Crock Pot Chicken Stew

Ingredients

1 pound boneless chicken, cubed

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups potato, chopped (peeled if desired)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning 

1/4 teaspoon of thyme1 clove minced garlic
3 TBS heavy cream
1 cup frozen peas & corn
roux (Melt 4 TBS butter on stove top. Stir in about 4 TBS of flour - one TBS at a time - until roux reaches desired thickness)

Directions

Put all ingredients except heavy cream, frozen peas & corn, and roux into 3.5 quart crock pot. Turn on low for 6 to 8 hours. During last half hour or hour of cooking, stir in cream, frozen peas and corn, and roux and allow stew to thicken. 

Bloody Mary Salad

The Dressing

Ingredients

1-2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

2 TBS tomato juice

3 TBS lemon juice

3 TBS lime juice

2 TBS prepared horseradish

2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce

1 clove minced garlic

hot sauce, to taste

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Shake well. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Shake well before using.
(Disclaimer: Measurements may vary depending on your own taste preferences!)  

The Salad

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup pitted green olives, sliced (I used 1/2-cup Manzanilla olives with pimentos + 1/2-cup ripe green olives)

1 cup celery, sliced
4 oz. Blue Cheese, chunks or slices
Celery leaves, for garnish 

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

Put all ingredients in a bowl or on a platter. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of dressing, or more to taste. 

Practical Paleo Bacon & Egg Salad

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/4 cup Baconnaise
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 12 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Take eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature.
Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and bring it to a boil.

Place the eggs in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and place them in a large bowl with ice water for 10 minutes. This will keep them from turning green around the yolk.

Peel the eggs, place them in a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or large fork. Mix in the Baconnaise, sea salt, black pepper, chopped bacon, and chopped chives.

Prep Time: 20 mins. / Cooking Time: 20 mins. / Yield: 4 servings

Source: Practical Paleo by Dianne Sanfilippo, BS, NC

Practical Paleo Baconnaise

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (gluten-free)
• 3/4 cup bacon fat, melted and cooled to room temp

Directions:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice, and mustard until blended and bright yellow (about 30 seconds).
Add 1/4 cup bacon fat to the yolk mixture a few drops at a time, whisking constantly.
Gradually add the remaining bacon fat in a slow, thin stream, whisking constantly, until the mayonnaise is thick and lighter in color.
Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Prep time: 15 mins. / Yield: 3/4 cup

Source: Practical Paleo by Dianne Sanfilippo, BS, NC

Mac and Cheese Cones with Bacon "Bling"

I found this recipe in the Eat. St. cookbook one day while at work. It was taken from the Gypsy Queen Cafe, a food cart in Baltimore, MD. The recipe can be found online with metric measurements, so I'm posting it here with standard measurements for those of us in America. ;)

Photo courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients:

Bacon "Bling":
1 lb bacon, diced
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tart apples, diced
3 cups barbecue sauce
3 tbsp liquid smoke
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mac and Cheese Cones:
1.5 lb macaroni, cooked and cooled
2 cups cream cheese, softened
1 lb American cheese, cubed
8 oz Asiago cheese, grated
4 cups 10% cream
6 large malted waffle cones

Directions: 

For the "bling," in a large skillet, cook bacon, onion, and apples over medium-high heat until bacon is crisp. Stir in barbecue sauce, liquid smoke, and vinegar. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thick and caramelized, about 1 hour. Remove from heat.

For the cones, in a large saucepan, combine macaroni, cream cheese, American cheese, Asiago cheese, and cream. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until cheeses are melted and well blended. Spoon mac and cheese into malted cones and top with bacon "bling."

Minestrone Spicy Soup

This recipe comes from my mother's friend, Joan.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium zucchini, cubed
2 cans beef broth
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced plum tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) red kidney beans

1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp red pepper or cayenne

1 cup thin spaghetti, broken
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Brown sausage. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Saute onion, pepper, garlic. In large soup pot, put beef broth, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, sauteed onion, pepper, garlic, and sausage and spices. Simmer 1 hr. Add potatoes, zucchini and spaghetti. Cook about 10 mins longer. Add cheese. Serve.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

Mom's Meatballs
2 to 3 packages of sweet Italian sausage (sausages cut in half)
2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4 carrot, shredded
1 large can mushroom pieces, drained
2 large cans tomato sauce
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 TBS Italian seasoning (or more to taste. If sauce is bitter later, you can add sugar to sweeten)
2 bay leaves
Parsley flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

First, make Mom's Meatballs. Then, brown Italian sausage pieces in oven and drain on paper towels.
Next, put oil in bottom of sauce pot. Add onion, pepper, celery, carrot, mushrooms. Saute until soft. Drain oil. Add tomato sauce and whole tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with your fingers. Add meatballs and sausage pieces. Add Italian seasoning, bay leaves and parsley flakes.
Cook for 4 hours on stove top, uncovered so sauce thickens. Leave wooden spoon in the pot while you cook. About 2 hours into cooking, sprinkle in grated Parmesan cheese. You will know when the sauce is thick enough when the wooden spoon stands up unassisted in the middle of the pot.