Southern Style Collard Greens

I said in my last entry I wanted to post my collard recipe but didn't have a picture; I ended up making them last Sunday and was sure to take a picture.  I've loved collard greens since I was a child, weird I know.  I remember asking my grandmother to make me "that leafy stuff"...I was never a picky eater nor am I now.  There are few things I don't care for but will try and have them cooked multiple ways before totally ruling them out.  With that being said, I can understand why one may not particularly care for these "leafy things" but if you do then you'll love this recipe!! I have been making them for quite some time and finally think I've nailed down the perfect recipe.  If you are one of those who have never tried collards or have only had them from a can, I implore you to try these at least once!! You may love them!

**Ingredients**

1 Bag of chopped collard greens (in the produce section of grocery store)

1 Ham hock (in the pork section of your grocery store) DO NOT leave this out! 

1/2 Yellow onion chopped

1 Garlic clove minced 

1 Box veggie stock

Drizzle of olive oil for sauteing onion and garlic

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp onion and garlic powder

1 Tsp mustard powder

1 Tsp cumin

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 

Sriracha (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste 

1. In a large pot or dutch oven over med heat, add olive oil and saute onion until soft then add garlic. Cook a min more. 
2. Add the ham hock plus rest of ingredients.  
3. Using a wooden spoon push greens down and make sure they are almost covered with liquid; you may need to add a little bit of water.  
4. Cover and let simmer until greens are tender, stirring occasionally.  I cook mine about 45 min to an hour.  
5. Serve with your favorite southern main dish and corn bread! 

Check on your greens towards the end to insure they are not too mushy.  You want to avoid cooking them to death!! 

Brunswick Stew

Last weekend we went to SC to my sisters to celebrate our oldest sister and her husband's birthdays.  They are only a few days apart and have known each other their whole lives, pretty neat huh?  For dinner we had bbq chicken with the great southern staples: baked beans, collards and mac n cheese.  And for dessert we had two yummy cakes! I won't go into detail about almost ruining my brother in laws cake but I will say that his was a beautiful vanilla-vanilla made by his wife, because he doesn't care for chocolate.  It somehow ended up with crushed whoppers all over it! OOPS!! MY BAD! It was entirely my fault...hope he's forgiven me.
Anyway, we had a lot of chicken leftover and I was kicking myself on our ride home sunday because I didn't take any with me. I thought I would've loved to have used it to make brunswick stew.  I text the sister who's house we had left and gave her the idea.  She has a brut of a husband and two little ones so I knew this would be an easy and filling dinner for them. I of course was craving brunswick stew at this point and realized I did not need leftover bbq chicken to make it.  Upon arriving home, I took my happy ass to the store to gather all my ingredients.  I spent all afternoon cooking only to have my husband, who had been golfing, ask if I wanted to come meet him and his buddies for sushi and that we could have the stew the next night, it'll be even better then he said.  True! So I quickly changed clothes and headed for sushi.  It was delicious! And on monday night I reheated the stew and it was even better than it would've been the night before! I have eaten it several times already and plan on taking some to work for lunch today! So, if you can, make this a day ahead. This was perfect for this yucky rainy cold weather we've had all week.  
I would also love to post my collard recipe even though I did not take a picture of them.  I am pretty sure I have perfected my recipe;)

**Ingredients**

2 Chicken breast

1 1/2 cups Stubbs bbq sauce (I used the spicy)

1 Can whole kernel corn

1 Can crushed tomatoes

1/2 Yellow onion chopped

1 Large garlic clove minced

1/2 14oz bag of lima beans

2 Cups beef or chicken stock

1/2 Tbsp yellow mustard

1 Tbsp chipotle sauce

1/2 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 Cup apple cider vinegar (or less if you don't care for vinegar but do NOT leave it out completely)

1 Bay leaf

1/2 Tbsp garlic and onion powder

1/4 Tsp mustard powder

Sriracha (optional)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Start by cooking your chicken in the crockpot with the bbq sauce on high for a few hours.  Let cool, then shred and set aside until you're ready to make the stew.
2. In a large pot or dutch oven over med high heat, add oil and butter.
3. Add chopped onion and saute until tender then add garlic and cook a min more.
4. Add all other ingredients, including shredded chicken, and let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

* If you want to grill your chicken first to get a good char on it, you can but then I would still recommend putting it in the crock pot to finish cooking because this allows it to get really tender and makes shredding it super easy.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Im not so good about prefacing a recipe with a story, especially when its just a random night that I think "hey! I'll make this!".  And some times I can get too wordy.  Hopefully those of you who follow this blog or just read it for the recipes will appreciate that because I for one, hate food blogs that go into a whole long story before actually posting the recipe.  I mean, I suppose if there is a super special meaning behind said recipe it makes sense but either way I just keep scrolling until I see ingredients and instructions.  With that being said, its another reason I don'r really follow recipes and just make up my own...unless its by a super famous chef or something.  Anyway, I love a good chowder  and the hubs like shrimp so I made this!  I ate more potatoes than shrimp though.  Not liking shrimp very much is a texture thing for me, nothing more.  I love seafood but in moderation. EXCEPT for crab legs!! I could eat an ass ton of crab legs!!! Nothing better than fresh crab legs and lots of melted butter mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
oh sorry, just drooled on myself.  Anyway, this recipe lends loads of flavor and is one where you just dump, aside from some chopping, the ingredients and let simmer until done.  I think they're called "one pot" dinners or something.  Or maybe it because it's  a soup, that part is just understood?

**Ingredients**

7-8 Medium sized shrimp (cut in half)

6-7 Small red potatoes (halved, quartered, then cut again) 

1 Can whole kernel corn

1/2 Cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Cups veggie unsalted veggie stock

1 Tbsp creole seasoning (see jambalaya recipe)

1 Red bell pepper finely chopped

1 Small yellow onion diced

1 Bay leaf

Chives

Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sriracha (optional)

1. In a large pot or dutch oven add oil and butter over a med-high heat.
2. Let melt, then add onion and bell pepper, cook until tender.
3. Add garlic and cook a minute more.  
4. Then add corn, potatoes and stock.
5. Let simmer on low for about 10-12 minutes (until potatoes are fork tender)
6. Once the potatoes are done, put about half the mixture in a blender with cream.
7. Pulse until it has a smooth yet chunky texture.
8. Add back to pot.
9. Add bay leaf and shrimp and cook for about 10-15 minutes.
10. Serve and top with chopped chives and a sprinkle of paprika.

Blistered Tomato Pasta with Parmesan Truffle Oil Breadcrumbs

Ok, well the title of this dish says it all!! It is simple and requires just a few ingredients but DAMN it is GOOD!! Its one of the reasons I love Italian food-simple but full of flavor and texture.  Not to mention you should have all of these ingredients on hand, except for the herbs de provence and truffle oil. These are two "fancier" items in my cabinet but don't let the price of them deter you because a little of both go a long way. I was out of bread crumbs as well as bread but I did have hamburger buns, so I just toasted them in the oven, ground them up in blender and then toasted them in a pan with a little olive oil!! You just gotta think people!
 While this does not call for any meat, it does call for bacon grease so its not technically a vegetarian dish.  You can substitute with olive oil but bacon grease lends so much more flavor!! UGH this is making my mouth water just typing this.  So, yeah, make this and drink a good bottle of red wine with it! I recommend drinking red wine with everything actually.  :-)

**Ingredients**

• 1 Cup cherry tomatoes
• About 1 tbsp per serving of toasted bread crumbs
• Angel hair pasta enough for 2-3 servings
• 1 tbsp bacon grease + 1 tbsp olive oil
• Truffle oil for drizzling
• 1 garlic clove minced
• About 1/2 cup red onion
• Juice of half a lemon
• Red pepper flakes
• Herbs de provence
• Salt & Pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 375
2. Put tomatoes on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt & pepper.  Roast for about 20-25 min.  
3. While these are roasting, saute your red onion in a pan with bacon grease, garlic and lemon juice.  
4. Cook until onions are soft then turn the heat off. 
5. A few minutes before tomatoes are done cook pasta, leave in water!
6. Toast about 1/3 of a cup of bread crumbs in a pan with a tad of oil, set aside. 
7. Take tomatoes out and add to onions.  Turn heat back on to a low-med.
8. Add a hefty pinch of herbs de provence and red pepper flakes to tomato and onions.  
9. Stir all together. Then using tongs add pasta straight from pasta water.  
10. Coat noodles with mixture. 
11. Add noodles to a bowl then top with breadcrumbs, sprinkle of grated parmesan and a drizzle of truffle oil.  Do a light drizzle because truffle oil is very strong and can easily over power a dish. 

"MANGIARE MANGIARE"!!!

Short Rib Guinness Chili

Hey guys! Long time no blog :-/ my bad! I make tons of chili every fall/winter and try something new quite a bit.  This is a pretty standard base for most of them but I changed the meat a little.  Not sure what was so different about this one but Michael said it was my best yet! I didn't disagree and neither did the family I work for; I took them some because this makes a shit load.
If you like a good hearty chili, this is perfect.
NOTE: I cooked my short ribs in the crock pot with a little beef broth for a few hours then cut them into small cubes and added them later to the chili..

 **Ingredients**

• 4 oz chorizo
• 1 package ground turkey or beef
• 1 package boneless short ribs
• 1 box Pomero chopped tomatoes
• 1 Guinness beer
• 1 1/2 Cup sodium free beef broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Can dark kidney beans
• 1 small yellow onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tbsp garlic & onion powder
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 2 Bay leaves
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Cook the short ribs on high for a couple hours with a little beef broth in a crock pot. Before beginning your chili, take them out and let cool,  .
2. In a large deep pot, add chorizo and cook for several minutes then add onion and cook several more minutes. 
3. Add garlic and ground turkey and a little olive oil.
4. Cook until turkey is thoroughly done. 
5. Chop your short ribs into small cubes and add to meat mixture.
6. Add all other ingredients.   
7. Let simmer for at least 45 minutes.
8. Serve with cheese, sour cream, jalepeno slices and corn bread!! 

ENJOY!!! :)

Spicy Jambalaya

As soon as cooler weather hits I start craving dishes like this; along with stews, soups and chili. So when I asked the husband if he would rather have this or shrimp and corn chowder, he of course chose this! Its one of his favorite meals.  I am not a huge shrimp eater so I chopped med sized shrimp up and used a whole link of sausage and some chorizo, for good measure;) ya'll know how I love that stuff! Plus, it really does add great flavor to what ever you put it in.
I used quiona instead of rice so this jambalaya came out a little "soupy" but it was delicious!! I cooked the quiona separately but you could cook it in the same pot as everything else and it will soak up some of that liquid and be thicker. The sausage I used is my FAV for spiciness.  It's a cajun sausage so its pretty spicy so if you're reluctant then just use plain andouille.

** Ingredients**

8 oz chorizo

1 pack of Rajun Cajun sausage (cut on a diagonal in bite sized pieces)

6-8 med sized shrimp (chopped)

1 small yellow onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

2 tbsp chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

1 cup chicken stock or 2.5 cups if you cook quiona in the same pot 

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp sriracha (optional)

1.5 tbsp creole seasoning (recipe follows)

2 bay leaves

1 cup quiona

Creole Seasoning

2.5 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp cayenne

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried thyme

1. In a large pot, cook chorizo and sausage.  Once they are cooked, take them out of the pot and set aside.  
2. While the sausages are cooking, place your shrimp in a bowl with some of the creole seasoning and coat, Set aside.
3. Add the onion in the same pot as the sausage, (there should be enough grease so your don't need oil) cook until tender then add garlic. Cook for about 1 min more then add chopped veggies,tomato paste, Worcestershire, bay leaves, creole seasoning, one cup of stock plus cooked chorizo and sausage.
4. Let this cook on a low simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. In the mean time, chopped your shrimp into bite size pieces and make your quiona separately. When its done just turn off burner.  
6. IF you're wanting a thicker jambalaya, add quiona to the pot plus an additional 1.5 cups of stock after all ingredients have been simmering for 15 min.  
7. Add shrimp with about 5 min remaining, stirring a few times to make sure they cook thoroughly.  
8. Serve in large bowls!!  

Mixed Tortelloni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Heres a super quick dinner for ya!! And one inspired by the husband.  He text me at 9 o'clock in the morning suggesting ravioli for dinner. Um yeah, sure! Not sure what made you think of ravioli at 9 in the morning but whatever. Since I was working later I told him to just get store bought; he ended up bringing home three boxes of different Tortelloni: chicken & prosciutto, cheese & roasted garlic and sweet Italian sausage by Buitoni. 

For the base of the sauce I used 2 tbsp of the sauce from the paprika chicken. Don't worry you don't have to make all of that sauce for this but I will tell you how to make just a little of it. Super easy!  You also don't have to use all three types of Tortelloni you can just pick one or two.

 **Ingredients**

• Your choice of Tortelloni (an entire pack for just 1 kind, half or less for 2 packs or more) 
• 2 tbsp paprika sauce (if you don't have this previously made just melt 2 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp stock, splash of white wine, add 1 minced garlic clove, chopped fresh sage, 1/4 tsp paprika, and whisk) 
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste 
• 2 tbsp stock 
• 1/2 cup cream 
• Handful of shredded Parmesan cheese
• Two handfuls of baby spinach (optional) 

1. Start a pot of water on the stove for Tortelloni. 
2. In a sauce pan add paprika sauce and tomato paste. Whisk until blended. 
3. Turn off heat and boil pasta according to package directions. 
4. Once the pasta is almost done, Add cream to sauce and whisk then add cheese whisking until smooth. 
5. Drain pasta. 
6. Add spinach to sauce and stir until wilted. 
7. Add pasta to sauce and toss together until well coated. 
8. Serve with a little Parmesan on top.