Pumpkin Soup

I must say I'm totally in love with this soup; it's easy and delicious. This recipe means a lot to me; it was the first soup I made for my husband back during our first Christmas together as a couple. It gives me an amazing sense of warmth and love every time I make it for him. This is gonna sound a little cheesy, but he and my baby boy are the best thing to happen to me. They complete me.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 cups of chopped onions

3 cups of chicken stock

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 Cup of half and half

1 1/2 pound of pumpkin

Procedure:

Put the unsalted butter in the saucepan.

Add the olive oil.

Chop the 2 cups of onions.

Cut the pumpkin into cubes.

Set the stove to a medium temperature.

When the olive oil starts to bubble add the chopped onions.

Mix them slowly until it is translucent.

Get the 1 1/2 pounds of chopped pumpkin.

Add the pumpkin to the saucepan.

Add the salt.

Add the ground black pepper.

Add the chicken stock.

Mix everything in the saucepan.

You'll see the soup starting to thicken.

After having it 20 minutes on the stove cooking set it aside.

Use a hand blender to combine everything.

Make sure the soup is uniform and smooth.

Add the half and half.

Then mix it in. 

Pour into a bowl and top with some chopped green onions. Enjoy!

Pork and Beans

I’ve never used a slow cooker in my life, but I found some amazing recipes and wanted to give them a try. I found this recipe in the same book I’ve been writing about these last few days, Taste of Home: Best loved recipes. The only thing I don’t love is that I have to wait 9 to 10 hours to have the food ready… I guess the reason I have never used a slow cooker before is because they are too slow for me. I’m used to making food to be served the moment, only waiting the absolutely necessary time to have my food on the table and ready for the family to eat.

With this recipe I learned that I need to develop more patience. Even though it took a long time to cook I decided to enjoy myself and spent part of that time looking for more recipes while listening to Frank Sinatra. But let’s face it, the wait was really long, and even with Sinatra there to smooth it out… there is a reason why they say a slow cooker is used so you can throw everything in there and forget about it. My problem is that I can’t forget about it. I just know it’s there on the countertop, cooking for me. I may have some control issues (hahaha). Oh well, in the end I guess the important thing is the result, and I must say it was an exquisite result. Oh my God, I’m even improving my “writer” skills… hahaha. Well, hope you guys enjoy this recipe too!

Ingredients:

1 boneless whole pork loin roast

1 medium onion sliced

3 cans of pork and beans

1 ½ cups of barbecue sauce

¼ cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Procedure:

Place thee pork loin  in the slow cooker.

Top with the onions.

In a large bowl combine the beans,

With the barbecue sauce.

Add the brown sugar.

Add the garlic Powder.

Mix all the ingredients.

Pour the mixture over the meat.

Spread it well.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is tender.

Remove the roast and shred with two forks.

Leave the meat in the slow cooker and heat through.

Ground Turkey Chili

Today was a rainy, dreary day. The kind of day that just begs for something to warm you up from the inside; and nothing warms you up better than chili!So I decided to make a basic ground turkey chili. Hope it warms your hearts! Enjoy! : )

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground turkey beef

2 onions chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 tablespoons of chili powder

2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

4  (14.5 ounce) cans of stewed tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with the liquid

Sharp Cheddar Cheese to taste

Procedure:

Combine ground turkey, onion and garlic in a large stockpot. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is brown. Drain.

Stir in chili powder, salt, oregano, tomatoes and tomato sauce; break up tomatoes while stirring it. Heats to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for one hour.

Stir in the beans. Allow it to simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

           

           

Chimichurri

This is a sauce used for grilled meat. It’s originally from Argentina but it’s used throughout South and Central America. I love using this sauce with churrasco.  Tomorrow is my Birthday celebration at my parent's house and I'm gonna use this to make some amazing chicken skewers. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as we do.

Ingredients:

½ cup of olive oil

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 small or medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 Tablespoons of cilantro, finely chopped

4 cloves (crushed) of fresh garlic

½ to 1 Tablespoon of oregano

Salt to taste

1/3 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Procedure:

Mix the olive oil and wine vinegar in an osterizer, remember that they won’t really mix together. 

Start adding all the other ingredients until they've mixed together. Add the onion.

 

The cilantro.

 

The garlic.

 And finally the oregano, ground black pepper and the salt to taste.

Mix it all!

Funnel the mixture into a bottle with a cover. Let stand for at least two hours. You may refrigerate for as long as three days. Always remember to mix the bottle before each use.

Use it on steaks, roasts or simply as a marinate. Enjoy!

 Special Thanks to my Dad, who took the pictures! :)

Stuffed Potatos (Caramelized Onions)

My hubby wanted to eat potatos this week so I wanted to make something special for him. I love him lots, so for me there is nothing better than seeing him happy. So this recipe and post are for him, but of course I hope you guys love the recipe as much as he did.

Ingredients:

1 big russet potato

½ of a big onion

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

½ teaspoon of salt

Procedure:

Put the potato in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour.

When you see that there is 15 minutes left for the potato to be done, start making the filling. 

 

Cut the onion thinly. Put the olive oil, salt, unsalted butter and onions in a skillet on medium to high temperature until you see them turn translucent.

Once out of the oven cut the potato in half.

Use a spoon to scoop the insides out, but don’t remove all of the potato; remember  to leave some in because you want it to hold up the potato while you make the filling.

Mix the onions into the potatoes until combined. Once combined fill the potatoes and put some pecorino romano cheese on top. 

Now enjoy!