Zuppa Toscana

If you've been to Olive Garden and had their version of this wonderful soup, I think you'll enjoy our version...they are almost identical!

you'll need:

2 links of Italian Sausage (not "hot", use "mild" or "sweet"), remove casings
2 strips of meaty bacon, optional
1/4 small onion, fine dice, optional
1 large russet potato, scrubbed, not peeled, quartered, then sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup fresh chopped kale
6 cups good chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream, or half and half
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
kosher salt to taste

Heat a large stock pot, If you are choosing to use bacon cook it first. You're going to brown up the bacon, remove, set aside to cool a bit; then chop into tiny pieces - like baco-bits.
In the same pot add the sausage. Crumble and brown -and if you are choosing to add the onion, this is the time to saute it.

Drain as much of the drippings as you can from the pot. If you have quality sausage there shouldn't be too much fat left from it.

Add the stock, potato, kale, pepper flakes, and the chopped bacon to the sausage and onions. Bring the stock to a boil, then turn down and simmer until the potatoes and kale are tender.

Add cream ad bring back up to a simmer to heat. Do not boil! Boiling will curdle the cream. You can still eat it, but it's funky looking. bleh.

I like to serve this soup with fresh garlic bread and a veggie filled green salad.

You may want to salt to taste. I hardly ever use salt in my cooking, so give'er a taste and see if you need it. The soup has so much flavour I doubt you'll miss it, but hey, I won't be there, so don't feel guilty if you want to add it!

Enjoy!

5 Hour Garlic Bar-B-Que Chicken Wings

I admit it. I am a sucker for low and slow when it comes to meat. I think it is the best way to cook and guarantee succulent tender fall off the bone moist crazy good flavour. They aren't spicy hot, more smokey sweet.

Our Garlic Chicken Wings

Get your self a parchment lined baking sheet
a large ziploc bag
large bowl
olive oil
granulated or finely minced garlic
good quality chicken wings and drumettes
extra parchment sheet and foil
mesquite bar-b-que sauce
honey

Place the chicken into the ziploc bag, drizzle with just enough oil for the wings to get a light coat, all you want is something for the garlic to stick too.

Spread the wings out onto the parchment lined baking sheet and liberally sprinkle with the garlic, the more garlic the yummier.

Place another piece of parchment over the wings, cover the entire thing with foil and pop it into an oven at 250 for 5 hours.

mix the bar-b-que sauce with the honey at 50/50, blend. When the chicken are ready -you can check at 4.5 hours, dip the wings into the sauce then replace them on the baking sheet without a cover. Place the baking sheet under the broiler to caramelize the sauce for 3-5 minutes or longer if needed.

That's it!

Baguettes with Goat Cheese

This is a recipe for appetizers that everyone really enjoys! Uber easy and so yummy it's gone way too quickly!

1- fresh baguette, thin sliced on the diagonal, toasted in the oven
1- small package of goat cheese, room temp so it's easy to spread
1- head of garlic, roasted (Cut the top 1/3 of the head off, drizzle with olive oil, place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the garlic is golden and soft, like budda- push the garlic out of the papery head and onto a small plate, mash until smooth with a fork
dried cherries

pretty much the easiest thing you an do. Spread a little roasted garlic onto each baguette slice, top with a schmear of goat cheese, sprinkle with dried cherries, eat and fly to heaven!

My Crush

A peanut butter cake that scented the house and managed to even waft out to the drive way (driving my neighbor crazy!). Fill with fresh peanut butter cream cheese and top with sweet butter cream. Don't stop there! You're going want to add a crunch to the top by rolling the top in crushed butterfinger bars! Forget the calories, you'll do anything for your crush!

Basic cake rules for S'mee:

Use whatever cake recipe you want. If you use store bought (don't come crying to me) no worries, just know they ain't what they used to be. Grab a good cook book and try out a recipe for homemade cake. It's easy as pie. Wait no, pie is hard, cake is EASY!

So you'll need one recipe for Vanilla. You're gonna change the recipe a bit.

Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other.

With the vanilla I want you to add 1 cup of sour cream, 1 box of vanilla pudding mix - (say it with me) the kind you cook, and 1 cup of really good creamy peanut butter.

Blend all of your add ins before you blend the dry with the wet.

Fill your cup cake liners or cups to 2/3 and check them at about 20 minutes or whatever time your recipes calls for, using the first time. (like if your recipe say 20-23 min. go with 20) The idea here is that you want to catch them when they are "just" done, not over baked. It may take longer than the 20 minutes, but bring them out when they spring back or pick test clean.
Let them rest for about ten minutes and then your are going to seal them with a simple syrup. For 1 recipe 1/8 to 1/8 water and white sugar should give you plenty of syrup. Put the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil until the sugar dissolves, set it aside and grab a pastry brush. When the 10 minutes is up, brush the tops of the cakes with the simple syrup, turn them out onto a rack and let them cool.

The middle:
For the Peanut Butter: We're doing 3s. 1/3 peanut butter to 1/3 cream cheese to 1/3 butter cream frosting. Nuke to soften - about 20 seconds, blend with a spoon. Fabulous! Fill a pastry bag fit with an 802 round tip and pipe by pushing the tip into the center and middle of the cup cake. Press to fill until the top begins to puff, pull out and place the cakes in the fridge to cool and firm up the filling before you frost.

The butter cream: Again, use ANY butter cream recipe you want. I prefer my sister Robyn's over anyone else's I've tried - even Pioneer Woman's- and it spanks. Her recipe is:here. My exception to her recipe is as follows: I s-l-o-w-l-y add the water, and most of the time I don't use the full cup. Also I almost always use 50/50 butter and shortening. It may have something to do with where I live (Mojave Desert) and the amazingly dry climate coupled with the altitude.

Peanut Butter: Easiest of all. Butter cream piped on -some what thinly, like 1/4 t0 1/2 inch thick and flatish- on top of the cakes. The butter fingers can be crushed either via food processor or smacked to death via a ziploc bag and a hammer - weapon of choice is up to you. Roll the tops in crushed butter fingers. There you go, I can't help you any more than that!

All cup cakes are best covered and put in the fridge until about a half hour before serving... but again it won't kill you to do otherwise. I like those disposable baking tins that have the clear plastic lids. They are tall enough not to smash the frosting and large enough to carry a dozen, plus the lid keeps them nice and moist. Trust me, these are moist.

Triple Lemon Heaven!

Start with Lemon cake infused with real fresh squeezed lemon juice, add fresh grated zest. Top the cup cake with a puddle of lemon curd cream cheese, then top with a huge swirl of lemon juice infused butter cream and sprinkle with more zest. Heaven indeed!

Basic cake rules for S'mee:

Use whatever cake recipe you want. If you use store bought (don't come crying to me) no worries, just know they ain't what they used to be. Grab a good cook book and try out a recipe for homemade cake. It's easy as pie. Wait no, pie is hard, cake is EASY!

So you'll need one recipe for Lemon. You're gonna change the recipe a bit.

Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other.

With the Lemon I want you to add 1 cup of lemon yogurt, 1 large box of lemon pudding mix - the kind you cook, and the juice and zest of 1 lemon.

Blend all of your add ins before you blend the dry with the wet.

Fill your cup cake liners or cups to 2/3 and check them at about 20 minutes or whatever time your recipes calls for, using the first time. (like if your recipe say 20-23 min. go with 20) The idea here is that you want to catch them when they are "just" done, not over baked. It may take longer than the 20 minutes, but bring them out when they spring back or pick test clean.

Let them rest for about ten minutes and then your are going to seal them with a simple syrup. For 1 recipe 1/8 to 1/8 water and white sugar should give you plenty of syrup. Put the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil until the sugar dissolves, set it aside and grab a pastry brush. When the 10 minutes is up, brush the tops of the cakes with the simple syrup, turn them out onto a rack and let them cool.

The middle:

For the Lemon Curd Cream Cheese, again, 50/50 cream cheese with really good lemon curd. Make your own or buy a good brand. Soften in the MicroRhonda for about 20 seconds and beat with a spoon to blend. STOP eating it! This is like Lemon Crack, resist the urge or you won't have enough for your cup cakes! Put the lemon amazement into a pastry bag fit with an 802 round tip. Push that tip into the center, and then into the middle of the cake and begin to fill the cup cake until it begins to bulge. Pull the tip out and there you go. OR you can just pipe a little puddle on top. Place the cakes in the fridge to cool and firm up the filling before you frost.

The butter cream: Again, use ANY butter cream recipe you want. I prefer my sister Robyn's over anyone else's I've tried - even Pioneer Woman's- and it spanks. Her recipe is:here. My exception to her recipe is as follows: I s-l-o-w-l-y add the water, and most of the time I don't use the full cup. Also I almost always use 50/50 butter and shortening. It may have something to do with where I live (Mojave Desert) and the amazingly dry climate coupled with the altitude.

Lemon is pretty easy, but here you go. Butter cream in a bowl, add 1/2 to 1 whole lemon depending on your taste, blend and pipe on top of the cup cakes using a 807 round (channel a Dairy Queen ice cream gal). Sprinkle with lemon zest. Done. : )

All cup cakes are best covered and put in the fridge until about a half hour before serving... but again it won't kill you to do otherwise. I like those disposable baking tins that have the clear plastic lids. They are tall enough not to smash the frosting and large enough to carry a dozen, plus the lid keeps them nice and moist. Trust me, these are moist.

Hazel's My Girl!

I love me some hazelnuts and Nutella, so it was a natural progression that someday they would wind up in a cup cake. Devil's Food cake, Nutella Mallow (first you take the mallow...) filling, then topped off with hazelnut infused butter cream swirled with chocolate, roll the whole shebang in fresh toasted -then crushed- hazelnuts, and "paint" the top with chocolate. Yup if you love those flavour combos then Hazel's your girl too!


Basic cake rules for S'mee:

Use whatever cake recipe you want. If you use store bought (don't come crying to me) no worries, just know they ain't what they used to be. Grab a good cook book and try out a recipe for homemade cake. It's easy as pie. Wait no, pie is hard, cake is EASY!

So you'll need one recipe for Devil's Food. You're gonna change the recipe a bit.

Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other.

With the Devil's Food I want you to add a 1 cup of sour cream and 1 large box of chocolate pudding mix - the kind you need to cook, and 1/2 cup of Hershey's syrup.

Blend all of your add ins before you blend the dry with the wet.

Fill your cup cake liners or cups to 2/3 and check them at about 20 minutes or whatever time your recipes calls for, using the first time. (like if your recipe say 20-23 min. go with 20) The idea here is that you want to catch them when they are "just" done, not over baked. It may take longer than the 20 minutes, but bring them out when they spring back or pick test clean.

Let them rest for about ten minutes and then your are going to seal them with a simple syrup. For 1 recipe 1/8 to 1/8 water and white sugar should give you plenty of syrup. Put the sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil until the sugar dissolves, set it aside and grab a pastry brush. When the 10 minutes is up, brush the tops of the cakes with the simple syrup, turn them out onto a rack and let them cool.

The middle:

For the Nutella Mallow I used 50/50 nutella to marshmallow cream. I nuked it for about 20 seconds to soften them both up, then beat them with a spoon to blend. If it's too stiff, nuke it again, this ain't rocket science. : ) Put the gooey madness into a pastry bag fit with a 802 round tip. After the cup cakes have cooled you're just going to poke that tip into the center of the cup cake so that it's in the middle, go ahead an eyeball it, there are no cup cake police. Give a good squish on the bag and fill that puppy up until it begins to puff the top of the cup cake, remove the tip- a small puff of filling will come out of the whole you created. No biggie, you'll cover that with something else delicious later. Place the cakes in the fridge to cool and firm up the filling before you frost.

The butter cream: Again, use ANY butter cream recipe you want. I prefer my sister Robyn's over anyone else's I've tried - even Pioneer Woman's- and it spanks. Her recipe is:here. My exception to her recipe is as follows: I s-l-o-w-l-y add the water, and most of the time I don't use the full cup. Also I almost always use 50/50 butter and shortening. It may have something to do with where I live (Mojave Desert) and the amazingly dry climate coupled with the altitude(I'm right at 3.500 grrrr).

O.k. Butter cream- for the hazelnut infused butter cream (sit down please this is embarrassing to admit) I use powdered coffee creamer. Yup. Coffee creamer flavoured as "hazelnut". I am sure there is a way better product or flavouring to do this, but I haven't found it yet. The coffee creamer is dry, ground uber fine, and is made to blend with dairy so it works. The trouble is that I just keep dumping by the spoonful until I like the flavour. The flavour will mature so when you think you're almost there stop. You're there. Just blend in the dry powder and you're good to go. I also added Hershey syrup to the butter cream. I just squirted some in to the bowl swiped the butter cream a few strokes, kind of marbled it. You can decide how much chocolate is too much!

To decorate the cakes I just schmeared it thickly on top in a big blob. Take the back of your knife and make a nice flat edge on the sides, leave the top looking like a storm at sea. Roll the edge of the frosted cake in the fresh roasted hazelnuts, coating just the sides. Leave the top alone.
(to roast or toast? your call. Either one will do. Hazelnuts: You place about a cup in a pan and either bake them for a bout ten minutes at 350 or put them on top of the stove and keep 'em moving until you smell that lovely aroma! Pop them into a food processor and crush them up or put them in a Ziploc and smack them with the back of a hammer to crush.)

"Paint" an extra bit of syrup on the top by dripping a dot on top of the frosted cake. Use the tip of your knife to drag the syrup across the butter cream like a brush stroke or two. E-Z.

All cup cakes are best covered and put in the fridge until about a half hour before serving... but again it won't kill you to do otherwise. I like those disposable baking tins that have the clear plastic lids. They are tall enough not to smash the frosting and large enough to carry a dozen, plus the lid keeps them nice and moist. Trust me, these are moist.

Gramma's Oatmeal

Many times I have tried to explain the difference between my Gramma's way of making oatmeal and what the world usually makes as oatmeal. For me, they couldn't be further apart!

Last week when I was with my Father in law he asked me to make them some "Coaches Oats". He explained to me how I would take one bite and be hooked because the texture of Coaches Oats was amazing. I have to agree, compared to most people's cooked oatmeal the Coaches Oats had a much better texture, a good bite, and a great oatmeal taste, however they still couldn't beat what I grew up on.

Now, I'm going to take a moment here and allow you to really look at the fabuloucity that is my Gramma's oatmeal. Go ahead, look. See how each little oat is its' own distinct piece of delicious heaven? They snuggle, but after that, these oats are their own beings! They flake! You can pick each one up at a time if you are seriously bored, or crazy, cuz, really? Who would pick up one oat at a time? No one! You're going to want a soup spoon to dig into breakfast!

O.k. Stop looking. Continue reading.

Gramma's way of cooking the regular Quaker Oats makes a great -firm but tender- (al dente) oatmeal that has absolutely no "oatmeal goo", which, sadly, the Coaches Oats still had a bit of.

I wish I could teach you her method on line, but it is a matter of feel rather than anything else. The feel of the amount of raw oats opposed to the water you cook them in, how and when to stir to avoid the goo, how long to let it cook. In three to five minutes you'll be amazed at the difference in taste, texture, and how much people want to eat it!

When the kids were little I would add chopped nuts, craisins, raisins, cinnamon, and we'd call it "Puppy Chow". Now my Grand-kids love to eat "Puppy Chow" when they are here for breakfast. Thor likes it with brown sugar and "oatmeal cookie" spices. For me, I could eat this as in the photo, as "Puppy Chow", or with a bit of white sugar and cold milk. Amazing taste and texture no matter how you choose "dress" it. Oh, and a piece of burnt toast for me! (Not sure why I love burnt toast with my oatmeal, but it's great!) One bowl and you can go well into lunch full of energy! Don't forget how good oatmeal is for your cholesterol!

So, if you are ever in the Mojave Desert on a cold rainy day, craving a steamy hot delicious bowl of oatmeal, with a tiny puddle of real butter and a spoonful or so of golden brown sugar, call me; I'll teach you how to make it the way Gramma did. You'll never cook it any other way!