Corn, Sausage & Leek Chowder. A warm hug in a bowl.

If I was one of those organized people who hosted holiday open houses with Vince Guaraldi playing in every room and Mistletoe hanging above the doorway, I'd serve this soup. Comforting yet not too rich with its brothy stock laden with all kinds of textures, it has everything going for it. And that's before you add toppings!

You can use sweet sausage instead of spicy but I love a little heat against the sweet corn. And if you want it 'meatier' feel free to up the sausage to one pound. I find the ratio below makes this a perfect guys and gals soup though. The dudes feel like they're eating a hearty meal and us gals can still hold our head up and say we had soup for dinner. But if you're in the camp of 'mo sausage, mo betta' cheers to that.

Maybe one year I'll be organized enough to actually host that holiday party of my dreams. Until then I'm just happy knowing I already have the perfect recipe.

Corn, Sausage and Leek Soup
* This soup is great to make ahead and tastes amazing reheated.
* I can't stress rinsing your leeks thoroughly enough. This is best to do once you've halved them lengthwise so you can get the water in between the leaves where fine grit hides.
* Serves 6.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound spicy Italian sausage, loose
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 med sweet onion, chopped
3 leeks, white and light green (not tough) parts only, well rinsed, halved lengthwise then chopped into thin strips crosswise
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra to taste
pinch pepper
10 oz frozen corn
32 oz low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half

Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Chopped Fresh cilantro, for serving
Tortilla chips, crushed up, for serving

Directions:
In a large dutch oven, break up the sausage with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat until cooked through and some bits have become nice and brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage with a wooden spoon and set aside.

To the dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons salted butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. Allow the butter to melt then add the onion. Cook stirring often for 3 minutes then add the leaks. Season with coriander, salt and pepper and continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the leeks are super soft, about 10-12 minutes.

Stir in the corn, chicken stock, and cooked sausage and raise heat slightly so the soup comes to a simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, then reduce heat to low and stir in the half and half. Taste for seasoning. If it's not the most delicious thing you've ever eaten, it needs more salt so make gradual adjustments until it is.

Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar and or/any other toppings you see fit.

Creme Fraiche Dijon Baked Chicken

You can whip this together in five minutes. I don't even use a separate mixing bowl but mix everything right in the serving pan first before adding the chicken. It makes its own sauce as it bakes that you can ladle over rice or veggies to serve with it. Sour cream would probably work if you couldn't find or didn't have creme fraiche but try to use the real deal if you can since there's so few ingredients. The only way to mess this up is to over cook the chicken so remove it as soon as the sauce is bubbling all around it just when it's cooked through.

There are few 'five minute' recipes I'd serve to company but this is at the top of my list.

Creme Fraiche Dijon Baked Chicken
*recipe can easily be doubled, just adjust cooking time accordingly

Ingredients:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup creme fraiche
zest of a small lemon
2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan
1 small shallot (size of a fig), diced
pinch fresh ground nutmeg, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and pepper (preferably ground tricolor pepper if you have it)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

In an 8x8 baking dish, mix together the creme fraiche, lemon zest, mustard, stock, parmesan, shallot, nutmeg and peppers and salt.

Add the chicken. Sprinkle the tops lightly with salt then turn over in the creme fraiche mixture to coat. Push around the dish so that they're evenly spread apart then put in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (this depends on the size of your chicken - mine was organic and on the small side) or JUST until cooked through. The sauce should just be beginning to bubble around and in between the chicken. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Manchego and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (Magic Mushrooms)

My new favorite way to get cheese into my mouth. These are gluten free and can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for several hours or even overnight for an easy make ahead appetizer. Happy Weekend Y'all!

Manchego and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (Magic Mushrooms)

Ingredients:

3 (8 oz packages) Baby Bella mushrooms

½ pound sweet Italian sausage

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus more for oiling baking dish

½ cup chopped shallots

2  cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (this adds a particularly wonderful flavor but white wine or maybe even cider vinegar would work)

1/4 tspn paprika

Zest of small lemon

2 tablespoons almond flour (seasoned or plain dried breadcrumbs would work also if not gluten free)

¾ cup shredded Manchego cheese, lightly packed

½ cup crème fraiche (sour cream would work too or even Greek yogurt)

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons finely minced green onions

Big pinch fresh ground nutmeg

Parsley, additional chopped green onion or cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 if making right away.

Clean the mushrooms by rinsing quickly under cold water and patting dry (if you're a purist feel free to hand wipe each one instead - see you in a month.) Carefully remove the stems by pulling firmly and gently from the base where they connect. If the stems are particularly stubborn, you may need to use a small spoon to scrape out the leftover stalk to make room for the filling.

Next chop up enough of the stems (fine dice) to equal half a cup and set aside (you can discard the rest of the stems or save for another use.)

Lightly oil a large casserole dish with olive oil then place the mushroom caps spacing them evenly apart inside, cavity side up. Season very lightly with salt. Set aside.

Next heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up well with a spoon (you don't want super big chunks because you're going to stuff it into fairly small mushrooms.) Once broken up add the half cup of diced stems along with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the sausage is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Remove using a slotted spoon to a holding plate and set aside. Meanwhile add a little olive oil to the pan if necessary and let heat through for 30 seconds. Add the shallots with another small pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes until beginning to turn translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook another 2 minutes or until softened.

Raise the heat slightly and add in the sherry vinegar. You want it to bubble a little and reduce until there's just a scant amount of liquid left in the pan. At this point kill the heat and move the skillet off the hot burner.

Carefully stir back in the sausage/mushroom mixture along with 1/4 teaspoon paprika, lemon zest, almond flour, creme fraiche, red pepper flakes, green onions and nutmeg until well mixed. Taste for seasoning and add pinch more salt/pepper if desired.

Use a small spoon to stuff the prepared mushrooms (I have found that if I pile them high enough I can use up all the filling.) At this point you can let them cool, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight before baking or bake right away in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until the top of the filling just begins to brown and they mushrooms have released their liquid and cooked through.

Cool for 5-10 minutes before garnishing with chopped herb of choice and serving.

Giada's Fancy (But Simple) Tuna Melt with Grafton Cheddar and Sweet Pickle Aioli

Guess who's over his dairy allergy? My baby boy! Since last Friday I've eaten pizza, grilled cheese, salad with goat cheese and this insanely good tuna melt.

This is Giada's recipe. The only thing I did differently was to make my mayo from scratch (don't roll your eyes - it takes five seconds with an immersion blender) as I can no longer ignore the fact that GMO soy is in everything store bought and I'm not going to eat that crap anymore whenever possible.

Anyway this is already a new favorite in the rotation at our house. I would try swapping capers for the sweet pickles if the mood strikes you or even a basil aioli. The possibilities are endless.

What really makes this though is the salad you serve over the top. It's crisp and cool and the dressing has a hint of a refreshing bite to it from the shallot (thank you Ina Garten.) Crisp thick toasted sourdough, melting hot tuna topped with oozing white cheddar and a cool refreshing salad on top…it'll make everything right with the world.

Open Faced Tuna Melts with Cheddar, Sweet Pickle Mayo and Arugula Salad
* by Giada DeLaurentiis, salad dressing by Ina Garten
* serves 2

Ingredients:
1/4 cup store bought or homemade mayo
2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles (or store bought pickle relish - OR you could try capers or even chopped fresh herbs)
2 fresh Ahi tuna steaks
kosher salt and black pepper for seasoning
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
olive oil, for seasoning bread and searing tuna steaks
2 thick slices sharp Grafton white cheddar, or other aged cheddar
2 thick slices sourdough bread
2 cups arugula
handful of cherry tomatoes, optional
*Couple tablespoons vinaigrette (or to taste), recipe below

Directions:

Mix mayo and chopped pickles together and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread slices on a cookie sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil then put in the oven for 10 minutes just until toasted. 

Meanwhile, season tuna steaks with salt, pepper and herbs de provence. Add enough olive oil to a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan and heat over high heat. Once hot, add the tuna and sear 3 minutes. Flip to the other side and place the cheese slices over the tops and cook another 2-3 minutes for medium rare or until desired doneness.

Toss the arugula and tomatoes with a couple of tablespoons of the dressing and a small pinch of salt and pepper. 

To assemble, place a slice of toast on the center of each plate. Divide the mayo spread over the slices and spread evenly across. Then add the tuna melts and divide the arugula salad over the tops. Serve right away.

Ina Garten's Creamy Shallot Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced shallot

Pasta with Pea Pesto, Pancetta and Parmesan

I'll be honest. I made this a few weeks ago and forgot to write down the recipe. Here's hoping this was close because I really, really liked it. Yay pregnancy brain!

Pasta with Pea Pesto, Pancetta and Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 pound penne or pasta of preference

3 shallots, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil, or enough to lightly coat a small frying pan

1 1/2 cups thawed frozen peas

pinch red pepper flakes

pinch fresh ground nutmeg

zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts, plus extra for garnish

3/4 cup shredded parmesan, plus extra for garnish

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1 (3 oz) package diced pancetta, baked on a rimmed cookie sheet for 8-10 min on 400 until crispy

How To:

Boil the pasta until al dente in salted boiling water (follow instructions.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta cooks, gently fry the shallots until translucent and tender over low/medium heat in a small to medium fry pan with just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. No need to season them. Transfer the sauteed shallots to a food processor.

Add the peas, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and lemon zest to the food processor. Pulse until the shallots and peas have broken down. Add the 1/3 cup pine nuts and parmesan and pulse again. Then with the machine running, add the olive oil thru the shoot until well blended. You can always add a little more if you like your pesto runnier. It's a matter of preference. Adding more oil is also a great way to 'extend' the pesto if needed. Taste the pesto for salt/pepper. You'll probably need at least a pinch of salt but remember you're adding pancetta and pasta water in a minute which will salt things up also so don't go too crazy.

Add the cooked pasta and pesto to a large bowl. Pour over a little of the reserved pasta water to help the pesto and pasta get along and gently stir to combine - as much or as little you need. Remember when adding pasta water to add a little at a time. You can't take it back out:)

When you're happy with the consistency, stir in the pancetta (you can use a slotted spoon to transfer it from the pan - some of the oil from baking is nice but maybe not all of it), taste again for salt and pepper making any adjustments and serve with extra parmesan and toasted pine nuts on top if desired.

Chicken with Goat Cheese, Herb and Panko Crust

                                      

Chicken with Goat Cheese, Herb and Panko Crust
* A fast and delicious favorite.
* Serves 2 or 3, depending on # of chicken breasts used.

Ingredients:
2 large or 3 smallish chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
salt and pepper, for seasoning

4 oz goat cheese
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
3 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
couple shakes onion powder
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of kosher salt
pinch black pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (might need a little more or less depending on the size of your chicken breasts - I like a good crust though)
olive oil

How to:
Pull the chicken and goat cheese from the fridge and let sit out 20 minutes to take the chill off while you chop up the herbs and assemble the rest of your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 and spray a medium baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and trim off any fatty or unpleasant bits. Place in your baking dish and season the tops very lightly with salt and pepper.

In a small/medium bowl, mix the goat cheese, chopped herbs, onion powder, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper with a fork. You can also add a little olive oil if you like to make it easier to spread onto the chicken, just depends on the moisture content of your goat cheese.

Divide the cheese mixture evenly over the tops of the chicken breasts, carefully spreading it out with the back of a spoon, or more easily - your hands. Next sprinkle the panko crumbs on top of the cheese mixture, lightly pressing the crumbs into the cheese so they stick and form a crust. Drizzle the tops lightly with olive oil, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the foil and bake another 5 or so minutes just until the panko has lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through. Let rest a couple of minutes before serving.

Have some steak, Baby. Smothered in The Pioneer Woman's Creamy Onion & Blue Cheese Sauce.

I'm on the Pioneer Woman diet. At the rate I've been cooking her recipes, I'll be ready for slaughter by Mother's Day. I'm gonna make a damn fine marbled ham.

I'll post all of the recipes soon but this onion blue cheese sauce begged to go first. Not gonna lie - you need to love you some blue cheese. Also not gonna lie - your whole household better love blue cheese because its scent will linger like a ghost until the next morning. This was no problem for me though - I could bathe in the stuff. Kidding.

The only changes I made were to use half and half instead of heavy cream which I'm SURE would be even richer and more ridiculous, to go a little lighter on the Worchestershire sauce and to boil it for several minutes to thicken it in light of not having used the heavy cream.

But I'll post it just as she makes it because I personally don't want to mess with a tall redhead nicknamed The Pioneer Woman.

Pioneer Woman's Creamy Onion Blue Cheese Sauce
* From Ree Drummond via Food Network

Ingredients
4 rib eye steaks (about 5 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stick softened butter
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 cup heavy cream 
3 to 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Directions
Preheat the grill to a high heat or light your outdoor grill.

Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper and smear both sides of the steaks with 1/2 stick of the butter.

Grill the steaks until medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side, and then remove from the heat and keep warm. (You can also saute them in a skillet over medium-high heat if you prefer.)

Melt the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and then saute the onions until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Pour in the cream, a dash of salt and pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. Let it bubble up, then add the blue cheese and stir together to melt, adding more pepper or Worcestershire sauce as you wish.

Place the steaks on plates and spoon the sauce over the top.

Take a bite. And the world at long last will make sense.

Valentine's Pasta (Bow Ties in a Rich Provolone Cream Sauce with Shallots, Ground Turkey and Portabello)

Make this for someone you have warm fuzzy feelings for, someone you owe money to, or someone that birthed you.

All kidding aside this is quite possibly the best pasta I've ever made. There is something unmistakably nostalgic about it -  like a turkey tetrazzini and beef strogonaf mashup - yet to compare it with these humble dishes would be an insult. My husband who turns his nose up at mushrooms in pasta (and even tetrazzini of any kind) declared it his hands down favorite pasta.

While parmesan would probably work here, I highly recommend seeking out a block of Provolone Piccante cheese for this (I can find it at HEB and if I recall it's less expensive than parmesan anyway.) There is a unique sharpness to this cheese that when mellowed by the sweet shallots and creamy mascarpone turns into molten liquid crack. I realize all cream sauces are decadent but this one is both decadent and sophisticated, both showy and comforting and it somehow infuses the pasta with flavor rather than just coating it.

Green onions are an essential finish for me but I bet fresh thyme (though less of it) would be worth a try.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Pasta 

(Bow Ties in a Rich Provolone Cream Sauce with Shallots, Ground Turkey and Portabello)

Serves 5-6.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, 1 tablespoon or enough to lightly coat the bottom of a dutch oven
1/2 cup shallots, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
More olive oil, as needed
2 large portabello caps, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Garlic powder, several shakes
1 pound ground white turkey meat
Red pepper flakes generous pinch
Generous 1/2 cup white wine
8 oz mascarpone

1 1/4 cups shredded provolone picante plus more for garnish (found in the gourmet cheese section of the market in a block like parmesan or manchego)
Lots of fresh ground nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped green onion, more for garnish
3/4 of a 1 pound box farfalle (bow tie) pasta

Directions:

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add a pinch of salt then the bow ties. Cook for 7-8 minutes or just until al dente. If the pasta is ready before the sauce, remove with a colander and hold it in a large bowl, reserving the pasta water in case you need some to thin out the sauce.

Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil - just enough to sauté the shallots in (about a tablespoon or so.) Let heat through for 30 seconds then add the shallots. Season with a good pinch salt and pepper and sauté until softened stirring often - about 4 minutes. Scoot the softened shallots to one side of the pan and add some more olive oil to the bare spot. Let it heat through for a few seconds then add the portabello to that side. Season with a tiny bit more salt and pepper as well as the garlic powder, then stir around the oil to coat. Let cook for one minute then stir the shallots and mushrooms together and keep cooking. If you're in a hurry, you can put the lid on for one minute to cook the mushrooms faster. Otherwise just keep stirring every so often, adding more oil to the pan if it gets too dry and the mushrooms start sticking to the bottom.

When the mushrooms have wilted a little, scoot both them and the shallots over to one side of the pan (add a little more oil if the bare spot is too dry) and add the turkey meat. Give it a couple minutes to begin cooking then stir everything together. 

Season with another teensy pinch of salt and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes and keep stirring and cooking until the meat is no longer pink - about 8 minutes. Now add a generous half cup of white wine and raise the heat to high to bring to a boil.

Let bubble away, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about half, but not so much that it's evaporated. You want a good 1/4 inch of liquid left in the pan - this will help make the sauce.

Reduce the heat back to medium/low and stir in the 8 oz package of mascarpone cheese until incorporated then the 1 1/4 cups provolone cheese and a good pinch of fresh nutmeg. 

When all mixed together, raise the heat to high again and bring to a bubble, letting the provolone melt and create a sauce. Just let bubble for a minute or two until thickened slightly. Reduce the heat back to low and stir in the 1/3 cup green onions. If the sauce is too thick at this point (more like a cheese spread than a sauce) add a little of the pasta water to it - a tablespoon at a time - when you add the pasta. On the contrary if it seems too loose and thin, add in some more grated provolone and let it melt in to thicken it up.

Stir the bow ties into the sauce and taste for salt and pepper. 

Serve in big bowls with additional grated provolone over the top and chopped green onions.