Fish Stew with Turkey Sausage

The fall feels like it is rolling in. My plants hate this quick temperature drop. Everyone and everything around me is in need of some comfort food.

Usually when people describe comfort food, I hear of mac and cheese, casseroles, meatloaf, and other delicious items. When I think of comfort food, I think of what I grew up with... fish soup. My mother made the most delicious one but it used a full head of fish, many vegetables, an enormous pot, and many hours of labor.

She would start around 9 am procuring the ingredients but the fish soup would take the whole day to make and cook down. It was always ready by dinner time and it was perfect. I wish I had the energy, strength, and courage to make a dish like that. But very honestly, I don't....not A not B, and definitely not C.

Therefore, to make what I call comfort food, I had to use quick and easy ingredients working towards the flavor and taste of comfort. I am impressed with the result. I am impressed with the taste. I am almost certain that my mother would be proud but that is less important. I am proud of the end result. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do.



Ingredients:

1-2 Tilapia filets
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, sliced or diced
6-8 large shrimp, cooked and frozen
1/4 cup diced Smoked Turkey Sausage (I used Butterball)
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 pinch of dried Mediterranean Oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
dash of Creole Seasoning (not particularly necessary)
1 tbsp tomato sauce or tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash of ground black pepper

Recipe:

(1) In a medium sauce pan, sprayed with olive oil, saute red onion on medium heat, until browned.
(2) In a medium-sized pot, saute celery and red bell pepper until wilted. Add onions to this dish.
(3) Add 1 cup of water to the pot and bring to a boil.
(4) In the medium sauce pan, add the fennel seeds, turning occasionally to brown.
(5) In the pot with the vegetables, add the remaining seasonings: thyme, oregano, creole seasoning, mustard, garlic powder, black pepper, and ketchup, followed by the tomato paste.
(6) When the pot begins to boil, add the tilapia and shrimp. This will extract a lot of shellfish flavor.
(7) Lastly add the diced sausage that is already cooked. I used a type that is fully cooked to save myself the time.
(8) Bring this to a simmer, leaving the lid off to allow the soup to reduce (approximately 8-10 minutes).

Serve and enjoy. This a delicious, hearty dish that provides both nourishment and energy. Definitely something great to savor when the temperature begins to drop. Sit back and enjoy.

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

This has been a whirlwind. From July through now, I have been transitioning into my new job. My time to devote to all things creative and delicious has been quite limited. Nevertheless, despite my excuses, I have managed to pull off a few quick dinners and baked goods.

I will do my best to recap, but here is one dish that I completed in a matter of minutes, using some quick thinking with a growling belly, leftover rotisserie chicken, vegetables that needed some love, and a huge biscuit sitting precariously in the refrigerator. To prepare something hearty and delicious, I came up with a quick 10-min Chicken Pot Pie. I highly recommend. My husband seemed to love it as he scarfed the entire thing down and relaxed back in the chair with a grin on his face.



Ingredients:

1/4 Rotisserie Chicken
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (I used Trader Joe's concentrate)
1 large biscuit


Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut up the rotisserie chicken into small cubes and set aside. Also, chop vegetables including, onion, celery, and carrot.

3. Saute vegetables in a small frying pan until slightly browned.

4. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

5. Add diced chicken to pot, keeping temperature med-to-low.

6. Pour mixture into dish of choice.

7. Cover with biscuit that has been sliced horizontally.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Enjoy the savory goodness. Smile, grin, sit-back...

Decadence: Banana Bread Pudding topped with caramelized fruit and nuts

I love when I make something and the person tasting grins at first bite....I know, no voice comes out at first, just a warming smile like an ah ha moment in meditation or yoga, when you finally get that pose correct.

Well that complement came upon sharing this dessert. It is a bread pudding but it uses leftover sweet decadent full of flavor banana bread, as the base.

I feel like I cannot take all of the credit as I used one of the 5 loaves provided by my mother. I do not exaggerate. She is very generous and also exceptional at everything she makes. In fact, you can find her recipe for the banana bread here.

When we ended up with 5 loaves of banana bread, we froze what we couldn't consume immediately. When I found this loaf in the freezer, I decided to make bread pudding.... The result, fantastic!

Banana Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1 full sized loaf of banana bread
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
4 egg whites, beaten
2 cups lowfat milk or almond milk
1/2 cup sugar or 12 packets of sugar substitute
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe:

(1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

(2) Spray a pyrex dish (8 x 8) or mid-sized pyrex bowl with baking spray (canola oil with flour).

(3) Melt the butter/margarine into a medium-sized microwave safe bowl. I usually microwave the butter or margarine at low power for 1-2 min. Break the banana bread into small pieces into this bowl and toss to coat.

(4) In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, almond milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract until well combined.

(5) Evenly distribute bread over prepared baking pan. Pour liquid mixture over the bread, and lightly push down with a fork so all of the bread is coated and absorbing the egg mixture. Add the raisins and whatever other favorite additions, spreading evenly. Nuts also work well.

(6) Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until done. Check completeness by sticking a knife into the center. If the knife comes out clean without any of the bread mixture adhering, the bread pudding is done.

(7) Allow to cool and enjoy.

And yes, wait for it...............the ah ha moment. Bliss.

I topped mine with caramelized bananas (bananas + 1 tbsp sugar over heat, stirring every few minutes) and chopped walnuts.

Independence Day celebration menu

Wordless Wednesday: Independence Day Menu