Articles from December 2017

Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup

Chicken, Soups
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My air conditioner is on as I type this. It’s almost 70 degrees today. And tomorrow it’ll probably get down to the 50’s. Typical winter in Louisiana! But, I couldn’t wait on the weather to make soup! I’ve been wanting soup all week! And today, I got in my kitchen and made this heavenly Chicken and Spinach Tortellini soup!

Olive Garden, I want to challenge you to a soup-off! You Zuppa Toscana against my Chicken Tort soup! Let’s go! Seriously, I really believe that this recipe will win it. 

I love spinach, so I didn’t even bother chopping it up. I just put handfuls of fresh spinach leaves into my Dutch oven. Oh, and let me tell you that the aromatics from the mirepoix allow was incredible! My kitchen smelled so good while preparing this soup!

And it was very, very easy to make. I always encourage you to either make your own chicken stock or use a chicken base instead of those boxes of chicken broth. It really makes a difference in the end product. 

Serve it with some crusty bread and you’ll have the perfect chilly day lunch! Or, turn the AC on like I did and have it year round! 

Happy Cooking,

B. Coop

Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 lb chicken breast
  2. 2 tsp olive oil
  3. 3 T butter
  4. 1/2 cup diced onions
  5. 1 cup sliced carrots
  6. 1-2 celery stalks (diced)
  7. 3 T flour
  8. 1 T minced garlic
  9. 5 cups chicken stock or 5 cups water & 5 tsp chicken base
  10. 1 T Italian seasoning
  11. 2 sprigs thyme
  12. 2 T onion powder
  13. 1 T garlic powder
  14. 9 oz package tortellini
  15. 3-4 cups fresh spinach leaves
  16. 1 cup heavy cream
  17. 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  18. salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 T onion powder
  3. Wrap chicken in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 or until cooked through
  4. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 mins then chop into bite sized pieces; set aside
  5. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil and melt butter
  6. Add in the onion, celery, and carrots
  7. Saute for 5-6 mins.
  8. Add garlic and saute for 30 secs
  9. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 2 mins
  10. Pour in the chicken stock and add in the Italian seasoning, thyme sprigs, onion & garlic powders.
  11. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and allow to simmer for 15 mins
  12. Add in tortellini and refer to package instructions for cooking time; about 7 mins.
  13. Remove thyme stems
  14. Pour in the heavy cream and cheese
  15. Salt and pepper to taste
  16. Add the chicken and spinach
  17. Continue cooking for 4 mins
  18. Serve with crusty bread
  19. Enjoy!
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Cottage/Shepherd’s Pie

Beef
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Cottage/Shepherd’s Pie? I’m gonna explain. Don’t worry! There is lamb in traditional Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd, sheep, lamb…of course. But, many of us in America opt to use ground beef instead of lamb due to availability and taste preferences. Doing so, turns Shepherd’s pie into Cottage pie! Now, look, if you enjoy lamb, use it! I just can’t eat my childhood homie, Lamb Chop. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff!

Comfort food heaven, right?? That savory beef mixture and creamy, decadent potatoes!! Goodness! Just bliss especially during the wintertime. My Cookies know I love a good red wine with dishes that include beef. And it’s amazing in this recipe. The consistency should be that of “minced meat”. Not stew like and loose.

Don’t skip the egg yolk in the potatoes. It’s a binder. And the cheese helps to brown the top beautifully. I used Parmesan, but white cheddar is great in this recipe as well. Everything is already cooked, so we’re only baking it to brown the top of the potatoes and stiffen them up a bit. I place it on the top oven rack. But, you can also just use the middle rack and place a baking sheet under you skillet or casserole dish. 

Speaking of skillet and dishes, I like to prepare this in my 9 inch cast iron skillet. Easy clean up as I am cooking, baking, and serving it all in one skillet! If you don’t have an oven safe skillet or pan, just transfer it over to a baking dish. 

Cottage/Shepherd's Pie
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
50 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
50 min
Meat
  1. 1 lb lean ground beef or lamb
  2. 1 T olive oil
  3. 1 onion (grate it or finely chop it, whatever works, baby!)
  4. 1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
  5. 1/3 cup grated carrots
  6. 1 T minced garlic
  7. 2 T all purpose flour
  8. 1 T tomato paste
  9. 2 T Worcestershire sauce
  10. 1 tsp onion powder
  11. 1 tsp garlic powder
  12. 1/3 cup dry red wine
  13. 1/3 cup beef broth
  14. 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
  15. seasoned salt and pepper to taste
Potatoes
  1. 4 russet or yukon gold potatoes
  2. 3 T butter (room temp)
  3. 2 T cream cheese (softened)
  4. 2 T heavy cream
  5. 1 tsp garlic powder
  6. 1/3 cup Parmesan (shredded)
  7. 1 egg yolk
  8. salt to taste
  9. fresh parsley to garnish
Meat
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F
  2. Heat oil in a skillet
  3. Crumble in the meat and brown
  4. Add in carrots, onions, and celery
  5. Saute until tender; about 5 mins
  6. Add garlic and saute for 30 secs
  7. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it coats the meat
  8. Add the tomato paste and stir
  9. Now, add the Worcestershire sauce, onion, and garlic powders
  10. Pour in the red wine and simmer until it reduces and the mixture starts to thicken
  11. Stir in the beef broth
  12. Allow it to simmer until it thickens
  13. Taste and adjust seasoning
  14. Turn off the heat and stir in the peas
  15. If not using an oven safe skillet, transfer mixture into a baking dish
Potatoes
  1. Peel and dice potatoes
  2. Boil them in salted water until fork tender
  3. Drain and place back into the pot
  4. Put the pot back on the burner with the heat set at low
  5. Mash the potatoes then stir in the butter and cream cheese
  6. Add the heavy cream, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese
  7. Season to taste with salt
  8. Stir in the egg yolk
  9. Add dollops of the mashed potatoes to the meat mixture and spread it over gently and evenly
  10. Grate more Parmesan on top
  11. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 20-25 mins or until as brown as desired
  12. Allow to rest for 15 mins before serving.
  13. Enjoy!
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The BEST Beef Stew

Beef, Recipes, Soups
Posted on 2 Comments on The BEST Beef Stew

Beef stew is one of my absolute favorite dishes to prepare! I love everything about the cooking process. The fresh herbs, simplicity of ingredients, and tender beef all make me happy! A lot of love goes into my pot! And I put even more into this recipe! Ready to try the BEST Beef Stew ever??!?

I’m not exaggerating. It really is amazing. I LOVE using a dry, red wine in my stew. I typically use Merlot or Pinot Noir. It really enhances the flavors in the beef. Alcohol cooks out with 20-30 secs, so it’s safe for the kiddies. 

NEVER buy stew meat! I repeat, NEVER BUY STEW MEAT!!! It never gets tender no matter how long you cook it. It’s basically just scrap meat from different parts of the animal that butchers package together and sell. Buy a chuck roast and cut that sucker up! Makes a huge difference!

Happy Cooking,

B. Coop

The Best Beef Stew
Serves 5
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Total Time
2 hr 20 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Total Time
2 hr 20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 chuck roast cut into 1 inch chunks
  2. 2 teaspoons onion and garlic powder each
  3. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  4. 3/4 cup flour
  5. 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  6. 1 yellow onion chopped
  7. 2 teaspoons garlic minced
  8. 2 tablespoons flour
  9. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  10. 1 cup dry red wine
  11. 4 cups beef broth
  12. 2-3 sprig thyme
  13. 3 potatoes
  14. 2 cups chopped carrots
  15. 1 cup chopped celery stalks
  16. 1 cup frozen peas
  17. seasoned salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Season the beef with onion and garlic powder, seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
  2. Toss the meat in 3/4 cup of flour.
  3. Heat the oil in a pot.
  4. Brown meat 1 min per side. Do this in batches so that the meat actually browns and not just steams from overcrowding the pot.
  5. Remove from pot but leave the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot. **That’s called the “fond” (who knew it had a name??) it’s where all of your flavor comes from. Looks burnt, don’t be alarmed it isn’t.
  6. Now add the onions and minced garlic.
  7. Sauté till translucent.
  8. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour then stir for a few secs to cook out that flour taste. Add the tomato paste.
  9. Next pour in the red wine. **Don’t worry, the alcohol content of the wine will evaporate after 20-30 secs of cooking. My stew won’t make ya tipsy! However, you can use beef broth instead if you prefer. Only a 1 cup tho, for now.
  10. Allow it to come to a slight boil. This will loosen “the fond”.
  11. Stir until it starts to thicken. Keep the heat at medium.
  12. Add meat back to the pot. (the smell in your kitchen will be amazing at this point, you’re welcome!)
  13. Then, add in the beef broth and thyme sprigs
  14. Cover and allow to simmer for an hour.
  15. Remove thyme stems
  16. Add vegetables of your choice. I use potatoes, carrots, and celery.
  17. Taste and adjust your seasoning if needed.
  18. Cook for another hour or until meat and veggies are fork tender.
  19. If using peas, add them in during the last 10 mins of cooking time if frozen.
  20. Serve over rice or potatoes.
  21. Invite me over for dinner.
Coop Can Cook https://coopcancook.com/

Strawberry Delight

Desserts, Recipes
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My best friend, Danielle, used to do all of the cooking back in the day. I NEVER cooked. It happened by chance. I just one day decided to put a pot on the stove. Haven’t turned back since! Back to the story. My bad. Danielle made some super bomb desserts! She introduced me to one called Strawberry Delight! And the name fit it perfectly! It instantly became my favorite thing to have her make! And it was extremely easy! I hadn’t made it in years before this Thanksgiving mishap transpired. 

On this past Thanksgiving, I was in the middle of baking pound cakes when I realized I was out of Baker’s Joy! I figured I’d just flour and grease the pan. Big mistake! The damn cake stuck! I mean, it was glued to the pan! That’s what I get for being lazy! I went into panic mode. And that’s how my version of Strawberry Delight was created…

Yeah, it’s definitely not a cute dessert. It looks a mess! But, I promise, no one will care about the looks after tasting this heavenly treat! Danielle’s version used Nilla wafers instead of cake and Cool Whip instead of fresh cream. I had to be extra! And I definitely encourage you too be extra too!

I’ve made this with Cream Cheese Pound Cake and it was great. But, I do prefer using my Easy White Cake recipe http://www.coopcancook.com/easy-white-cake/ in this. I made a few changes to the cake recipe. I used strawberry extract instead of almond. I also used Vanilla Coconut almond milk instead of whole milk. Yummy! So, feel free to play around with the flavors. 

Happy Cooking,

B. Coop

Strawberry Delight
Serves 8
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Ingredients
  1. 1 13x9 white cake cut into cubes (Use my Easy White Cake recipe)
  2. 8 oz cream cheese (soften; don't you put it in the microwave! Let it sit out at room temp.)
  3. 15 oz container frozen, sweetened, sliced strawberries
  4. 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  5. 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  6. 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  7. 3 T powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Spread cake cubes into a casserole dish or container
  2. Using an electric mixer, mix 4 oz of the cream cheese until smooth
  3. Pour in the condensed milk and mix well
  4. Add in the juice from the strawberries and 1 tsp of vanilla extract
  5. Mix until combined.
  6. Fold in the strawberries.
  7. Pour mixture evenly over the cake
  8. Now, mix the remaining half of cream cheese until smooth
  9. Slowly pour in the heavy cream and mix for 30 secs
  10. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
  11. Whisk until stiff peaks form; about 2 minutes.
  12. Spread cream evenly over the crumbled cake mixture
  13. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve.
  14. Enjoy!
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