I am a part-time pediatric pharmacist, full time wife and mother of three teens. I’m also a home chef, gamer, and love to entertain in my home. I know how to relax and enjoy my home life and would love to share my ideas with you.
I’m not intending to share an Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana copy cat recipe, because I really like their Zuppa Toscana. However, I feel my homemade Sausage Kale and Potato soup is better than Olive Garden. I’m sure you will too.
This soup has been a favorite at my house long before I even tried the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana. It all began with a recipe for Sausage and gnocchi soup, that I modified and modified until it became in my opinion, perfect!
Read on and you will find directions for my version of Zuppa Toscana, but if you prefer I also have a link to a video and a printable recipe below.
Zuppa Toscana (Creamy Sausage Kale and Potato Soup) Recipe
Ingredients:
2 Pounds ground bulk Italian sausage
8 medium potatoes peeled
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups chicken stock
2 cup heavy cream
1 bunch of kale, stems removed
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Brown the Italian sausage in a frying pan until cooked through.
Set aside on a paper towel lined plate to drain, because you will not want all that grease in your soup. Meanwhile sauté the onion and peppers with the olive oil until slightly tender.
Add the chicken stock and potatoes to the pan.
Put the drained sausage back into the pan and, bring to a boil.
Reduce to simmer until potatoes are tender.
Add the half and half.
Rip the kale into small bite size pieces, or chop with a chef knife.
Add the kale to the soup and simmer for 3-5 min. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!
If you would prefer to see these directions in a video, you can find it on my YouTube channel.
It seems fitting to add a Pierogi recipe to my blog today because it is National Pierogi day. I happen to have an authentic pierogi recipe from my husband’s Polish mother. He was able to get the exact measurements from her back in the 90’s when he had an assignment to complete for school. His assignment was to submit a recipe for an ethnic food. It was a bit of a challenge to get the exact ingredient quantities and directions from his mother. Initially when he asked her how to make Pierogi, she said “make dough, then put in the filling, then boil them.”
He ended up having to spend an afternoon watching her and measuring everything she did in order to obtain this recipe I’m about to share with you.
Pierogi basic dough Recipe
Ingredients:
4 cups of all purpose flour
250 mL of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Directions:
Mix flour and salt together and sift. Add the eggs and water and knead until dough is smooth and stretchable.
Sprinkle flour over the table where you will be rolling the dough to prevent sticking. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is approximately 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut out the dough with a 3 inch round cookie cutter. It’s really nice to have a cookie cutter with a handle since you will be making so many cuts.
Put your favorite filling (filling recipe below) in the center of each circle.
Stretch the dough around the filling and pinch together to avoid leaking during boiling. Use the handle of a butter knife to make a decorative edge. This step takes practice.
How to boil Pierogi
When pierogi are stuffed and pinched together, put 8-10 of the pierogi into boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. When pierogi begin to float, boil for another 3-5 minutes. Continue to boil the remaining pierogi.
Pierogi Potato & Cheese Filling recipe
Ingredients:
5 Medium Potatoes
1/4 pound cheddar cheese
1 medium onion finely minced and sauteed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and mash. Shred the cheese and add to the hot potatoes so it melts. Add salt pepper and sauteed onions, mash to mix.
Pierogi Sauerkraut Filling recipe
Ingredients:
1.5 cans of sauerkraut, drained
2 finley chopped onions
1 package of mushrooms, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions: Sauté the mushrooms and onions with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and onions to sauerkraut. Put the mixture through a meat grinder.
Serving Pierogi
Saute Onions and pierogi in a frying pan until lightly browned. Serve with sour cream.
Can You Freeze Pierogi?
Yes you can! After boiling the pierogi, place them on a buttered jelly roll pan to cool. Once they are cool, place the pan of pierogi in the freezer. The next day the frozen pierogi can be transferred into a freezer bag, and placed back in the freezer. Be sure to label the bag with the date and filling flavor!
I love this Easy Fritos Bean Dip recipe, because it always goes. It works great when you need a quick and easy recipe for a party appetizer. People love it and are always asking me for the recipe. It can take on any shape and can be decorated for different for any holiday and all occasions.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, I will earn commission from purchases at no additional cost to you.
Easy Fritos Bean Dip Video
Bean Dip Recipe
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 9 ounce can Fritos Bean Dip
4 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
3-4 green onions, sliced
1-2 Roma tomatoes, diced
10-12 black olives, sliced
Instructions:
Blend the Fritos bean dip and softened cream cheese until smooth and uniform. Hint: If you can’t find Fritos Bean dip, try this Copycat Recipe.
Spread the mixture in a dish or on a plate. This is where you can get creative with the dip. Because the dip can take on any shape, you can put it in a football shaped serving dish for a Super Bowl game day party, a Christmas tree shaped serving dish for a Christmas party, a heart shaped dish for Valentine’s Day or a Bridal shower. Get creative!
Top with the shredded cheese.
Layer with tomatoes, onions and olives.
Easy Bean Dip
This is another opportunity to get creative. For example, you could arrange the toppings like Christmas ornaments on a tree shaped platter. You can also pipe on sour cream using a frosting bag to create some fun designs. See my Easy Bean Dip Recipe seasonal designs below.
Football Party Themed Appetizer
For this football party themed bean dip I used this football shaped bowl for both the dip and the chips.
Christmas Themed Appetizer
For this Christmas Themed version of my bean dip I used a Pyrex Easy Grab Pie Dish. I covered the bean dip with Monterrey Jack cheese (white cheddar would work too). For the wreath I used shredded lettuce, cilantro, green onions and green olives. Then decorated the wreath with sliced cherry and grape tomatoes. These ingredients would also look great in a Christmas tree shaped serving dish.
Halloween Themed Appetizer
Spider Web Halloween themed Bean Dip Appetizer.
To make your Easy Bean Dip more festive for a Halloween party you could decorate it like a spider web. For the spider web I used a piping bag with a #4 tip to pipe on full fat sour cream. I topped with a couple of spider rings which I removed before serving. I still wanted the other toppings so I added them to the edge of the design. If you are really crafty you could make spiders out of olives.
Grave Yard Halloween Themed Bean Dip Appetizer
For more Halloween appetizer fun you could also make your Easy Bean dip into a grave yard. For the grave yard, I piped full fat sour cream on Wheat thins using a piping bag and a # 2 tip . Then I arranged the crackers like grave stones. I added a bat ring and a couple of skull rings too, but I removed them before serving.
Race Track Themed Appetizer
I made this appetizer for a post season Cross County Party, but you could use it for any race themed party. Just fold a label over 2 toothpicks for the finish line. Secure the toothpicks with 2 whole olives and press it down into the dip.
Is Bean Dip Gluten Free?
Yes all of the ingredients, including Fritos Original Bean Dip, are gluten free. You should however, shred your own cheese, because pre-shredded cheese could contain gluten. Also, make sure the chips you serve with it are gluten free.
Is Bean Dip Keto Friendly?
No, the Fritos Bean Dip has too many carbs. It is not keto friendly.
Today is national guacamole day! So I thought I should share my favorite guacamole recipe. Be sure to check out my links below to learn how to pit an avocado with a chef knife and how to mince garlic without a garlic press. DIY guacamole sure beats buying the store bought variety. Enjoy my favorite authentic guacamole recipe.
How to make guacamole
Easy guacamole recipe:
Guacamole Ingredients:
3 Avocados
1 medium onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
juice of one lime
3 Roma tomatoes diced
2-3 jalapenos diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
Directions:
Pit peel and mash the avocados. See how to pit an avocado for a quick tutorial. Mince the garlic. See how to mince garlic without a garlic press. Slice the lime in half, to obtain more juice place the halves in a microwave for 15 seconds before juicing. Mix all ingredients. Enjoy this guacamole recipe with tortilla chips.
Slicing and pitting an avocado is a simple process if you know what you are doing. All you need is a chef knife a kitchen towel a cutting board and a spoon to scoop out the delicious nutritious fruit. Anyone can enjoy making their own guacamole!
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How do you mince garlic without a garlic press?
I’m not a big fan of crowding my kitchen with tools and utensils that are only able to form one task, uni-taskers as Alton Brown likes to say. One thing no kitchen needs is a garlic press. It is so easy to peel and mince garlic with a good quality chef knife. The Chef knife can be used for may other things and takes up less space than a garlic press. Every kitchen needs a chef knife, no kitchen needs a garlic press. Enjoy making your own home meds guacamole!
Is Guacamole good for you?
All of the ingredients in guacamole except for salt are very healthy. Most of the benefits of guacamole are in the healthy fruits and vegetables. Avocados are an excellent source of healthy fats, fiber, and many vitamins. Onions, tomatoes, peppers, limes and garlic are all healthy fruits and vegetables. The only unhealthy thing about eating guacamole is that it is most often served with tortilla chips.
Do you have to serve guacamole with tortilla chips?
If you want to keep your guacamole healthy you can exchange the tortilla chips for baked whole grain pita chips, or spread it on a slice of whole wheat toast. You can also use it as a sandwich spread along with other healthy sandwich topping such as turkey, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, on whole wheat bread or wrapped in a whole grain tortilla. Guacamole also makes a great side for eggs or chicken breast.
I have to credit my father-in-law for this delicious sauteed beet green recipe. He is quite the chef. I’ll probably have plenty more of his tasty recipes to share. This one is a delicious way to use a food many people throw away! Wasting food is terrible, but wasting delicious and nutritious food is even worse. According to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, beet greens are more nutritious than the beets themselves.
My father-in-law was a child during world war II. Because if this he grew up learning to use all of the food that was provided. Some of his childhood stories make 2020 sound like a picnic. Next time your teens are complaining about wearing masks or giving up football have them read Stolen Childhood. This book is a story similar to what my father-in-law went through and a great explanation for why he has so many tips and tricks for using up left overs and scraps. Through him I learned that beet greens are not scraps!
Where to find Beet Greens
Back to the beets. First you will have to find beets with the greens still attached. Many chain grocery stores will remove them and throw them away! I know it’s really sad. You could grow them your self, find them at a farmers market or a good organic produce store. Don’t get discouraged. If you do manage to find beets with the greens attached, as an added bonus you will know you have found yourself a fresh beet. The beet roots will last a long time on the grocers shelf, but the greens will begin to wilt sooner, which is probably why they tend to remove them. Buy beets with the greens!
Sauteed Beet Greens Recipe
Now for the sauteed beet greens recipe. Start by removing the greens from the beets. Save the beets for later. I’ll share some great beet recipes soon.
Ingredients:
Stems and leaves form 3 beets
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
Soak the beet greens and thoroughly wash them.
Chop the stems and leaves. Set aside Mince one onion. Sauté onion in a frying pan with the olive oil until softened. Add the chopped stems and leaves and continue to sauté until softened. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat.
Sauteed beet greens with onions and lemon juice
Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.
Prepared beet greens
Serve warm. This dish makes a delicious side for beef or chicken.
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These easy prepare ahead breakfast sandwiches are delicious and they are sure to take some stress out of your morning routine. I like to prepare them on the weekend when I have some extra time. They can be frozen and used for hectic mornings during the week.
Recipe for make ahead breakfast sandwiches
Ingredients:
12 Eggs
12 English Muffins
3/4 cup half and half
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1.5 pounds ground bulk breakfast sausage
12 slices of cheddar cheese
Directions:
Egg mixture ready for the oven.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Crack 12 eggs into a mixing bowl. Add the half and half, onion, salt a pepper. Whisk until smooth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch Pyrex Baking Dish. Bake uncovered until lightly browned, approximately 25 minutes. Allow to cool, then cut into 12 squares.
While the eggs are baking, toast the English muffins. I like to use my toaster oven for this. I just love my toaster oven because it is also a convection oven, and air fryer. It’s so handy we use it almost every day. If you don’t have a toaster oven, you could also place the muffins on a sheet pan and broil then for 5-10 minutes.
Sausage Patties in a Ballarini Parma Forged Aluminum Nonstick pan
Divide the 1.5 pounds of bulk breakfast sausage into 12 pieces and smash into patties. Fry on the stove top until cooked through. For easy clean up I recommend using the Ballarini Parma forged Aluminum Nonstick Pan pictured. Set the sausage aside on a paper towel lined plate to cool and drain.
Once the eggs, sausage, and English muffins have cooled you can assemble the sandwiches. Place one egg square, one sausage patty and one slice of cheese in each English muffin. I recommend breaking up the cheese slices so they do not hang over the edge of the muffin. If the cheese hangs over the edge it will make a mess when you reheat the sandwich.
How to prepare breakfast sandwiches for freezing
To Prepare the sandwiches for freezing you will need:
12 moist paper towels
12 10×10 inch pieces of parchment paper
12 zip lock sandwich bags
Wrap each sandwich first in a moist (not wet) paper towel, then wrap with parchment paper. Slide each wrapped sandwich into a zip lock sandwich bag. Pinch out the air and place in your freezer.
How to reheat frozen make ahead breakfast sandwiches
Remove the breakfast sandwich from the freezer. Take the sandwich out of the bag, and remove the parchment paper. Place the paper towel wrapped frozen sandwich on a plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove the paper towel and enjoy a delicious breakfast and stress free morning!
It’s that time of year again. Time to start packing some lunches. Are your kids getting tired of sandwiches? Maybe it’s time to switch things up and try something new. How about a packing a nice healthy and delicious salads for lunch? It’s good to get kids started early with a nice variety of veggies in their diet. Try these tasty salads for packed lunches.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I earn commission on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you.
Use your leftovers and save money
These tasty salads are also a really good way to use some of your meal leftovers. I love finding creative ways to use my leftovers. Approximately 30-40 percent of the American food supply is wasted.1 We should all do our part to use our leftovers. Teaching the next generation not to waste food is a huge part of that. Teach your kids to eat the leftover food! Eating your leftovers is also a huge cost savings, it’s estimated that on average, each American household wastes over $1800 of food each year!2 Using up your leftover food leads to having more money for other things and a happier less stressful life.3 Here are some salads my family enjoys:
Tasty Salads for packed Lunches
Caesar Salad
Caesar salad for packed lunch
What can be easier than Caesar salad? Traditionally romaine lettuce is the base, although you could also add some baby spinach or other greens for variety. Croutons, Parmesan cheese and a good Caesar dressing is really all you need. I prefer to buy my Caesar dressing in the refrigerated section of the produce department. My favorite is Marzetti Supreme Caesar dressing. If you would prefer a heartier option add some sliced grilled chicken or fresh bacon bits. This salad is an excellent choice when you have some left over grilled chicken. I used a 2 compartment container, but a 3 compartment container would be ideal for packing because you could keep the dressing and croutons separated until you are read to eat lunch.
Waldorf Salad
This simple salad is made with leftover chicken, apples, celery, grapes and pecans. It’s so delicious! Sometimes I even eat it for breakfast. It can be served alone or on a bed of mixed greens or spinach. You can also serve it on a croissant.
Chicken Fajita Salad
For this salad I used leftover Chicken form my sheet pan chicken fajita recipe, find that recipe here.
Chicken fajita salad packed for lunch
Pasta Salads
Pasta salad is another family favorite. I usually use Organic Garofalo Tricolor Rotini as the base, but any leftover pasta will do. Just add your favorite veggies. I like to make this one after family pizza night. I add the unused pizza toppings like chopped red onion, black olives, salami strips and mini pepperonis. Other excellent options to mix in are sliced cucumber, mini baby mozzarella balls, and cherry tomatoes. I dress my pasta salad with Kraft Zesty Italian and McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning . Once again I used a 2 compartment container for this salad. It works great this way because I can add some fruit on the side. A single compartment container would work well for this salad. I love Fit and Fresh Containers because the lids stay on well and the have an optional freezer pack you can use with them.
Pasta Salad packed for lunch.
Taco Salad
Taco salad is the perfect salad to pack for lunch on Wednesday, following Taco Tuesday. I usually just pack up all of the leftover toppings I sliced for Tacos. Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Top with cheese and some leftover taco meat. I mix up sour cream with salsa for the dressing and put it on the side to mix in when ready to eat. I used a two compartment container to pack this one, but once again a three compartment container would be better because you could add a side of tortilla chips!
Super-food Salad
I call this super food salad because it is dressed with poppy seed dressing which works well with so many super healthy foods. I used mixed greens with romaine, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds on my salad. This salad also loves all types of nuts, seeds, berries, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and Swiss cheese. Get creative with it. I buy my poppy seed dressing in the refrigerated section of produce. Marzetti has a great one. This salad works well, packed for lunch in a 2 compartment container but would also work well in a three compartment container if you want to keep your nuts or seeds crunchier you could separate them when packing and mix them in when ready to eat lunch.
Potato salad is a great way to use up leftover baked potatoes. It is filled with inexpensive ingredients that together make a tasty lunch. Try this amazing recipe.
When our neighbor brought over a large basket of home grown jalapenos, we knew we had to start using them soon. According to Healthline Jalapeno’s are packed with nutrients and have many health benefits. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. The best way to use up a lot of jalapenos quickly is to make some jalapeno poppers. You may be thinking that jalapeno popper would be way to spicy, but jalapeno peppers are only mild to moderate on the Scoville scale.1 The addition of cream cheese to the jalapeno pepper also helps to neutralize some of the heat.2 Here’s a recipe for how to make the best jalapeno poppers.
Best Jalapeno Popper Recipe
Ingredients:
11 Jalapenos 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened 6 slices of bacon 1/2 onion minced 6 cloves of garlic minced 1/8 teaspoon of salt 1/8 teaspoon of pepper 1/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
Directions:
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F. Half and remove seeds 8 of the jalapenos, then dice the other 3. In a frying pan, and fry the bacon until crispy. Set aside the bacon to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Sauté the onion, garlic and 3 diced jalapenos until tender. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add the cheeses. Crumble the bacon and add it to the mixture. Mix well. Stuff the 16 Jalapeno halves with the mixture. Place the Jalapeno halves, stuffed side up on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 min. or until lightly browned. Enjoy!
They do have some very healthy ingredients. Jalapenos, onions, and garlic are all very healthy. However, it would be difficult to call any recipe with bacon healthy. Overall, Jalapeno poppers are not healthy and should only be enjoyed occasionally. They are great party food, but not great for every day consumption.
Are Jalapeno Poppers Gluten Free?
Yes! All of the ingredients are gluten free. However, you should shred your own cheese from a block, or make sure your pre-shredded cheese is gluten free. To make Mexican blend: shred half cheddar and half Monterey Jack.
Are Jalapeno Poppers Keto Friendly?
Absolutely! All of the ingredients are keto friendly. Enjoy!
Can you prepare Jalapeno Poppers Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can prepare your Jalapeno peppers the night before your party, just wait until your party time to bake them. Put them in the refrigerator overnight, and pull them out when you are ready to bake them.
This pie is a family favorite. It is requested in place of birthday cake for two of my family members. It can also be baked in an oven, but peach season is in August, obviously a terrible time to heat up the house. I prefer to bake Peach Blueberry Pie on my Traeger Silverton 620 pellet grill.
How do you bake on a pellet grill?
Baking on a pellet grill is basically the same a baking in an oven, as long as your pellet grill has a bake feature and is able to maintain a consistent temperature. Just preheat the grill to the same temperature the recipe calls for in the oven. This peach blueberry pie is baked at 400 degrees, which is a little higher than most baked recipes. Pyrex is rated to 425 degrees, but I never go higher than 400 degrees when I use a Pyrex pie dish on my Traeger Silverton 620 because the temperature does fluctuate + or – 10 degrees.
Peel and thinly slice peaches. Add peaches, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, tapioca, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
Peach Blueberry pie filling in bottom crust
Pour into a prepared Pyrex pie dish. Top with slices of butter. Cover with top crust. Pinch the edges together. I use the handle of a butter knife to make a decorative edge, and the blade to make a few slits.
Peach Blueberry Pie ready to bake
Cover the pie edges with foil so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, and place in the center of the grill.
Peach blueberry pie with foil covering edges on the Traeger grill
Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil.
Peach Blueberry Pie on the Traeger.
Continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned.
Peach Blueberry pie with Best Pie Crust
Alternate baking directions for the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the edges of the crust with foil, so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.
I have been using this recipe for over 30 years. I have not tasted another crust I like better. It can be used for both sweet and savory pies. I love it so much that I have never even tried making a different one. It’s so easy, just 3 main ingredients and a dash of salt. I always get compliments on my crust, that’s how I know it is the best pie crust. Now I can just share this post when others ask me for my recipe.
Recipe
Ingredients:
2 Cups and 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Milk
2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Directions:
Mix all 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl until a dough ball forms. Divide the pie dough in half. Alternatively, you can make one dough ball slightly larger for the bottom crust.
How to roll it out
For the bottom crust, roll half of the dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. This step is very important. You must roll this crust out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper.
Pie Crust rolled out between 2 pieces of parchment paper.
Remove the upper piece of paper and after that use the bottom piece to dump the rolled out crust into the Pyrex pie dish. This step is also very important. This crust is too fragile to transfer without using the paper for support.
Bottom crust flipped into the pie dish using the bottom layer of the parchment paper.
Remove the paper from the bottom crust and pinch evenly into the pie dish.
