hearty soup.  

Note: Can also thicken slightly with cornstarch if desired.

Glazed Cornish Hens

4 Tbsp. apricot preserves **

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

4 tsp. Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 fresh or frozen (thawed) Cornish hens

Mix preserves, vinegar, soy sauce and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.

Remove package (containing neck, etc.) inside of each Cornish hen and discard. Rinse hens thoroughly and pat dry. With poultry shears or a sharp knife, split birds in half through the breast bone and back.

Place hen halves in greased baking dish with the bone sides down.

Stir sauce again until mixed thoroughly.

With basting brush, brush about 1/3 of the sauce on the hens. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper.

Pour chicken broth in bottom of baking dish - being careful not to rinse off basting sauce.

Roast at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush with half of the remaining sauce. (If needed, add a little more chicken broth or water to bottom of roasting pan.)

Roast 10 more minutes. Brush with remaining glaze, adding about 2 Tbsp. water if the pan starts to get too brown.

Roast about 10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 180 degrees F.

Remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes.

** I have also used grape jelly and seedless raspberry jam and they were equally good in sauce. Can also use to glaze chicken pieces.