Unstuffed Stuff Soup

Here we are.  It's been 10 months since my last recipe post!  It's amazing how fast that happens.  I've been a little busy with health issues, but I'm hoping that will all soon be behind me.

My great uncle Stan turned 75 this year!  He was married to my great aunt Ruth.  Stop me if you've heard this before.  She died young, but not before having two amazing daughters who I love.  Uncle Stan has 4 daughters who all held a birthday party for him this weekend.  It was a beautiful day full of family, friends and food!  He was happy!

Food is good.  It elicits comforting memories and helps to form new ones!  Before the lids were off of the crock pots, Stan's grandson Nate had a full plate of kielbasi...the good stuff, the real stuff.  Homemade.  So good, you can't say kielbasa.  It's kielbasi.  I noticed Nate's sister Emily had a pile of them too!  Their mom, my mom's cousin Lorrie, made her famous halupkies, known to most as stuffed cabbage.  They are amazing.
 
And someone made pierogi casserole.  There was pierogi casserole.  If you've never had a homemade pierogi, you must.  And it was in a casserole.  I'll let you process that...
I must locate this recipe.  Mashed potatoes, dough and fried onions?  If it's wrong, I don't wanna be right!

 


Why are we here?
Right.  I made something too!  I learned a long time ago from Rachel Ray, you can make almost anything into a soup.  I often envision making casseroles or other difficult dishes into a soup, because I'm lazy, and Rachel Ray is a pioneer.  I have no desire to blanch and stuff a cabbage leaf, but I'll chop it into a pot for soup.  Gasp ~ I should make Pierogi Soup!

Last week I decided to unstuff a pepper instead!  I had some cabbage too, so I unstuffed that.  It was beautiful and colorful.  I shall call this Unstuffed Stuff Soup!  I should mention that my great aunt Grace adds sausage to her stuffed peppers.  I stole that piece from her.  Her stuffed peppers are so amazing.  I have never liked stuffed peppers, until I tried hers!  Now I crave them.  Her stuffed cabbage is pretty banging too.  Not like Lorrie's halupkies because the Lazusky's come from a different county, but both are phenomenal!  I don't know how you all can keep up with this rambling.  I'm losing myself!

Unstuffed Stuff Soup

8 Cups Sweet Peppers (red, yellow, green), approx. 6 large diced

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Large Sweet Onion diced

2 Cups Cabbage, diced

1 Lb Ground Beef

1 Lb Johnsonville Breakfast Pork Sausage Patties (Original flavor)

1 28 oz Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes

1 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes (Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil flavor)

2 Cups Rice

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 Tbsp Dried Parsley

¼ Cup Brown Sugar

Mix the ground beef and sausage together, then sauté in a medium stock pot until cooked through.  Add the diced onion and peppers.  Continue to sauté until the onions are translucent.  Add the diced cabbage.  Add the tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper, garlic powder, parsley and brown sugar to taste.  The amount of brown sugar will depend on the tomatoes and your preference.  I think the salt is important if you choose to add cabbage.  Bring to a slow boil.  Add rice, stirring often until soft.  Reduce heat and simmer on low for at least one hour or in a crock pot for several hours.

Enjoy!

Aunt Romaine's Pumpkin Rolls

Many, many years ago, I decided that I'd be ambitious and make a pumpkin roll.  This was before the days of smart phones...and the internet wasn't all it is now.  I needed a recipe.  What to do?  I called Mom.

Mom remembered that Aunt Romaine and Dorty make pumpkin rolls so good that people buy them!  So I called.  Dorty and Romaine rattled off their recipe without hesitation.  They had made so many, they knew it by heart. 

Aunt Romaine said to use fresh pumpkin.  How do I do that?  Next stop, a call to Gramma.  Cut a long neck pumpkin into 4 pieces, she said.  Remove the seeds.  Place in a baking dish with a little water.  Bake until soft at 250 or 300.  I remember like it was yesterday, she said "bake it til it's soft, but not too long, just till it’s soft when you stick it!"  Scoop the pumpkin out of the shell.

I've made so many pumpkin rolls since that day, I can't count!  It is a Thanksgiving tradition, and my Aunt Rosie buys one every year.  No matter how much I protest, she crams that money into my pocket or purse.  I owe Aunt Romaine and Dorty royalties!


Thanksgiving Eve is often a late night, so I've added some shortcuts throughout the years.  If you plan to make several, measure once!  I measure one set of dry ingredients into a bowl, the rest into individual baggies.  As the rolls are finished baking, I can move on to the next more quickly!  Confession:  this year I used canned pumpkin.  They were good, and I don't think anyone knew the difference.  I knew!





3 Eggs                                                     1 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Pumpkin                                       ¾ Cup Flour
1 Tsp Baking Soda                                     1 Tsp Cinnamon
½ Tsp Ginger (Optional)
     or Pinch All Spice (this is my change)
 
Preheat oven to 350*.  Mix all ingredients just until combined.  Spray an edged cookie sheet with cooking spray (I use a Pampered Chef bar pan).  Lay wax paper over cookie sheet, molding to fit.  Spread the batter evenly onto the wax paper.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until just golden brown.  If you make several, the times will shorten as the pan is hotter.  I use two pans, one is going into the oven as another is coming out.

Lift the cake filled waxed paper from the cookie sheet to a flat surface.  Cover with another sheet of waxed paper.  Then cover with a tea towel.  Flip it all over so that the tea towel is on the bottom and the cake is protected on the top and bottom by waxed paper.  Roll it up.  Once cooled, unroll and remove the top waxed paper.  Evenly spread the filling (recipe below).  Re-roll in the same direction.  Wrap in waxed paper.  Keep refrigerated.







Pumpkin Roll Filling 
8 Oz Cream Cheese
1 Cup Confectioners Sugar (10x)
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Container Cool Whip (Thawed)
½ Tsp Vanilla Extract

Place the cream cheese, butter and confectioners sugar into a bowl.  Microwave for 45 seconds.  Stir until all three ingredients are combined.  Add the vanilla and stir.  When ready to frost the Pumpkin Roll, add the cold Cool Whip to the mixture and stir.  Spread the filling evenly over the cake and re-roll.

         

Tomato and Sweet Peppers Gazebo Room Bites

I've shared my love for Gazebo Room Dressing before.  If you missed it, check it out...here, http://jillievee.blogspot.com/2012/06/gazebo-room-dressing.html

There's more.  I neglected to mention the obsession I eat several times per week.  All. Summer. Long.

These little beauties are grape tomatoes.  Halved and seeded, just because I'm 12 years old and don't like seeds.  Keep them if you're a grownup!  They're just not my thing.  Actually scooping them out with a strawberry huller makes a yummy little cavern for the Gazebo Room Dressing to nestle into.  See?

Give the Gazebo Room a good shake, all the happy bits sink to the bottom when you're not looking!  You can use Balsamic or Greek, both are wonderful.  Squirt a little all over your tomato caverns. 

Grab a few basil leaves out of your garden.  Please tell me you have basil in your garden!  Rinse the leaves and stack them.  Slice into thin ribbons and sprinkle them about so there's a ribbon or two on each tomato!

Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper if you like.  I like!

  

Bake at 350* until the cheese is melted!

Since we have been very successful in our sweet pepper production these last few years, I've adapted this snack to include peppers!  Same deal, halved (or quartered) and seeded.  We pick them young so they'll cook quickly.  Then a squirt of Gazebo Room and some basil ribbons.  The only difference is the cheese.  I prefer a yellow cheese.  Mozzarella just doesn't seem to "go".  I use Monterey Jack.  For some reason I don't use shredded cheese on these, just tear the sliced cheese into small pieces.  I have never claimed to make sense!

p.s. if you're grilling, just toss them on some aluminum foil a few minutes before the rest of your food is ready.  If they're melty, they're ready!

German Potato Soup w/ Homemade Noodles

I know I've said this before, repeatedly, but I created this recipe based on several I found online.  Then toss in a pinch of family history!  Speaking of family history, I fully intend to do some new Hengst family recipes soon.  It's pumpkin time so I foresee pumpkin roll and pumpkin whoopie pies in our future!

My co-workers are often my motivation (guinea pigs) for new recipes.  We celebrate birthdays with themes.  One such theme was German food!  It's a creamy potato soup with lots of bacon and homemade spaetzle noodles.  This was a hit and has made many recurrences!

1 Pound Bacon, chopped
2 or 3 Large Potatoes, diced (some finely diced)
1 Large Sweet Onion, diced
1 Carton Swanson Unsalted Chicken Stock

4 Cups Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions
Chop the bacon into 1/2" pieces, I use kitchen shears because cutting bacon is nearly impossible!  Fry the bacon pieces until browned. You may have to do this in batches if you double the recipe.  Stir in the potatoes and onion. Cook 10 minutes stirring often, until onions are tender. Add chicken stock and continue 10 minutes.
Add milk, cream and salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, without boiling until potatoes are tender. Soup will be runny until you add the noodles.  I've tried skipping the noodles, because honestly they are the hardest part of the recipe.  I abandoned that idea quickly.  This soup needs the noodles!  And no, you can't just buy them.  There's a secret ingredient!













Noodles
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Eggs
1 Cup Water
1 Pinch Salt
1 Pinch All Spice

Bring a separate pot of water to a boil. I use a small sized saucepan because it's easier to corral the little noodles and scoop them out!  Combine all ingredients together.  Drop by 1/4 cup into a potato ricer or spaetzle maker and squeeze pasta strands into boiling water. Stir to break up the little guys.  When they float to the top, scoop them out with a holey spoon...did I just say holey?  I think the rest of the world calls it a slotted spoon.  I can't be sure.  I've even found myself asking for a "getter" when what I really need is a serving spoon.  I am my mother, and I wouldn't change that for the world!
Tangent, I'm back!  Dump batch by batch into the potato soup. Continue until all dough is used!  This is super good warmed up the next day.  The All Spice is good stuff!  It's used in good spaetzle recipes and is the reason you MUST make your own noodles!  Salt and pepper to taste.  I feel strongly that potatoes need lots of salt, but salt at your own discretion!

I suppose you could skip the noodles and do like my Gramma did.  She would fry the bacon and then sprinkle in some flour.  She would stir it until all of the flour was dissolved.  If she wanted a white potato soup she would add the milk pretty soon after.  Sometimes she would make a brown potato soup and let the flour brown a bit before adding milk.  Some of my best inventions happen by mistake.  I wonder if that's where the brown potato soup comes from!  No matter how you make it, enjoy!

Grilled Chicken

Bo knows baseball, my Dad knows chicken!

Tonight he made the. best. chicken. EVER.  His family has always made grilled chicken, basted with a buttery worcestershirey sauce like you'd find at a fire department chicken bbq!  Pap had a big pit with a grill grate across it.  We'd have cookouts and Pap, my Dad and my uncles would make the chicken.  Memories.  

Tonight he kicked it up a notch!  The traditional recipe involves a lot of dumping and approximately goes like this!

1 Stick Margarine

1 Tbsp Vinegar

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan until the butter is melted.  Taste it.  It should make you gasp a little when you take a spoonful.  That's how you know you have enough vinegar...don't worry, it'll cook off!  Grill it, preferable over charcoal, basting with the sauce until it's done!  This chicken makes me smile.  It makes my belly smile.  It's one of Pap Emig's legacies!

Tonight, my Dad, he changed things up a bit.  Good changes.  Happy changes!  The title of this post does it no justice, but what else would you call it?

1 Stick Margarine

1 Tbsp Vinegar

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp Ketchup

Cayenne Pepper

Paprika

Sugar

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan until the butter is melted.  Add a couple of shakes of the cayenne, more if you like it spicy.  Add a couple of shakes of paprika.  I think the paprika is more for color than taste.  Taste it.  It should make you gasp a little when you take a spoonful.  The rest is history!  He took something that was already wonderful and turned it into an amazing sort of barbecue sauce.  Love it!  Love him!

Summer Zucchini & Tomato Casserole

Zucchini is about to be in overabundance.  I'm okay with that!  There are lots of recipes on Pinterest.  And I have a few go-to goodies up my sleeve!  This is one that I make a lot!  Like several times a week all summer.


I made this one with my best girlie last week.  It's zucchini, butter, tomatoes, cheese, more butter!  You can't go wrong!

A sprinkle of cheese mid-casserole never hurt anyone!

Not very many breadcrumbs!

2 Medium Zucchini
2 Medium Ripe Tomatoes
Butter or margarine
Seasoned Breadcrumbs
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Salt and Pepper


Using a mandolin, thinly slice the zucchini and layer in a 9 x 9 pan.  Shannon called an audible and had me add a layer of cheese between the zucchini.  When in doubt, add cheese!  Dot the top of the zucchini with butter.  Slice the tomatoes into approximately 1/4" slices and cover the zucchini.  Cover the tomatoes with shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cheese.  Not too much, don't want to hide the cheese!  Dot with butter again.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper!

We sorta ate it all before I remembered to take a picture.  Sorry!

Bake at 375*.  The butter and tomato juices will run down through and bubble under the zucchini to make it soft.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown!  Smile!

Gazebo Room Dressing

I love summer!  If I had to pick 2 things that I love most, I'd say baseball and fresh veggies!  And grilling.  I'll have to have 3 things!  Our grill was getting cantankerous after last summer and wasn't working well when we covered her for winter much sooner than I was ready.  But alas, miracles do happen!  I fired her up and she works!  

If you have never had Gazebo Room dressing.  You must.  "Gazebo Room dressing and marinade. Your taste buds will never be the same".  The jingle doesn't lie!  It was invented right here in South Central Pennsylvania and was the house salad dressing of the Gazebo Room Restaurant in Harrisburg Pennsylvania until the owner's sons decided to bottle and sell it!  The website shows that it's available all over the east coast, even as far as Texas.  AND you can order online at www.gazeboroom.com.  I am not receiving any reimbursement or free dressing for this endorsement.  I'm just food obsessed! 

Tonight I tossed a bunch of veggies in the grill pan with some Gazebo Room Greek.  Mushrooms are the best because they absorb the yummy goodness.  I used onions, mushrooms, carrots and green beans!  Cut the mushrooms in half and quarter the carrots (I use real ones, not "baby" carrots).  The thicker the pieces, the longer the carrot will need to cook.  Cut the tips off of the fresh green beans.  Saute for 15 minutes or so over a medium grill until they start to soften up and brown a bit.  I recommend adding the onions a little later or they'll burn.  Like mine did...do as I say, not as I do!

It's also wonderful on chicken!  Thaw and flatten some chicken tenders in a zipper bag.  Then, dump some Gazebo Room Balsamic Vinaigrette (Greek is good too) in there for a few minutes while the grill gets hot.  Grill for just a few minutes on each side.  Easiest meal ever! 

They also sell a Greek Lite version.  I haven't tried it, don't really plan to.  I never said I was a role model!

When my cucumbers come in, watch out!  I'll be living on a salad of cucumber, tomato, basil, feta cheese and Greek dressing!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  Oh and it's really good on grilled zucchini.  Had that last night!