Chili Popcorn Recipe

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 6 cups popped popcorn

1. Melt butter.
2. MIx all ingredients into butter and drizzle over popcorn.

Sausage and Kale Soup Recipe

I’m so mad at myself. I really love soup. When I make soup I usually make a big batch and then freeze some. That way I don’t have to reach for canned varieties too much. I can just head to the freezer for my favorites.

So, I made this soup — which turned out wonderful — and then I left it on the stove to cool down so that I could put it into containers for freezing. Then, I promptly went to play Mario Kart Wii and forgot all about my soup. I woke up this morning and started making Jacob’s lunch and voila! There the soup still sat, spoiled on the stove.

Don’t do that! Instead, make this delicious soup and then remember to freeze some for later.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch kale
• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 4 cups chicken broth (or 1 full container of those square packs like Pacific Foods — my personal fave and corn-free)
• 1 pound sausage, cut into chunks or thin slices (you can use any variety of sausage here, smoked sausage like Eckridge, andouille, linguica, boudin, chorizo, whatever… use what you like)
• 1 lb diced potatoes
• 1 can large red beans
• 1 can small red beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• water as needed during simmering

1. Wash kale, remove stems and chop.
2. Shred cabbage and set both kale and cabbage aside.
3. Heat olive oil and saute onions until translucent.
4. Add sausage and saute until sausage is cooked through (if you used raw) or heated through (if you used smoked or precooked).
5. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
6. Add kale and cabbage and saute until it starts to wilt just slightly (about 2 minutes).
7. Add UNDRAINED tomatoes and beans, then add potatoes, chicken stock and all other ingredients.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer for about 1 hour.
9. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water at a time if needed to maintain soupy consistency.
10. Serve with crackers or bread.

Peanut Sauce Recipe

Whenever we go somewhere and get spring rolls I love to get the peanut dipping sauce. I made spring rolls at home a while back and had no idea how to make the sauce. I consulted a bunch of recipes online, but none of them came out right. There were some tastes that were missing. I started experimenting a bit and here’s what I came up with.

• 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups broth (I’ve used chicken and beef, both work great)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup minced ginger
• 1/8 cup Chili Sauce

1. Add all ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

I use this as a dipping sauce and I also use it stirred into final dishes like stir fries and such. Yum!

Basil Shrimp Orzo Recipe

I’ve been on a real orzo kick lately. I guess I’m just tired of turning to boxed mixes of rice and pasta and not only that, most of them have corn in them in some fashion (dextrose or maltodextrin, etc.) so we can only eat the mixes when Jacob’s not here for dinner.

This recipe seems like it has a lot of ingredients and steps, but it’s actually pretty simple. I also thought it would be a bit much with a full 8 ounces of feta, but it turns out the feta is one of the best parts. The leftovers (if you manage to have any) are great the next day — kind of like a lasagna, the orzo soaks up all the flavorful goodness.

• 1 cup orzo
• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• butter or cooking spray for pan

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Butter a 13×9 glass pan or spray with cooking spray.
3. Cook the orzo for about 5 minutes and drain.
4. Toss in a large bowl with the olive oil, tomatoes, scallions, feta, lemon rind, lemon juice and salt.
5. When mixed well, pour into the buttered pan.
6. Mix the shrimp and basil (you can use the same big bowl you just emptied of the orzo) and pour evenly over orzo in pan.
7. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. The feta will be melted and it should be bubbling.
8. Pepper to your liking and serve with fresh Italian or French bread to soak up the juices.

Chocolate Bon Bons Recipe

Because my boyfriend thinks that all I do is sit around the house and eat bon bons, I dedicate this delicious recipe to him. They’re really quite easy to make. Contrary to what he thinks, I’ve never had occasion to make them until now.

• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• cooking spray
• powdered sugar, sweetened cocoa, sprinkles, nonpareils for decoration

1. Mix sweetened condensed milk and cocoa in a non-stick pan and bring to a boil.
2. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. (That’s the hardest part of the whole gig!)
3. Remove from heat and add butter and salt.
4. Allow to cool and drop by teaspoonfuls onto a pan lined with waxed paper.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Spray hands with cooking spray and shape each dollup into a ball or square.
7. Roll in sweetened cocoa, powdered sugar or decorate with sprinkles and nonpareils and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
8. Eat liberally while watching soap operas.