Sausage, Potato and Beer Cheese Soup

I don't even know where to start with this soup.  It is so freaking good.  I made it on a whim on Sunday night and Mr. Schwartz and I were both blown away.  Like we actually didn't talk the whole time we scarfed it down.  I wish I was kidding.  

Surprisingly I made it with healthy(ier) things like skim milk, chicken sausage and low fat cheese.  I promise I doesn't taste low fat at all!  Also, it takes less than a half an hour to whip up.  Try this now and feel free to write me a handwritten thank you note with the tears of joy you shed while eating it. Yeah, it's that good.

Start by chopping up an onion.

Melt a little butter and pop it in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot.  Add the onions (not pictured) and saute for about 3 minutes or so.

This is the sausage I used.  Holy Moley you guys, I love this stuff. 

Cut it into cute little half moons.

Add the sausage to the pot and give it a quick stir.  Let this cook while you work on the potatoes...

Potatoes worked.  As in I peeled, washed and diced them up.

Add them to the pot as well.  Stir again.

Pour in some low sodium chicken broth.

And a bottle of beer.  Oh I love Spotted Cow.  My friend Amy hooked me up when she came back from Wisconsin.  My little bootlegger.  Shhh...don't tell anyone.

Cook for about 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender.

Combine milk and flour to make a slurry and pour into the pot.  Give it a stir and it should thicken things up nicely.

Season with a little salt

And lots of pepper.

Add the cheese and that is it!

How easy is that!?

The answer is: easy.

And delicious.


Sausage, Potato and Beer Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
13 oz of smoked sausage (I used chicken sausage) cut into half moons
3 medium potatoes, peeled, washed and chopped
1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1 bottle of beer.  I loved the flavor Spotted Cow gave the soup.
1 1/2 cups milk (skim is totally okay!)
1/3 cup flour
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese + additional for topping (low fat is okay!)

Start by adding the butter and onion into a large Dutch Oven or soup pot on medium high heat.  Let saute for about 3 minutes.  Add the sausage and let cook for 3-4 minutes while you peel and chop the potatoes.  Add the potatoes, chicken broth and beer.  Let cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft but not mushy.

Combine the milk and flour in a glass and make sure to use a fork to remove any lumps.  Pour into the pot and give it a good stir.  When it heats back up it will thicken the soup, be sure to continue to stir.  Once the soup is hot and bubbly again, add the cheese and stir until creamy and combined.

Garnish with additional cheese and enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Easy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I can't believe how long it has taken me to post these babies!  My friend, Meghan, made them for New Year's Eve this year and I'm pretty sure I reminded her no less than 15 times that she needed to email me the recipe ASAP.  I didn't want to leave the party without the handwritten recipe in my hands.  Because I am a super annoying friend, I emailed her a day after and (again) begged for the recipe.  Luckily, Meghan is a very sweet human and sent it right over.  I'm pretty sure she was sick of my pathetic "this is the best thing I have ever tasted!!!!! OMG YUM YUM YUM YUM" shenanigans. 

I say we get down to business and whip up a batch.  I'm hungry for them again. 

Start by chopping up some water chestnuts (my addition because I love a little crunch)

And green onions.

For the sauce, combine Hosin Sauce (you can find this in the grocery store by the soy sauce)

Peanut butter

Miracle Whip (yeah, I know, sounds SUPER weird…just do it.  Trust me)

And a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  That's it!

Cook ground brown turkey until it is no longer pink and add the veggies.  It looks like a lot because I made a double batch then froze half of it..because I am super organized and plan ahead for everything…riiiight.

Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the sauce.  Give it a stir and let it bubble a bit.

Meanwhile, clean your lettuce.  You can use either butter or Boston lettuce.  Heck, you really probably could use Romaine if you are into that sort of thing.

Bubblin….

That's it my friends.

Spoon it into your little lettuce cups and DE-vour.

Easy Asian Lettuce Turkey Wraps

1/2 cup Hosin Sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter.  Crunch or smooth work just fine
1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/8 teaspoon (or more depending on your taste) red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/4 cup water chestnuts, chopped
1 head of Boston or Butter Lettuce

Start by preheating a large skillet on medium high heat.  Add the oil and turkey.  Cook until no longer pink.

While the turkey is cooking, combine the Hosin sauce, peanut butter, Miracle Whip and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.

Once the turkey is cooked, add all but about a tablespoon or so of the green onions and all of the water chestnuts to the pan.  Give it a quick stir.  Pour in the sauce and let it bubble for about 3 minutes or so.

While the meat and sauce are bubbling, throughly wash your lettuce and separate into cups.

After 3 minutes, spoon the meat and sauce mixture onto the lettuce cups.  Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Meghan via Mindy.

Ps. this recipe works very well for parties, just put the meat and sauce mixture in a Slow Cooker.

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers, A Trader Joe's Copycat

Happy long weekend, yo.  I know it is coming to an end but don't you want to go out with a bang?  These will do it.  A huge bang, a flavorful punch in in the mouth if you will.  With just a few ingredients you can whip up a batch of these bad boys an impress even the biggest chicken burger skeptics.  

Watch out Trader Joe's we might be putting you out of business.  Well, hopefully not, we still love you.  Xoxo.  

Musical Selection: Moth's Wings by: Passion Pit.  Note that I moved the Cooking Tunes to the right sidebar.  If you don't want to jam (or if you are reading at work--I won't tell) just click pause. 

 You will need one pound of ground chicken.

 A few green onions

 Some pretty cilantro

 Chop it up and pop it in the bowl

 Some season all salt

 Black pepper

 A few shakes of red pepper flakes--more or less depending on how spicy you want these bad boys

 Half the juice of a lime

 That's it--smash it all together

Form into patties

 Spray each side with cooking spray

 On to the grill they go a few minutes on each side

 Top with pepper jack cheese for a little more spice

 Melted.

Umm yeah, flavor town.  I was really surprised how juicy these stayed they really were fantastic.  A little mayo on the bun is all they needed although crisp lettuce would be a fantastic addition as well.  We added them to our grilling rotation.  

Chili Lime Chicken Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground chicken

2 green onions, diced

1/2 of a red pepper, diced small

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

1/2 teaspoon season all salt

A few grinds of black pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lime 

Pepper Jack cheese

Buns for serving

Mayo (we used light Miracle Whip) for serving 

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, onion, red pepper, cilantro, season all salt, pepper and lime juice.   Form into 4 patties and spray each side with cooking spray so they don't stick. 

Preheat the grill to about 500 degrees.  Place the burgers on the hottest part of the grill.  Grill for 3 minutes.  Turn the grill down to medium high heat and flip the burgers to a cooler part of the grill.  Grill for an additional 5 minutes.  In the last minute of grilling, add the cheese to melt.  Before taking off the grill be sure to check the internal temperature or that they are no longer pink in the middle.  

Serve on buns with Mayo/Miracle Whip.  Enjoy!  

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz 

Freezer Turkey Lasagna and Shells and Cheese

I am a HUGE fan of meals that I can freeze.  I don't care if a make a big batch of something and freeze half of it or just make it soley to freeze, I am a happy girl.  I mean really, how nice is it to know you are stocked just in case something comes up.  

That happened this weekend when my family was planning on getting together.  My sister (in-law) is in school, has two (twin) girls who are 19 months old and the last thing I wanted to do was add another thing to her plate.  So when we talked about getting together I said "hey, I have a lasagna I can bring."  I was thrilled to have it just in the freezer waiting to be baked in the oven.  I'm telling you, these come in handy!  I also like that this recipe makes to different things, one pan of lasagna and one of stuffed shells.  That way it isn't overload of one or the other.  

What meals do you freeze?  I'd love to add more to my repertoire.  

Musical Selection: Have You Seen the Rain by: Creedence Clearwater Revival....again because Playlist is being difficult right now.

 Start by browning two packages (1 1/4 lbs each) of ground turkey.  I used one regular lean turkey and the other Italian seasoned ground turkey.  I added two medium chopped onions while the turkey browned.

 To the ground turkey and onion, add two 15 oz tubs of ricotta cheese.  I use part skim.  Also add 1/4 cup or so of dried parsley.

 Big pinch of salt and crack some pepper.

 Stir it up...

 Add more cheese, why not.  I used mozzarella.

Then begin the assembly.  When I did this, I did the lasagna first, poor choice.  I think it is better to stuff the shells then use the remainder on the lasagna.  See, another reason why it's good that I try things out before you do! 

So, pour a bit of sauce (3 cups) on the bottom of a tin foil pan--or one that you can leave in the freezer and you won't need it for a while. 

 Then, stuff the shells.  I put a 1/3 of the mixture in a zip top bag and cut a hole in the corner.  Easy stuffing.  These noodles are cooked super al dente--they will finish cooking in the oven the day we want to devour them.

 Place the shells in the sauce like so.

Cover with press and seal (or plastic wrap) then tin foil to avoid freezer burn.

 Next up, lasagna.  I LOVE these noodles--no cooking required.  They also have a very airy texture which I adore.

 Again, begin by adding a ladle (I think mine is 1 cup) to the bottom of the pan.  You can have less in the bottom of this pan since we are adding more sauce later.

 Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce.

 Spread some of the turkey mixture on the noodles.  It doesn't have to be perfect.

 Top with another ladle and a half or so of sauce.

 Another layer of noodles and continue.  Mine had three layers.

 Top with the remaining sauce…

 Cheese.

And parsley. 

Wrap it up with press and seal (or plastic wrap) and tin foil.

When you are ready to enjoy these dishes, be sure to let the lasagna sit out on the counter for at least a whole day.  I took it out in the morning, popped it in the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours then an additional 2 hours (or so) at 375.  It will be cooked all the way through, just make sure the middle is hot.

For the shells, letting them sit out for 4 hours on the counter and baking at 375 degrees for an hour or so should do it.  Again, it is cooked all the way through, just make sure they are hot all the way through.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs ground turkey (I used one Italian seasoned and one plain)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 15 oz tubs ricotta cheese (fat free/skim is fine)
1/4 cup dried parsley (fresh would work as well) + additional for topping
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3 cups mozzarella cheese
1 2 lb 13 oz jar Ragu pasta sauce (I know, it is not the most fancy kind but for some reason it is perfect with the turkey)
20 large pasta shells
9-12 sheets of no cook lasagna pasta

For the Stuffed Shells:
Begin by browning the ground turkey with the chopped onions in a large skillet on medium high heat.

Add the ricotta, parsley, salt, pepper and 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese.  Let cool for a bit. Meanwhile cook the pasta shells just shy of al dente (meaning so they have a bit of a bite left to them).

Ladle 3 cups (or so) of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a tin foil pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Place 1/3 or so of the turkey mixture in a large zip top plastic bag and cut the corner off.  Fill the pasta shells with filling and place each shell stuffing side up into the pasta sauce.

That is it for the stuffed shells.  Cover with press and seal (or plastic wrap) and tin foil.

When it is the day you would like to enjoy the pasta, take it out and let it sit on the counter for 4 hours or so.  Place in a  preheated 375 degree oven and bake for about an hour or they are heated all the way through.

For the lasagna: 
Ladle 1 cup or so of the sauce into the bottom of a tin foil pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  On top of the sauce, add a single layer of pasta sheets (I used three per layer).  On top of the pasta, take 1/3 of the remaining turkey and cheese mixture and spread it on top of the noodles. It doesn't have to be perfect.  Add a ladle and a half (or so) of sauce.  Top with noodles and repeat the layers.  I made three layers total.  On the top layer of noodles, just add the sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and parsley.

The day you want to enjoy the lasagna, let it sit out on the counter for at least a whole day.  I took it out in the morning, popped it in the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours then an additional 2 hours (or so) at 375.  It will be cooked all the way through, just make sure the middle is hot.

Enjoy!

Recipes by: Mrs. Schwartz