Spicy Tuscan Soup

This is so good. This is also called Zuppa Toscano.. at Olive Garden

1 lb Spicy Breakfast Sausage
1 Shallot, minced
1/2 Stick Butter
2 Slices Bacon, cooked to crispy, crumbled and set aside
3 Garlic cloves, minced
3 Whole Medium Potatoes
1 Can White Kidney Beans (Cannellini beans)
1 1/2 Quarts Good Chicken Stock
1 Small to Medium Bunch Kale, chopped
1 Cup Half and Half
Salt and Pepper
Parmesan cheese, if desired for garnish

Brown sausage to almost completely cooked in a Dutch oven. Drain, and set aside. In the same Dutch oven, melt butter and cook shallots until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Slice Potatoes lengthwise, and then slice in half moon shape slices. Add Chicken broth to shallots and garlic. Add sliced potatoes and sausage. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add beans. Simmer 10 more minutes until potatoes are tender. Add kale and cream. Cook another 5 minutes until Kale has wilted. Sprinkle crisp bacon on top, as well as some parmesan cheese. Serve. 4-6 servings

Shredded pork taco's (in the crockpot) with southwestern slaw

I'm going to write the recipe as I have it, and put in (what I actually did).. because I tweaked it a bit, and thought it was delicious... only cuz I was too lazy to make a grocery run.

The recipe starts with:


Dee's Roasted Pork for Taco's- dont know who Dee is, but it sure is a fine recipe, thanks Dee.

4 pounds pork shoulder roast (I used a pork tenderloin, o.. about a foot long or so..)
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies, drained
1/4 cup chili powder (omit- didnt have)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (omit- didnt have)
1 teaspoon taco seasoning (used a whole envelope, Old El Paso dry taco seasoning)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste (omit, due to the taco seasoning)
* I was cooking this in a crock pot, so I added 1 can of chicken stock, to keep it moist*
Get out yur crock pot. Plug it in. Put the roast in the crock pot. Dump in all other ingredients. Cook on low (I even turned mine from low to warm, cuz mine cooks really hot!).. Cook for as long as you want to... but at least 6 hours. I cooked mine overnight and it literally fell apart when I stuck a fork in to make sure she was done. Delicious!



Now make some slaw.. I made mine the same night I put the roast on to sit over night and it was so good.

3 cups shredded cabbage - or just get the bag, like I did
1 carrot, shredded (omit if the bag has it in it)
1 onion, diced (I used 1/2, mine was the size of a basketball)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (I used about 8 slices of pickled jalapeno from the jar)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omitted in hopes my daughter might actually eat it)
salt and pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the cabbage, onions and peppers and mix it up. Put in the fridge for at least an hour if you have it, if not... its still good.
Warm up some flour tortilla's using either a dry skillet, or you can put right over the flame if you have gas and are feeling frisky. Create the taco using the meat, and slaw, add pico if ya want to and maybe some sour cream if you dare. enjoy!
adapted from recipe's I found on http://www.allrecipes.com/

PORK CHOPS WITH DIJON SAUCE

This is one of my favorite pork chop recipes. I don't really love pork chops, but my husband does, so this is perfect for us. The Dijon sauce really compliments the pork. I serve this with roasted new potatoes and green beans.

1 tbs. butter
1 tbs. olive oil
4 center cut or loin chops, about 1 1/4 inch thick
salt
pepper
1/4 c. chopped green onions or shallots
1/2 c. dry white wine
3/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tbs. chopped parsley (optional)

Melt butter and olive oil in a large, deep skillet over med-high heat. Season chops w/ salt and pepper and brown them, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Reduce heat slightly if chops brown too quickly.
Remove chops and pour off most of the fat. Add green onions or shallots and cook on med heat until softened- about 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in chicken stock and return chops to the pan. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook until chops are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove chops to a warm platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Raise the temp of the pan to boil the pan juices, reduce by half (or 1/4). Add cream and boil 2 minutes more, until sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in mustard and parsley.
Spoon sauce over chops and serve.
Serves 4
Simply recipes: New York Times Sunday Magazine 2005