Turkey Sausage and Cheddar Quiche

Hello y'all. I feel like I need to address you all as y'all since I am sharing a Southern recipe today. I considered replacing 'hello' with 'howdy' but the yankee in me got a bit uncomfortable.

I made a quiche so easy, so delicious I just couldn't wait to share it with y'all! In fact this post is so rushed that I only took one picture of the entire process. You see I had planned to throw together a quiche and didn't think much of the whole process. I mean, what is simpler than a quiche, right? A quiche is the perfect thing to throw leftover meat and veggies in to make a quick and delicious meal. That was exactly my plan. I never intended to share the recipe via the blog. Plans changed, however, after serving Emma and myself up a piece of quiche. We could not control the 'mmmm...'s' that were emminating from our bodies. I jumped up and snapped a photo of a partially eaten quiche.

This is embarrassing, yes. I am confident though, that you will understand after making it for yourself.

Sausage and Cheddar Quiche, Y'all

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 lb mild turkey sausage

4 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp flour

splash of cream

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a 9 inch pie plate, roll out your refrigerated pie crust. Pre-bake your crust for 10 minutes.

In a skillet, over medium heat cook your turkey sausage until all the pink is gone. Drain.
If you want to add fresh diced onion to your quiche, reserve about a tbsp of the turkey sausage grease and saute your onion at this time. Might as well add some freshly minced garlic for the last minute! man, I wish Troy liked onion... womp.

While the sausage is cooking, beat 4 eggs with a fork in a medium bowl. Add a splash of cream, whip.

Add the spices and cheeses to the egg mixture and combine.
I do not actually add salt because I feel the quiche has plenty of saltiness from the cheddar and parmesan.

By this time your crust should be done in the oven, as well as your sausage.

Put the sausage in the bottom of the crust and pour the cheese and egg mixture over the top.

Put the quiche back in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, until the eggs are set.

Let the quiche cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving up.
Try not to eat all the flaky bits of crust that fall off while you are cutting into the quiche.

I ate mine with a salad, but I am dreaming of eating it again with some roasted veggies. I like to roast a big batch of seasonal veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh garlic at the beginning of the week. That way I can snack on them all week long for lunch or alongside dinner.

This quiche is screaming... 'take a chance on me, despite my appearance!'

If you make this quiche, spend a little extra time on the crust for presentations sake. Or don't... obviously I didn't and it still tasted divine.

Enjoy!

Italian Veggies

Is it a stew, is it a side dish?

I have no idea because I have made this recipe for so many different reasons and enjoyed it in so many ways. I love to make a big batch of Italian veggies and eat it throughout the week for lunch, a snack, as a side dish. I told you this meal is confused, but it IS incredibly delicious, so the confusion is worth it!

The most challenging part of this whole process is the veggie prep and that is a breeze.

Italian Veggies

sweet onion, roughly chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

2 yellow squash, peeled and quartered

2 green squash, peeled and quartered

1 eggplant, peeled and chopped to match the size of the squash

mushrooms, quartered

large can of crushed tomatoes

salt & pepper

parmesan cheese

Look at these pretty fresh veggies!

Over medium heat, heat olive oil in a dutch oven or other heavy bottom pan.

Once hot, add the roughly chopped onion and cook until translucent.

Add the garlic and other veggies and cook until veggies are slightly tender.

Just added the veggies to the pot.

Cooked until just tender.

Lower your heat to low. Add the crushed tomatoes. and stir until combined.

Season with salt and pepper. I do not actually use much salt here because I love nothing more than a heaping bowl of these veggies topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese. The parmesan adds enough of a salty kick for me. 

Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ready to devour...

Serve up a bug bowl of these veggies topped with delicious, freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Heavenly...

I am fully aware I have a cheese problem.

Roasted Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Oh, man. This is legitimately the easiest, tastiest fresh tomato soup one can make. I know its weird that I make soup in the summer, but I just love, love soup. Even if I end up sweating while eating it!

This soups flavor does not match its simplicity. If you were to just taste this soup you would think, 'surely this is a complicated soup'. It is not. Unfortunately, I am the only one who appreciates tomatoes in my house, so I don't end up making this as often as I would like, Last week Troy was going to be at work late and planned to grab something for dinner on his way home. I hate when Troy works late, buuuuuuuuut making tomato soup makes these situations a teensy bit more bearable! You know that age old saying, tomato soup makes the heart grow fonder... that's it, right?

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do!

Roasted Tomato Soup

10-13 Roma tomatoes, cut in half
I have also used vine-ripened and heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms do not produce that traditional reddish tomato soup, unless you get all red heirlooms. If that bothers you then stick with romas or vine-ripend tomatoes, which are equally delicious. I stuck with romas this time because they were the most delicious and ripened tomatoes when I went to the store. ALSO, romas tend to be smaller than heirlooms and some vine-ripened tomatoes, so you might need less depending on the variety you choose. Phew, I am tired from all this tomato talk.

1 onion, cut into large chunks

5-6 or 8 cloves of garlic, depending on your preference
I always go big on the garlic. Trim the ends but leave the skin on the garlic to avoid burning.

2 cups of chicken stock, Do NOT add more stock without adding more tomatoes or you will have an icky wet soup. Blech. If you want to make more soup, you will need to add more tomatoes and stock.

Splash of cream, if you prefer

olive oil, course kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper

butter, for the pan when making the grilled cheese

french loaf of bread, I like to use wheat to offset the butter I use in the fry pan. I am not sorry.

provolone cheese, or whatever other type you prefer


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
On a cookie sheet, arrange your halved tomatoes, cut side up, your onion chunks and garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil, shake on the pan to spread it around. Generously season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Place in center of oven and roast for no more than 45 minutes- you want that roasted flavor and texture but you don't want to lose all those yummy tomato juices.

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool. I roast the tomatoes while Emma naps, let them cool and cover them with foil until about 30 minutes before dinner time.

30 minutes before dinner, add all the tomatoes, onions, de-skinned garlic and juices into your soup pot or dutch oven. Resist the urge to pop a clove of the sweetened roasted garlic in your mouth.

Add your chicken stock and bring to a boil, Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes,

While the soup is simmering, heat your fry pan for the grilled cheeses. Add a pat of butter.

Toast the bread on one side, flip. Add your provolone cheese. Toast the other side.

Remove from the pan and put into a warmed oven, until dinner time,

If you have many sandwiches to make you may need to add more butter to the pan.

Once the soup has simmered for 15-20 minutes, use an immersion blender to smooth it out. You can also use a blender, but be very, very careful. Work in batches and leave the opening part of the lid off, to avoid burning.

I like my soup a bit rustic, so I just add a splash of cream, stir it up and serve it up. You can always strain your soup through a fine mesh strainer. I am too lazy and impatient for that.

Make this, love this and enjoy it for dinner and lunch! Leftovers are just as delicious!

This little love preferred the grilled cheese to the tomato soup!

Lemony Chicken Caprese Pasta

This is a little Amanda original, meaning I combined some recipes together to get my 'own' recipe. This is a quick, light pasta that you can totally customize to your own tastes. I typically go the caprese route- tomatoes, basil and buffalo mozzarella. I think it would be really great with fresh asparagus, peas, spinach and if you want a bigger bite some feta cheese. I might have to try some new combinations myself!

Lemony Chicken Caprese Pasta

1 lb chicken breasts, pounded thin
3/4 lb whole wheat penne pasta you can use any kind of pasta you prefer
1 tbsp butter
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup heavy cream
juice of a medium lemon
salt, pepper
Buffalo mozzarella
2-3 Roma tomatoes
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Put your chicken breasts in a gallon ziploc bag OR between plastic wrap.
Pound your chicken evenly and thin... this will ensure even cooking times.
Season chicken with kosher salt and black pepper.

In a lightly oiled pan (I use olive oil) cook your chicken. Resist the urge to flip or move your chicken around multiple times. Plop it in and leave it until you see the edges of the top side of the breast start turning white. Flip and then cook the other side until the juices run clear. There are few things worse (in the kitchen) than an over worked, rubbery, dry piece of chicken.

Put a pot on for your pasta. Once the pasta water starts boiling, season heavily with kosher salt. This is the only opportunity you will get to season your pasta. Add in about 3/4 of a box of whole wheat penne. Cook until al dente. If you are adding fresh vegetables, like asparagus or broccoli, to your meal, cook them along with the pasta in the boiling water.

While the chicken is cooking, in a separate bowl, mix the chicken stock with your cornstarch until all the lumps are removed. Dice your roma tomatoes and your buffalo mozzarella. You can also tear the mozzarella up into bit sized pieces.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan to a plate to let rest.

Add the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the garlic. The pan is hot, hot, hot so let the garlic cook for less than a minute. Add the stock and cornstarch mixture. Make sure to stir up all those yummy brown chicken bits from the bottom of the pan.

Slice chicken into strips or bite sized pieces. Return to plate. DON'T get rid of those yummy chicken juices yet!

Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cook for about 2 minutes until you can see the mixture thickening. Add the cream, lemon juice, alt and cracked pepper. Stir and let combine for about a minute. If you are adding frozen peas or fresh spinach, I would add those to the sauce now.

Add the sliced chicken and all those delicious juices to the sauce and let combine.

At some time during all of this you should be casually checking on your pasta. Once it is done, drain it and put it back into the pot.

Layer the buffalo mozzarella on top of the pasta, next add the chicken with the lemony sauce and finally the diced tomatoes. Stir it all up and put a lid on the pot for a little while so the cheese will begin to melt. Usually I set the table and wrangle Emma during this time.

Serve yourself a nice heaping bowl and top with fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. It is important not to skimp on the quality of cheese, people.

I hope you enjoy as much as Emma does... I would show you pictures of Troy and I eating it, but it is not nearly as cute!

I mean the melty cheese is THE best!

Sausage Tortellini Soup

This is a really easy stove top recipe that totally fits into the comfort food category. Being Italian and from back east (originally) when I think of pasta, I think 'ahhh...'.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

Chicken Sausage- links or ground, you can substitute any type of meat sausage you prefer
Yellow Onion, diced
Garlic- about 3 cloves, minced
Low Sodium Chicken Stock- 4-6 cups, depending on your preference
2 can diced tomatoes
Small package of refrigerated tortellini- I use the whole wheat tortellini, the whole wheat makes me feel better about eating cheese filled pasta
Fresh Spinach, roughly chopped
Italian Seasoning- basil, oregano
Fresh Parmesan cheese

In a dutch oven, brown your chicken sausage in a bit of olive oil. If you have link sausage you can run a knife down the center of the sausage to free it of its casing, Or you can do my favorite method which is twisting the sausage in the center and squeezing the meat out from either side. It is fun, I swear.

Once cooked through, add the diced onion. Saute until slightly tender. Add the minced garlic and cook for no longer than a minute.

Add the cans of diced tomatoes and their juices.

Add in the chicken stock. I usually go for 6 cups because I like this soup a bit more liquidy.

Season with your Italian Seasonings. I use dried basil and dried oregano and I totally eye-ball the mesurements. You can make life even simpler by buying a bottle of Italian Seasonings pre-mixed.

Bring the soup to a rolling boil.

Add in the refrigerated tortellini and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions.

Add in a lot of fresh spinach! I probably use at least 3 cups, as it cooks down so much. Cook aout 2 minutes longer, until the tortellini is done.

Taste and salt and pepper if you please.
BUT if you prefer (which I do) to add freshly grated, creamy parmesan cheese, then hold off on the salt.

I hope you enjoy it as much as this little nugget did!

Mom's Taco Salad

I love to cook. Seriously, it is cathartic for me. And it feeds another love of mine... eating. See what I did there? Feeds, eating... it is the little things in life.

My love for cooking has adapted as I've become a parent. No longer do I have the time to enjoy dicing things into perfect cubes. I don't have hours to spend on Pinterest researching and drooling over new recipes to try. I find time for Pinterest, obviously, it's just in spurts. These days I value quick, mostly healthy, quick and flavorful. I meant to put quick in there multiple times, it is that important.

I love this salad for so many reasons. One being that my mom used to make it for us when we were growing up. Two, I can prepare it in waves... I'll get into more of that later. Three, it is great for the family at home or for a celebration. Four, you can customize it to your families tastes. Five, it is EASY. And finally, it is perfect for the summer because there is no oven or grill to fire up.

Here is my version of my mom's taco salad.

Mom's Taco Salad

1 lb ground beef
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 small can diced green chilies
Romaine hearts
Tomatoes- whatever variety fits your fancy... personally, I LOVE Heirloom
English Cucumber
Avocado
Shredded Cheese- I use cheddar
Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed
Good Seasonings Italian Dressing- the packet ONLY, prepared according to the instructions

Ahead of time... with all of that free time you have (hee, hee)
Brown the ground beef. Once cooked thoroughly, drain.

Add in the cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies and their juices. You could make life a bit easier by using a can of diced tomatoes with the chilies added in already. Troy doesn't care much for tomatoes in general, so I use the petite tomatoes and a small can of diced chilies.

Just added the tomatoes, green chilies and spices. Now we simmer and wait!

Simmer the meat, tomatoes and green chilies until all juices are absorbed. Or evaporated. Or whatever happens to those juices.

Mmmmm... those juices disappeared!

Put the meat into a container to store in the fridge until eatin' time.

Make your Good Seasoning's Italian salad dressing. I substitute Rice Wine Vinegar for the White Vinegar and Olive Oil for Canola Oil. I have a salad dressing bottle I use but I've also used a large mason jar. Easy to shake and transport.
I guess you could use the prepared bottle dressing BUT at least try making it with the mix one time before resorting to the bottle. There truly is no competition that this is the BEST Italian dressing out there. I usually make a double batch and use it on all my salads. Promise you, it is worth the effort, people.

Put your feet up and relax... ahh!

10 minutes before mealtime
Cut your lettuce with a lettuce knife... invest in one, it's a necessity. It keeps your lettuce from browning! I have this one, Progressive Lettuce Knife

Cut your veggies to your preference. If you have picky eaters, leave the veggies off the salad and everyone can add what they prefer!

Smash your Doritos. I put them into a Ziploc and take my meat tenderizer to it, flat side down. It is very cathartic, especially after a long, trying day. When Emma is older I may share this treasure with her. I imagine it would be a lot of fun for the kiddos to have permission to destroy something!

I put aside some meat, cheese and avocado for Emma. I add fruit to the side of her plate, too. I always offer her tomatoes and cucumber, she tries it and then hands it back to me. Sigh.

Assemble your salad.

Troy is my picky eater, so this is how I attack assembly.
Lettuce, meat, cheese, Doritos, dressing. I toss all of that together. We I can add whatever additional veggies that we I want to finish out our my salad. Sigh.

If you are planning to share this at a celebration. Assemble your salad, minus the Doritos and dressing. Add those right before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do... it really is delish. If you have any summer salad recipes your family loves, please share. I would love to add to my recipe arsenal!

Avocado Pesto

I just indulged in the most amazing pesto... so amazing, I needed to share! The recipe is originally from Oh She Glows, but I didn't follow the measurements precisely. If you want to reference the original recipe, check it out here http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/31/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta/

Avocado Pesto
1 medium avocado
A lot of fresh basil (I love the taste of basil, so I kept adding!)
1 lemon, juiced
Crushed garlic (again, I love garlic so I just eyeballed this)
Sea Salt

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor. Taste, and if you are like me, add some more basil :)

This makes a lot, so I used about 1/3 on a serving of Gluten Free pasta. I prefer Quinoa pasta! After enjoying that I then spread some more pesto on a piece of Udi's whole wheat toast. 

I'm not sure if you are picking up on this, but I really enjoyed the pesto!