New Blog - Feasting on Americana!

A new blog is born!
Some things just can't be confined to a kitchen...or even 4 walls.

Sometimes you just have to hit the open road!
And see where it takes you!

Join us at Feasting on Americana!- our first post is up.

Got your hat?
I've got the keys!
We'll grab some grub on the road.

Taste-Alike: Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

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Cold Chicago winters make me long for summer - and soup. And, while I'm lucky enough to have an Olive Garden restaurant nearby, I don't always want to drive there. So, here's a "Taste-Alike" recipe that is a lovely substitution.

This is a warm and hearty soup. Olive Garden describes their Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup) as having "spicy sausage, russet potatoes and cavolo greens in a creamy broth." I usually include kale in mine. Last night the grocer was out of kale. I substituted mustard greens which worked well.

Here's my Taste-Alike recipe for Zuppa Toscana:

1.5 lbs ground Italian sausage (mild)
1 or 2 t. red pepper flakes (crushed)
1 large white onion (small dice)
3 slices bacon (very crispy, chopped)
2 t. garlic (minced)
1 box (16 oz.) of chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb. sliced Russet potatoes (cubed)
handful of kale
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the Italian sausage. (If you like things a bit spicy, you can also toss the crushed red pepper flakes in with the sausage to bring out the oils.) Drain excess fat and set the sausage aside.

Cook the bacon until it's crispy and lay on paper towel to drain. Chop bacon into pieces. Sweat the onions in some bacon fat until they are translucent. Add the minced garlic at the end. (Careful, garlic burns easily.)

To a large pot, add the onions, garlic, bacon pieces and the chicken broth. When broth reaches a boil, add the cubed potatoes. Cook until potatoes are still a little firm.

Reduce heat to simmer.

Add heavy cream and the cooked sausage. (Add the crushed pepper flakes if they weren't cooked with the sausage.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Add torn pieces of kale just before serving.

Tips:
-I use Swanson's chicken broth. I do not use low sodium.
-I have tried using hot sausage in place of the crushed red pepper - but it leaves a red oil slick on the surface of the soup. (Tastes fine, but it's not pretty.)

You can serve with a crusty bread, or...

Accompanying last night's soup were Cheddar, bacon and chive biscuits from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary. (I assure you that Lisa's pictures of HER biscuits are GLORIOUS. Mine pics...are green. It's due to my penchant for cooking at midnight and snapping pics in the dark of night. Just use your imagination - or better yet, look at Lisa's site for the biscuit recipe.)

The biscuits...wow. Okay, imagine a loaded twice-baked potato. If you love cheddar, bacon and chive, these are your manna. I think I'm gonna try brushing them with garlic butter next time as they come out of the oven. Yum!

You might want to check out my other "Taste-Alike" recipes:
Corner Bakery's Pesto Cavatappi
Sizzler's Malibu Chicken and Sauce.

Enjoy!
Let me know what you think!

Also appearing on:

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

Nuts! Peanut Allergies and a Question

Like what you see?
The Cookin' At Café D Facebook Page is brand-spankin' new~!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was a kid... I walked to school.
Uphill, both ways.
In the snow, barefoot.
(Just like all of you, I imagine.)

And, we ate PB&J for lunch.
Everyday.

Okay, actually, my mom packed apple butter on wheat bread, no peanut butter. Not because of allergies - because she was always half asleep and it was easier, I think.

I wanted peanut butter.
Yes, I lusted after the legume.

I hated hated apple butter. Even more so, I hated wheat bread. If only I realized that I could actually make my own sammich. Slow learner here.

Man, nice digression.
But, the kid in the pic is a cutie.
Annnnnnnnyway...

Nowadays, many schools do not allow peanut butter, or nuts due to nut allergies. I say many because I know of a few that do not have restrictions.

Now, if you aren't hip to the peanut allergy topic, just let your fingers Google. It's very interesting. (And, I wouldn't do that topic justice here. So, I'm not gonna try. There are places where causes and cures are hashed out nine ways to Sunday. This ain't one of them.)

But, I do have a couple of questions for you.
1. Does anyone in your family have a peanut allergy?
2. Does your child's school (daycare, summer activity center, etc.) restrict nuts in the building?
3. What's your favorite lunchtime sammy? How about your child?

Let's keep the convo civil...
And, I'd would REALLY like to hear from you!
Please comment below.

We Have Our 2 Winners!

Wanna know who won our Valentine's Week Giveaway?!

Each winner will receive a signed 8x10 lustre print of "Love on the Line" from Valeria Fuqua at Mistflower Photo.


And, the winners (selected by Random.org) are...


Numbers 9 and 3.

Congratulations to Robbi and Moonablaze!


Update: I've contacted both winners.

Thank you so much to Valerie Fuqua at Mistflower Photo for her generous donations!

Yea!
I just love giveaways!

Giveaway - Last day!

As a special gift to Cookin' at Café D readers, Mistflower Photo is offering a Valentine's Week Giveaway!

See that sweet bleeding heart flower photo above?
It's called "Love on the Line."

Two...yes, 2...lucky readers will each receive a signed 8x10 lustre print of that photo!

Be sure to enter the Giveaway before Midnight tonight (Thursday.)
Winner will be announced on Friday!
Good luck!

The giveaway is has ended.
Click here to see our 2 winners!
Thank you to everyone who entered!
We will indeed have more giveaways.
Stop back soon!

Giveaway! And, Say it Ain't So, Joe!

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway.
Contest closes Thursday at Midnight.

You don't want to miss this one!

For your sister!
For your Mom!
For yourself!

The giveaway is has ended.
Click here to see our 2 winners!
Thank you to everyone who entered!
We will indeed have more giveaways.
Stop back soon!

In other news, dija hear?
Burger King is changing out their coffee to Starbuck's "Seattle's Best."
Geesh, I loved the BK Joe.
Starbucks..."Pa-toohey!"

And, for the Burger King double-cheeseburger lovers out there - who currently pay $1 - start digging in your couch for loose change. Your burger is going up to $1.19. But, have no fear, the dollar menu will include a new "BK Double" which will have one slice of the yellow stuff instead of two. Just a little less bang for that buck.

Giveaway Reminder!

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway.
Contest closes Thursday at Midnight.

You don't want to miss this one!

For your sister!
For your Mom!
For yourself!

The giveaway is has ended.
Click here to see our 2 winners!
Thank you to everyone who entered!
We will indeed have more giveaways.
Stop back soon!

Valentine's Week Giveaway! How Pretty!

Oh, I'm sooo excited about this.
I've wanted to do a giveaway with this artist for months!

You may recall we did an Artist's Feature, of Valerie Fuqua last November.
I just love her work.

The giveaway is has ended.
Click here to see our 2 winners!
Thank you to everyone who entered!
We will indeed have more giveaways.
Stop back soon!

As a special gift to Cookin' at Café D readers, she is offering a Valentine's Week Giveaway! See that sweet bleeding heart flower photo above? It's called "Love on the Line."

Two...yes, 2...lucky readers will each receive a signed 8x10 lustre print of that photo!

To enter -
Visit Mistflower Photo then leave a comment below about which item makes your heart go pitter-patter.

That is worth one entry to win a "Love on the line."
Easy-peasy, right?

Want a second entry?
(Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th?)

For extra entries, leave a separate comment for each/any of the following:
a. Link to this giveaway on your blog,
b. Put a link to the contest in your Facebook status.
c. Twitter the contest with a link,
d. Become a follower of Cookin' at Café D through Google Friend Connect (link at right) and let me know,
e. Become a follower of Cookin' at Café D through another reader and tell me,
f. "Heart" Mistflower Photo as one of your Favorite Sellers and tell me that you did.

Be sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!
(And, leave an e-mail address if I can't easily reach you through a blog.)

How simple!
The contest ends Thursday night, February 18th at Midnight, C.S.T.
Will be shipped to U.S. residents only. (Sorry rest of the world.)
Winner will be chosen by random generator and announced on Friday, February 19th.

Your colorful 8x10 lustre print of "Love on the Line" will be shipped to your door. Now, wouldn't that put a smile on your face?

Happy Valentine's Week!
Now...head off to Mistflower Photo and see what makes your heart go pitter-patter then come back here and tell us about it!

(And, wouldn't it make a pretty Mother's Day gift, too!)

UPDATE: Someone said they were having issues leaving a comment and following my blog, but sadly, they weren't able to offer specifics as to the problem. If you are having an issue, please e-mail me at CookingAtCafeD (at) gmail (dot) com with the details so that I can take steps to correct any issue. And, of course - so you can be entered in the drawing! Thanks!

Mid-Century Retro Doors and TourAnd, Gallery of Garages

This is where it started. I love this house. The square window on the door. The repeating squares below it. The squares next to the windows. How fun.

Darling.
And, it got me thinking.
Couldn't you make your own repeating squares on a door with maybe a picture frame?
(Or, molding if you have a handy miter saw - which I don't.)
You could start with this...


One lonely window - in this case on its side, could be replicated with frames below it painted with a contrasting color. Something like this.


I love the contrasting cream with burgundy outline.
(Sorry for the dark pics - I was burning daylight.)

Let's flip it!
Burgundy with a cream outline!

How about this one?
TRIANGLES!


Okay, I'm swooning.
Now, one of the reasons I was going to blog this is not only because I thought perhaps you could make your own retro style door...but also garage door.

So, I drove around, and around...trying to find the garage that I *know* I've seen with raised molding rectangles like the doors - but couldn't find it.

Instead, I found a heck of a lot of cool vintage garage doors! Here's a blend of the diamond front door detail with a funky garage detail.


Can you see the funky swirlies?

Come on a vintage garage tour with me?
How about some chevrons?

Or, a criss-crossy space-age design?


Anyone for a satellite on your garage?
Or, maybe it's an alien spaceship?

Now we get into the "fine detail work."
Looking at the green one again, we have a curly-Q design.
Or, swirly, or whatever.

And, here's a triangle version of the curly-Q.


Let's flip that one, too.
Here's a dark-on-light version.

How about a cute little bow-tie or keyhole design?
(With a decidedly 1960s door.)

Here's a picture in picture design.


Lastly, there's a little "village in a village" where many 60's apartments - now condos - face each other to form a little retro complex. On the end of two of the buildings are stone vignettes.

(I'm really not sure what to call a vintage 60's stone portrait?
Anyone know? Please comment below if you do!)

**Thank you to Pam Kueber of Retro Renovation who said she thought the word I was looking for is "relief."

We are losing daylight, but here's a backside of one of the complex buildings.

Here's the best I could get of the center portion - where the buildings face each other.

And, here's one of the two stone reliefs.
This one portrays Robin Hood.
(The other one is worn from weather. But, the Robin Hood is lovely.)
And, how about that amazing wall of layered stone?!


Thanks for coming on our little vintage front door and garage tour.
I hope some of these have inspired you.

What do you think?
Could you make your own "DIY Vintage Door" using molding or a picture frame?