Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup

I made this for dinner last night. It was very yummy!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, shredded
• 1 c. celery, chopped
• 2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (16 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained
• 4 cups beef stock
• 3 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 5 tsp. parsley
• 1 tsp. tabasco sauce
• 1 (20 oz.) jar Prego traditional spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz. pasta (I like using ditali pasta)

Instructions

• Brown ground beef in large skillet. Drain fat. Add beef and all ingredients except the pasta into a large crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
• Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.

You could also cook it in a large pot on the stove top. It would need to be a LARGE pot or a LARGE crock pot. This makes like 12 servings; it is A LOT of soup. I was able to feed my neighbors, our family and I even sent some home for Keaton and Emilie. I still had left overs! Super yummy though!

Recipe and picture from here.http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2012/08/olive-garden-pasta-e-fagioli-soup.html 

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

I made this last night to take to a game night with friends. So delicious and if you were to use whole wheat tortillas for the chips pretty dang healthy! I found it on Our Best Bites. I actually made it over a year ago for a cooking group that I was in. I kept remembering it being so hard to make and so I haven't made it since. I think because it was combined with a bunch of other time consuming recipes that is what made it hard. Because it is a really simple recipe.

For a more detailed explanation on different ways that you can make this delicious dish go here.

Basically you pick whatever fruit you want. I try to pick fruits that are different colors (and on sale). I made this last night with strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges & blueberries.  You can use raspberries, blackberries, mangos, honeydew, pineapple, etc. You get the idea.

Simply, chop all the fruit up into small pieces (this is a little tedious) you could use a food processor if you wanted. But you don't want the fruit mushy.  Place the chopped fruit in a bowl and add a little sweetener. By a little I mean a little.  I used about a teaspoon, if that, of honey.

You could use agave, brown sugar, powdered sugar etc. There are lots of ideas on the website.

Refrigerate and serve with the cinnamon tortilla chips.

Our Best Bites Cinnamon Tortilla Chips:

Take 6 inch flour (or whole wheat) tortillas
Spray with cooking spray or baste with a little melted butter
Sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar
Cut into triangles with a pizza cutter (each tortilla makes 8 chips)
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
Let cool

This could be an appetizer or a dessert. It really is that yummy. When the cookies ran out at game night the cinnamon chips are what the kids went for instead. They loved them. 

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

I bought some pork chops on sale the other day and was looking for a way other than Shake'n Bake to cook them. 

I came across this recipe and my family loved it! They were really delicious pork chops. I served them with mashed potatoes and peas. They would be yummy with roasted potatoes or fresh green beans or asparagus too.

A lot of the slow cooker recipes I looked at had a lot of prep work prior to getting the pork chops into the crock pot. That isn't why I use my crock pot. I use it for ease and convenience. This recipe was very easy to throw together and I had all the ingredients on hand making it also very convenient.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth ( I did two cups)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP paprika
1 TBSP garlic powder (I didn't use an entire TBSP. It seemed to already have enough garlic for me)
1 TBSP poultry seasoning (I didn't have any of this, nor am I 100% sure what it is, so I omitted it and they still tasted great)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chicken broth, garlic, paprika, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, oregano, and basil. Pour into the slow cooker. Cut small slits in each pork chop with the tip of a knife, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork chops into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on High for 4 hours. Baste periodically with the sauce.

I found this recipe here on All Recipes.com

Lasagna Soup

My neighbor made this for me after Ella was born and we literally ate it daily until it was gone. It is super yummy!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian sausage (We use ground beef. Sausage makes Drew nervous)
1 onion, diced
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup mushroom (optional)
2 cups chopped spinach
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 ounce cans) chicken broth
2 (14 ounce cans) Italian stewed tomatoes, or Petite Diced tomatoes (with the seasoning in the can)
1 (8 ounce can) tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 box of pasta (we used the mini bow tie)
mozzarella cheese

On stove top, brown sausage. Add onion and and carrot and saute for about 2 minutes. If you are using the crock pot, add all ingredients (except pasta and spinach). Cook on low for 4 hours. Add pasta and spinach for the last 30 minutes of cooking time. If cooking on stove top, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30-45. Then add pasta and spinach for another 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked al dente. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Recipe and picture from Our Family Treat. 

It is really yummy with the peasant bread recipe found here .

Strawberry Fondue

 

I have to search for this every year in my email. I just decided to post it instead.  That way if anyone is craving some strawberry fondue they can make it :)

 

2 10 oz packages frozen sliced strawberries, thawed, juice reserved

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons sugar

 

Reserve 3/4 cup juice from strawberries. Set strawberries aside. Pour juice into Fondue Pot. Combine cornstarch and sugar. Add to juice in Fondue pot.

Turn temp. dial to 200 F. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Stir in strawberries. Reduce heat to warm.

Serve with fruit pieces or angel food cake. Yield 1 3/4 cups.

Baked Fried Chicken

I made this recipe last night. Of course I found it on Pinterest. It was YUMMY. Tate literally ate half a chicken breast and wanted more. It was so yummy he called it "nuggets" instead of chicken. For reals.

Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 min.

Mix in a Gallon Size Ziploc or Large Bowl:

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 T Season All

3/4 tsp Pepper

1 c. Flour

2 tsp. Paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Restaurant Style Queso Blanco

I made this last night for our Polar Express party and it was a huge hit and so yummy! I think that next time I am going to substitute the Monterrey Jack for some Pepper Jack cheese next time to give it a little kick! I found it on this website.

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil (veggie, olive, canola - whatever you have)
• 1/4 cup white onion, diced
• 1 large jalapeno or serrano, seeds and stem removed; diced
• 12 oz white American cheese (I have the deli give me 3 slices on 10), shredded
• 4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (optional; don't use pre-shredded)
• 1/4-2/3 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
• 1 roma tomato, seeds removed and diced
• 1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Add the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted.
3. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
4. Serve with chips. I think it would be yummy with bread too.
   

Chicken Marinade

This is very similar to Joe's worcestershire marinade and can be tweeked however you like.

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp finely minced parsley

I made this marinade on the fly and it was only able to marinade for about an hour and still had a lot of flavor (I was marinating chicken tenders not full chicken breasts).

Sugar Cookie Bars

Another Pinterest recipe. From this website that looks really yummy.

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flower
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well after each addition. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add the vanilla to the creamed mixture and then slowly add the dry ingredients.

Press into a greased 13X18 inch pan and bake at 375 for 10-15 min. (Warning the dough will be sticky add a little flour to your hands when pressing into the pan. I added way too much flour to the dough to try to unstick it, don't do that)

Cool and frost.

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 tablespoons milk

In a mixing bowl beat the shortening and the butter until creamy. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Gradually add the 5 tbsp of milk until you reach your desired consistency.

Chill and cut.

Cinnasticks

I got this recipe from Pinterest it is super yummy!!! The original recipe suggests getting the pre-made pizza dough from Papa Murphy's. I just used a pillsbury pizza dough though and I am sure that any homemade pizza dough recipe would work just fine. It also suggests using a butter flavored oil like the kind meant for popcorn, I just melted some butter and added it to my oil and it tasted just fine.

dough rolled out into a square or circle
buttered flavored oil
2 tsp cinnamon (more if you are a cinnamon fan)
1/2 c. sugar

Icing:
several cups of powdered sugar (I did like 3 and had plenty of icing)
small splash of milk (just keep adding milk until it is the consistency you like)
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Using a pizza cutter cut the dough into strips. Brush the dough with the flavored oil. Bake for about 15 min until cooked through, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn't over bake. Remove from oven. Wile the dough is baking prepare the icing and set aside.
3. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir together well. Sprinkle the mixture over the warm dough. Drizzle with the prepared icing. Serve warm

I did let my refrigerated dough rise a little bit before baking. But these were so delicious!!!

Penne Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

I found this recipe on Pinterest it is soooo yummy and super easy!

2 cups dry penne pasta
8 sun dried tomatoes chopped, about 1/3 cup
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
2 cups (8oz package) shredded Italian style cheese blend
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black powder

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes for the last two minutes of cooking time. Drain.

Meanwhile combine evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder, and pepper in a medium saucepan on medium low heat, stirring occasionally until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

Add pasta and tomatoes to the cheese sauce, stir until combined

You can add chicken to this dish which would be super yummy but it was delicious without it too.

Italian Sodas

These were at the Move Over Martha dinner too and were so yummy and a lot of fun!

2 TBSP Torani Syrup
Deli Ice
Club Soda
Half and Half
Whip Cream

Fill 16 ounce glass with ice. Add the syrup, then fill glass 3/4 the way full with club soda. Followed by Half and Half. Top with whipped cream and stir a little with your straw. You can get the syrup at Harmons or any Italian market. We had raspberry, peach, and strawberry all were very yummy! Pics here.

Peasant Bread

I belong to a group in our neighborhood called Move Over Martha. It is a cooking group more on the gourmet side. We had a dinner last Friday and this bread was part of it. It was delicious. So delicious that I attempted bread making yesterday. This recipe is so easy that even I didn't mess it up! Perfect with any Italian entree. YUM YUM!

1 package quick rise yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 TBSP sugar
2 cups warm water
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 TBSP melted butter

In bowl mix yeast and sugar. Add water and let the yeast dissolve (about 3 min). In mixing bowl add flour, seasoning, and salt. Then add yeast mixture. Mix for about 5 minutes. Spray hands and cookie sheet with cooking spray. Divide dough into two balls and form into balls. Cover with towel and let raise for 30 minutes. Reshape dough, and brush with 3 TBSP melted butter. Sprinkle with a little more Italian seasoning and a little sea salt. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes then lower temperature to 375 and cook for 15 more minutes. Serve as is, or dip in olive oil and balsamic. Click here for pictures.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

I tried these a few weeks ago and they were YUMMY! I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar (cider, white wine or red wine vinegar)

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 oz tomato paste

2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (to taste)

3 lbs or so beef roast (pork would work great too!)

Directions:

Mix together all of the ingredients, except for the meat, in the slow cooker, stirring well to combine.

Cut the meat into large chunks and place into the slow cooker, turning the pieces to make sure everything is coated with the sauce.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart. Shred the meat and return to the sauce to keep warm.

To serve, toast your favorite buns until golden brown and pile with meat! Also great with a few slices of cheese thrown onto the bread before you toast it... yumm!

Kahuna Burgers

Drew and I love Rumbi's Kahuna burgers (it is a double patty so is a little much for me) but they sure are tasty. Last summer we tried to recreate it on our own and they turned out yummy.

Hamburger Patties (fresh ground beef tastes the best) or chicken breast
Teriyaki Marinade
Pineapple slices
Swiss Cheese

Marinade the the patties/chicken breast in the teriyaki sauce for at least a few hours (we usually do ours overnight)
Grill the patties/chicken breast (or you can cook the chicken in the oven) as the meat nears getting done add a pineapple slice with a piece of swiss cheese on top of it. Allow to melt.
Serve on yummy kaiser rolls or hamburger buns with Mayo, Tomato, and Lettuce and whatever sides suit your fancy.

We LOVE these as burgers and as chicken sandwiches.

Vegetable Tortelini Soup

This is from Our Family Treat my neighbor does this blog and it has some super yummy recipes and fun giveaways too. You can cook this in a crock pot as well just don't add the tortellini until 10 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup otherwise it will be overcooked.

1 pound Italian Sausage
1 cup onion-chopped
2 garlic cloves- minced
1 cup carrots-diced
1 cup zucchini-diced
1 green pepper- chopped
3 13 oz cans beef broth
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley flakes

Brown sausage. Set aside and cook saute onions and garlic, until translucent. Then add broth, red wine, tomatoes, carrots, and spices. I used a potato masher and mashed the whole tomatoes a little bit. Stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Then add pepper and zucchini. Cover and let simmer for another 20 minutes. Add tortellini for the last 10 minutes of simmering. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Baked Ziti

I made this for dinner co-op last week. It was delicious and made A TON!

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 pound lean ground beef (I use 85/15)

2 jars spaghetti sauce -one jar of Prego Meat flavored,
one jar of Prego tomato, onion & garlic flavored

1 small tub of ricotta cheese

12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook about 10 minutes until tender then drain. In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat. Drain grease. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes. Use a 9x13 inch baking pan. Layer as follows: 6 Tb of sauce mixture, thin layer of shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the ziti, entire tub of ricotta cheese spread across, 1/2 remaining sauce mixture, remaining ziti, remaining sauce mixture, a thick layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted.

I got this from this blog

Cookie Pizza

I got this recipe from Pillsbury.com. They call it Rocky Road Pizza and they add peanuts to the top, but nuts tend ruin desserts at our house so we omitted them.

2 cups of ready made cookie dough (if you buy the bigger tub you can get two pizzas out of one tub)
Chocolate Chips
Marshmallows
Caramel (like ice cream topping caramel)

Coat the pizza pan with cooking spray. Break the cookie dough into chunks and place all over the pan. Then using floured fingers push the cookie down into the pan to create the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 min. Take out of the oven and add the chocolate chips (sprinkle to your liking) and the caramel (drizzle to your hearts content). Then put back in the oven and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove pizza again and add the marshmallows (again to your liking). Bake for another 3 minutes. Remove from oven drizzle more caramel over the marshmallows and let cool completely before serving, about an hour and a half.

**If you like the marshmallows more melty then you can add them to the top when you add the chocolate chips. We like ours more fluffly so we don't cook them as long as the other toppings.

Chicken in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

My neighbor made this for our dinner co-op and it was absolutely delicious!

2 cans cream of chicken soup & herbs
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp drained capers
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1 cup drained chopped sun-dried tomatoes
8 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 2lbs)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

Mix soup, chicken broth, olives, capers, garlic, artichokes, and tomatoes in 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Add chicken and turn to coat.

Cover and cook on low 7-8hrs or on high 4-5hrs, or until chicken is no longer pink. Sprinkle basil, if desired, serve with rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

Pork Street Tacos

These are soooo yummy! I will take a pic tonight after dinner and add it to the post (if I remember)

1-2lb pork loin roast
1 can chicken broth
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1-2 tsp minced onion
1-2 tbsp lime juice
2 c water/2 buillion cubes

Salt and pepper both sides of pork roast. Put all ingredients into crock pot and cook 7-8hrs on low or 4-5 hrs on high. Once cooked, take meat out of crock-pot and shred into bowl. Put shredded meat into casserole dish with some of the crock pot juice. Cook at 450 for 20 min. Serve onions, cilantro and salsa.