Pea & Barley Soup

Now before you see Pea and Barley and write this recipe off...I assure you this is one of the best soup recipes I have made. Even my 11 month old went crazy for it. Not only is it healthier than most it really has a good taste to it. So, give it a chance.

 

Cam and I decided to pick a cookbook and work through it start to finish (I have wayyyy to many cookbooks that I never use.)

 

This thick and warming soup is perfect for the cold, winter months. A Russian meal called Grochowka is great for an appetizer or it could be a meal all on it's own, served with hot, crusty bread.

 

The recipe calls for celeriac, which I had to look up. It is like celery root and since my store didn't carry it, I did use celery root and is was perfect.

 

 

 

1 1/4 cups yellow split peas

1/4 cup pearl barley

7 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 oz. bacon, cubed

2 Tbs. butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, grated

8 oz. celeriac, cubed

1 Tbs. chopped fresh marjoram

salt and pepper

 

Rinse the peas and barley in a sieve under cold running water. Put in a bowl and cover with plenty of water and soak overnight.

 

 

The next day, drain and rinse the peas and barley. Put them in a large pot, pour the stock over top and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer gently for 40 minutes.

 

 

Fry the bacon in a large pan for 5 minutes or until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind and set aside.

 

 

Add the butter to the pan, then add the onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.

 

 

Add the celery root and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the onion is just starting to color.

 

 

Add the softened vegetables and bacon to the pot of stock, peas, and barley. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the soup is thick. (**My soup simmered for much longer than 20 minutes, it's your call how thick you want the soup**)

 

 

Stir in the marjoram and serve.

 

Linguini with Honey Sauced Prawns

I cannot tell you the amount of times I have made this recipe. I am a shrimp lover and this recipe is super easy and fast. It's definitely a go-to recipe for me (you can tell by the food splatters in the cookbook).

 

The combination of honey and red pepper flakes in the dish make it a real winner and a staple in my house. I used to omit the red pepper, but adding it in really makes it better. I also learned that prawns are very large shrimp. I just thought some people called them shrimp and some called them prawns. Good to know.

 

 

 

 

1 pound linguini

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup honey

4 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 pound prawns, peeled and deveined

3 garlic cloves, minced

 

 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

 

 

Combine next 6 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

 

 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat.

 

Stir fry the prawns and garlic for 3 minutes, or until the prawns start to turn pink.

 

 

 

Add the honey mixture and stir fry for 1 minute, or until the sauce boils and thickens.

 

 

Serve over linguini.

 

You can add any vegetables, scallions, onions, etc, if you wish. Or it is yummy plain and simple.

 

Greek Marinated Chicken

This recipe can be cooked on the grill or in the oven.

 

The marinade takes just a few minutes, but creates a ton of flavor when the dish is completed. You can marinate the chicken overnight or for a mere 30 minutes. I did mine for 30 minutes and it turned out great.

 

I paired my chicken with white rice and mixed veggies.

 

 

 

1 containers Greek yogurt

2 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced or grated in

1/2 Tbs. dried oregano

1 medium lemon

1/2 tsp. salt

black pepper

1 tsp. parsley

3-4 chicken pieces

 

Combine the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

 

Use a fine holed cheese grater or zester to scrape the zest from the lemon into the bowl.

 

Add the juice from half the lemon.

 

Stir until combined.

 

 

Place the chicken pieces in a gallon size Ziploc bag.

 

 

Add the marinade and close the bad tightly, letting out as much air as possible. Massage the bad to coat the chicken with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 (if using the oven) and place the chicken in a large casserole dish or baking sheet.

 

 

Bake for 25 minutes (if using boneless) and 45 minutes for bone-in chicken.

 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This recipe is for the crock pot. I don't know if it's just me, but I'm not sure of the difference between a slow cooker and a crock pot. I think there is a difference and I've learned that because of cooking times. Whenever I make a "slow cooker" recipe in my crock pot, I always end up cutting the cooking time in half or even more.

 

That being said, this recipe turned out deliciously well. This would be the perfect recipe for all you football fans. You can make it and take it right with you.

I didn't have ground turkey in the house so I just used the ground beef. I also just used regular eggs instead of the substitute. It still tasted great that way.

3/4 pound ground meat

3/4 pound ground turkey

1 small onion, minced

1/4 cup egg substitute

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. dry mustard

 

 

Combine the first 5 ingredients.

 

 

Shape mixture into 1-inch balls.

 

Place in slow cooker.

 

 

In a mixing bowl, combine ketchup, white vinegar, Worcestershire, sugar, and dry mustard.

Mix to combine.

 

 

Pour sauce mixture over meatballs.

 

Stir meatballs gently to coat with the sauce.

 

 

Cook covered on low for about 2 hours. (I would check on the meatballs after an hour or so, you will smell when they are done).

 

Serve with toothpicks if tailgating.

 

I paired mine with rice and mixed veggies.

 

 

The meatballs turned out so tender and juicy. They didn't last long in our house.

"Roasted" Garlic Chicken

Another garlic recipes for you garlic-lovers. Being Italian, I LOVE garlic. I could eat it in every meal. As Rachael Ray says, "I sweat garlic." haha.

 

I paired the same Spanish rice (I know, an Italian meal with Spanish rice...but they were left over) and green beans.

 

This is a fake out to actually roasting the garlic. Simmering the garlic in the skillet gives you that slow roasted taste. Again, I used all ingredients that I had in my kitchen.

 

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. flour

1 head garlic, cloves separated

1 1/2 Tbs. EVOO

3-4 chicken breasts, pounded thin then cut in half

salt and pepper

 

Whisk together chicken broth, Worcestershire, and flour in a bowl. Set aside.

 

 

Peel garlic cloves then chop large cloves in half.

 

 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and cook until light golden brown, stirring often. Remove cloves and set aside.

 

 

Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Add to skillet.

 

 

Sauté until golden brown on one side, 2-3 minutes. Then, flip and add toasted garlic cloves and chicken broth mixture.

 

 

Turn heat to high and bring liquid to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium-low until chicken is cooked through, 5-7 minutes.

 

 

Remove chicken from skillet.

 

Turn up heat in skillet to medium-high and simmer sauce until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

 

Spoon sauce and garlic cloves over chicken.

 

 

Although this recipe looks (and smells) like you slaved over the stove for hours, it is a quick dinner you can make any day of the week.

 

Pork Scallopini

This recipe could be made with pork or chicken.

 

The original recipe used chicken, but I had pork on hand so decided to use that instead.

 

I had all the ingredients on hand and didn't have to spend any extra money.

 

 

 

 

4 boneless pork chops (you can use boneless chicken breast as well)

1 egg white

2 Tbs. water

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

2 Tbs. fresh snipped parsley or 2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. EVOO

Lemon

 

Place each pork chop or chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.

 

Pound lightly with flat side of a meat mallet to 1/8-inch thickness.

 

Remove plastic wrap.

 

Whisk together egg white and water.

 

 

Combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic.

 

 

Dip into egg white mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture.

 

 

In a 12-inch skillet, cook pork or chicken, 1 or 2 at a time, in hot oil over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden, turning once.

 

 

Drizzle lemon juice over chicken.

 

 

Mmmm...I served my pork with Spanish rice and green peas.