Pasta e Fagioli (with carne)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground turkey (optional)
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• splash of red wine
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 pound seashell pasta (or macaroni or whatever)

Directions

1. Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until onion is tender.
2. Add ground turkey and stir occasionally until browned. Stir in the tomato paste until blended.
3. Add undrained tomatoes, undrained cannellini beans, chicken broth, oregano, basil and pepper to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Bring to a boil for approximately 1 minute and then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
4. Add pasta to Dutch oven and simmer approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Serve immediately and enjoy.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit (above is the tweaked recipe). It's one of those recipes that you can really play with and add or take away what you don't have. The most traditional form of this soup is just beans and pasta with some tomatoes and herbs, but sometimes even the tomatoes are optional. I added the ground turkey, because I had that I needed to use up, but if you leave it out it would be a perfect Friday meal. I also added 1/4 cup or so of red wine after I stirred in the tomato paste and it really added to the flavor. It was a really delish and filling dinner. All of my finicky eaters gobbled it up.

Fruit Pizza

When I was getting married one of my bridal showers was a kitchen-themed shower.  On that day my mother in law gave me a little book of recipes that she had complied herself.  Some were old recipes from her own mother, some were of her kids' favorites and some were relatively new recipes that she had lots of positive comments on the first time she made them.  She photocopied the orginal recipe to preserve others' handwriting and such.  It was a very thoughtful and heartfelt gift. 

I use those recipes often.  There are still some that I haven't tried at all.  I suppose I should make it a goal to try each one.  But the ones I've tried have all been successes!

This recipe is one that my sister especially liked the first time that I made it.  Since today is her birthday and she happens to be with us this morning (a rare treat!!!) I decided to make it for her.  And I even remembered to take a picture.  This dessert can be as pretty as you have time to make it. 

Fruit Pizza

Crust -
1/4 c butter or magarine, softened
1/2 c sugar
Cream together.  Add:
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
Blend well.  Add:
1 1/4 c flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
Mix well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes, until easy to handle. Press dough into a greased baking sheet or 12-14 in round pizza pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Mixture -
4 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 c powdered sugar
Cream together until smooth. Add:
1 c whipped topping
Blend together.  Spread over cooled crust.

Suggested Fruit Toppings -
1 firm banana
1 c sliced strawberries
8 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/3 c fresh blueberries
Arranged as desired.

Glaze-
1/4c suager
1/4 c water
1/4 c orange juice
2 t cornstarch
Bring to a boil in saucepan, stirring constantly.  Boil 2 minutes or until thickened.  Cool to room temp (about 30 minutes).  Brush over fruit.  Store in fridge.

Sugar Cookies

I made trial run sugar cookies this afternoon. A dear friend from high school is getting married at the end of February and her bridal shower is coming up. I'm unable to go because of all sorts of reasons but I'm making these cookies, the chicken salad, and doing some other things. Like most everything else I make I found the best recipe here for what the bride wanted. They're thick, soft, and with homemade icing.
Not the shapes I'm going to use for the shower but...
...I just got this huge tube of all sorts of shapes. It was fun to use them.
Homemade frosting. I'm going to stick with white for the shower.
Dan came home while I was making them and held MG. We might or might not have let her taste of the dough.
The end product.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from RealSimple, and it was quick and easy and really good. I have never cooked with leeks before, and I really liked the flavor they gave to the soup. In the magazine the recipe is actually called "Shrimp and Corn chowder with fennel," but I couldn't find fennel at the store, so I left it out. I also added a cup of chicken broth because it didn't seem to have enough liquid. It still turned out great.

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 leeks (white and light green parts), chopped

2 tbsp a.p. flour

1 8oz. bottle clam juice

3 cups milk

3-4 potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (I didn't bother to peel them)

3/4 lb. med. cooked peeled and deveined shrimp

1 10oz pkg. frozen corn

2 tbsp. parsley, chopped

1 lemon, squeezed

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over med. heat. Add the leeks and season with s&p and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender; stir in the flour

Add the clam juice, milk and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occastionally, for 12 minutes or so. Stir in the shrim and corn and cook until the potatoes are tender and the shrimp and corn are heated through, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice.

(Image and recipe courtesy of RealSimple.com)

Beer Bread

This is delicious!! It's also really easy. I had it mixed and in the oven in about 3 minutes

Ingredients
3 cups flour (sifted - I just spooned it into the measuring cup)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can beer (All we have in the house these days is light beer so I'm not sure how it would taste with dark. I would think only better, but I guess that depends if you like dark beer.)
1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine and I highly recommend 1/4 cup. I started with 1/2 cup and it bubbled over and filled my kitchen with smoke so I had to finish baking it in my toaster oven.)


Directions
1 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2 - Mix dry ingredients and beer.
3 - Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4 - Pour melted butter over mixture.
5 - Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

6 - NOTES: Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a "hard biscuit" as some have described. That's because they aren't sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the "correct" way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.

I found this recipe at Recipe Zaar and it's amazing. The photo is from there too.

Paula's Chicken Pot Pie

I read about this over at Bless Us Oh Lord a long time ago but recently made it for my in-laws. They loved it and so did we. It's added the recipes made in our home!

Ingredients
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used more)
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup (I used the fat-free can)
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper, optional
1 1/2 cups instant biscuit mix
1 cup milk
1 stick melted butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a greased 2-quart casserole (I almost used the wrong pan), layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Rotting Fruit

I had some rotting bananas that needed to be used before they went bad so I did some baking yesterday. The banana bread I made Charlie-friendly (aka dairy free) for a package I'm sending to Anne. I also have a huge can of pumpkin that needs to be put to use so I'm either going to make pumpkin bread or pumpkin cream cheese muffins for a friend of mine that lent me her high chair over the Christmas season when my house was filled with babies.

Banana Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (omitted for Charlie's sake)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). If desired, sprinkle Streusel Topping over batter.

3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan or 40 to 45 minutes for 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch pans or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

4. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Pumpkin Roll

We're having a little New Year's gathering tonight (I don't think we can even call it party). I have corned beef and red potatoes in the crock pot and some other goodies but the one thing I made that I never have before is a pumpkin roll. I've wanted to make one for some time but never got around to it. I used Barb's recipe at Bless Us Oh Lord and it came out perfect. Happy New Year to all!

T. G. I. Friday's Broccoli-Cheese Soup

I received a copy-cat cookbook from a lady at work for Christmas, and I couldn't wait to use it. My husband had been asking for a broccoli-cheese soup for about a month now. This one is super easy and quick! It's definitely a keeper in our house. YUM!

Ingredients
4 cups water
2 cups potato, peeled and diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup diced onion
2-10oz. packages frozen chopped broccoli
2-10.75oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 pound Velveeta, cubed

Directions
1. Combine the water, potato, bouillon cubes, onion and broccoli in a large heave saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the potato and broccoli are tender.

2. Add the canned soup and the cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted and smooth. Simmer for 15 minutes; the soup should thicken.

Spiced Pecans

Ingredients
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl beat the egg white with the water. Stir in the pecans, mixing until well moistened.
In a small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Sprinkle over the moistened nuts. Spread nuts on prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Be careful not to overcook and burn the nuts.