Simple Suppers-April Recipes

In April we met at Debbie's to share our favorite simple supper recipes. We started with a delicious grilled shrimp appetizer that Sandy made. Shelly made a classic Italian spinach frittata.  Debbie made a cheesy spinach side dish. Jen made a strawberry spinach salad with homemade dressing. I made Tortilla Soup and New York style cheesecake with strawberries.  The recipes I have received are below.

Jen's Salad Dressing

1c. olive oil

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

Combine all ingredients in a container, cover tightly and shake!

Tortilla Soup

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup frozen corn

3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 boneless chicken breasts, pulled

Saute onion and garlic. Stir in chili powder, oregano, crushed tomatoes, 2 1/2 cups chicken stock and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.  Add frozen sweet corn, jalapeno peppers, black beans, cilantro and chicken. Simmer 10 minutes. Top with grated cheese, tortilla chips, chopped scallions.

New York Style Cheesecake

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (8 crackers)

1 Tablespoon sugar

5 Tablespoons sugar

5 Tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 large egg yolks plus 6 large whole eggs

Cook crust 13 minutes at 325. Cool.

Set oven temp to 500. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add salt and half of the sugar, scrape bowl. Add remaining sugar. Scrape bowl. Add sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla. Combine. Add yolks, then eggs two at a time. Scrape after each addition. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes. Reduce to 200. 

Cook 1 1/2 hours.