spicing it up for valentine's day

valentine's day is a day to spice it up - so why not start with dinner?  today's recipe is a soup i have changed quite a bit from the original.  i'm not much into cream soups so it became brothy instead.  i added rice and chicken for a little more substance, changed the spices up, and served it with tortilla chips to tone down that spice for those (such as me) who prefer their food with a little less heat.  needless to say this is another well enjoyed meal in our house, and as leftovers!  so get your heat on and have a happy valentine's day! ♥

spicy corn chowder with chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1 white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbs. garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 pkg. frozen whole kernel corn
1 can petite diced tomatoes
3 tbs. chopped green chiles, canned or fresh
3 tsp. parsley, dried or fresh
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
2 cups cooked rice
tortilla chips (optional)

1. in a dutch oven, heat the oil on medium.  add the chicken and cook til the outsides turn white.  remove from pan, set aside.  add onion, bell pepper and garlic.  cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. add the rest of the ingredients except for the rice and tortilla chips.  bring to a boil over high heat.  reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.  stir occasionally.
3. optional - serve with tortilla chips.  we crush ours into our soup.

makes about 6-8 servings.  enjoy! =)

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/spicycornchowder.pdf

soup is good and easy food

the one thing i do welcome as far as colder weather goes is soup!!  i love to make one pot meals and this is another recipe that my sister gave me which i altered.  even though we are siblings we definitely have different tastes, so tweaking it here and there made this soup one that is well loved in my house.  it's also one that could easily go vegetarian without the sausage or the chicken stock, and is super easy to make!

tortellini soup

2 tbs. olive oil
1-2 large sweet yellow onions, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (depends on your taste)
32 oz. carton vegetable stock (2 for vegetarian)
32 oz. carton chicken stock
28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
8 oz. package dried cheese tortellini
1 lb. bulk italian sausage (optional)
4 cups spinach, chopped
1 tbs. fresh basil, chopped
1 tbs. fresh oregano, chopped
shredded mozzarella for top (optional)

1. add oil to dutch oven.  heat on medium heat and sautee onion and garlic.
2. add in stock and diced tomatoes.  bring to a boil.  throw in tortellini and cook to time required on the package.  while boiling, drop in sausage in small chunks.
3. once tortellini is cooked, reduce heat to low.  add in chopped spinach, basil and oregano.  let simmer about 10 minutes.  top with mozzarella cheese before serving.  serving suggestion: serve with a crusty bread.

makes about 8 servings.  enjoy! =)

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/tortellinisoup.pdf

homemade pasta in homemade soup

one thing i have not attempted yet is homemade pasta.  but my man - lucky me - got himself a pasta machine.  he loves to make pasta (especially ravioli!) so when he wants to make some i am more than thrilled!  i get to sit back and relax while he makes this soup, one of his favourites.  with some freshly baked italian bread, this dish is perfect for the upcoming cool weather.

tomato and cheese ravioli soup

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper
32 oz. chicken stock
2 cups water
1 lb. fresh cheese ravioli (recipe below)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or chopped
6 scallions, chopped
1 small sweet onion, diced

1. in a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  stir in the tomatoes and garlic, and season with salt & pepper.  cover the pot and cook about 8 minutes.  pick up the pan and shake it occasionally during this time.
2. add the chicken stock and water, and bring to a boil.  cook for about 5 minutes. remove from heat and add in ravioli, basil, scallions and onion.  stir then let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.  serve with crusty italian bread.

makes about 6 servings.  enjoy! =)


homemade cheese ravioli

pasta dough (make according to package directions)
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 cup grated provalone
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbs. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1. combine ingredients in a bowl.  place rolled (and cut into 32 2" squares if you do not use a ravioli mold) pasta dough on a lightly floured surface.  place about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the center of each square, 1 teaspoon if using a mold.  lightly wet the edges with water with your fingertip and top with another layer of pasta dough.  press to seal the edges.

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/tomatoandcheeseraviolisoup.pdf

comforting summer soup

thank you for all your cupcake wrapper giveaway entries!  i will announce the winners later this week to give my judges time to choose the winning idea. =)

in the meantime, here's a great soup to try out.  it's light enough for summer with its tastes and textures, and definitely works as comfort food even with high temperatures outside.  i actually prefer to eat it warm - not hot - with a slice of homemade italian bread.  and lastly, i cannot forget to mention what my designated taste tester will tell you about this recipe: do NOT leave off the cheese on top.  it truly makes the soup.

minestra soup with sweet italian sausage

2 tbs. olive oil
1 lb. bulk sweet italian sausage
2 medium to large yellow onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans
1 bunch escarole, coarsely chopped
1 32 oz. container (4 cups) chicken stock
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup ditalini pasta
grated pecorino-romano cheese

1. in a soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.  add the sausage in pieces and cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
2. add the onion and cook until softened (about 4 minutes), then stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. add beans, escarole, chicken stock and water.  season with salt and pepper.  cover and bring to a boil.
4. uncover the pot and stir in the pasta. lower the heat to medium and cook pasta about 7 minutes.
5. top with pecorino-romano cheese before serving.  serving suggestion: serve with italian bread.

makes about 6 servings.  enjoy! =)

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download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/minestrasoup.pdf

my all-time favorite soup

as you'll learn, i love to cook and bake and i'll be sharing my favorite recipes on my blog.

last night i didn't know what to do for dinner.  as i was going through my recipes i realized i had half a bag of potatoes waiting to be used on my counter.  it was a cooler gray day and once i had the potatoes i knew this soup was an order.  i found a recipe a few years ago for potato leek soup - which was good - but i love to take recipes and make them my own.  this soup recipe is now my all-time favorite.  it's actually healthier than it sounds and worth the time and effort it takes to make it.  so here we go!

creamy potato onion soup

ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
4 leeks, sliced into 1/4" pieces
4 large potatoes with the skin left on, cubed to 1/2" pieces
5 cups water
1 large yellow onion, diced
salt & pepper
1 package of cream cheese (8 oz - i use light)
1/2 cup milk (i use skim)
1 lb bacon, cooked and drained
10 green onions, chopped
shredded cheddar

1. in dutch oven, cook leeks in oil on medium for about 10 minutes.  stir occasionally.
2. add water, potatoes, yellow onion, salt & pepper.  bring to a boil.  reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 20 minutes.
3. take about 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on how chunky you like your soup) of the soup mixture, put it in a blender and puree it.  return to pot.
4. start cooking the bacon.  drain the fat and crumble it into the soup mixture as it is finished cooking.
5. add the milk and cream cheese.  cream cheese should be cubed into about 15 pieces and added a few at a time every couple of minutes so that it melts properly.  don't forget to stir.  i like to add the green onions at this time but they can also be used as a garnish.
6. serve with shredded cheddar and/or green onions on top.  just a note - keep soup in pot covered otherwise a thin skin will form on the top.

makes about 8 servings.  enjoy! =)

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download a printable pdf file of this recipe...  http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/potatoonionsoup.pdf