Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Sometimes I try different types of canned soup then see if I can replicate the taste but into something better, in this case a sausage and pasta soup that Ray likes. I always think I can make it healthy, certainly without the additives and preservatives in a can!

4-6 Italian sausage, medium or hot or combination, remove casing
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
4 small sweet peppers, cut in half, de seeded
2 large onions cut into eighths
1 hot pepper, de seeded, cut in half
2-3 garlic cloves, cut in half
2-3 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper

On a sheet pan, arrange cut vegetables and sausage, sprinkle with the oil and salt and pepper, roast in 350 degree F oven until sausages are cooked, about 20-25 minutes, onions will be soft, peppers and tomatoes will start to turn brown, remove from oven

1-32 ounce bottle of strained tomatoes +1cup water to rinse bottle
1/2 can Tomato paste
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 vegetable boullion cubes
Dash hot sauce, optional

1 cup short penne/ziti pasta
4 cups water

In a stock pot, bring the 4 cups water to boil, add 1 boullion cube and the pasta, cook until pasta is starting to get soft, but still essentially hard, (do not drain water)add the strained tomatoes, water, tomato paste, zucchini,oregano, parsley, garlic powder, salt pepper, continue to cook this mixture stir occasionally. When sausage and veggies are ready, cut sausage into small bite size pieces, add them to soup, add roasted tomatoes, then blend the sweet and hot peppers and onions in a small food processor, then add to soup, taste soup, add the Worcestershire sauce and another boullion cube and the hot sauce, simmer for 20-30 minutes until the pasta is cooked through, serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Dutch Girl Egg Tortilla

My husband really loves egg tortilla sandwiches, he has them whenever he can, even from the fast food restaurants. Here is my take on one of his favourite breakfasts.

4 flavored flour tortillas
1 tablespoon oil
4 eggs
4 tablespoons chopped onion
1 small sweet pepper, chopped
1/2 hot pepper, de seeded, chopped
2 slices ham, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese, your choice

Heat a flat griddle or fry pan over medium heat, add the tortillas, turning once, then adding the shredded cheese, once the cheese has melted a bit, remove to a piece of parchment or foil, repeat with the remaining tortillas, while you heat the oil in another medium sized fry pan, add chopped onions and peppers, sauté over medium heat until translucent, about 2 minutes, break eggs into a small bowl, add chopped ham, a little salt and pepper, add to the pepper/onion mixture in the pan, stir around, like scrambled eggs, once the eggs are solid, but still a little soft add egg mixture to the prepared cheesy tortillas, roll up, wrapping the filled tortilla in foil to keep hot, serve with hot sauce of your choice, enjoy!

*Note-you could make a bunch of these and keep them in freezer until you want some, easy to defrost in the microwave or on "keep warm"setting in oven.

Date and Bran Muffins

The first time I ever ate a bran muffin was when I was 17, no joke! They had some terrific baked goods at a little bakery near to me, but I always chose the date and bran muffins. Here is my version of this moist delectable muffin that will make you forget it is a bran muffin!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line muffin tins, I have medium sized tins, so this recipe will make 16 muffins

Step One
1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup +1 tablespoon orange juice
1-2 tablespoons Orange zest, optional

In a medium sauce pan, assemble these ingredients, bring to boil, then let simmer until thickened, remove from heat and let cool, you may wish to add some orange zest to this mixture.

Step Two
1 cup flour
1-1/2 cups bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl or large measuring cup, set aside, (I use a large 8 cup measuring pitcher making it easy to fill muffin tins)

Step Three
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

In a small bowl, beat these ingredients together, then add all at once to the flour mixture, followed by the cooled date mixture. Fill lined muffin tins, bake at 375 degrees F for 20-22 minutes, makes about 16 medium sized muffins that are low in fat but very tasty!

Dutch Girl Fantastic Beef Stew

I have tried so many recipes for beef stew, some were good, but lacked something, some were old time style, using all spice and nutmeg, which gets bitter if cooked too long, but somewhere in between was a good stew, so......many years and many stews later, I think I have the best combination of ingredients that is even better than Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon, another recipe I tried! Really, I'm not kidding! this is a one pot meal, unless you are cooking veggies/potatoes on the side.

Dutch Girl Fantastic Beef Stew

2-3 tablespoons oil
3-4 beef shanks,bone in, or 2-1/2 lbs stewing beef, dried with paper towels, at room temperature
Salt and pepper, Enough to season meat, lightly


2 tablespoons butter
3 stalks celery, chopped medium dice
4-6 slim carrots, cut into coins
3 medium onions, chopped, medium dice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pinches dried thyme, rubbed between your fingers,(to release the essence)
1 cup dry red wine, drinkable
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
3-4 cups water
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 small bay leaves

3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oil in a 4 quart Dutch oven, brown seasoned meat, do not crowd, brown in batches if necessary, I often brown the meat in a preheated 400 degrees F oven (in the Dutch oven) while I clean and cut the vegetables, if you do that, take the Dutch oven with the meat out of the oven, remove meat to plate, put pan on burner, turn heat to medium high, add the butter to the pan (with the residual meat juices), when that has melted, add celery, onion and carrots, salt, pepper, pinches of thyme, cook and stir until all vegetables are coated with butter, for about 3-4 minutes, stirring all the while, add the garlic stir for half a minute, then add the wine, stir well, bring to boil, add the water,just enough to cover the veggies, the bouillon cubes, tomato paste, and bay leaves, cook on medium high stir the vegetable mixture, taste broth for seasoning, add a bit more to taste but don't overdo it or the meat will dry out too much, (salt draws moisture out). If you used the beef shanks, cut the shanks into managable pieces, bury the meat amid the veggie mixture-bones and all, and any accumulated meat juices, stir, then add the fresh thyme sprigs on top, put lid on bake in oven at 350 degrees F for 1-1/2-2 hours, let stand with lid on for 15 minutes, remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, then serve as is over mashed potatoes OR, remove meat in order to blend the veggie mixture into a sauce/gravy, using a hand blender, blend the liquid and veggie mixture until smooth, strain if you wish, add back the meat, then add freshly cooked carrots, beans, peas, parsnips or leave plain and serve with mashed potatoes, and a green salad; that gravy will be the talk of your dinner believe me!
*Note-(blended gravy is great for kids/adults who don't like veggies, they will get the full benefit, as long as you don't tell them and they don't see you blending the vegetables away from sight!)
*Note-If you used beef shanks, save bones for soup, once you remove them from the beef stew.

Ramblin' Ray's M/C Midnight Special

My husband of 40+ years asked me to post his favourite sandwich. He says after a long day in the saddle, say 1000 miles in 22.5 hours(he earned his Iron Butt Challenge in July at 65 years old) a guy gets a wee bit peckish, even after a big Dutch Girl supper, he will make this before heading to bed.

On a piece of waxed paper, large enough to cover the entire sandwich,place:
2 slices of your fav fresh baked bread
Peanut butter
Nutella
Banana
Drizzle of honey or maple butter for a variation

Spread (on one side)each slice of bread with a thin (1/4 inch) layer of peanut butter, followed by a thin (1/4 inch)layer of Nutella, slice banana onto one of the bread slices, drizzle the other slice of bread with honey or maple butter, mash the bedecked sides of bread together, fold the wax paper over the top of the sandwich, then smash the sandwich until the ingredients are melded together and nothing will fall out, fold up the wax paper around the sandwich leaving one side exposed, take a bite, enjoy!

Lamb Shanks and Polenta

Lamb is one of those meats that is popular in Europe, and Britain, more so than here in Canada, but having lamb once in a while is a treat, one worth a little extra effort because it can be costly. I have a couple of lamb recipes that use the cheaper cuts of meat, but ensures the maximum flavour and tenderness.

Lamb Shanks

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
4 lamb shanks 1/3-1/2 lb each, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 small to medium onions, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small red onion chopped
3/4 cup dry red wine, or Marsala
3 ounces tomato paste
4 cups vegetable stock,(made with 3 vegetable bouillon cubes and water)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4-6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 small sprigs Rosemary
Bay leaf
Polenta, recipe below
1/2 cup Fresh chopped parsley, a few mint leaves torn, 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, zest from one lemon, mix this together to serve with the lamb
A few shaves of Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a 12-16 cup Dutch oven, on medium high, heat olive oil, brown seasoned lamb shanks in batches until browned,all over, remove to a plate, add a little more oil if necessary, lower heat to medium, drop in the chopped onions, carrots, celery, stir until the veggies are coated with the olive oil, cook and stir for about 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, stirring all the while so the garlic doesn't burn, add the wine, bring heat up to medium high, when the wine is boiling, add back the lamb shanks, and the accumulated juices from the plate, mix the vegetable stock, salt, pepper,the Tomato paste together with the halved cherry tomatoes, pour over the lamb and veggies, add the Rosemary and bay leaf, stir to combine, bring to a boil, put lid on, then transfer to a 325 degree F oven for 1 hour, turning and basting the shanks often, take lid off, bake for another 15 minutes, or until the meat visibly has pulled off the bone a bit. Take out of oven, remove the bay leaf, the Rosemary, discard, then remove lamb shanks to a platter, cover, let rest while you bring the juices to boil, letting it reduce by half, turn heat to medium high, then using your hand blender, blend the veggies and liquid together until smooth, stir in a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons flour and 3/4 cup water, add to the liquid, stirring together letting it boil until mixture is thickened, strain the liquid,give a squirt or two of 1/2 lemon, mix well into the gravy, pour a little over the lamb, cover; reserve the rest of the gravy in a gravy boat to serve together wit the polenta.

Polenta
1 cup fine corn meal or Italian polenta
3-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons butter
Bring water to boil, add salt, then in a thin stream, pour the polenta/cornmeal into the water, stirring all the while, once the cornmeal/polenta has been incorporated into the water, turn heat to low, stirring frequently until the mixture has thickened to the texture of pudding, and it makes huffing/popping noises, remove from heat, add the Parmesan/Romano,stir well, then add the butter, taste for salt, it should be just right, but add a bit more if you like along with a shake or two of pepper.Stir well. Serve while it is still soupy, before it gets hardened
Serve the polenta in a nice bowl with a rim, with the lamb shank placed on top of the polenta, a little of the sauce then a bit of the fresh parsley/garlic/lemon zest mixture. Serve with a few shaves of Parmesan on top, if desired. A side salad or cheese course follows this meal swanky enough for company, homey enough for "just us"!

Dutch Girl Hearty Meatloaf

I have always loved meatloaf, one of the standards in my repertoire since I married, it is tasty, easy to put together and has an endless variety of tastes, depending on what you put into it. This recipe is the starting off point to any spin you want in your meat loaf...whether it is to include more veggies for the kids, or to make an elegant dinner version for guests, this is the basis for a successful product.

2-1/2 lbs ground beef-1 part lean 1 part medium ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1 teaspoon salt
12 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons each Worcestershire sauce, ketchup
1 teaspoon each dried basil, and parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion minced
1-1/2 cups fine breadcrumbs, seasoned or plain
1/4 cup ketchup

Put the fresh ground meat in a large bowl, the reason for the mixture of meat is to ensure good, moist flavour, most of the fat will be drained off, but it does increase the juiciness of your meatloaf, always a good thing. In a smaller bowl mix the other ingredients except for the 1/4 cup ketchup, mix all well then add to the meat in the large bowl, mixing in lightly so as to not compact the meatloaf too much. Put this mixture onto a rimmed sheet pan, shape into a loaf at least 4-5 inches high by 8-10 inches long, being sure that it is even everywhere so it will cook evenly,cover with the 14 cup ketchup, cover lightly with parchment paper, bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours in a 350 degree F oven.
Before patting it into a loaf, you can add the following for a different flavour profile than the standard as above:

1/2-2/3 cup shredded veggies,example: carrot, zucchini, summer squash, vegetable marrow, pumpkin, sweet potatoe, rutabaga, parsnip, sweet peppers, hot peppers-(use as you like but only a little as they can over power);

1/2-2/3 cup finely sliced mushrooms, canned mushrooms or rehydrated dry mushrooms;
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, cut into chunks;

Tuck whole peeled garlic cloves into the meatloaf, or baby onions, or whole fresh basil leaves, spinach leaves, pre-cooked kale;
Instead of breadcrumbs, you can use oatmeal, whole wheat flakes or bran flakes/buds to increase the fiber content, or
Substitute 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese in place of 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs;
If you want to add cheese, add in shredded form in center of loaf;
You can also stuff your meatloaf with your favourite sausage,casing removed, whole boiled eggs, small or quartered pre-cooked potatoe, whatever you add will cook at the same time, just place it into the center of the loaf;
Instead of using ketchup to seal the juices in, you can use Barbeque sauce, Heinz 57, HP sauce, or any thick sauce you like, there is another sauce by Grace called Chipotle, which will also be nice, it is a thin layer, so won't interfere with the taste on the whole.