Portuguese Soup

This is a great recipe. My mom used to make it all the time. Despite the name, this is a very inexpensive, delicious and filling soup that is VERY easy to make. You can make it on the stove top or in the crock pot. Matter of fact, I have a batch in the crock pot right now.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb ground beef (Substitute other ground protein if you wish)
• 2 C. chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (I used 80/20 ground beef and omitted the extra oil)
• 1 lg can whole stewed tomatoes
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (I also added some cayenne for some heat)
• 2 qt. water
•  1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 C. broken vermicelli
• 1 pkg keilbasa (chorizo would also be very very good if you have it)

CROCKPOT: Dump it all in, turn onto highest setting, let cook for at least 4 hours. (Or until you get home)

STOVE TOP: brown mean, onion and garlic in oil. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, sausage and water. Bring to boil. Cover, Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add thyme, basil, cabbage and pasta. Bring to boil. Cook until cabbage and pasta are soft.

YEP that's it. It freezes well and is even better eaten the next day, if it sticks around that long. 

Try it out. Let me know what you think and how you changed it to your liking.

My recipes are merely guidelines. I change stuff all the time depending on what's in season and/or on sale, and to my taste. I like more heat than my mom, so I add cayenne. You can too. Try it as is, then change it up :D

Have fun with it. Yum Yum.

Rockin' Recipes: Salsa Chicken in Springroll Cups

My 2 thighs were small. This made 9 pieces.

Ingredients:

• 2 left over roasted chicken thighs, skin removed, and pulled from bone.
• 3 Tbsp of your favorite salsa
• 1/2 a Medium Onion
• 4 slices of REAL American cheese, or cheddar (Not pasturized processed cheese food. REAL CHEESE PEOPLE)
• Egg Roll wrappers
• Pinch of salt
• Oil for muffin tin.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a food processor, put the chicken, salt, salsa and onion. Buzz until your desired consistency. I went for almost pate style with just a little chunk.
3. Oil the muffin tin.
4. Line each cup with a wanton wrapper, add filling, til ALMOST full, fold over sides allowing them to overlap each other. Do this for each cup that you have filling for.
5. Since the chicken is cooked, we're just browning the wantons, and heating the insides. So bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious.

I've also filled wantons with banana and nutella for dessert. OMG To Die For! You can do these same cups with all sorts of fillings; sweet or savory. Fill it with your favorite things, throw it in the oven for something extra special.

Another option is use a mini muffin tin, use wanton wrappers to make appetizers for parties without breaking the bank!