Kielbasa with Beer and Onions

This is one of those meals that you didn't know you were craving until you take the first bite, then you don't know how you haven't been eating this for the last week.

This meal also reminds me of a great story of my Nana. She was in active labor with my uncle, her fifth child, and just had to finish her sauerkraut, kielbasa and quart of beer. (Yuengling of course; and it was 1960...women still drank and smoked while pregnant.) I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut so I substitute onions for it and incorporated the beer in a pregnancy friendly way. Enjoy!

Oh and if you're wondering what a Yuengling is...it's a local lager. It's the oldest brewery in America and based right in Pottsville, PA. My grandparents lived in the town and my Nana actually went to grade school across the street for the brewery. I'm pretty particular about my beer and Yuengling is one of my favorites.



Ingredients
6 kielbasa links
3 small yellow onions, sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 Yuengling or another lager if you're not privy to this delicious beer
6 potato rolls

Directions
In a large, deep pan add the butter, kielbasa and onions. Once the kielbasa and onions are brown add the beer. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down so the beer simmers. Simmer the beer until it becomes thick to an almost syrup like consistency; about 20-30 minutes.

Just before serving kielbasa lightly toast the rolls. Place each link on a roll and equally divide the onions and sauce amongst the 6 rolls. I add a slice of American cheese to my sandwich and topped it with yellow mustard. Out of this world!

French Onion Soup

My husband loves French Onion Soup. Any time he orders soup from a restaurant there's a 95% chance it's going to be French Onion. I came across this recipe while perusing Annie's Eats and had to make it for him. I followed the recipe she has posted, except where I note.

I served it with salad and the extra baguettes. It makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
2 leeks, including tender green portions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
¼ cup dry red wine
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme (I used dried thyme)
1 bay leaf (I omitted...I just do not like bay leaf)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Baguette slices, ¾-inch thick
Sliced Gruyere cheese

Directions
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced red onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have wilted. Mix in the sugar and leeks and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are completely caramelized and dark in color (about 15 more minutes). Add the garlic to the pot and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken and beef broths and red wine, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer about 30 minutes. Discard the herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the broiler with an oven rack in the upper-middle position. Portion the soup into oven-safe bowls or crocks placed on a baking sheet. Top each serving with two baguette slices, and layer with thin slices of Gruyere cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is browned and bubbly, 2-5 minutes.

Blue Cheese Burger with Carmelized Onions

I'm back! Sorry for the lack of updating on the blog. It's been a crazy few months with my sister's wedding, visiting family and finding out my husband and I are expecting our first child in June. I won't bore you with the details of being completely turned off to delicious food for a month and a half but will reward you with a tasty burger recipe.

Ingredients

1lb ground beef (20% fat)
8 oz blue cheese crumbles
3 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp dried dill weed
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
4 rolls

Directions

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, half the blue cheese, dill weed, salt and pepper. Set aside to allow the flavors to marry.

In a medium bowl, mix ground beef, the remaining half of blue cheese, salt and pepper. Form four (4) patties. Heat grill to medium high heat.

Heat a skillet, over medium low heat. Melt butter in skillet, add sliced onion. Saute for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, begin to cook burger patties on grill, approximately 5 minutes for each side. After 10-12 minutes, add sugar to onions, stir to coat. Allow the onions to cook until golden brown. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towel.

Once burgers are cooked completed, place each burger on a roll, top with a quarter of the blue cheese sauce and onions.

Southwest Corn Chowder

With the cooler temperatures and rainy weather we've been treating ourselves to lots of comfort food. I had some fresh Jersey corn in my freezer that I wanted to use before it was destroyed by frost bite. Velvety and warm corn chowder was just the thing to make. I don't particularly care about the calories from using heavy cream but if you do you could easily substitute half and half or light cream instead. Serve this with some crusty bread and you have a warming and satisfying meal.


Ingredients
5 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
32 oz of chicken or vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp flour
2 tsp of chili powder
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions

In a large stock pot, add oil and onions stirring to coat. Cook over medium heat until onions begin to carmelize. Add garlic and continue cooking until pale golden brown, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and garlic and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and bring to a vigorous boil. Continue to boil for 10 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to boil for an additional 10 minutes, be sure to stir to prevent the cream from burning or boiling over. Add the corn and red peppers, simmer for 5 minutes or until corn is tender. Add paprika and chili powder, salt and pepper to tasty. Serve hot. You can garnish with cheddar cheese and/or scallions.

Creamy Onion Soup

This is my version of the Walkabout Soup from Outback Steakhouse.

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions, sliced thin
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
42 oz beef broth
3/4 cup hot water
4 tspb cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper

Directions

In a large pot, bring beef broth to a boil. Add onions to broth and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Mix cornstarch with hot water until completely dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to beef broth, stir until thoroughly incorporated. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly. Turn heat to low and add heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.

I served this with a simple steak and toasted pumpernickel bread just like they do at Outback.

Chicken Bacon and Caramelized Onion Pizza

This pizza was inspired by an appetizer I made recently (that I have yet to post). It has everything we love: chicken, bacon and onions. It requires a little bit of effort if you don't have the ingredients leftover from another meal but it's still so worth it.

Ingredients

1 pre-made pizza crust
4 oz of tomato sauce
10 oz of fresh whole milk mozzarella, sliced
2 chicken breasts
6 pieces of bacon
1 yellow onion
2 tsp of sugar
olive oil
1 tbsp of butter

Directions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cook bacon and cool. Once cool to handle rough chop.

Slice the onion (no wider than 1/4 inch). In a large saute pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter over a medium heat. Add the onions and saute for approximately 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Add the sugar to the onions and continually stir onions to prevent sugars from burning. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until onions are a deep golden brown and smell sweet. Remove from pan.

If you don't have left over chicken, season two chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper and saute in a pan with olive oil until just cooked through (about 5-7 minutes on the first side and 2-4 minutes on the second side). Remove from pan. Slice chicken into even strips.

Roll out the pizza dough onto an cookie sheet. Spread tomato sauce evenly to the edges. Place half of the cheese on top of the sauce; add the chicken and onions. Top with cheese and bacon. Sprinkle with oregano if you desire.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until cheese and crust are golden brown.

Serve immediately.