It's cold out, how about some soup?

We've been extraordinarily lucky here in Lil' Rhody - we haven't had much in the way of bitter cold, our first snow storm came and melted within a matter of days. Two snow storms after that, however, have left us with over a foot on the ground with some bitter temps coming our way.

So what's better when it's bitter cold out, and the ground is covered in frozen white crud? Soup, right? 

For the first time in my life I took on my mother's Chicken Escarole Soup. I ALWAYS bug her to make it, and it's become a tradition that she makes it for me every year on the day we do our annual Christmas cookie baking. But, I wanted to try to do it myself, so that I can have it whenever I want to have it, and not just once a year at mom's house. 

I tweaked a few things from her original recipe, and the outcome was incredible. I'll still always want mom's soup, but I loved mine just as much!

Chicken Escarole Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2-3# whole chicken
• 1 tablespoon Rotisserie seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1# ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 6 large carrots, diced
• 6 large stalks celery, diced
• 1 large head escarole, roughly chopped
• 1# frozen mini cheese ravioli
• 16 oz chicken stock

Directions

Drizzle olive oil over chicken, coat with rotisserie seasoning, and roast according to package directions. 

 While chicken is cooking, prepare your meatballs. Combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Roll into small meatballs, about 1" in diameter. You should get approximately 30 meatballs out of one pound of meat. 

Once your chicken is done cooking, pop the meatballs into the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until browned.

While your meatballs cook, and your chicken is cooling, dice your veggies. 

Once the chicken is cool remove it from the bones, discarding any fat and skin. Then fill a pot of water with approximately 4 qts water, add the chicken carcass, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for approximately 1 hour. 

After your chicken carcass has boiled for approximately an hour, strain into a large soup pan, and add your chicken, vegetables, meatballs, and additional stock. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables begin to soften. Once the vegetables begin to soften, add your escarole and ravioli, and cook until the ravioli is cooked through.

At this point you can add additional seasonings to the broth if desired - we added a bit more salt, pepper, and oregano. We also topped ours with Parmesan cheese after serving into our bowls.

Stay warm friends in the cold climates, and enjoy some soup!

Samantha and Rob

Our First Recipe: Shrimp Scampi

Welcome to Cuisine Feen! We are so excited that you're here following along with us as we create our favorite recipes.

Today's recipe is one of our all time favorites - we both love pasta and seafood, so Shrimp Scampi has become a staple in our house. We did lighten it up, as traditional Shrimp Scampi is loaded with LOTS of butter and oil, and we also used whole wheat pasta to create a healthier, heartier version.

Shrimp Scampi Ingredients

4 servings

• 1 pound large shrimp, with the tails removed
• 1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (more or less to taste, depending on how spicy you like your food, we like heat!)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped (we used red, you can use whatever color you prefer)
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Parmesan cheese, to taste

Shrimp Scampi Directions

• Add olive oil and crushed red pepper to a large saute pan. Heat over medium-high heat until oil gets hot. (If you don't know how to test if oil is hot enough, get a drop of water on your finger and flick it into the pan, if it crackles back at you, the oil is hot enough.) While you're heating your oil, bring a large pot full of water to a boil for your spaghetti. Once the water is boiling, cook your spaghetti (or other pasta of choice) according to package directions. 

• Once the oil is hot, add the black pepper, bell peppers and onions to the oil/crushed red pepper in your saute pan. 

• Stirring a few times, continue to cook the peppers and onions until the onions begin to turn translucent, then add your shrimp. 
  
• Allow the shrimp to cook, stirring no more than 3 or 4 times. The shrimp will begin to turn a pink color and the tails will start to curl. Once they're completely pink, they're fully cooked. 
  
• Add your lemon juice to deglaze the pan, as well as the remaining dry spices and butter. Turn off the heat. 
• Stir until completely combined, toss with your pasta, and serve immediately. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. 

We hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Let us know if you make, we'd love to hear how your version turned out!

Samantha and Rob