Quick Minestrone

6 cups beef broth

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 can low-sodium stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups vegetable juice
1 6-ounce can low-sodium tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1-1/2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables (such as an Italian blend)
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips

2 cups cooked pasta (1 cup uncooked), such as small shells or mostaccioli

Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

If Serving Immediately:

In a large kettle combine broth, beans, stewed tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasoning. Bring to boiling. Add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. To serve, ladle into bowls. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 8 main-dish servings.

If Serving Next Day:

Prepare soup up to the point where frozen vegetables are cooked until tender. Remove from heat; cool quickly. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. To serve, reheat soup over medium heat. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta. Heat through.

French Onion Soup

When its cold outside, there is nothing better than a rich beef broth simmered with onion petals and topped melted provolone cheese.  Onions are super high in iron, which thickens the blood and helps you stay warm and strong against catching a cold or the flu.

French Onion Soup

6 cups water
2 beef boullion cubes
1 TBS gravy master
1 packet Liption Onion Soup mix
2 large sweet onions
1 clove garlic, chopped
French bread
Provolone cheese

In a large pot, combine water, bouillion, gravy master, and soup mix.  Peel the outer layer off the onions, quarter them, and seperate into petals.  If the onion pieces are too small, they will cook too fast and get mushy.  Add the onions and garlic to the pot and simmer until onions are tender, transluscent, yet not too soft.  Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

Ladle the soup into single-serving crocks or souffle cups.  Float a thick, toasted slice of french bread on top of each serving.  Place a slice of provolone cheese over the bread, overlapping the edges of the cup.

Place in a 350 oven for 5-10 minutes to heat through, then flip on the broiler to make the cheese brown and bubbly.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Earthy, rich mushrooms bathed in creamy goodness is the perfect dish for fall.  Serve with a salad of winter greens, warm pears, and walnuts.  Don't forget the crusty french bread with butter!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

6 TBS butter
1 medium onion, minced
garlic, minced
10 oz. button mushrooms, chopped
7 TBS all purpose flour
7 cups broth
fresh parsley, chopped
thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 splash good red wine
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

In a heavy bottom pot, saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until onions are translucent and mushrooms are soft.  Add flour and stir until flour is dissolved into the butter.

Add the broth, slowly at first, while stirring.  Add parsley.  Put the thyme and bayleaf on top and keep track of them since you will remove them later.  Simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Remove thyme and bayleaf.  Use a hand blender to puree (optional).  Whisk in cream and wine, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leftovers?  Pour over chicken breasts and bake.

Butternut Squash Soup

I saw some diced butternut squash in a package for sale in the produce section of the grocery store, and thought - Hey!  I haven't made Butternut Squash Soup in forever.  Savory, warm, and comforting this soup is a fall favorite.  And you can sneek in a ton of vegetables without your family knowing it.

Don't fear the Butternut Squash!  Its really easy to prepare,  Just cut off the top and bottom so it will stand upright.  Use a vegetable peeler to peel from top to bottom, removing the skin.  Cut in half, remove the seeds and "guts", then dice.  Or, just buy the diced kind if you can find it.

Butternut Squash Soup

oil
onion, medium, diced
1-2 stalks celery, diced
6-8 baby carrots, diced
minced garlic
butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced
6 cups chicken stock
nutmeg
cinnamon
salt
pepper

Saute the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in the oil until onions are translucent.  Add squash and stock.  Simmer until squash and carrots are tender, about 15-20 mins.  Use a hand blender to puree the soup.  Season to taste.

Want to change it up a bit?  Try adding diced sweet potatoes or apples when you add the squash.  Or, add 1/2 cup of cream while blending.  Some people swear by garnishing with sour cream, too.

Waldorf Salad

Waldorf Salad is a simple, healthy dish that can be eaten as is, on bread as a sandwich, or even better - in a croissant. The sweet, savory, crunchy textures make it fun and fulfilling to munch.  Mmmmm!

1 apple, chopped

lemon juice

2 stalks celery, chopped

handful walnuts, chopped

handful grapes, halved

mayonaise

cooked chicken, cubed (optional)

Cut everything up into bite-sized pieces and mix in some mayonaise to coat lightly.  For a Thanksgiving twist, add cubed turkey and cranberries.



Kielbasa Junk by Keeping it Simple

Check out Sandra's great idea for Kielbasa Junk recipe!  I was so impressed by the simple yet tasty combo, I just had to recognize her on my blog.  Economical, tasty, healthy, quick, and colorful!  I bet it freezes well, too for Once-A-Month-Cooking or those nights that you have nothing for dinner and very little pocket money.

Check Sandra's blog Keeping it Simple for this and tons more awesome ideas!

Makes The Worst Day Vanish Curry by My Food and Life Encounters

I found yet another great recipe!  Imagine going from fresh, healthy ingredients like this:

And end up with a savory, flavorful meal like this Makes The Worst Day Vanish Curry:

Thanks so much to  My Food and Life Encounters blog to inspire the virtual world with this amazing recipe of fresh baby spinach, sweet Vidalia onion, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, chicken, garlic, coconut milk, curry, and Asian noodles.  You have to check out this recipe along with the great pics of her adorable kitchen helpers!



Cucumber Salad

Try this mix of super fresh, cool cucumbers, sweet peppers, honey, and smooth creamy avocado.  Not sure about the avocado, check out how to make Fresh Avocado Cubes.

cucumber, chopped

sweet bell peppers, chopped

avocado, cubed

olive oil

honey

lemon or lime juice

sea salt

pepper

Toss together and enjoy.

Spaghetti with Pesto and Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

I wish I could take credit for this one!  Its from Good Housekeeping, recently featured on MSN.com.  The colors are so beautiful and the instructions for fresh pesto are so simple - I just had to add it to my blog for people to try it.  I plan to get creative with the topping variations - maybe some summer squash, zucchini and shrimp or grilled chicken, halved grapes, and pine nuts.  Yum!

1 pound thin spaghetti or linguine

1 bunch fresh basil

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 pint red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, each cut in half

1 TBS red wine vinegar

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Heat large saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook as label directs.

Meanwhile, reserve 12 small basil leaves for garnish. From remaining basil, remove enough leaves to equal 2 cups firmly packed. In food processor with knife blade attached, process basil leaves, garlic, 1/4 cup oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until pureed, stopping processor and scraping bowl occasionally. Add Parmesan; pulse to combine. Set pesto aside.

In bowl, mix tomatoes, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gently stir in mozzarella.

Drain spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup spaghetti cooking water. Return spaghetti and reserved cooking water to saucepot; add pesto and toss well to coat pasta. Spoon spaghetti mixture into large shallow bowl; top with tomato-mozzarella salad. Garnish with reserved basil leaves.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

When you see huge, fresh, juicy scallops for sale at your local market, by all means - get them!  Don't be afraid to make scallops.  The worst thing that can happen is you overcook them and they are a little chewy, but still delicious.  The sweet, tender, meaty bites taste of fresh ocean sprays.  And with a little lemon, you add the bright taste of sunshine.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Scallops
Bacon
Sea salt
Garlic powder
White pepper
Lemon

Rinse your scallops.  Cut the bacon slices in half.  Wrap the bacon around each scallop and secure with a tooth pick.  Season with salt, garlic, and pepper.  Try not to over season because scallops taste divine all on their own.

Broil those tasty morsels with the bacon facing the heat.  Keep a close eye on them and turn them often so the bacon cooks all the way around.  They will cook in about 10 minutes.  The bacon should be completely cooked and the scallops opaque throughout.

Serve with some fresh lemon wedges, and, if you are feeling naughty, drizzle with melted butter!

Waldorf Chicken Salad with Lettuce on Soft Onion Roll

The perfect, healthy lunch to take to work - fresh chicken salad with crunchy, fresh lettuce and a soft onion roll.  Delish!

Chicken, cooked and chopped
Mayo, enough to moisten the chicken salad
Celery, diced
Sweet onion, diced
Apple, chopped
Pecans, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Onion rolls
Lettuce
Tomato

Combine the chicken salad ingredients in a bowl.  Assemble sandwiches and go!

Grilled Cheese with Tomato on Thick Italian Bread

Who could turn down an ooey gooey melted cheese sandwich?  I've evolved from the american singles and white bread from my childhood and explored the more "grown up" versions of the grilled cheese sandwich.  Try different breads, cheeses, and toppings like bacon, avocado, ham, turkey, apple slices, etc.  My favorite is to add fresh sliced tomatoes!

Thick sliced Italian bread
Olive oil
Mild cheddar, sliced
Thick sliced fresh tomato
Fresh ground pepper

Assemble your sandwich, spreading olive oil on the outside of the bread so it toasts well.  Toast the bread and simultaneously melt the cheese by frying the sandwich in a skillet, or toasting it open faced under the broiler.  You can also use a panini maker for nice grill lines on the bread or a toaster oven.

Pair with rich tomato soup for a comforting meal.

Sourdough Chicken Sandwich with Herbed Mayo

A great recipe for dinner!  Make a few extra sandwiches for a healthy lunch to take to work.  Quick, easy, and full of flavor, these sourdough chicken sandwiches will quickly make it onto your regular menu.  I like to choose fresh sourdough bread, either sliced sandwich-style, or in sub-style rolls.  Ciabatta works very well, too.  To save time and money, you can opt for frozen chicken cutlets rather than fresh chicken breasts.  Just bake, assemble, and you are done!

Fresh sourdough bread, sliced
Chicken breast, cutlets, or strips
Italian dressing
Provolone cheese, sliced
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 TBS fresh basil, chopped
2 TBS fresh chives, chopped
Lettuce
Tomato

Marinate chicken in Italian dressing for 20 minutes to overnight.  Poke holes in the chicken with a fork to encourage the meat to absorb the marinade.  Place chicken in a glass dish and bake at 350 degrees until done, about 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness of cutlets.

In a bowl, mix mayo, basil, and chives.  Spread mixture generously over bread.  On a baking sheet, place pieces bread mayo side up.  Top the "bottom" bread pieces with chicken and a slice of provolone.  Place baking sheet under broiler for a few minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly and bread is lightly toasted.

Assemble sandwiches with fresh, crunchy lettuce and juicy tomato.  Enjoy!

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Sandwich

I came across this delicious recipe for Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Sandwich on Closet Cooking, a wonderful blog written by Kevin in Toronto.  I've made a very similar dish before, and the flavors just go really well together - the sweet, juicy pineapple, the teriyaki, the soft wheat roll, the crunch of the lettuce... sigh!  I just had to share it!

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 slice pineapple
2 sliced tomato
2 leaves lettuce
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:
1. Marinate the chicken in the teriyaki sauce for 20 minutes to overnight.
2. Grill the chicken and pineapple.
3. Assemble sandwich.

How easy is that? Yum!

Sugar Free Linzer Cookies

It is so hard to find a recipe for sugar free cookies that don't turn out gross or weird. These Linzer cookies are awesome! They are decorative, but also sweet and light. The preserves give them a rich decadence, and if you use the right brand you can't tell that they are sugar free! You can use any flavor; I tried Strawberry and Apricot preserves, which were delicious.

Sugar Free Linzer Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated Splenda
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup almonds, ground super fine
1/2 cup sugar free Pollaner All Fruit preserves

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and Splenda with an electric mixer. Gradually add egg and vanilla while mixing. It will look like scrambled eggs. Stir in by hand flour, baking powder, and baking soda a little at a time. Fold in sour cream and almonds. Divide dough in half and form into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Remove and unwrap a disc of dough. Roll the dough out between two large pieces of wax paper to 1/8 inch thickness. If the dough is too cold, it will be very hard to roll out. In this case, let the dough stand at room temperature until it is soft enough to deal with. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Cut out an even number of each shape. Cut a circle out of the middle of half of the cookies using small circular cutters or bottle caps. The top to the vanilla extract is a nice size. The whole cookies will be the bottoms and the holey ones will be the tops.

Repeat with other disc of dough, or keep refrigerated for up to 3 days for later use. You can also try freezing the dough for up to 6 months. Just thaw in the refrigerator over night.

Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and let sit on the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to wire rack and cool completely. Before adding another batch of cookies to the pan, let it cool back to room temperature.

Stir the preserves until smooth. When cookies are completely cooled, sandwich the preserves between a whole cookie and a holey one. Squash the cookies together so that the preserves squish out the hole you cut. If you like, you can dust the holey top cookie with powdered sugar (no longer sugar free, but low sugar) before sandwiching. Makes 30-40 sandwiches, depending on cookie size.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Tonight we roasted a pork loin marinated in Dale's and we served it with delicious mashed sweet potatoes and herbed stuffing. A divine Sunday dinner if I do say so myself!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 TBS butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 pinches ground nutmeg

Wash sweet potatoes and poke holes with a fork or knife. Bake in the oven at 300 to 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour. The sweet potatoes are done when soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle them.

Cut the ends off the sweet potatoes and you should be able to peel the skin off easily. Cut the pulp into chunks and put into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mash together until combined. If you want it creamier, add a little milk and mix well. Enjoy!

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake

No one can resist this warm, homemade favorite!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
pineapple rings
maraschino cherries
yellow cake batter (from scratch or box)

Melt butter in a cast iron skillet.  You could also use a glass baking dish or non stick cake pan.  Swirl butter in the pan to coat.  Sprinkle brown sugar into the butter.  Line skillet with pineapple rings with a cherry in each center.  Pour cake batter over pineapples.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.  Use a butter knife to loosen the edges and allow to cool.  Place a large plate over the top of the skillet and flip upside down.  Remove skillet and viola!  Pineapple upside down cake!  Yum!

Pulled Pork Barbeque Sandwiches

Home made slow cooked traditional southern style succulent pulled pork barbeque. Need I say more?

Pulled Pork Barbeque Sandwiches

5 lb or more bone-in fresh pork picnic roast
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Barbeque sauce
Fresh wheat rolls, halved and toasted
Mayonnaise
Claussen pickles, diced

Generously sprinkle the pork with all of the seasonings on all sides. Place the roast in a roasting pan with a lid, fat side up. Cook at 275 degrees for about 1 1/4 hours per pound or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to set until cool enough to work with.

Use forks (no knife should be needed) to separate sections of meat away from the bone. Discard fat. Place meat into a large bowl. Use two forks to pull the meat apart into shreds. While you are shredding the meat, have some barbeque sauce heating in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir when necessary. When all the meat is shredded and the sauce is heated through, mix the two together to lightly coat the meat. Only about 2 TBS sauce per 1 cup pulled pork is needed.
To assemble sandwiches, spread mayonnaise on rolls, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of barbeque pork, and top with diced pickles. Serve with kettle chips, cole slaw, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, and/or fresh tossed salad.
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Soft Shell Crab

OMG I found a place where you can order soft shell crabs!

Linton's Seafood

1/2 dozen soft shell crabs for as low as 20 bucks... that's $3.33 per crab. Not bad, not bad at all - especially if you have ever had good soft shell crab. When its done right, oh, its sooo done right. My favorite is deep fried, but sauteed scampi style is a very close second!

Fried Soft Shell Crab

2 soft shell crabs per person
flour
buttermilk
cracker meal
oil

Thaw the crab if not fresh. Pat dry with paper towel. Dredge in flour for a thin coating. Dip in buttermilk, then cracker meal, then buttermilk again, then cracker meal. You could also use panko breadcrumbs if you like it crunchy. Deep fry in 350 degree oil until golden brown. Get creative on your plate presentation, too!

Sauteed Soft Shell Crab Scampi

2 soft shell crabs per person
salt and pepper
oil
1 small onion, diced
2 TBS garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup stock (shrimp stock is best)
2 TBS butter
parsley

Thaw crabs if not raw. Season with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Saute onions for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and crabs. Saute 3 minutes. Add lemon juice, wine, and stock. Reduce to almost 1/2 the liquid, should take about 6 minutes. Add butter. After butter is melted, add lots of chopped parsley. Serve over linguine, if desired.

And you might want to check out this option:
Soft Shell Crab BLT with Lemon Pepper Mayonaise
Oh no they didn't!!!

Key Lime Cookies

These lime cookies are really great for summer, but the green tint makes them a unique addition to the Christmas cookie assortment. Everything else is so sweet, but these cookies have a twist of tart, fresh lime.

Key Lime Cookies

Cookie:
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
Zest of 1/2 of a lime
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
Green decorating sugar

Icing:
Zest of 1/2 of a lime
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
1 TBS maple syrup (sugar free works as a substitute here)
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream together butter and sugar with mixer. Mix lime zest, juice, and egg yolks into batter. Remove mixer. Add flour and salt all at once. Using rubber spatula, scrape sides of bowl and fold mixture until it forms a ball of dough. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a log. Roll logs in green sugar. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cut and discard the ends off the log. Or, bake the ends for yourself as taste tests. Roll the log in green decorating sugar. Slice the rest of the log into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet, making a slight thumb print depression in the center of each cookie. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. Remove from oven and let stand on cookie sheet 5 minutes. Then use spatula to gently transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

Combine icing ingredients in a small sauce pan on very low heat. As icing heats up, it will be easy to drip from a rubber spatula in a little puddle on top of each cookie. When icing cools, it will be solid. Makes about 1 dozen cookies per log.