On Saturday, I’ll be serving a pre-Easter brunch to the hardworking people in my husband, Dave’s, office.  It’s a CPA firm and Easter usually falls during the crunch time of tax season, so these people need a break! This recipe is on the menu. I confess, I totally ripped it off out of the Williams-Sonoma catalog. They sell these cute little “breakfast pigs in a blanket”.  The Williams-Sonoma version uses Aidell’s chicken-apple sausages. While I did fine Aidells sausages at Costco and was planning to use them, I spotted some mango-chicken sausages and decided to go that route… happy I did because – Yum!

So here are your choices… purchase from the catalog and pay $48.50 (that’s with shipping) for 24 “pigs”…  or… make mine, and pay less than $25 for the pastry and sausages and you will wind up with 60 – as in “six- zero”  little pigs!!!

I know what you’re saying to yourself right now…. “I do not need Sixty Pigs, even if they do cost $1.58 less per piece.”  Oh yes – You do!!!  These are delicious, easy, and so great to have on hand in your freezer.  That’s right, you can bake and serve some now and freeze the rest for later. Of course, you can always cut the recipe in half, and use just one package of puff pastry and find another and smaller (meaning a smaller quantity then sold at Costco) package of sausages. But once you get into the roll of putting these together, it takes no time at all and you’ll feel rich and wise with the knowledge that you have these little gems stocked away. They can go directly from the freezer to the oven -at the ready for a quick cocktail appetizer or as a fun breakfast, any day of the week. Finally, I call for whole-grain mustard, because I like it, but if you only have regular Dijon, that works too.

Piglets in a Warm Puffy Blanket

2 packages (17.2-ounces each) Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (for a total of 4 sheets)
1 package (3 pounds) Amylu mango-chicken sausages or other fully cooked sausage of your choice
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon regular Dijon mustard
3/4 cup pure maple syrup, divided
2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
Rosemary sprigs for garnish

Remove the pastry sheets from box and paper wrapping and place unfolded frozen sheets on a counter to thaw at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes.

While the pastry is thawing, remove sausages from packaging. There will be 21 sausages in the 2 pound package (7 in each of the 3 individual packages) You will be using 20 of the 21 sausages for this recipe, reserve the remaining 1 sausage for another use, such as … your lunch! Cut each sausage into equal thirds, for a total of 60 mini-sausages.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the both of  the Dijons and 1/2 cup of the maple syrup.

Unfold each pastry sheet, one at a time. Do not roll out with a rolling pin, leave as is. Brush evenly with the mustard-maple glaze. Using a sharp knife, cut the glazed sheet of pastry lengthwise into thirds along the fold lines. Make 5 cuts crosswise to create a total of 15 rectangles out of the one sheet. Place a mini-sausage diagonally in the center of one pastry rectangle. Roll pastry around sausage and press overlapping corner in the center together. Brush with egg wash and place on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet, about 1/2-inch apart.  Repeat with remaining 14 pastry rectangles.

One sheet at a time, repeat with the remaining 3 sheets of pastry, the mustard-maple glaze, the remaining 45 mini-sausages, and egg wash for a total of 60 pigs in a blanket.  There will be a little bit of the glaze left in the bowl, add the remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup and the minced rosemary and place in a serving bowl- this will be the dipping sauce.

At this point, the pigs may be baked or individually quick frozen.

To freeze: Place the baking sheets in the freezer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and quickly transfer the pigs in a labeled and dated 1-gallon freezer-quality ziplock bag or another freezer-safe container.

To bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 18 minutes, turn over and bake another 15 minutes or until golden all over. Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature on a platter with dipping sauce and garnished with rosemary sprigs.

Makes 60 pieces

Today is the last day of spring break… I am sad. Connor has been home all week and that has been wonderful. And after five days in Mexico, Marissa arrived home on Friday to spend the weekend with us, which always puts a smile on my face. But today, that is over… Marissa is getting ready to pack up her car and drive back down to Tucson for her last semester at UA and then I’ll drive Connor up to Flagstaff to finish off his freshman year. For the sendoff we invited my dad over for Sunday Brunch. Nothing like eating outside in March on a gorgeous sunny but mild Arizona day! Today I’m sharing our frittata recipe… tomorrow the breakfast potatoes that accompanied it.

Grandpa’s Frittata

1 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper; cored, seeded and chopped
1 long green (Anaheim or Hatch) chili; cored, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 dozen large eggs
1/3 cup low-fat milk or fat-free half and half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté sausage, onion, and pepper and chili, breaking up the sausage and cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the sausage mixture.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk until well combined, add the drained sausage mixture.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet, add eggs. Let eggs cook, lifting edges to let uncooked eggs run underneath. When eggs are firm and nearly set, top with cheese and place in oven until cheese is melted and center is done, about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cut into wedges to serve.

Serves 6 to 8

My husband, Dave, made me dinner last night. And it was not one of the two things he knows how to make well -which would be; grilled filet mignon, garlic bread, along with his mom’s caesar salad recipe… or the Male Chauvinist Pig Chili recipe that he cut out of our local newspaper’s food section some 26 years ago! No, he made jambalaya! I’m sure there are many of you reading this right now, who have never made jambalaya… so as you might imagine, this was really something. I believe it was the New Orleans’ Saints victory over our Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, that inspired him. Although we are both sad that the Cards didn’t go all they way, we are proud they took the NFC West title for the second year in a row and congratulate them on their great season. Now we’re going to put our hopes on the Saints to get to the Super Bowl. Dave, thank you for the night off and for the truly delicious dinner! xoxo

To make jambalaya, you begin with the Cajun/Creole “trinity”; a mixture of onion, bell pepper and celery. Most cuisines have their own “trinity”, here are a few: French= carrots, celery, onion; Italian = tomato, garlic, basil; Chinese = garlic, ginger, scallions; Greek = lemon juice, olive oil, oregano; and Mexican = corn, chilies, beans.

I do not care for the flavor of green bell peppers (too much of a “green vegetable” taste for me), you may have noticed that the majority of my recipes use red, yellow or orange bells (sweeter and not green tasting). You, of course, can use green bells instead. There are a wide variety of proteins used in jambalaya; from chicken and sausage, to shrimp and ham, to duck or even alligator. The roots of Creole jambalaya are in the French Quarter of New Orleans, it is a close relative to Spanish paella. It began as an attempt by the Spanish to make their beloved paella in the New World, but the key ingredient, saffron, was not available, so tomatoes were used instead. Next came the French influence on the dish and the spices from the Caribbean changed it into the dish it is today.

Dave’s Creole Jambalaya

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup peeled and chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 cup long- grain white rice
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound sliced Andouille sausage
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Emeril’s Essence Creole seasoning

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add oil and sauté onion, pepper, and celery for about 4 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in green onions, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, Worcestershire, Tabasco, bay leaf, oregano and thyme, cook for 2 minutes. Stir in rice and add broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until rice is tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Once rice is tender add the sausage and chicken. Cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is just about cooked through. Stir in the shrimp and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink on the outside and opaque when cut through the middle. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning.

Serve with hot crusty bread or cornbread.

Serves 4

Happy New Year, wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, prosperous 2010! To start the year out on a yummy note, why not combine two Italian favorites? This is a quick and easy lasagna, no boiling of noodles or making of a time-consuming homemade sauce. Just purchase the various items for the layers and go to town assembling a big old pan of goodness. To change to a vegetarian dish, substitute diced or sliced zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and/or bell peppers for the sausage. Sauté the veggies in an additional tablespoon olive oil and proceed as directed.

When it comes to nutmeg, there is no comparison between freshly ground and the already ground stuff you’ll find in the spice aisle. Purchase the whole nutmegs and use any of the tools above to grind it fresh whenever you need it.

Ravioli Lasagna

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 pound ground Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
28-ounce can crushed roma tomatoes
1 cup prepared pesto sauce, divided
4 ounces fresh baby spinach, stack the leaves and thinly slice (about 2 cups)
15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Two 16 to 18-ounce packages frozen cheese-filled raviloli
3 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and saute until soft, add garlic and cook about 4 minutes longer, transfer to a small plate.  Add the sausage to the same skillet and cook, stirring often to break up for about 12 minutes or until sausage is browned. Drain off any grease, then add the onion-garlic mixture back to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the pesto sauce. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the sliced spinach and the remaining 1/2 cup pesto sauce. In a third medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese (reserve remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan for sprinkling on at the end), stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

In a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, spread 1/2 cup of the tomato-pesto sauce on the bottom and the pan and lightly coat the sides of the pan with the sauce as well, to prevent the lasagna from sticking after baking. Top with 1/2 of the sausage-onion mixture, then 1/2 of the spinach mixture. Top with 1 package of the ravioli, laying out evenly in a single layer. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over ravioli, then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella.

Spread with 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce, top with remaining sausage, then with remaining spinach. Top with second package of ravioli, dollop with remaining ricotta and 1/3 of the mozzarella.  Spread on the rest of the sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, discard foil and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and the reserved 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and bake another 12 minutes.

Serves 10 to 12

(Lasagna may be baked 1 day ahead up to point of adding last layer of mozzarella and Parmesan. Cool completely, then chill, covered. Bring to room temperature before topping and reheating with final layer of cheeses, in a 375 oven until hot, 20 to 30 minutes)

It’s hard to beat a great homemade soup on a cold winter’s day. I love soup anytime of year, but particularly in the winter and this hearty winter soup is guaranteed to warm you inside and out. If you made turkey stock with the Thanksgiving bird, all the better, but store-bought broth will work here too. Pair it with warm crusty bread and your day will end on a high note. (In the picture, you may notice the soup is missing the grated swiss cheese on top. Don’t tell my family, but I forgot to add it… they will be sad when they find out, but it honestly was delicious anyhow!)

In addition to the kitchen ornament picture at the end of the post, here is a picture of a fresh pomegranate centerpiece I created for the season. To make; stack pomegranates and use a glue gun to hold them in place.  Put the “pomegranate pyramid” on the a pretty tray or plate and fill in spaces with fresh bay leaves, pine boughs, eucalyptus cuttings, holly, etc. Poke cinnamon sticks in to finish. This arrangement is beautiful fresh and will dry wonderfully too.

Garlic, Potato, and Sausage Soup

2 teaspoons whole cumin seed
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 ounces sausage, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 egg yolks
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
Fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Place the cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute, immediately remove from heat; pour into a spice grinder and process until ground.

Place garlic, onion, broth, butter, bay leaf, sage, and ground cumin into a soup pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and the potatoes.

Cook over on a low simmer until the potatoes are very tender but not falling apart, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot broth, in a slow and steady stream. Take extra care to whisk continuously and pour slowly so that you don’t end up with scrambled eggs, set yolk mixture aside for a moment.

Remove the bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half of the solids plus a couple of ladles of the liquid from the pot into a blender and puree. Return puree to pot and add the sausage.

Add the warmed yolk mixture to the soup, and heat through, do not boil, stirring, until the soup thickens slightly.

Remove from heat. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust seasoning as needed, and serve in warm bowls with a generous amount of the Swiss cheese sprinkled over each and garnish with fresh sage leaves.

Serves 6

she it too cute - "Will work for cookies"

Do you know anyone who doesn’t like lasagna? I certainly don’t! It’s right up there with hamburgers, spaghetti, and mac and cheese for the all-time family favorites. All those classics have been posted here already, it is now lasagna’s turn.

Toasted and skinned hazelnuts are used in the pesto. To learn how to do this procedure, either go to the Tip Index at the left and look under “Hazelnuts” or click on this link.

Lasagna

1 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup packed Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

2 tablespoons flour
1 cup red wine
28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

15-ounce container ricotta cheese, divided in half
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 egg, beaten

1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Pesto
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel
2 cups loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep from sticking together, set aside.

Heat a large skillet, add beef and sausage and cook until browned, about 10 minutes.  Season meat with salt and pepper.   In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, an oregano.  Process until pureed, add to the pan with the meat and stir to combine.  Stir in the flour, stir for 2 minutes to cook raw taste out of flour.   Add the wine and cook 3 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes, cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 container of ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and goat cheese.  Stir in egg, season with salt and pepper.  Set cheese mixture aside.

Pesto: Puree all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor.  With machine running, add 1/4 cup of the olive oil through the feed tube and puree until pesto is smooth.

In a medium bowl stir remaining ricotta, and 1 cup of the parsley pesto, until combined well.   Then, in a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons pesto and remaining 2 tablespoons oil for drizzling over cooked lasagna, set aside.

Assemble: In a 13 x 9-inch pan, spread 2 ladles of sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each short end of the pan with a lasagna noodle to form a collar that holds in the corners.  Dollop 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula.  Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the cheese.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella on top of meat. Spread 1/2 of pesto over mozzarella. Top with 2 ladles of sauce, spread evenly.

Repeat with the next layer of noodles, remaining 1/2 of the cheese mixture, remaining 1/2 of the pesto, 2 ladles of sauce, and 1/3 mozzarella.

Top last layer with noodles, remaining sauce, remaining 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan.  Shake the pan to settle. (Can be assembled a day ahead, cover and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before uncovering and placing in the preheated oven).  Bake for 1 hour. Allow lasagna to rest for 30 minutes to firm up and cut easily.   Cut into 12 squares and serve drizzled with pesto-oil.

Serves 12

This is a gourmet take on my grandmother’s traditional sage stuffing. She did not add the apples, sausage, pecans, or cranberries. It took her son, my dad, a couple years to get used to my version, but now I think even he would miss those yummy additions – although he probably won’t admit it! The picture above is all the components, prepared and ready to put together before stuffing the bird (excluding the pumpkins, of course, those are for decoration!). The dominating flavor is still the sage, so be sure not to skimp on that. And remember to tear and dry out the bread at least 24 hours ahead of time.

Grandma Otter’s Thanksgiving Sage Stuffing

1 1/2 pounds challah and/or brioche, stale or day-old, torn into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped celery, with leaves
1 large or 2 small chopped Granny Smith apples
1 heaping tablespoon ground or rubbed sage
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 to 4 cups chicken or turkey stock

Place torn bread pieces on baking sheets at least 24 hours before making dressing, to completely dry out. (May be done up to a week in advance, store in a sealed bag or container at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 9 x 13 x 2-inch ovenproof baking dish.

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, melt the butter until it is foamy.  Add the onions, celery, and apples and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, poultry seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook an additional 2 minutes, remove from heat. (May be done 2 days ahead, cover and refrigerate. Reheat before proceeding).

Pour into a very large bowl or pot and stir in the bread, cooked sausage, pecans, and cranberries.  Add enough of the stock to moisten the mixture.  Toss thoroughly. (Dressing may be completely assembled one day ahead, covered, and refrigerated, but do not stuff the bird until immediately before placing the turkey in the oven to roast).

Stuff turkey with mixture, place remaining dressing into the prepared dish, cover with foil.  Bake dressing 25 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, adding more stock if needed to keep the dressing moist.

Serves 8 -10

Piping on the mashed potato-squash topping.

Shepherd’s pie, also known as cottage pie, just screams “Autumn!”  This version with its sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and maple flavor puts it over the top.  The entire dish can be made a day ahead, just leave off the sprinkling of paprika until immediately before putting in oven, cover and refrigerate and add about 15 minutes to the baking time.

This recipe can easily be switched out to use leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.  Just omit the sweet Italian sausage. Then once the maple breakfast sausage is browned, stir in 1 pound shredded or chopped turkey meat and proceed with recipe. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and/or squash – mash them altogether to make 3 to 4 cups and use that for the topping, in place of or in addition to, the roasted and mashed potatoes and squash in the recipe. And if you have leftover vegetables such as corn, green beans, cauliflower, etc. substitute for or add them to the corn, broccoli, and red peppers… you get the idea – be creative!

Autumn Shepherd’s Pie

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
8-ounces maple sausage breakfast links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 cups peeled and chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
2 cups broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup fat-free half and half
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
5 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Butter an 8 x 12 x 2-inch casserole or baking dish.

Place sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and gold potatoes on foil-lined baking sheet, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Maintain oven temperature.

Place sweet and gold potatoes and squash in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher, or hand mixer, or process through a food mill. Add butter, cream cheese, and syrup and stir until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook both sausages in large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up with a spatula, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl; reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings from skillet. Place 1 tablespoon of drippings back into skillet; add onions, garlic and rosemary and sauté over medium-high heat until onions are tender and golden, about 7 minutes. Add onion mixture to sausage.

Add remaining tablespoon drippings to same skillet add broccoli and bell peppers, sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add to bowl with sausage, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Allow to cool to room temperature. Then stir in corn, half and half, egg, parsley, and pepper sauce.

Transfer sausage mixture to buttered baking dish.  Place potato mixture in a pastry bag and pipe over sausage mixture. Alternately, potato mixture my be spooned over sausage; then smooth the top. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated through and potatoes begin to lightly crisp and brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of hearty soup and a slice of warm crusty bread. This chunky soup has a long list of ingredients but actually comes together quickly.  Especially if you use the leftover wild and brown rice (from the Rack of Lamb dinner post on October 2 on this site) and meat from a rotisserie chicken.  As usual, I use Costco’s rotisserie chicken, which yields about 1 3/4 pounds of meat, after discarding the skin and bones. Chop up the dark meat for the soup and refrigerate the breast meat for salads or sandwiches for another day.  The chicken Andouille sausage used here was found at Trader Joe’s but any cooked sausage you prefer (such as kielbasa) is fine.  Although the sausage is fully cooked, it is sautéed with the vegetables to lend them more flavor before liquid is added to the pot.  Today was my first opportunity to use my new “Elite” Cuisinart, and I must say, it was amazing, can’t wait to really put it to the test with a big ol’ day of cooking! With the holidays fast approaching, that will be very soon!  Speaking of the holidays, this would be a perfect soup to make with leftover turkey meat and turkey stock made from the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving, so keep it in mind.

1 3/4 pounds meat from one Costco rotisserie chicken; breast meat on the left, dark meat on the right

Hearty Wild Rice and Andouille  Soup

8 cups chicken broth or stock, divided
Two 16-ounce packages frozen corn kernels, thawed and divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
12.8 ounce package smoked chicken Andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into “coins”
1 celery rib, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups leftover or freshly cooked mixture of wild and brown rice
16-ounce can Cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey meat
1 cup  fat free half-and-half
Fresh minced chives, for garnish
Warm crusty bread, as an accompaniment

Puree 1 cup of the chicken broth with one package of the corn kernels in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add sausage, onions, carrots, celery, and apple pieces.  Season with salt and pepper and sauté until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add remaining 7 cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer soup 15 minutes.

Add the cooked wild/brown rice, Cannellini beans, diced chicken, corn puree and the remaining package of corn kernels to the pot. Simmer until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Stir in half and half. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chives serve with warm crusty bread.

Serves 12 (freezes well)

It’s Football Season! Today is opening day and our Arizona Cardinals are at home vs. San Francisco. All I can say is, “GO CARDS!!!” Here are three quick and simple hors d’œuvres using buffalo mozzarella. Cow’s milk fresh mozzarella balls may be substituted. The Stacks can be served hot, cold or at room temperature. If serving cold or at room temperature, use Belgium endive spears to serve the stacks on. If heating, the stacks will be placed on toasted baguette slices. An important thing to pay attention to when preparing this recipe, try to buy zucchini and eggplant that are of similar in size when cut into rounds. Instead of cutting a large ball of mozzarella, brocconcini (tiny little mozzarella balls) may be used. You’ll notice that the baguette, eggplant, and zucchini are all sliced on a diagonal. This gives you a much large piece and better shape to work with, rather than cutting straight down into rounds.

The Prosciutto Picks couldn’t be easier or more convenient. They also may be served cold or at room temperature. Finally, the Meatballs are simply delicious! I like to roll half of them Parmesan cheese before baking and leave half plain, it makes for a more interesting presentation on the platter. You may dollop with purchased Marinara or with the same yummy tomato-pesto sauce used on the Parmesan Chicken recipe from the September 9 post from a couple days ago.

buffalo mozzarella hor d'oeuvre platter

primary ingredients used for thee hord'oeuvres

Grilled Vegetable and Buffalo Mozzarella Stacks

1/2 baguette
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
and/or
2 Belgium endives, leaves separated

1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed on a diagonal
1 medium Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed on a diagonal
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small ripe heirloom tomatoes
One 4-ounce buffalo mozzarella ball
1/4 cup purchased hummus
14 medium sweet basil leaves

If using baguette — use a serrated knife to cut bread crosswise on the diagonal into fourteen 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven. Remove from oven and rub hot toasts with garlic on one side. Place on cooling rack and set aside.

Slice the zucchini and eggplant on a diagonal into 14 slices each.

eggplant top, zucchini bottom in grill pan

Heat a ridged grill pan over a medium-high heat. Meanwhile place zucchini and olive oil in a bowl, toss to coat. Add the eggplant to the bowl and toss. The eggplant is like a sponge and will pick up all excess olive oil from zucchini as they are tossed. Season with salt and pepper immediately before grilling, do not salt ahead of time or eggplant will release too much moister. Grill all vegetable slices in a single layer, in batches if necessary, turning when slices have nice grill marks. Transfer to a plate as done.

Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into similar sizes as the vegetables.

the stages of assembly starting counter clockwise with hummus covered eggplant around to the two center finished stacks

Spread a small dab of hummus on each eggplant slice. Top each with a basil leaf then a slice of mozzarella, then with a slice of tomato and finish with a zucchini slice.

Stacks may be served cold, at room temperature, or heated. If cold or at room temperature, place one stack on each Belgium endive spear, place on platter and serve immediately.

If heating, put one stack on top of each baguette slice. Place stacks on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes.

Makes 14

Prosciutto-Mozzarella Picks

One 4-ounce fresh buffalo mozzarella ball
6 thin slices prosciutto, each cut in half lengthwise (about 2 ounces)
12 small sweet basil leaves
12 cherry or teardrop tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or balsamic syrup
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
12 appetizer picks or toothpicks

Cut mozzarella ball in half. Cut each half into 6 even pieces for a total of 12 pieces.

Wrap each slice of cheese with a half slice of prosciutto. Place a basil leaf on the seam-side of prosciutto. Pierce each through the center with a pick. Add a cherry tomato to the end of each pick and place picks on a platter. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Makes 12

Mozzarella Meatballs

2 tablespoons olive oil
One 4-ounce fresh buffalo mozzarella ball or 16 brocconcini
1 pound turkey or chicken sausage
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Purchased Marinara sauce, heated
16 appetizer picks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cut mozzarella ball in quarters. Cut each quarter into four even pieces for a total of 16 pieces.

Mix together turkey and Italian sausage with hands until thoroughly combined. Divide into 16 equal parts.

Enclose each piece of mozzarella with sausage to form a meatball. Place Parmesan cheese on a sheet of wax paper; roll 8 of the meatballs in Parmesan cheese. Place all meatballs on prepared baking sheet, leaving an inch or so between each meatball.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, remove from oven and carefully pour off collected grease and liquid into a disposable container… never pour grease in your sink or a plumber will be a regular visitor to your kitchen! Return to oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and stick a long appetizer pick into each meatball. Arrange on a platter and top each with a small dollop of warmed sauce.

Makes 16