Tuscan Tomato Soup (Pappa al pomodoro)

This rustic tomato soup is Tuscan comfort food at its best.  One of the original “green” recipes, pappa al pomodoro was traditionally made by frugal casalinghe, or housewives, to make use of leftovers. Today this homey and satisfying dish is found on the menus of Florence’s trendiest restaurants and is craved by Italian ex-pats around the globe. Its flavors intensify as it sits so it’s a good option for a buffet table. Pour it into individual-portion glasses for an original and modern presentation. Serve it hot or at room temperature.
Note that you will need good Italian bread that is at least two days old, as well as the end rind of either Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.
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Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped or pureed
10 basil leaves, shredded
1 cup good quality Italian bread (at least 2 days old), cut into 1-inch pieces

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Lettuce Chicken Tacos

This is a great recipe to use with any left overs really. Easy during the holidays as well. You’ve been cooking non stop, have all these left overs, don’t want to cook dinner anymore- so why not use up anything you’ve got on hand to make a healthy meal?

lettuce

Lettuce  takes place of a tortilla or hard shell taco, making it healthier. You pick your meat , anything from pork, chicken to turkey and they your vegetables. This is really a make it your own, mix and match kind of deal .

 

Ingredients

2 cups cubed cooked chicken ( or your choice of meat)
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Cookbook: Everyday Thai Cooking

Everyday Thai Cooking

As an adventurous chef, I always like to try to cook various culture’s cuisine. Everyday Thai Cooking by Katie Chin is made for people like me. The book is filled with everything from noodle dishes to seafood and even drinks and desserts. This book is essential for anyone wanting to give cooking Thai food a shot.

The Good:

Everyday Thai Cooking has so much variety. I enjoyed how there was varying levels of mastery and experience. This book make sit easy to start with the basics and work your way to excellence.

The book included basic cooking techniques and their explanation as well as a wonderful forward by Katie Workman that talks about why Thai food has such a rich history and how fun it is to enjoy and indulge in.
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Cookbook: Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just For You

Vegan-Slow-Cooking-For-Two-Kathy-Hester

As a former vegetarian who at one time dated and lived with a vegan, I have learned to appreciate meatless meals. I also have a small family of just three of us, so I was excited to test out the book, Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just For You by Kathy Hester.

Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just for You is full of everything from entrees to side dishes and even sauces to accompany many meals.

The Good:

Vegan Slow Cooking For Two or Just for You has beautiful photos. For me, as a chef, I was taught we “eat with our eyes first”, so this is one of the most important aspects any cookbook can have. The photos really made my mouth water and my husband came in and peeked over my shoulder and didn’t even know it was a vegan cookbook.

I liked that the book also included tips for using a slow cooker as well as an explanation of some new ingredients that may not be familiar to many home cooks. There was also a section on tips for cooking for small families in general as well, which I found very useful. I think this book would be great as a wedding gift!
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Thick’n Creamy Chicken Soup

 

This is a very creamy thick soup and full of comfort. I’ve had a rough week and it’s been mainly soups around here. Soups just speak comfort and this is a favorite one of mine. You can do this in the slow cooker if you wanted, make the roux in a pan and add it into the slow cooker with all the other ingredients then just have it cook all day long. Add in any left over vegetables you have on hand , you can easily throw in mushrooms which is pictured above. Also asparagus works wonderfully!

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Ingredients for Thick’n Creamy Chicken Soup

2 quarts chicken broth or chicken base
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How To Make Home Made Caramel Apples

carmel apples
Ingredients
6 apples
Craft or Popsicle sticks
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped , unwrapped
2 tablespoons milk
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DirectionsRemove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet. Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly. Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set. They can be rolled in chopped nuts for an added touch of flavor (we didn’t, as my son is a “purest” haha).
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Win a Key Ingredient Recipe Reader Tablet

Some of the newest of soldiers in the digital army are digital recipe tablets, these are tablets which are specially made for usage in the kitchen.  At first thought the idea of a tablet in the kitchen may sound absurd, but the pluses I feel far outweigh any minuses at all.
In my kitchen it makes things a lot easier.  There are many benefits to having a kitchen tablet and a great example of one is the Key Ingredient Recipe Reader.

The number one best feat this tablet does is: clear up counter top clutter.  That pile of cook books in the corner of your kitchen will now become a much used tablet which can be tucked almost anywhere, or even a drawer.

The recipe reader’s recipes are varied and quite delicious.  One of our favorites was the pork chops with Guajillo spice rub.  Spicy and meat are always a good combo in my book.  In regard to its durability everything is built to be used ina kitchen and cleaned even the power button which is large and rubber making it easy to power on even with dirty hands.  If/When you get the recipe reader dirty it is easy to wipe clean with a towel and glass cleaner as well.
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Apple Pie Parfaits Recipe

One of my favorite things about fall is the apple harvest. To me, nothing says, “Autumn” better than the crisp air and warm scent of apples filling the home.

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Here is a super easy recipe you can make in a short time to bring home the taste of the season! It can be made and assembled in less than an hour so it is perfect for a quick dessert and is sure to impress kids and company.

 

To make Apple Pie Parfaits, you will need:

3-4 Granny smith (or other tart apple) apples

1 Cup oats, instant

1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1 Stick of Butter, unsalted + 4 tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 Lemon

Whipped Cream

 

Directions:

1. Start by cutting up the apples into eighths. Slice off the core areas and make sure to remove the seeds. You can remove the peels if you like, but I leave them on, personally.
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