Butternut Squash Soup!

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Hi Housewives!

Fall is a wonderful time of year.  The weather is getting chillier and crisp and that makes it a fabulous time of year to get your soup on!  Butternut Squash is a vegetable that most people fear.  They look at it and have no idea what to do with it.  I felt the same way.  I’ve always loved canned butternut squash soup and decided it was time to try to make my own.  It can be a little intimidating but once you try it, you will see that this veggie is worth it!

  • 1 Butternut Squash
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 4 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

The hardest part of this is peeling the squash.  I use a peeler and try to get as much of the skin off as I possibly can.  Once that is done I cut it into chunks and discard the seeds.  Heat butter in a large soup pot.  When melted add the onion and cook until it is translucent.  Add squash, chicken broth and water.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 20-30 minutes or until squash is tender.  Then, I add the heavy cream, stir and let cook for 10 more minutes.  Since I was not having the soup until the next day, I cooled it down and placed it in a tupperware and put it in the fridge for the night.

D-Day!  Yesterday,  I wanted to have it for lunch.  In batches, I put the soup in my nutribullet to puree everything.  This makes it just the right consistency that traditional butternut squash soup should be.  Place in soup pot and reheat on low. Stir often.  Add your salt and pepper.

You can do the puree’ all in one night and serve immediately as well.

I definitely will make this again and thought it was great.  My husband, who once told me that he doesn’t like orange vegetables, tasted it after some serious coaxing and liked it which really speaks volumes!  So, try it out and let me know how you like it.

RHC

Meatball Minestrone!

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Hi Housewives!

Soup is one of my all time favorite things to make and I’ve been told that I make excellent soups.  I have several different soup recipes and I am going to share this one with you.  A friend of mine named Gina shared this recipe with me awhile back and I’ve made variations of it ever since.

  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 sticks of celery chopped
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 4 carrots chopped
  • 2 cans of vegetable broth
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • ground turkey meat for meatballs
  • ditalini pasta (or any other type of small pasta)

First, make your meatballs however you normally would.  I never measure when making my meatballs, its just by eye.  You can use ground beef or a mixture of beef, pork and veal if you prefer.  I’ll share my meatball recipe at a later time, although that’s a big Italian secret…LOL

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in big soup pot.  When heated, fry your meatballs.  When browned but not necessarily cooked completely start adding your veggies.  When onions are translucent, add 2 cans of vegetable broth and diced tomatoes.  I then add 2 cans full of water.  Next, add the minced garlic cloves and some torn celery leaves (they pack a lot of flavor).  Let simmer for about 1-2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile boil a pot of salted water for your pasta and cook accordingly.  I prefer ditalini with soups.  When ready spoon pasta into bowl and then add your soup to it.  Do not add the pasta to your soup pot as it will continue cooking the pasta and make it overdone.  It will also end up soaking up all of the soup.  Top with some grated cheese if you like and enjoy!

You can add any other veggies you like to this as well as a can of rinsed cannellini beans.  I added escarole once and it was great too! You can add quartered potatoes also but if you do then I would not have it with pasta.

This is also something that can be cooked in your slow cooker.  Put everything in it and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Enjoy!

RHC

 

Garlic and Oil Ravi’s

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Hi Housewives!

We all have nights where there is just not enough time to make a big, fancy dinner.  You work, you head to the gym or maybe you have an appointment and then, you come home and need a quick meal.  Well, this is my go to meal when time is just something I don’t have.  It is so easy and tasty and the best part is your family will think you just served them a gourmet meal!

I always try to keep 2 packages of ravioli in my fridge for times like this.  I buy them when they are on sale and save them for a quick meal.  I prefer the ones that you see in the supermarket that are a little different than your average cheese ravioli.  My favs are artichoke stuffed ravi’s, or mushroom and cheese, or spinach and cheese ravi’s.  Tonight’s I used a spinach and cheese ravi from Trader Joe’s.

  • 1-2 packages of Ravi’s
  • 8-10 cloves of garlic  (smashed or minced or chopped)
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • dash of red pepper flakes
  • cherry tomatoes (whole or cut in half)
  • mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, in a pan, heat your olive oil, enough to coat your pan.  When heated added your smashed garlic cloves.  When slightly browned add a pint of cherry tomatoes and fresh or canned mushrooms.  Sprinkle the red pepper flakes, use as much as you like or even omit it if you prefer it not to have a little kick.  Season with salt and pepper.

When water is boiling add your ravi’s and cook according to your package directions.  When ready, drain in a colander and put in olive oil pan and mix.  Serve with a salad if you like!

Enjoy!

RHC

Truffle Roasted Chicken

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Hi Housewives!

I don’t know about you but I absolutely love truffle anything!  And, no, I don’t mean the chocolates.  Truffles are rare wild mushrooms and are considered a delicacy.  I wanted to make a whole roasted chicken in a different way and had an idea to flavor it with truffle oil.

  • 1 whole chicken rinsed and insides discarded
  • 1 onion quartered
  • truffle oil
  • fresh mushrooms
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Place chicken in roasting pan. Coat entire chicken with truffle oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place onion and mushrooms around chicken, moisten with truffle oil as well.  Place in oven and roast for about 1- 2 hours depending on the size of your chicken.  I use a meat thermometer which says poultry is ready at 180.  Juices should run clear as well.

This chicken was juicy and good.  However, be generous with the truffle oil.  This was my first time making it this way and I was scared of overdoing it with the oil.  Well, I should have used more.  You live and learn…and I’ve learned you never can have too much  TRUFFLE…..

Enjoy!

RHC

Rosie Goes Bananas! (Banana Bread Recipe)

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Hi Housewives!

Today’s recipe is for delicious banana bread.  “Rosie Goes Bananas” is my BFF’s recipe.  She makes it all the time and her husband goes ape over it!  LOL

“Rosie” or Roseann is one of my best friends.  Her brother and I went to Kindergarten together and that’s where our moms met and became best friends.  I really have never known life without knowing Roseann.  Our mothers were the best of friends and I think they are happy that we have each other in their absence.  I remember growing up our phone would ring at exactly 4pm after “General Hospital” and it was Roseann’s mother Tina calling my mother to talk, gossip, and laugh.  They had their own secret language and I would sit there listening to their grown up convo everyday for years.  Unfortunately, both of our mothers were taken from us way too soon at different times.  Maybe that brought us closer together, who knows, but as adults we have become more like sisters than friends.  She is the little and sometimes annoying sister, I always wanted.  We share everything, clothes, accessories, and of course recipes!  We both try to remember our moms recipes and swap them all the time.  She loves to cook just as much as I do.  So with that being said here is “Rosie Goes Bananas” recipe for banana bread!

  • 1 stick of melted butter
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 2 medium bananas, sliced
  • 2 eggs

Preheat over to 350. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar.  Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Stir the flour, baking soda and salt into the butter mixture until smooth.  Fold in the sour cream and bananas.  Pour into the greased pan.

Bake for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool and serve!

Enjoy!

RHC

P.S.  The one on the right is hers.  The one on the left is mine.  I have to be honest here because after all that is what this page is all about.  Hers came out way better than mine.  This is proof to my belief that 2 people can follow the same recipe and still the end result will be different.  So make any changes or adjustments to your recipe as well and use this as your guideline! LOL

Green Beans Marinara

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Hi Housewives!

Tonight’s side dish was truly one of my favs.  Green beans marinara is easy and tasty.    Pair it with steak, chicken or even pork chops.  I bought a bag of fresh green beans but you can use frozen as well.

  • Bag of green beans
  • 6-10 cloves of garlic
  • olive oil
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Boil a pot of salted water.  Meanwhile, trim your green beans.  In a saucepan, heat extra virgin olive oil about 2 tablespoons.  When heated add your garlic and when slightly browned add can of diced tomatoes.  Let cook on low.  When water has boiled add your green beans and let cook for 10 minutes.  Drain beans and then add to your sauce. Add salt and pepper.  Mix, serve, and enjoy!

If you like you can add hot red pepper flakes too.  You can also steam your green beans if you prefer that over boiling.

RHC

Slow-Cooked Roast Pork

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Hi Housewives!

Crockpot dinners are great, especially for the working woman.  It’s great to come home from a long day of work and have dinner ready and waiting!  However, that being said,  it’s hard enough for me to get ready, grab coffee and get out the door on time let alone start chopping veggies and meats early in the morning.   That’s why this recipe is the perfect one for the mad morning rush….there’s no chopping and you can have it prepared in 5 minutes! And better yet, you don’t sacrifice taste.  What makes this dish particularly delicious is the caraway seeds.  I’ve always made roast pork with sauerkraut but one day decided to sprinkle some caraway seeds in the crockpot and when I ate it I felt like I was eating a sandwich on rye bread!  It really added a lot to this dish.

  • 1 roast pork or pork tenderloin
  • 1 package of sauerkraut
  • 6-8 cloves of garlic
  • caraway seeds (my secret ingredient for this dish)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup water

Place everything in the slow cooker.  Set on low for 8-10 hours and go to work!  Come home to a meal!  What’s better than that???

Enjoy!

RHC

Marinated Chicken Thighs

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Hi Housewives!

Tonight’s dinner is marinated chicken thighs.  Traditionally, in most Italian households,  Sunday is pasta day.  However, I had these thighs and wanted to use them tonight.  This recipe is so easy that anyone can do this.  It’s a perfect dish for the weeknight when time is something you don’t  have much of.

I have about 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

  • Rinse thighs and place in baking pan
  • Pour some extra virgin olive oil over them
  • Season one side with garlic powder, oregano, sea salt, black pepper and dried or fresh parsley
  • Flip over and season the other side
  • Cover with foil and let it marinate in fridge anywhere from 1-4 hours

I have to be honest I don’t measure any of these seasonings out, just be generous with them.  Today, since I am not rushed for time, I let them marinate all day. When you are ready,  bake them in the oven covered at 350 and then uncover for last half hour or so. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

I served this dish with sautéed Swiss chard and cannellini beans.

Enjoy!

RHC

 

Stuffed Cabbage!

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Hi Housewives!

Ok…well, I’ve always wanted to make stuffed cabbage.  So, I will have to be honest here.  This was my very first attempt at it!  I always thought how hard could this be??? I make stuffed peppers all the time, is it really that different?  Well, I must say this was not the easiest dish to make and it was not my greatest dish either.  But practice makes perfect and I will attempt this again one day.

First of all, my cabbage was huge!  I still have a lot of it left.  I think I will just sauté the rest for another night.  Ok, so let’s start the recipe.  First, core your cabbage and then boil it.  While the cabbage was boiling in the salted water.  I prepared the meat stuffing.

  • 1 package of ground turkey meat
  • 1 package of cooked brown rice
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 of an onion chopped
  • 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
  • salt and pepper

Mix above ingredients in a bowl and when the cabbage is ready and cooled down peel off a leaf.  I lined the baking dish with some torn pieces of cabbage.  Then, I put a cabbage leaf flat on a cutting board and placed 1/2 cup of meat mixture onto leaf and then roll.  Place in baking dish.  Continue until desired amount of cabbages.  I made 7.

For the sauce –  I just took a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce and poured it over the stuffed cabbages.  Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 2 hours.

Then, it came to the real test.  The tasting!  Well, since I am the blogger of “REAL Housewives Cook” I must be REAL with my readers and something was missing.  It was bland.  My husband and I both feel like it needed something more.  So, I am open to suggestions here.  Please feel free to tell me your secrets.  :)

RHC

Swiss Chard Soup with Turkey Meatballs!

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Hi Housewives!

Last night, I made this delicious Swiss Chard Soup with Turkey Meatballs!  It was so good that we had the leftovers tonight.  Not only is this dish tasty but it’s healthy as well!

Turkey Meatball Recipe

  • 1 package of ground turkey meat
  • seasoned bread crumbs – 1 cup
  • 1 egg
  • a drop of water
  • grated cheese  – pecorino romano or whatever you prefer for your meatballs (I don’t measure this just use a lot of it…1-2 cups)
  • salt and pepper

Soup

  • Swiss Chard (rinsed well, stem removed and coarsely chopped into pieces)
  • 8-10 gloves of garlic
  • 2 cans Cannellini beans
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Piece of Italian Bread (optional)
  • Grated Cheese for serving

In a large pot add some extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium heat.  Meanwhile, mix meatball mixture in a bowl.  I always smell it to make sure I can smell the seasonings and if I need a little more of this or that I add it.  When olive oil is heated make little meatballs and put in pot to brown.  When they are browned but not necessarily cooked completely through add your chopped swiss chard. Take your garlic gloves and smash or chop them and add them to pot.  The Swiss Chard will cook down, so don’t be surprised by that.

While Chard is cooking down drain and rinse your beans.  Then add them to pot and mix.  I then add about 4-5 cups of water to the pot.  Lower the flame and let it all cook stirring occasionally.

I cook it for at least an hour on low.  If needed you can add a can of chicken broth but I find that I usually never need it for this recipe.

Serve with a piece of Italian bread if you like and top with some grated cheese! Delicious!

Enjoy!

RHC

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