MY APOLOGIES AND SAUSAGE LENTIL SOUP

There's been a lot of hyperventilating going on around here lately--all out of my lungs. I don't handle stress well, and this has been a stressful week: computer AND digital camera crashed and burned. Ice dams formed on our dormers, causing sheets of water to flow down our living room walls. Old Volvo wagon needed new snow tires--Cha Ching$$!! Thank goodness I have a husband who keeps me calm--not much rattles him! Anyways, I've been wanting to share this amazing Sausage Lentil soup recipe with you for awhile, and have tried to publish this post for 3 days now, on our daughter's piece of S*&T old laptop. I keep getting so so close, and then the whole thing just disappears into cyber-no-man's land. AARGH! So what's a stressed out housebound (12 below here this a.m.) housewife to do?

First, BREATHE. Then, light a candle:

Then, love up on the mutt and decorate him with a festive new bandana (by the way--his eyes look this way in every photo, because he has bad cataracts):

And because it looks like this outside today (well, everyday, until May, to be truthful), I think I'll make a big pot of soup for suppah:

If you'd like to try this soup, the first thing you're going to do is brown some nice Italian sausage in a big soup pot:

Next, you'll want to saute the "Holy Trinity"--carrots, celery and onion, until tender:

Add your dry lentils and broth, and simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. You might need to add a cup or so of water, as the broth evaporates quickly. Add some Dijon and red wine vinegar (do NOT skip this step--adds an amazing flavor!), the cooked sausage and some salt to the pot. Add cream and heat through. Garnish with chopped spinach and Parmesan cheese, and you've got a yummy winter soup for your tummy!:

Here's the recipe for you:

SAUSAGE LENTIL SOUP

Serves 4

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (I used a low fat/medium spice sausage)

1 tblsp. butter

1 tblsp olive oil

1/2 of a yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed

4 cups chicken stock

1 tblsp. dijon mustard

1 tblsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt (or to taste)

1 cup cream

1 cup finely sliced spinach

grated Parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot, brown and drain sausage and set aside. In the same pan, saute carrot, onion and celery in butter and olive oil until they start to soften. Add lentils and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Simmer on low for about 40 minutes, until lentils and vegetables are tender. You may need to add about a cup of water at this point, as the chicken stock may evaporate. Add mustard, vinegar, sausage and salt to the pot. Stir in cream and heat through. Garnish with spinah and parmesan cheese.

TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY

1. I'm grateful that I have enough food to eat, and have a nice warm home to live in.

2. I'm grateful that I don't live in Cairo, and I pray for those who do.

3. I'm grateful for all of my loyal blog followers--words cannot express the joy your comments bring to me!

THE SHERWOOD INN

Big Daddy belongs to an association called The Club Manager's Association of America, and every once in a while their local chapter has get togethers. Of course, the spouses just love it when they're invited--usually a free dinner at a wonderful restaurant! Often we meet in the beautiful fingerlakes town of Skaneateles (pronounced "skinny atles"), as it's a good central spot for most of the members. If you've been following my blog since the very beginning, you might remember my friend Leslie and I ("Two Leslies in the Fingerlakes") had a fun day shopping in Skaneateles, right before Christmas. I just love that little village--great shopping, great food and absolutely GORGEOUS scenery, year-round!

We often stay at the lovely old Sherwood Inn--you can check it out, here: http://www.thesherwoodinn.com/
The inn was built way back in 1807, and has been owned since 1974 by a friend of ours, Bill Eberhardt. Who also is a member of the club my husband manages. I think the reason we love staying at the Sherwood so much is because of the way one feels there--like we've stepped back in time. There is an elegant restaurant (a converted old front porch) overlooking Lake Skaneateles:

And here's the warming fireplace that greets you in the lobby:

Big Daddy checking in and carrying our bags upstairs (I was too busy snapping photos!):

Here's the hallway outside our 2nd floor suite:

Just THINK of the history that's happened here!

Every room is a little different, and loaded with antiques. I SO wanted to steal this armoire!:

(Just so you know, the wallpaper in our room wasn't this neon pink--that's my stupid camera again. I would say it was more of a dark raspberry--very elegant, and not at all Vegas)

Here's some snaps of our 2 room suite:

That's right, baby--a two person soaker--jacuzzi tub! I'm not going to say any more about what happened here except: after dinner glasses of Amaretto. "Nuff said!

Oh, did I mention that we were in Skaneateles during the coldest two days of the winter so far? Negative 15 that night (much worse at home--negative 32!), so this is how the frozen lake looked from our window:

People were actually ice fishing when we were there. I was sooo tempted to walk out onto the lake, but in the end was much too chicken!

I suppose you'd like a photo of the outside of the Inn--it's a beautiful and distinctive colonial blue. And check out those icecicles--again, Lollie, nature's most perfect murder weapon!:

Sigh--I wanna go back! Hey you, come back soon for some warming Lentil and Sausage soup!

TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm grateful that today is "cut and color" day--my hair is a BUSH with dark roots! Pretty!

2. I'm grateful that Big Daddy is eating out with auditors tonite--it's The Oprah network, popcorn and wine for mommy!

3. I'm grateful for the pretty classical guitar music that's playing on my stereo as I type away--I can feel my blood pressure lowering by the minute

ROASTED GARLIC SHRIMP AND SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP!

So, if you've been a good girl (or boy!), and have been religiously reading my weekly newspaper column, Sugar and Spice, then you'd already know that today's blog post was going to be all about Super Bowl appetizers. And how Big Daddy E. and I did a wild and crazy thing a while back and actually ate APPETIZERS FOR DINNER! This is what our spread looked like:

Of course, we didn't eat ALL that Spinach Artichoke Dip--but we sure wanted to! To.Die.For. Really. Anyways, who says you have to serve boring old chips and dip for the Super Bowl this year?

Let's get started. For the Spinach Artichoke Dip (I know--artichokes again???), you'll need another can of artichoke hearts. Pat them dry, then slice them up:

You'll also need to squeeze to death a 10oz. package of frozen chopped spinach,and put it in a large mixing bowl. Then you'll add your Parmesan cheese, chopped artichoke hearts, mayo, sour cream, salt and pepper :

Pour it all into a 1 quart baking dish and sprinkle with a little more Parmesan. Bake for about 25 minutes (full recipe below), and serve with little rye bread squares, crackers or pita chips. This is how it looks hot and bubbly out of the oven:

Why oh why do I blog when I'm hungry--this just looks sooooo good! Anyways, a few hours before you bake this, you can prepare your Garlic Roasted Shrimp Cocktail (they need to chill for 2 hours before eating). I know these babies can be a little expensive, but they're cheaper if you buy them frozen with the skins and tails still on. You will not believe how much better tasting your shrimp will be, over the usual pre-cooked variety used in shrimp cocktail. I use the jumbo shrimp, which is usually 16-20 pieces to the pound. I also leave the tails on--easier to eat that way:

Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic (always smash the cloves with a large knife first--so much easier to get the skins off):

In a large bowl, toss the shrimp and garlic with some extra virgin olive oil (I keep mine in a pretty bottle by the stove, for easy access), some salt and some pepper:

Spread shrimp out on a baking sheet in a single layer, like so:

Roast for 3 minutes (complete recipe below), then turn and roast another 2-4 mintues or until shrimp are opaque. Place roasted shrimp in a shallow dish; cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Prepare your cocktail sauce, using these 2 ingredients (or use store-bought):

Now stand back and Ooo and Aaah over your bee-yooooo-teee-fulll spread!:

ENJOY!!

SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

Serves 8

1 10 oz. package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 6 oz. can artichoke hearts packed in water, thinly sliced and patted dry

1 cup freshly grated Parmesano Reggiano cheese, divided

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix spinach, artichokes, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper (to taste). Transfer to a 1 quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until top browns and inside is warmed through, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

GARLIC ROASTED SHRIMP COCKTAIL

Serves 4-6

1 1/2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp (16-20 count), peeled, with tails left on

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

cocktail sauce

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 3 minutes, then turn and roast another 2-4 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and firm. Transfer to a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate. When thoroughly chilled (2 hours or more), serve with cocktail sauce.

TOP 3 THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm grateful for the night away with my husband. We stayed at the beautiful Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles, New York (finger lakes region)--look for photos in my next blog post!

2. I'm grateful that it wasn't 32 BELOW ZERO (swear to God!) again here this morning--took a walk in balmy 10 degree temperatures, and was so grateful for the "warm-up"

3. I'm grateful that we were able to take a trip to Smith's Restaurant Supply in Syracuse on our way home from Skaneateles-stocked up on new baking sheets, monkey bowls and other kitchen necessities. Like 2 kids in a candy store, we were!

BLACK BEAN SOUP AND MY B.F.F.!

Who is my best friend in the kitchen today? Could it be...

my coffee maker? No m'am.

How about......

My mixer? Nuh Uh.

Or......

My grimy I Phone? Not today!

Oh COME ON, it's gotta be one of these then....

  (Just so you know, this is me taking an embroidered heart that I had JUST FINISHED away from my sometimes best friend, Wee Willie Willard. Doesn't he look pissed??? Bad dog!)

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong--especially the last one--she's my MEAN boss! Hah! My bestest bestest friend this week is none other than:





(Actually, this one's not mine--I stole it from Google)

THAT'S RIGHT, A CROCK POT! I've just had one of those weeks--running around like a Tazmanian Devil with my head cut off. I just love whipping this bad boy out early in the morning, throwing a few ingredients into it and not thinking about dinner again until it's time to eat. Big Daddy and I were also feeling the need to, shall we say, purify ourselves after a rather gluttonous, wine-soaked weekend. The kind of weekend where you end up leg-wrestling your town's doctor on your neighbor's living room floor. I kid you not. Annnnnyyyywaaaayyys.....when I really feel like being "good", I love to whip up a big batch of my Crock Pot Black Bean Soup--so delicious, warming AND nutritious, you gotta love it. This week, I had some leftover Andouille sausage in the freezer (from some gumbo I made a few weeks back; I SO wanna be southern!), so I added that to the soup. You can add whatever you like to this, like chicken, sausage or beef. Or, you can keep it vegetarian. The first thing you'll need to do, if you'd like to try this fabulous soup, is to raid your pantry for canned staples, like beans, corn and tomatoes:

Then you'll want to drain your beans and corn (always, always rinse these super well--they are loaded with sodium!), but NOT the tomatoes--you'll need their juice for the soup:

Then slice up your green onions (kitchen scissors work so well) and your sausage, if you're using it:

And don't forget the spices--chili powder, cumin and of course freshly minced garlic:

Then, you just throw everything together in your crock pot and give it a good stir. Look at these COLORS--how can something so colorful NOT be good for you? And this isn't even cooked yet!:

Set your crock pot on "low" and cook for 8 hours or so. This is the end result (in my friend Nancy Venetz's handmade bowls--she made these just for me!), with a dollop of sour cream:

Sooo very good on a cold winter evening! Here's the recipe--don't forget, recipes are just guidelines--you can tailor them to please you and your family, any way you like:

LESLIE'S CROCK POT BLACK BEAN SOUP

Serves 6-8

2 15oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 141/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 11oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1 bunch green onions, sliced

2-3 tblsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

diced cooked meat of your choice, optional

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on "low" for 8 hours, or on "high" for 5 hours.

TOP 3 THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1.I am grateful that my house is clean, at least for the moment!

2. I am grateful that our daughter, once again, pulled straight A's at school. I don't know where she gets it. And I need to mention that the school she attends, UC Berkeley, is SO rigorous that straight A's don't even get you onto the Dean's list--for that I thing you need a 4.25! Terrifying.

3. I am grateful that Big Daddy and I are getting away for a few days--photos to come next week!

ARTICHOKE CHICKEN LASAGNA AND LUNCH WITH THE LADIES WHO LUNCH!

See this pretty woman? Her name is Barb, and doesn't she look happy? Well, she is, because she's digging into the yummy Artichoke Chicken Lasagna that I brought to the Adirondack Express office today for lunch. Barb doesn't work at the Express, but she's cute, so we let her stay. I don't "officially" work at the Express, either, but I write a weekly cooking column for the paper, so the girls that man the office (or, should I say, "WO-man the office"?) make me cook for them every so often. Which I totally love!

I've made this white lasagna for years, and most people love it--especially if they love artichokes. Here are the ingredients you're going to need:

The first thing you're going to do is pre-cook your lasagna noodles, and let them cool, like so:

Then you'll make your white sauce, by melting butter (ohhhh, there's lots of butter in this recipe, so you'd better get a good workout in!), then adding flour and salt and nutmeg. Then you add milk and let it all thicken:

And voila! You've got a nice thick white sauce.

Drain and quarter your canned artichoke hearts, then saute your cut up chicken breasts in, you guessed it, buttah!! Then add your artichoke hearts to the chicken, along with a little thyme and a little salt, like so:

Now's the fun part--assembling the whole shabang! Ladle a little of the cream sauce into your greased baking dish, then lay out three cooked noodles. Add more cream sauce, some Parmesan cheese and some chicken mixture:

Then repeat these steps, ending up with remaining 3 noodles, cream sauce and Parmesan on the very top. Bake until bubbly and golden brown--your pan of fabulous lasagna should come out looking something like this:

Note: I wrapped mine in tin foil to transport in my car--you don't need to use any tin foil when you serve this at home--you bake it uncovered.

One of my very favorite things to do is to take pictures of people eating. So here's the rest of the office gang, minus Chrissy, who was at home sick. Here's the editor in chief, Lisa (I ADORE this picture!):

Here's Deb, who LOVES to eat!:

                                                      And here's demure Miss Charlotte:

Thanks for bringing the salad, Barb, and thanks Express ladies, for such a fun lunch! Now here's the recipe:

                                                       ARTICHOKE CHICKEN LASAGNA
                                                                      Serves 8-10

2/3 cup butter, divided
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4tsp. pepper
3 cups milk
1 3/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
2 14oz. cans water packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 tsp. dried thyme
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, melt 1/3 cup butter. Stir in flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, nutmeg and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. In a large skillet, cook chicken in remaining butter until juices run clear. Stir in artichokes, thyme and remaining salt; heat through. In a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish, layer about 1/3 cup white sauce, three noodles, 1/2 cup sauce, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and about 3 cups chicken mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

                                3 THINGS I'M MOST GRATEFUL FOR TODAY:

1. I'm grateful that it's warmed up; I was able to take the dog on a 4 mile walk this morning without worrying about my fingers falling off!
   
2. I'm grateful for the wonderful women of the Adirondack Express newspaper, who put up with me.

3. I'm grateful that Big Daddy is taking me out to dinner tonite with his accountants. I'm getting dish-pan hands with all of the cooking I've been doing!