Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

3 lbs red peppers (8-10) halved & cleaned of seeds & membrane

5 cloves garlic, in peel

2 cups onion, chopped

2 tblsp olive oil

2 large sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Place cleaned red pepper halves skin side up & garlic cloves on a foil lined cookie sheet. Set oven on broil and cook red peppers and garlic for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pepper skin has blackened. Place in a large ziplock bag to steam for approximately 10 minutes. 

Add oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. Add thyme, bay leaves and onion & sautée for approximately 10 minutes or until onion has softened. Add broth, hot sauce, salt & pepper. Squeeze garlic cloves out of the peel into the pot. Peel the charred skin off the pepper & add to pot, discarding the skin.  

Reduce heat, cover and simmer another 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Using a hand held immersion blender, blend until smooth. 

Add additional salt to taste and serve hot. 

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork

6 lb pork shoulder roast

1 cup barbecue sauce

4 cloves minced garlic

2 tbsp Montreal steak spice

Few drops liquid smoke

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh fennel green top parts

Cut open roast like a book and scores the meat. Mix next 6 ingredients and cover roast with mixture. Roll meat and tie with butchers string. Spread additional barbecue sauce over roast. 

Place in a roast pan and top with fennel. Bake in a 300 degree oven for approximately 6 hours. 

Remove the fennel and string and shred the roast into the pan juices. Cook for an additional 1 - 2 hours. 

Serve on toast or buns. 

Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

6 strips bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup French fried onions

1 small pkg tater tots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat an 11 x 7 inch with no stick spray. 

Press ground beef into pan and place tater tots evenly on top. Add cream of mushroom soup spreading to cover evenly. Sprinkle peppers, bacon and French fried onions over soup. Top with 1 cup of shredded cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and gently stir casserole breaking ground beef into chunks. Top with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese. 

Bake for an additional 30 minutes and serve. 

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 cup onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chicken broth

500 gram pkg frozen cut broccoli

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 cup old cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can diced potatoes (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook 2 additional minutes. 

Add broth and broccoli and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer approximately 5 minutes until broccoli is tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and purée with a hand mixer until desired consistency is reached. 

Stir in milk, worchestershire sauce, mustard, potatoes, salt and pepper. Add cheese and cook, stirring over low heat until cheese is melted and potatoes are warmed through. 

Serve, garnishing with additional cheese if desired. 

Christmas Morning Casserole

Christmas Morning Casserole
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16 slices white bread, crusts removed

16 slices bacon, cooked OR

16 slices back bacon

16 slices sharp cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 cup red pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3 cups milk

1/4 lb butter

Cover bottom of buttered 9 X 13 baking dish with 8 slices of bread. Cover bread with bacon and cheese.  Top with remaining bread to make it a sandwich. 

In a bowl beat eggs. Add pepper, dry mustard, onion, red pepper, Worcestershire sauce and milk. Pour over sandwich and refridgerate overnight. 

In the morning, melt butter and pour overtop. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour or until cooked through and set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  

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Gramma's Cabbage Rolls

Gramma's Cabbage Rolls

1 head cabbage

6 serving size of long grain white rice, prepared and cooled

1 onion finely chopped

2 tbsp bacon grease or olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb ground pork

1 large can of tomato juice 

Salt

Pepper

Cut out cabbage core. Fill bottom of large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add cabbage and boil covered until leaves come away from the center. As leaves come away place them in a strainer and continue boiling cabbage and removing leaves until all leaves have been removed. 

Cut out the hard center vein of each leaf and cut each leaf into 3 pieces. 

Save outside large leaves for later. 

I prefer to quarter the cabbage and remove the core and steam the cabbage quarters individually to loosen the leavers - works better for me but there does tend to be more waste of the cabbage this way. 

Heat bacon grease or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sautée onion until softened. 

Add onions to cooled rice in a large mixing bowl along with ground beef, pork, salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Place a spoonful of mixture in cabbage leaf and roll, placing each roll in a casserole dish or baking pan. The amount of mixture for each leaf depends on the size of your cut cabbage leaves. 

Once finished pour tomato juice over cabbage rolls, making sure even coverage. Cover with a layer of saved outside leaves. 

Bake in a 300 degree oven for approximately 2 hours. Discard layer of leaves placed on top for cooking and serve. 

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups oil

1 small can pumpkin

3 cups flour

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Sprinkle of brown sugar

Beat eggs slightly, add sugar, oil and pumpkin and beat thoroughly. 

Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth. 

Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and sprinkle tops with brown sugar. 

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes.