Spicy Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup

We are soup eaters.  In fact, this week we are going to have soup 4 times.  I cooked this soup Monday night, my brother made Stir Fry Soup last night, Andrew is making soup tonight (he was undecided last night about what kind of soup) and Mark is making soup tomorrow night. Mark is going to try his hand at an authentic French Onion soup. Yum!  Then we are going to vote for the best soup of the week.  Like I said, we are soup eaters.  This recipe for Thai soup is easy and tasty and perfect for a weeknight dinner because it comes together in about 30 minutes.  I just sent this to Nancy because she loves Thai food and this is a perfect blend of spicy, sweet, salty and sour. 

The ingredients:
1 Qt (2 cartons) chicken stock
1 stalk of lemon grass, cracked open with the flat side of a knife (or the lemongrass in a tube found in the produce department)
4 limes, juiced plus 1 lime peel (3-4 pieces using a vegetable peeler, no white pith)
1 3 inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced thin
2 small Thai chilies, halved lengthwise (or 2 red jalapenos, sliced thin into rounds)
2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp soy sauce (you can add a bit more to taste before serving)
1 tbsp sugar
1 package of sliced mushrooms
½ red onion, thinly sliced into ½ rounds

1 roasted chicken from the deli or 2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded into large chunks
Salt and Pepper, to taste
¼ c cilantro, roughly chopped
5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced

The method:
In a large pot: Add the chicken stock, lime peel, lemon grass (or 3 tbsp of lemongrass from the tube), ginger, garlic, and chili’s or jalapenos. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, shred the chicken and prep other ingredients. Uncover and add the coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, mushrooms, red onions and shredded chicken. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Adjust seasoning and add the cilantro, basil and green onions. Serve with udon noodles, cooked al dente or rice. You can pick out the ginger, lime and lemongrass before serving.

Italian Sausage Bread Ring

Hi Nancy,  This one is for you.  I don't have a picture but since you saw this yesterday I thought it would be ok to blog without one this once.  This recipe is more like a technique because you can stuff the dough with all kinds of fillings.  I've done ham and cheese, hamburger and cheese and this italian sausage version.

The Ingredients:
1 loaf of Bridgeford frozen bread dough, thawed according to package instructions
flour for dusting
1 lb. italian sausage (spicy or mild)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp lawry's season salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt (sprinkle over the dough while rolling out for more flavor)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 shredded mozarella cheese
3 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, for egg wash

The Method:
Brown sausage over medium heat.  Break up sausage with the back of a spoon.  Drain fat.  Season with italian seasoning. season salt and pepper.  Mix in the pepper jack and mozarella cheese.  Set filling aside. Roll out the dough (dust board with flour) to 18" x 6" rectangle.  Place the filling along the long side of the dough.  Use all the filling.  Brush the edges with the egg wash.  Roll dough over filling to form an 18" log. Pinch bottom seam to seal.  Place on baking sheet and form into a circle, pinch dough to seal the circle.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.  You can serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!!!