Portuguese Soup with Kale/Collard/Swiss Chard

1) Immerse leaves in cold water, check for sand. Wash wash wash.
2) Cut stems and ribs.
3) Roll leaves into cigar shape, 6 at a time, and cut crosswise.
3) Take large pot, put in 2 table spoons olive oil and heat til bubbling.
4) Throw leaves in and stir around until wilted.
5) Add two large containers of chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Optional, if you have Parmesan, or Romano cheese, but the rind off and add the rind to the soup.
6) Stir in 1 c of your choice of rice (brown rice takes longer, but better option).
7) Set pot on other burner and simmer for about 40 min depending on type of rice.
8) Next, one package of Al Fresco chicken sausages (Hot Italian preferably). If hot flavor sausage is unavailable, you can slice a jalapeno into the soup).
9) Prick links with a fork and boil in a shallow pan for 5 minutes.
10) Discard water, add oil to the pan, and brown evenly on all sides (takes 5-10 min).
11) Take out of pan and slice into small disks.
12) Put 1/2 disks in the soup. Reserve other 1/2.
13) Cook for 40 minutes until rice is done (depending on type).
14) Optional: Add a can of washed and drained beans of your choice (kidney/navy/cannelloni/chick peas).
15) Add remaining sausage before eating.

Serve with red hot pepper flakes and shaved Parmesan cheese to taste.

Photo thanks to Champagne Taste

Easy Healthy Yummy Cold Pasta Salad

Needed: Noodles - such as Farfalle (butterfly shape) or Bows.
Mayonnaise (I prefer light)
Red wine Vinegar
Your choice of vegetables
I use: red peppers, orange peppers, green peppers (or Cubanelle peppers), celery, tomatoes, red salad onion.
Your choice of cheese - I prefer an aged cheddar cheese or feta.

Step one: cook pasta, cool in strainer under cold water.
Step two: Finely chop vegies in bowl.
Step three: mix pasta with 2-3 tablespoons light mayo and 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar.
Step four: Add vegies to pasta mix and enjoy!!!

Liz's Easy Spicy Hot Crab Dip

8 oz. 1/3 Fat cream cheese
3 oz. canned crab (white)
Tabasco sauce (in whatever amount you like - for me, the more the better
Paprika - for color and flavor
Garlic powder or salt (optional - I don't use this typically, but it is delicious)

1) In your saucepan on medium heat, melt the cream cheese. When it's melted down, you add the drained crab meat and stir together.
2) Don't avert your gaze, this can easily burn!
3) Add hot sauce and paprika to taste.
4) Cook until bubbling.
5) Serve with multigrain crackers or soft bread chunks.

ENJOY :)

Peanut Putter Marinade for Swordfish

2 pounds swordfish, cut 1 inch thick

Peanut Butter Marinade
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cut sesame oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon honey
opt. 1/3 cup soy sauce
opt. 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Place swordfish in shallow glass dish. Combine peanut butter and water to make thin paste, then whisk in all but last marinade ingredient. Pour over swordfish and refrigerate 1 hour.

Grill fish 5 minutes per side, turning once. Baste with marinade and serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds

Spicy Quick Dill Pickles

3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
6 large garlic cloves, halved
4 to 6 long red or green hot chilies, halved lengthwise
16 dill sprigs


Pack vegetables into 2 clean 1-quart glass jars. In another jar, combine the salt, sugar, vinegar, coriander and garlic. Shake until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add 2 cups of water and pour the brine over the vegetables. Tuck the chiles and dill between the vegetables. Add enough water to keep the vegetables submerged. Close the jars and refrigerate overnight or for up to 1 month.


And the Final Product - Ready to Gift

Seriously Sinful Sandwiches Cookie

1 box Ritz crackers (or generic substitute for buttery round crackers)
1 jar peanut butter (smooth works the best)
1 large bag of dark chocolate chips (but your favorite type of chocolate will work too)

Scoop peanut butter and spread onto cracker, place second cracker on top to make sandwich
Do this until you have the number of cookies that you would like - be reminded that these are not 'light' and you will not need as many as you might think for your number of guests.

Melt chocolate chips either in a microwave safe, covered container according to melting directions on bag (likely 2 min intervals, stirring in between) OR in a double-boiler on the stove, stirring constantly.

Dip each sandwich in the chocolate and spread to cover each one evenly.

Place on wax paper covered baking sheet and put into the fridge to cool.

Optional: Decorative icing.

1 tbsp. milk (plus more if needed)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
Food coloring

Mix together, put into plastic bad, with hole in corner, seal bag and pipe out icing in desired fashion.

Killer Bluecheese Walnut Greenbean Dish

2 bags Trader Joe's Frozen French Green Beans
1 wedge of Trader Joe's Gorgonzola - sweet blue cheese
1 bag of Trader Joe's halved or pieces and halves Walnuts.
Olive-oil
optional. hot sesame oil

You can either thaw them overnight or:

Place beans in a large heavy skillet with olive oil
Constantly stir the beans from the bottom to the top (to avoid burning them)
Once softened and almost wilted, crumble the Gorgonzola on top and let it
partially melt.

Separately, toast the walnuts in a skillet with a little oil on LOW heat to make them golden brown. Another way to do this is to put them on a oven sheet and toast on a low temp 300 for increments of 5 min, flipping them and watching them to avoid burning. I prefer using the stove-top as it's more controlled.

**My first version of this recipe also called for hot sesame oil. If you choose to do this, you can add a few tbs. of the hot oil to the beans after thawing and before adding the cheese. It adds a very exciting and contrasting flavor to the dish.

Add the walnuts to the bean/cheese mixture, cool and serve.

Lastly, you can serve this hot or room temp - it's enjoyable either way.

Oh, and make enough because you'll want to eat this when you're finished with it, in addition to the guests who will want it for leftovers.