Tonight I pulled some Italian sausage out to defrost without really knowing what I planned to make. I just started cooking the first few steps below and then decided to go with the soup dish. My mom had actually just mentioned the Italian Wedding Soup from Olive Garden early today so I suppose that is kind of where the idea originated.

I first browned some diced bacon while I boiled some diced new potatoes. I then removed the bacon from the pan and added a little olive oil to the pan. I dropped in 1/3 of the boiled new potatoes and cooked them flipping occassionally until they were nice and crispy. I removed them from the pan to drain on paper towels and added the Italian sausage to the same pan to brown. In the meantime, I cooked some thinly sliced onions in a stock pot with some diced celery. I added some salt and pepper and cooked until the onions were nice and soft. I then added 3 cups of milk and two bay leaves to the onions and celery and brought it to a soft boil. I added the boiled new potatoes that were not fried to the soup and heated through. I then put two tablespoons of flour into a little bowl and added some of the hot milk from my pot to create a little slurry. I added the slurry to the soup pot and stirred to thicken. Once the liquid had thickened slighty, I added in the Italian sausage and bacon. I added some chopped fresh baby spinach. I also added some fresh thyme and parsley. When the spinach wilted a little, I tasted and seasoned the soup with a little more with salt and pepper. I had also chopped up some chicago style bread, tossed the diced pieces in some olive oil and added Italian seasoning. I threw them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to toast up while the soup was finishing. I served the soup in shallow bowls garnishing with the fried potatoes,toasted croutons, and a sprig of parsley.

The new Cooking channel has started and I am feeling completely nostalgic watching Two Fat Ladies, Sara’s Secrets and Jamie at Home. Last week I saw an episode on Jamie at Home called Carbonara alla Courgette that looks easy and delicious. I made the dinner for the family and it was so flavorful with the cream sauce, full of fresh zucchini and squash and don’t forget the bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon?

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/beautiful-courgette-carbonara

I made my first dish from the July / August issue of Food Network Magazine, Chorizo-Potato Tacos. Adam and I loved the dish. The dish reminds me of a meat and potato hash but with Mexican flavors. I also love that the dish includes yellow squash but cooked in a way I haven’t tried, diced and cooked until crispy. I did eliminate the jalapeño pepper from the dish but I didn’t tweak anything else. The only thing I didn’t account for was the amount of oil that the chorizo exudes. Don’t worry, you will love it so much, you won’t care that your hands get messy.

Look in the latest issue of Food Network Magazine in the weeknight cooking section on page 90 or visit http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chorizo-potato-tacos-recipe/index.html

I entered this recipe into the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition this year but unfortunately it didn’t make it to the top 100.  I do love the recipe even though there are a lot of steps.  You should try it and tell me what you think.  Does it make it into your top 100? Notice the awesome BACON BOW on top!

• 1 can Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ Refrigerated Flaky Dough Sheet 8-oz
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 maple syrup and brown sugar sausage patties
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen shredded hash browns 
• 4 Eggland’s Best Large Brown Eggs
• ¼ cup of milk
• Dash salt
• Dash pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
• 2 Ham Slices
• ½ shredded Mexican blend cheese 
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a loaf pan with aluminum foil with extra foil exceeding the top of the loaf pan to help with removal later.  Unroll Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ Refrigerated Flaky Dough Sheet 8-oz on a cutting board.  Cut a piece of crescent recipe creation large enough to fit in the bottom of a loaf pan.  Place the loaf pan in the oven and cook for 8 minutes.  Once the crescent rolls are slightly browned, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place 4 slices of bacon on baking sheet and place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.  After ten minutes, add the two maple syrup and brown sugar sausage patties to the baking sheet and turn the bacon.  Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake an additional 7 minutes.  Once bacon and sausage is finished cooking, set bacon on paper towels to drain and dice sausage patties.

While meat is cooking, place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a medium sized frying pan on medium high heat.  Once the oil is to temperature, add the frozen hash browns and cover pan with lid.  Cook the hash browns for 7 minutes on one side and flip.  Cook an additional 7 minutes or until they are brown and crispy.  Once the hash browns are done, season with salt and set aside.

Beat 4 eggs with ¼ cup milk and season with salt, pepper and ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning.  Spray a frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat to medium.  Add the beaten eggs and cook slowly on medium heat stirring occasionally.  Remove the eggs and set aside.  Brown the ham slices in the same frying pan until slightly browned. 

Once all items are cooked, begin layering into loaf pan.  Place 4 slices of bacon on top of cooking crescent roll bottom.  Add 1/3 of the scrambled eggs and cover with ¼ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend.  Add ½ of the crispy, shredded hash browns and then cover with the 2 slices of ham.  Add another 1/3 of the scrambled eggs and another ¼ cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend.  Follow with diced sausage, the remaining ½ of the shredded hash browns, the remaining eggs, and then the remaining cheese.  Top finally with 2 tablespoon of parmesan cheese.   Sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning on the uncooked crescent rolls along with 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese.

Cut the uncooked crescent rolls into 4 strips.   Twist the strips in to a spiral.  Add the strips to the loaf pan around the outer edge.  Bake the breakfast meatloaf for 15 minutes or until the top crescent are lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

After the Breakfast Meatloaf has cooled slightly, use the aluminum foil to remove the loaf from the pan and place on serving platter.

This morning I wanted something special to share with my husband, Adam, and one-year old daughter, Zoey.  I took ideas from a recipe off of the Pillsbury website that I thought looked interesting, Bacon and Eggs Breakfast Pizzas.  Of course, I made a few minor variations to the recipe because 1) I didn’t have all the ingredients and 2) I was catering to a one-year old.

I liked the fact that biscuits were used for the “crust” of the pizza.  I didn’t have any spaghetti or pizza sauce on hand so instead i purred a 1/2 can of Italian recipe tomatoes to use as the sauce.  For the meat, I used lean maple bacon and some turkey breakfast sausages.  I also cooked up some diced hash browns to golden brown.  Finally, I mixed four eggs with 2 tablespoons of milk and added some diced green onions, minced fresh basil, salt and pepper and scrambled those in a small frying pan.

To assemble, I pressed the center of the biscuits leaving the edges thicker just as the Pillsbury recipe instructed.  I then added a spoonful of the pureed tomatoes and topped it with a tablespoon of the crumbled bacon. I layered a few hash browns on top of that and a large spoonful of the scrambled eggs. I sliced the cooked sausage and added that to my pizzas like pepperoni. A sprinkling of my Italian Seasoning and then I popped them in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, the biscuits were brown and the flavors of the toppings had melded together.  I didn’t have any mozzarella so I shredded a little Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend and topped each pizza.  I added a slice of Roma tomato to each pizza and a little more cheese and put the pizza under the broiler for 4 minutes.  To finish, I topped the pizzas with fresh minced basil and the diced green onions.  A few fresh strawberries and grapes on the side and we were in business.  Zoey, Daddy and I ate every last bite.  I had made six portions (and just baked the last two Pillsbury biscuits), so I called Mike and Carol to join us.  Carol drove across the neighborhood and picked up her and Michael’s portions so they could eat at their house.  Adam even made her a café au lait for Carol’s morning coffee fix. A short while later I received a text message and a phone call from the Long’s that they loved it. Even their one-year old Ben said that Brandy’s Breakfast Pizzas were “Mmm”.

For those meat lovers in the Birmingham, Alabama area DJ’s Fine Meats is the place to go for the highest-level quality meat choices, delicious sides and friendly service.  This locally owned and operated butcher shop helps the Birmingham residents turn their “homes into steakhouses”.  I have been visiting DJ’s Fine Meats for over two years now and though it is an across town drive for me to Alabaster, I wouldn’t buy my meat goods anywhere else. My all-time favorites are the Tortilla Encrusted Tilapia, the Ribeye Steaks, and their Applewood Smoked Bacon.  I literally buy a dozen of the tilapia filets just to have on hand on any given night.

This week’s theme is Tailgate Specials. 

• GAME DAY – $89.00
  • 8 x 12 oz Ribeye Steaks
• FIRST DOWN -$89.00
  • 8 x 12 oz NY Strips
• FIELD GOAL – $99.00
  • 3 x 12 oz Ribeyes
  • 3 x 12 oz NY Strips
  • 3 x 8 oz Filets  
• TOUCHDOWN – $129.00
  • 6 x 12 oz Ribeye
  • 6 x 12 oz NY Strips
  • 6 DJ’s Steakburgers
  • 6 Jalapeno Sausages
• SAFETY – $13.00
  • 2 Tuna Steaks
  • 2 Chicken Breasts
• P.A.T. – $10.00
  • 4 x 3 Cheese Potatoes  OR
  • 1 x 32 oz Loaded Potato Salad and 1 x 32 oz Deviled Egg  Salad
• FREE TWO POINTER
  • All Beef Packages come with 2 lbs of sausage.

*As always call-ahead orders are encouraged and appreciated.

Currently, DJ’s has new extended spring/summer hours and they are open seven days a week. Check out their website www.djsfinemeats.com for their daily specials, store hours and savings discounts.

I love breakfast and I love Eggs Benedict of any variety.  September 25, 2007, also my father’s birthday was a the day I created the Benedict Twins.  I scrounged through the refrigerator and collected a hodge-podge of items that would ultimately be our breakfast.  English Muffins in hand, I made two very different Eggs Benedict.  The first was Adam’s favorite.  A toasted English muffin topped with crispy bacon, a fluffy poached egg, a delicate hollandaise sauce, capers, green onions, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

The second was made just for me, with Smoked Salmon as the protein of choice. I used the same materials as before omitting the bacon and green onions and replacing them with the smoked salmon and a dollop of basil pesto that I had left over from yesterday’s diner.   I was able to finish off some “lasts” in our refrigerator while creating a delectable treat for Adam and I to share.  I clink of the glasses to toast Dad’s B-day and we ate like kings.

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain rice
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups water with chicken bullion cube
• 10 oz chorizo sausage (if you can not find dried chorizo, remove casings and cook through before adding to recipe)
• Seasoned flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp milk
• Bread crumbs
• Oil, to fry
• Parsley

Makes 32 croquettes