Recipes for the week...

Can't wait to try these recipes this week! I love finding recipes like this...I should give credit where credit is due... but I forgot which site I got these off of. Now I just need to find the vinaigrette dressing that Bajio makes to top off my Bajio salad for tonight!

Macaroni Grill Bread
1 Tbsp SAF yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
Topping:
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
Coarse salt
Mix yeast, sugar, and water till frothy. Add 2 cups of the flour, salt, oil and rosemary and mix till smooth. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Form into a round loaf and place on a lightly greased pan. (I used my stoneware pan, so I didn't need to grease it.) Brush the loaf with butter using a pastry brush. It will be really wet. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt. Let rise till doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake in a 450 oven for about 20-25 minutes. Serve with balsamic vinegar and olive oil if desired.

Zuppa Tuscana Soup

1# pork sausage
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 slices bacon (optional)—I didn’t add it
6 cups chicken broth (I used homemade broth and chicken bouillon with water)
4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 cups chopped kale
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup cream
pepper to taste

Brown sausage with onion (add garlic the last couple of minutes. Drain if needed. Cook potatoes and kale in broth till tender. Add sausage, Italian seasoning, and cream and heat through. Add pepper to taste.
Notes:
-They didn't use the bacon and thought it was fine without it. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups cream, but she only had one, so that's all she used.
-If you use chicken bouillon instead of the broth, use 2 Tbsp for the 6 cups of water. She recommend using only 1 Tbsp bouillon and 3 cups water and the other 3 cups either homemade or canned broth. If you use all bouillon/water, the soup is quite salty.
-Make sure you chop the kale into small pieces.
-If you have small children, it is easier for them to eat if you cut the slices of potato into halves or fourths.
-This soup is thin, like broth. If you want it thicker, you could whisk some flour into the cream before you add it.


Awesome Bajio Style Chicken

5 chicken breasts
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 4oz can diced green chilies
6oz Sprite (1/2 can)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Serve with flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, black beans, and whatever other taco fixin's your family likes.
Notes:
-This chicken is not real spicy, so you could add some extra green chilies if you like your food with a little more kick.
-It has a lot of juice, so serve it with a slotted spoon.
-Bajio serves the chicken with caramelized onions.