Zuppa Toscana Soup

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Italian sausage (I like it spicy) like me 😂😂
• 1/2 pound of ground beef 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 1.5 pounds  potatoes, washed and diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon basil 
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chopped spinach or kale. I used spinach. It cooks faster 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
•  salt and  black pepper to taste 
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked and chopped to garnish on top is optional 

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook sausage and beef in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, breaking the sausage into small pieces as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a separate plate, reserving 1 tablespoon grease in the stockpot for later*, and discarding the excess grease.  Then Set aside.
2. Add onions to the stockpot (with the grease), and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic, basil and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Add the potatoes, chicken stock, water, and cooked sausage, and continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Stir in the spinach  and cream, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve warm, garnished with the bacon bits.

Air fryer Lemon Salmon

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 6 oz salmon filets
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp season salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 tsp lemon juice (I put a cutting board down when slicing my lemon, as I'll usually just use the juice that comes from cutting it.)
• 2 tsp dill
• 2 tsp parsley 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, drizzle lemon juice and olive oil over salmon and rub to make sure the salmon filets are evenly coated.
2. Season generously with salt, pepper, and herbs.
3. Arrange salmon filets in air fryer basket, making sure they dont touch too much (don"t over crowd the basket, so air can move around salmon easily).
4. Arrange lemon slices on and around salmon in air fryer basket.
5. Set air fryer to 400 degrees and cook for 10 minutes for salmon with a little bit of red in the middle. Flip them over and cook for 5 minutes on 400.
6. Cook for 15 minutes total for salmon with no red in the middle, 14 for well done salmon or thicker salmon filets.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Lasagna Soup

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
• 2 spicy Italian sausage 
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp basil 
• 1/2 tsp season  salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 4 cups beef broth
• 8 Lasagna noodles broken into small pieces 
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese. This is optional 
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley for garnish 

Instructions

• Saute ground beef and sausage n a large pot over med-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic, sautéing another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
• Add remaining ingredients except for cheeses and fresh herbs, stirring to combine then bringing to a boil. Place lid on pot and simmer for 20 minutes until pasta is cooked through.
• Serve soup in large bowls, sprinkling mozzarella cheese overtop and topping with a dollop of ricotta. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired, then serve and enjoy!

Air Fryer Asparagus

 

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus
• 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
• salt, pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 

Instructions

• Cut dry parts from the asparagus at the bottom . Lightly brush asparagus with the oil and sprinkle with garlic powder,salt and pepper.
• Place in the air fryer for 7 minutes at 400 degrees. Shake or turn once.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

 

Ingredients

• 4 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Sliced kinda thin.
• olive oil cooking spray, you can also use butter cooking spray, OR avocado oil spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, OPTIONAL - keep in mind that the chicken will have absorbed some of the salt from the salted water.
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon  paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or any other dried herbs that you want to use-like thyme.
• I like to make up a house or Greek seasoning. But in this recipe you are making a brine which will help make the chicken tender so use the spices listed here

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in a large bowl.
2. In a measuring cup or a mixing bowl combine warm water and salt; stir, then pour over chicken breasts. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also cover the bowl and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.
3. In the meantime, stir together salt (optional), ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and oregano.

4. Take each chicken breast out of the brine and rinse under cold water; pat dry with paper towels.

5. Spray chicken breasts with cooking oil on all sides.

6. Sprinkle seasoning blend evenly over the chicken breasts and rub in on all sides.

7. Place 2 to 3 chicken breasts in the Air Fryer basket. Make sure that there's enough space between the breasts to ensure even cooking.
8. Cook at 375˚F for 10 minutes.
9. Using tongs, flip chicken over and continue to cook for 5 to 6 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

10. Please use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken is cooked through when internal temperature reaches 165˚F.

11. Remove chicken breasts from Air Fryer basket and let rest on a cutting board for 8 to 10 minutes before serving.

Chickadee Nuggets w/ Homemade Chickadee Sauce

 Chickadee nuggets

Ingredients

* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

* 1 cup milk

* 1 cup dill pickle juice

* 1 egg

* 1 1/4 cups flour

* 2 Tbls powdered sugar

* 2 tsp salt

* 1 tsp pepper

* 1/2 tsp paprika

*  Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Thaw  2 chicken breast 

2. Trim and cut the chicken into bit sized pieces.  Whisk egg, pickle juice, and milk together. Place chicken in milk mixture, and cover. Let stand for 2 hours in the fridge.

3. Place 2 inches of oil into a deep pan.  Heat over medium high heat until the oil is hot (375 degrees). 

4. In a zip-lock bag mix together flour, powdered sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. Remove chicken from milk mixture, and place in the flour mixture.  Shake to coat. 

5. Put about 8 nuggets into the pan, be careful not to overcrowd.  Cook for about 2-3 minute on each side, or until golden brown. 

6. Remove chicken and drain on a paper towel.  You could place on a rack in a hot oven to keep them warm if you are making a lot of them. 

7. Serve with your chickadee dipping sauce. 

Chickadee dipping sauce 

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup mayo

* 1 teaspoon mustard

* 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

* 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

* Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir or whisk well to combine

Oven Bbq chicken

 

Ingredients

• 2 lbs bone in  chicken thighs and legs , skin on 
• 1 1/2 tbsp Cajun  Seasoning 
• 3 tbsp Olive  Oil 
• 1/4 cup bbq sauce 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cajun seasoning, and olive oil. 
• Place the chicken on a baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes uncovered. 
• After 30 minutes, coat the chicken with the bbq sauce and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through. 
• Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Perfect for meal prep for the week

Tangy BBQ Meatloaf

 Ingredients

For the Meatloaf

• 2 teaspoons Seasoning salt
• 2 slices of bread 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce 
• 2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, finely minced

For the Topping

• 2/3 cup thick, sweet BBQ Sauce(separated
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons of mustard 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with foil, preferably nonstick foil.

2. In a large bowl, use a fork to mix together bread , salt, chili powder, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add the milk, egg, Soy sauce , and liquid smoke and mix once more.

3. Add the ground beef and minced onion and mix with your hands until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and shape into a narrow loaf (the meatloaf will spread as it bakes).

4. Pour half of the BBQ sauce over the meatloaf and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully pour over the remaining sauce and bake an additional 25 minutes. 

5. Allow the meatloaf to rest about 15 minutes before slicing into. Serve and enjoy!

Fluffy banana pudding

 You’ll need:

2 bags vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced
2 cups whole milk
1 (5 oz. ) box instant french vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz. ) package cream cheese
1 (14 oz. ) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz. ) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream
how to make:

line the bottom of a 13×9 inch dish  or a big bowl with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top. If you like you can repeat the layers and alternate with the pudding mix.
bowl 1- combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.
bowl 2- combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.
fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies.
refrigerate until ready to serve!

Peach cobbler pound cake

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp. baking powder

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

• ½ tsp. allspice

• ½ tsp. nutmeg

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 8 oz cream cheese, cubed

Peach Ingredients:

• 2 cans of peaches ( drained)

• 4 Tbsp. butter

• ½ cup packed brown sugar

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

• ½ tsp. cinnamon

• ¼ tsp. vanilla

        

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 10” Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. 

2. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the Greek yogurt and vanilla and continue to beat on until completely incorporated and smooth.

5. Add in half the flour mixture until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and continue to beat until smooth. Fold the cubed cream cheese into the batter.

6. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and bubbly.

7. Add the peaches and stir until well coated (about 3-5 minutes). Pour into the prepared Bundt pan. Pour the batter over the peaches. Make sure your Bundt pan has plenty of flour and oil to prevent sticking

8. Bake for 1 hour, and 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from the edges.

9. Cool cake in Bundt pan for 15-20 minutes, then invert on a plate.

10. 10. For the frosting, in a medium size bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.

11. 11. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the cinnamon and vanilla and stir to combine.

12. 12. Drizzle half of the frosting over the warm cake. Allow cake to cool completely and drizzle remaining frosting over the

Sweet potato pound cake

 

INGREDIENTS

• Cream Cheese Filling
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup  Granulated Sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour *
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• Sweet Potato Cake
• 2 cups all-purpose flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweet potato purée (boiled and mashed)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• Maple Praline Frosting
• 1/2 cup packed Light Brown Sugar 
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• Chopped pecans, for garnish

*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 10-inch bundt pan with baking spray or butter and flour it. Set aside.1
2. Prepare filling first.  In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, flour, vanilla and maple extract and continue beating until smooth.  Set aside while preparing cake batter.2
3. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Set aside.3
4.  In large bowl of stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla, sweet potato purée and vegetable oil until well combined.  Beat in flour mixture alternating with milk.4
5. Pour half of cake batter into prepared bundt pan.  Top evenly with cream cheese filling, leaving a 1-inch border around edge of pan.  Top with remaining cake batter.  5
6. Insert a butter knife into cake batter and lightly swirl cream cheese filling into cake.  Do not swirl too much, you just need to swirl knife a couple of times through layers.6
7. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool completely (in bundt pan) before inverting onto cake plate.  7
8. For Maple Praline Frosting: Combine brown sugar, butter and milk in small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to boil and let boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly.8
9. Remove pan from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Whisk in powdered sugar, until frosting is smooth. Gently stir frosting until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes, and then pour over cake.  Garnish with chopped pecans.  9