Zuppa Toscana Soup

                                                          Ingredients

                                                                           -1 Lb Italian Sausage
                                                                           -6-7 Pieces of Bacon 
                                                                            - 5 Russet Potatoes
                                                                           -2 Cups Chopped Kale
                                                                   -1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
                                                                               -8 Cups Water
                                                                        -28 Ounces of Chicken Broth
                                                                            -1/2 Large Onion
                                                                        -3 Cloves of Minced Garlic
                                                                       -1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
                                                                             -Salt and Pepper
                                                                           -Parmesan Cheese

                                                                                Directions

                 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with tin foil. Place 6-7 pieces of uncooked bacon on sheet. On a separate cooking sheet, line with tinfoil and break apart the Italian sausage into bite sized pieces. Place both into the oven and cook until golden brown (approximately 30 minutes). Drain both on paper towels when completely cooked. Slice the potatoes to 1/4" thick.Throw the potatoes, diced onion, minced garlic,chicken broth and water into a large pot and cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are completely cooked. Chop up the kale while the meat and potatoes are cooking. Add the sausage, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and bacon bits into the big pot. Stir occasionally and cook on simmer for another ten minutes. Turn heat to low and add the kale and heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of individual bowls. Enjoy!
  

Wedge Salad

                                                             Ingredients

                                                                              -Head of Lettuce
                                                             -6-7 Strips of Bacon (Cooked and Cut into Bits)
                                                                                       -Croutons
                                                                              -Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)
                                                                            -Blue Cheese Crumbles
                                                                                         -Salt
                                                                                       -Pepper
                                                                                 -Blue Cheese Dressing
                                                                           -Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

                                                                                   Directions

                 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with tin foil. Place 6-7 pieces of uncooked bacon on sheet and cook until golden brown. While bacon is cooking, slice the lettuce head into four big wedges. Place on plate and add the croutons, tomatoes and blue cheese crumbles. Once bacon is finished cooking, cut into bits and place on top of salad. Top salad with blue cheese dressing and a thin layer of the balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
 
 

    

Crab Rangoons

                                                                
                                                               Ingredients

                                                                                  -Oil for Deep Frying

                                                                         -1 Green Onion (Chives), Chopped

                                                                         - 3 Ounces of Cream Cheese

                                                                                 -1/8 tsp. Garlic Salt

                                                                           -1/8 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

                                                                               -13 Wonton Wrappers

                                                                        -4 Ounces of Crab Meat, Shredded

                                                                                      -1/8 tsp. Sugar

                                                                                       Directions

                 Heat oil in a deep fryer or pan to 350 degrees. Combine and mix the chive, cream cheese, garlic salt, worcestershire sauce, sugar and crab meat. Place spoonful of mixture onto corner of the wonton wrapper. Using a bowl of water, dip your fingers into it and wet the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold in half or in center, sealing the contents of the mixture into the wrapper. Freeze for 15 minutes. Deep fry for 4-6 minutes, flipping occasionally. 

     

     

Crystal's Baked Ziti

                                                                 Ingredients

                                                                              -1 LB Lean Ground Beef

                                                                              -1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

                                                                 -1 Can (14.5 Oz.) Diced Tomatoes (Un-drained)

                                                                                -1 Can (8 Oz.) Tomato Sauce

                                                                           -1/2 tsp. Dried Leaf Basil, Crumbled

                                                                      -1/2 tsp. Dried Leaf Oregano, Crumbled

                                                                   -1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder or Small Clove Minced

                                                                                        -1 1/2 tsp. Salt

                                                                                       -1/4 tsp. Pepper

                                                                           -Half Box of Ziti Pasta, Cooked & Drained

                                                             -2 Cups (8 Oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Divided

                                                                                       Directions

             Saute ground beef and onion. Drain. Add tomatoes, sauce, basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well. Stir in noodles and 1 cup of the cheese. Transfer to a 2.5 quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 25-30 minutes. Serves six. 

   

Bang Bang Shrimp

                                                                Ingredients

                                                                  -1 Lb. Medium Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined

                                                                           -Vegetable Oil for Frying

                                                                               Bang Bang Sauce

                                                                              -1/2 Cup of Mayonaise

                                                                         -5 Teaspoons Sriracha Sauce

                                                                                -1 Teaspoon Sugar

                                                                           -1 Teaspoon Rice Vinegar

                                                                                     Egg Mixture

                                                                                    -1 Beat Egg

                                                                                     -1 Cup Milk

                                                                               Breading Mixture

                                                                                  -1/2 Cup Flour

                                                                         -1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

                                                                                -1 Teaspoon Salt

                                                                          -1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

                                                                         -1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder

                                                                         -1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

                                                                              -1/4 Teaspoon Basil

                                                                                       Directions

             Combine all the ingredients for the bang bang sauce in a bowl; cover and set aside. Combine beaten egg and milk in a shallow bowl and set aside. Combine breading mixture into a different shallow bowl. Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture and then dip it into the egg mixture and once again back into the breading mixture. Arrange them on a plate and place in refrigerator or freezer for 20 minutes to help the breading stick more thoroughly to the shrimp. Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry shrimp until golden brown. Drain shrimp on paper towels and coat in the bang bang sauce. Optional to cut up lettuce and lay underneath the shrimp and to top with chives. Enjoy :)

    

Oreo Truffles

                                                                 Ingredients

                                                                         -Package of Double Stuffed Oreos

                                                                              -4 Ounces Cream Cheese

                                                                      -Dipping Chocolate (Any, I prefer white)

                                                                                       Directions

             In a blender, chop all of the Oreos. Leave to the side a handful to use later on for garnish. With your hands, combine the crushed Oreos and softened cream cheese. Roll the mixture into 1" balls and place them on a wax covered cookie sheet. Place in freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate according to the directions on the package. One fully melted, pull the Oreo balls out of the freezer and dip fully into the chocolate. Before they harden, sprinkle the set aside Oreo garnish on top. Let chocolate set, refrigerate, and enjoy :)

    

    

    

    

Homemade French Fries

                                                                Ingredients

                                                                                           -Salt

                                                                                         -Pepper 

                                                                                        -Potatoes

                                                                                        -Garlic Salt

                                                                                      -Vegetable Oil

                                                                                 -Parmesan Cheese

                                                                                          -Parsley

                                                                                       Directions

             In large skillet, heat almost 1/3-1/2 bottle of vegetable oil. Meanwhile, wash and peel the potatoes leaving the tips of the potatoes with the peel still on. Place all the potatoes in a bowl with cold ice water in it to remove some of the "starchy-ness" of the potato. Individually cut the potatoes length wise into french fry shapes. Place back in ice water. Once finished cutting the remaining potatoes, drain the water very well. Leaving too much water on the potatoes can cause the oil to not fry them properly or cause the oil to be too cool to fry. Season the uncooked french fries with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Place the potatoes in the skillet and fry for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy. Using tongs, make sure you rotate the french fries around as they are cooking. As soon as the fries are cooked to your liking, using a strained spoon pull them out and place them on a paper towel to drain the oil. Immediately sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese (lots of it!) and parsley. Doing it right when it comes out of the oil helps it to stick better to the french fries. Top off with additional salt and pepper if needed. You can also substitute seasonings to it and add bacon and cheese instead like the picture below. Enjoy :)