Copy Cat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. ground Italian Sausage
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 medium white onion
4 slices bacon
2 tsp minced garlic
6 C. chicken broth
2 C Heavy cream
5 potatoes
1/4 of a bunch of Kale

Directions:
Brown italian sausage together with red pepper flakes. Drain and set aside. In same pan, fry bacon, crumble once cooked. Then sautee onions and garlic in bacon grease until onions are soft. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Thinly slice potatoes, and add to boiling broth. Cook until soft through, 20-30 minutes. Add italian sausage, onions and garlic, and crumbled bacon to the soup. Add heavy cream and cook until just heated through. Chop Kale into bite sized pieces and add. Stir all together and serve!

Baked Ziti

1 Box Tortilini (or really any type of pasta, cooked and drained, we use penne a lot)
1/2 lb. spicy italian sausage (you can also use hamburger)
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 jar Classico Alfredo sauce

Cook and drain both noodles and meat. Add spaghetti sauce to meat and noodles and mix. Pour into a 9x13 pan, and pour the alfredo sauce over the top. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly and warmed all the way through. You may want to cover it with foil towards the end so the top doesn't get too brown. When I make it for just Austin and me I don't always use a full box of pasta and just cook it in and 8X8, it reheats really well though!

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing

3 Garlic Cloves
3 tomatillos, peeled
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 C. Milk
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 C. Sour Cream
1/2 C. fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Put all ingredient in blender and blend until smooth. We like it on salads and burritos. Tastes better if chilled in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu

4- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2- Tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2- Tsp. Paprika
4- Slices cooked ham
4 -Slices swiss cheese
1 -C. Bread crumbs (Italian style are really good)
1/2 C- Parmesan cheese
1/8- C. Mayo (I have used miracle whip and it works great)
1/4 -tsp. black pepper


Sauce:
1- TB Butter
1- TB Flour
1- C. Milk
1/4- tsp. Salt
1/2- C. Shredded Swiss cheese
2- TB Chicken broth

For Chicken:
Flatten chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread 1/2 tsp of mustard on one side. Sprinkle with paprika. Top with ham and swiss cheese. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and pepper. Brush chicken with mayo, and roll in crumb mixture. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Then top with sauce.

For Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan. Then stir in flour. Once flour and butter is combined add milk, chicken broth and salt and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once sauce is bubbly, add shredded cheese. (I usually just cut up a few slices of swiss and melt it in). If you sauce seems grainy or separated add a little more milk and flour at a time, and stir. That should smooth it back out.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

1.5 lbs Chicken breasts or tenderloins, thawed
1-2 sleeves saltine crackers, crushed
1- 1 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1-2 cubes butter, melted

Mix together crushed crackers, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Dip chicken in melted butter and then roll in  the  cracker mixture. Place in oven pre-heated to 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Obviously this recipe makes a lot of chicken but can easily be scaled down to just four or five pieces. I usually do tenderloins instead of breast, and just check them in between 35-38 minutes, watching to make sure they don't get too dark.

Super Easy Crock Pot Alfredo Sauce

1 cube butter
1 pint heavy cream
8 oz. cream cheese
1-2 Tbsp. Garlic powder
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Add ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. (I usually start it on high until the butter and cream cheese starts to soften and melt then turn it to low) Stir occasionally scraping sides each time. DON'T COVER WITH LID!! It will curdle. If it starts getting thicker than you like add more heavy cream. Serve over fettuccine or you favorite noodle. We like to switch it up with bow tie sometimes.

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Whole Wheat Honey Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients: 

1.5 tablespoons yeast

2 cups water

1/3 cup honey

3-4 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 tsp salt

Mix 2 cups warm water with yeast, let proof for 10 minutes or until frothy. Add honey and salt. Mix flour in slowly until dough is slightly tacky. Knead with mixer for 4 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled (one hour). Punch down, divide into two pans and let rise until doubles. Bake and 350 for 30 minutes. 

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

 Adapted from the following... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Red-Bell-Pepper-Bisque-with-Shrimp-and-Romano-Cheese-103119

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
Serves 4
Approximately 370 calories per serving

Ingredients: 

-5 large red bell peppers
-3.5 cups of chicken broth
-1 tsp paprika
-1 tsp sugar
-3/4 cup whipping cream
-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
-olive oil
-16 large shrimp, can be precooked or uncooked, peeled and coarsely chopped into pieces
-basil

Instructions: 

Char red bell peppers in broiler until blackened on all sides, this step will take 10-15 minutes. Watch peppers closely in oven.  Enclose peppers in paper bag. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers. Cut 1 pepper into matchstick-size strips and set aside. Coarsely chop remaining 4 peppers. Combine chopped peppers and stock in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until peppers are very tender, about 5 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to saucepan. Mix in paprika and sugar. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors.  Whisk in cream and Romano cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

If shrimp are raw, heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté shrimp and reserved bell pepper strips  until sharp are cooked, about 3 minutes. Or if using precooked shrimp, heat with a small amount of oil until shrimp and peppers are warmed. Divide mixture into four bowls. 

Ladle soup into bowls and top with a small amount of shredded Romano cheese and basil. 

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Homemade Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
Makes 8 buns
219 calories per bun

These buns are awesome! They have a great flavor and are a new favorite. They freeze great as well. 

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon active-dry yeast

1/2 cup  warm water1/2 cup milk 1 large egg2 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups  all-purpose flour 
1.5 cups whole wheat flour

In the bowl of your Kitchen Aid,  stir the yeast into the warm water and let it sit until dissolved about 10 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, sugar, and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture and mix until combined. Add all the flour and stir until it forms sticky dough. Knead on the mixers low speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and feel slightly tacky. 

Place dough in a greased bowl, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about one hour. If I am short on time I will sometimes turn the oven on to as low as it will go, let it heat up for 5-10 minutes, turn it off, and then place the bowl with the dough in the oven to rise. This will take about 30 minutes off of the time to rise. Be careful though, because if the oven is too hot it will kill the yeast. 

Next, divide the dough into 8 pieces, shaping into balls. Transfer the balls to a baking sheet and let rise until they look hamburger sized, about 30 to 40 minutes. 

Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.

Bake the buns 15-18 minutes.

Let the buns cool to room temperature before slicing and using. They are best if eaten within the next day or two.

To freeze the buns, wrap each individually in plastic wrap and then a layer of tin foil, placing in a ziplock bag. To unthaw the buns, remove from freezer for one hour then reheat in a 350 oven for 5 minutes.