Italian Vegetable Soup

I found this one on a blog (orangette) and really liked it:

Fretwell (Italian Vegetable) Soup

This soup recipe comes from the Fretwell family, longtime friends in Oklahoma, and they in turn discovered it somewhere in Italy. I have only a blurry Xeroxed copy of the recipe (which the Fretwells had faxed to them from wherever they first ate it), and so I thus cannot give credit here to its original author. That’s a true shame, because this is one of the most delicious vegetable soups I’ve ever tasted. The Fretwells brought us many meals while my father was ill, and this was one we requested repeatedly. But consider yourself warned: this recipe makes a veritable cauldron of soup. If you don’t have a stockpot that can hold twelve quarts or so, do this in two batches, or halve the recipe.


1 ½ lbs. dried cannellini or Great Northern beans
Olive oil
Salt
2 or 3 fresh sage leaves
1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
2 or 3 medium yellow onions, chopped
8 medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch coins
5 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced into ¼-inch crescents
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼-inch half-circles
1 bunch red Swiss chard, washed, dried, and sliced
½ head green cabbage, cored and chopped roughly
1 quart vegetable broth (I used Imagine brand)
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, juices reserved and tomatoes chopped roughly


Soak the beans overnight. The next day, drain them, put them into a large pot, add water to cover by 2 inches, and cook, with sage and garlic, for about one hour. As the beans cook, skim off any white foam that rises to the surface, and halfway through their cooking time, add ½ Tbs salt.

Heat 2 or 3 Tbs olive oil in a large soup pot, add onions, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, salting lightly, and adding more oil if necessary. Add the zucchini and the vegetable broth, cover, and bring mixture to a simmer. Then add Swiss chard, cabbage, tomatoes, and tomato juices. Cover the pot, and simmer over low heat for half an hour or so. Add the beans and their cooking water, salt to taste, and simmer, covered, over low heat for one hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over slices of day-old crusty bread, and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Serves scads—but scads!—of people.

My Neighbor's Rolls

My sweet neighbor, Maria Elena, came to my house the other day to teach me how to make these yummy rolls. I thought I would share the recipe.

2 cups water
2 eggs
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 stick of butter, melted
7 cups flour (HTML is her favorite)
1/8 c. saf instant yeast

Heat water in microwave for 1 minute. Put in blender and add eggs. Mix well. Add sugar, salt and mix. Add butter, 5 cups flour and yeast. Mix well, then add approximately 2 more cups flour (until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl) Let Rise in the mixing bowl, covered with a towel, until it reaches top of bowl.
Shape into rolls and place in a greased 9x13 pan. Let rise until rolls reach the top of pan.
Bake at 300-325 for 20-30 minutes until tops and bottoms are golden brown.
Enjoy!

Ice Cream Syrup (aka: buttermilk syrup)

This is a breakfast syrup, one you would use on pancakes or waffles. I realize the name might be confusing. We call it Ice Cream syrup because the boys think it tastes like ice cream. Yummy, right? It is now the syrup of choice for breakfast around here.

Ingredients:
1 C sugar
½ C butter
½ C buttermilk (or sour milk - 1/2 C milk + 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice, let sit for 5 min.)
½ tsp. baking soda

Combine into a large saucepan.
Cook until sugar melts and is caramelized in color.
Remove from heat.
Add ½ tsp. vanilla.

Macaroons

Cecily was nice enough to say she loved my macaroons, even though I've only made them once (maybe twice?) in my life and I thought they were not that impressive. But, here's my recipe from the Joy of Cooking for all you Samoa lovers who can't afford to subsidize Girl Scout programs in order to sate your sweet tooth (like us- we ration them amongst the adults). Another good chocolate-coconut-sweetened condensed milk cookie is my mom's Ooey Gooey Cookies Recipe.

Coconut Macaroons

Stir together:
2/3c sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg white
1.5t vanilla
1/8 t salt

Stir in:
3.5c flaked or shredded sweetened coconut

Drop the dough onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or well greased foil spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies are nicely browned (it suggests in the top 3rd of the oven), 20-25 min at 325. Remove and let stand until cool. Carefully peel the cookies off the paper or foil.
Then I like to drizzle them with melted chocolate.

So now I have a question for you. What do you do with the leftover sweetened condensed milk?

Fabulous Homemade Wheat bread

Stephanie - I saw you started a post and never published it. I thought I would post this in case you were still looking.

This isn't 100% whole wheat but close enough. And we do think it is yummy. The original is done the old fashion way. I, of course, converted it to a bread machine. (I have no confidence doing bread by hand) Anyway, like usual I do the dough in the machine and then let it rise in a bread pan and bake it in the oven. The original recipe makes 6 loaves but I scaled it down to fit into my machine. This makes 2 big loaves or 3 smaller loaves.

2 1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup veg. oil
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup white flour
5 cups wheat flour
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast (you might want to experiment with that, depending on personal taste)

Put wet than dry ingredients in the bread machine. Set to dough cycle. Punch down, remove, shape according to desire and let rise. Bake at 350 for 35 min or so. Watch the top of the bread so it doesn't get too brown.

Oh, one other note. I have added wheat germ and flax seed to this without it changing the taste. Not too much, maybe about 3 Tbsp. It is worth experimenting to find your own personal taste.

Exquisite Pizza Sauce

We make homemade pizza fairly often in our house. This is our absolute favorite sauce and really ups the yummy of the pizza. Chaz finds it is a bit spicy but Brian and I love the kick so every other batch I leave out the cayenne pepper and pepper flakes. I can get at least two pizzas out of a batch. So I just freeze the leftovers and thaw them in the microwave when I need them.

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
6 fluid oz warm water
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (I have left this out with no problems but we prefer it in there)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp honey
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Mix everything together in a small bowl, breaking up any clumps.

Let sit for at least 30 mins, then spread over dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Request: hot chocolate mix

In an effort to save money and satisfy cravings, I want to make hot chocolate mix at home. I have tried several and will admit that they are seldom up to snuff. But I was hoping someone(s) here has one they make over and over again for me to try. Please and thank you.

Southwestern Beef Chili with Corn

I made this the other day and it turned out really well. My sister makes this all the time too and she has made a few additions that are great. She serves it with sides of cheese, tomatoes, diced green onions, leaves of cilantro, sour cream and diced avocados. She also makes a side of quesadillas, and it is a yummy meal.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 poblano or bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup corn kernels (from 1 ear, or frozen and thawed)
1/2 cup grated Cheddar (2 ounces)
2 scallions, sliced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and poblano and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute. Add the beans, chili powder, 3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the corn. Divide among bowls and top with the Cheddar and scallions.

Make Ahead: You can cook the chili in advance and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 343; FAT 15g (sat 5g); CHOLESTEROL 51mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34g; SODIUM 893mg; PROTEIN 23g; FIBER 11g; SUGAR 6g

Bean and Corn Salsa

Suzy requested this one so here it is. This is the version of bean and corn salsa that I like the most. You can eat it like a salsa with tortilla chips or like a salad.

Mix:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
juice of one lime (I like to do the zest too)

Combine:
1 can of Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup chopped red onion
2 roma tomatoes, diced (or 1/2 red pepper, whichever you prefer or both)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Add the dressing to the bean/corn mixture and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for one hour and up to 4 hours.

Pizza di Spaghetti

All right, girls, I've been holding out on you. THIS is an amazing recipe--the best thing you could do with leftover spaghetti. In fact, I don't even wait to have leftover spaghetti--I make spaghetti just so I can do this with it!

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnishing
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups leftover spaghetti with olives and tomato sauce
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Add leftover spaghetti and combine well.
In a large 10-inch non-stick skillet, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add spaghetti and egg mixture, spreading evenly and pressing down in pan. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Carefully invert onto plate, add a little more oil to the pan, and slide mixure back into skillet and cook the other side for 6 minutes. Turn out onto serving platter and cut into wedges and serve warm.

I usually make two of these "spaghetti pizzas" to feed our family. Here's a link to the original recipe and a picture.

Maple-Glazed Parsnips and Carrots

Last Christmas my sister cooked a traditional Christmas dinner for the family. This was one of the dishes she made. I LOVED it and my boys will even eat parsnips cooked this way. It's a Martha Stewart recipe that is surprisingly easy and doesn't include a bunch of ingredients I can hardly pronounce much less find at the grocery store. I hope you like it as much as we have.

1 1/4 lbs. parsnips (about 6), peeled and quartered lengthwise
3/4 lb. thin carrots (about 12), peeled and halved lengthwise
4 slices bacon, each cut into 4 pieces
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 c. pure maple syrup (this makes the dish)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Place parsnips, carrots, bacon and thyme in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with syrup; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. Bake until bottoms of veggies begin to caramelize and turn dark brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and toss vegetables carefully. Return to oven and bake until all sides are well browned, about 25 minutes more.

Discard bacon and thyme. Serve immediately.

Ham and Potato Soup

Although I am not a ham eater, my family loves this soup. I add whatever vegetables I have in the freezer or fridge. I also rarely stick to a recipe especially when adding vegetables. I am giving you the original recipe, but eyeballing works wonders for me.

3 1/2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 c. celery, diced
1/3 c. carrots, sliced
1/3 c. corn
1/3 c. onion, finely chopped
3/4 c. cooked ham, diced
3 1/4 c. broth
salt and pepper to taste
5 Tbl. butter
5 Tbl. flour
2 c. milk

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and broth in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Dinosaur Nests (No Bake Cookies)

We were talking about dinosaurs today at preschool and I let the kids make 'nests' that we filled with 'eggs'. It was a fun simple project that I thought I would share with you.

4 oz. butter or margarine
1/2 c. milk
2 c. sugar (1 1/2 c. should be plenty)
1 c. chocolate chips
3-4 Tbl. peanut butter
3 c. oats, quick or regular
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the margarine, milk, sugar, PB and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Place the oats and chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour the hot syrup over the dry and mix well. Drop by spoonful onto wax paper or into bowls. Allow to cool before shaping into nests. Top with jelly beans.

Heavenly Chicken Divine

One of our new favorites. We fight over the leftovers. From my sister in law's Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook. Several of her best recipes are from this, I might have to peruse it more carefully.

Have ready:
4c broccoli steamed
4c cooked penne pasta (3c dried, 1 box, my SIL raves about Ezekiel 4:9 Organic Sprouted Grain Pasta, available at Kroger or Amazon)
2c shredded roast chicken (or cubed breasts, whatever)
2c (4oz) shredded smoked Gouda or Edam (don't skimp on cheese, it really defines the dish. I prefer Edam)

Heat 2t olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add:
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4t dried thyme
1/4t salt
1/8t pepper
Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 5 min. Remove from heat and stir in:
1 jar (16oz) Alfredo sauce (I make my own, more is better)
1/2c grated smoked Gouda or Edam cheese (I like Edam)
1/2-1c milk
1/2c of the pasta water
1/8t nutmeg
Then stir in the cooked pasta, steamed broccoli, 2c shredded roast chicken and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a 9x13 pan and top with another 1.5c of Gouda or Edam cheese and 1/4c Italian breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with some paprika and cover with foil. Bake for 30 min at 375. Uncover and bake another 10-15 min, or until golden brown.

The recipe freezes well, except for the broccoli. My SIL serves the broccoli separate, since it gets mushy in leftovers. You can also make the dish the day before and keep refridgerated for 24 hrs.

Squash Recipes

Cecily requested some of my favorite squash recipes, so here they are!

Baked Acorn Squash with Pear and Apple
Good enough for dessert. From The Joy of Cooking.

Bake 2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded, cut side down in a pan with 1/4 inch water at 325 for 45 min. Meanwhile, mix in a bowl:
2 large apples, peeled, cored, & diced
1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, & diced
1/4c dried currants or raisins
2T brown sugar
zest of 1 small orange (I always leave this out because I never have it)
1/4t cinnamon
1/8t nutmeg (I approximate on the spices, a dash of this, a shake of that)

Melt 2T butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add apple mixture and cook until fruit is golden brown, about 5 min. Stir in 1/4c apple cider or orange juice (I usually use OJ). Simmer, stirring often, until fruit is tender, about 8 min.
Remove squash from oven, pour off water in pan. Turn squash face up and fill with apple mixture. Return to oven and bake until squash is tender, about 15 min more.

Baked Butternut Squash stuffed with Sausage and Apples
Also from The Joy of Cooking.

Halve lengthwise and remove seeds and strings from 2 butternut squash. Arrange cut side up in a baking dish and brush lightly with 1T olive oil. Cover with lid or foil and bake until almost tender, 30-40min at 375.
Meanwhile, crumble 1c bulk sausage into a skillet and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Without draining off the fat, add 1 large, tart green apple, peeled cored, & cubed. Cook stirring, for several minutes just until crisp-tender. Remove from heat.
When the squash is cooked, let it cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh leaving 3/8in thick shells (careful not to put your scooping spoon through the skin). Lightly mix the squash into the sausage, breaking it up as little as possible.
Mix in:
2T soft butter
1T brown sugar
1/4t ground sage
Salt and pepper to taste.
Pile the stuffing into the squash halves. Dot with 1T butter and 1T brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, until piping hot and brown and crusty on top, 20-25 min. Let cool a bit before serving.
**I usually use only 1/2 pckg of sausage and piling it into the squash halves is great for presentation, but is just baked in a corning ware dish, though it can get drier that way.

Penne with Garlicky Butternut Squash
From the Food Network website, courtesy of Jeanne Lemlin.

Cook 1lb penne pasta in stockpot. Drain thoroughly in a colander.

Heat 1/4c olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Toss in 4c diced butternut squash (from a 1.5lb squash). Saute 5 min, or until it begins to golden. Sprinkle in 4 large garlic cloves, minced (I probably only use 2) and saute 2 min.
Pour in:
1/4c water
1/4t nutmeg
6 sage leaves minced or 1/4t powdered sage
1/4c minced fresh parsley (I always just shake in however much dried parsley I want)
1/2t salt
pepper to taste

Cover the pan. Cook the squash until tender, about 5 min more. Mix penne and squash and toss gently. Sprinkle Parmesan and pass more at the table.

Curried Vegetables with Ziti

3 c. ziti pasta (8 oz)
1 T olive oil
1 med onion, cut into thin strips
1 clove minced garlic
2 t. curry pwdr
1 t. grated ginger root
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. apple juice, divided
1 T soy sauce
1 med carrot, cut into 1/2" slices
1 T cornstarch
2 c. cauliflowerets
1 c. froz peas, rinsed to separate
1/2 c. raisins (I used golden)
1 med. zucchini, cut into 1/2" slices
1 sm. red pepper, cut into thin strips

Cook pasta according to box. Heat oil over med-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, curry, ginger in oil, stirring frequently until onion is crisp tender. Stir in water, 1/2 c. apple juice, soy sauce, carrot. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 apple juice. Stir cornstarch mix and remainder of ingredients into carrot mix. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in pasta and serve.

Mama Heiss' Ooey Gooey Cookies

My favorite cookie growing up. Below are the amounts I have written down, but I always approximate and put on as many choc chips as I want!

Melt 1 stick margarine on cookie sheet with sides. Pour one box yellow cake mix over it.
Top with:
3c mini marshmallows
6oz choc chips
1.5c coconut flakes
1c chopped nuts (I never do this)
Then drizzle 1 can sweetened condensed milk over it all.
Bake at 350 for 25 min. Cut into squares while still warm.

Mama Heiss' Christmas Cider

Mix together in a large pot on the stove or crockpot:
1qt cranapple juice
2/3c sugar in 3c water (boil until dissolved)

Then steep:
9 whole cloves
1.5 sticks cinnamon

Let simmer 10-15 min, remove spices and stir in 6 oz frozen lemonade. Serve warm.

Mama Heiss' Amazing Mint Brownies

These brownies are one of my favorite holiday traditions. They freeze well and look so elegant. My mom sometimes dyes the icing green if she's feeling festive.
Brownies
Melt together 4 sq unsweetened chocolate and 2 sticks of margarine/ butter.
Add:
4 eggs
2c sugar
1-1.5c flour
1/4t salt
1-1.5t peppermint
Mix all, bake 350 for 25min, let cool completely. Then ice with:
Icing
Beat together:
1/2 softened margarine stick
2c powdered sugar
1t peppermint
2T milk
Then top with:
Chocolate glaze
2sq unsweetened chocolate
2T margarine/butter
Melt together and dribble over icing. Let cool completely to harden, or stick in the fridge for a few minutes.
Cut the brownies into sticks (about one inch by three inches) and serve slightly chilled (or else the chocolate will melt all over your fingers, your chin, etc.).

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut
into 1-inch cubes
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup water
* 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 1/2 cups whole milk
* Pinch nutmeg
* 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
* 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
* 2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the
squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water
into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the
squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly
and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti
cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with
more salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add
the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to
a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until
the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in
the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add
the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in
the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to
taste.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees
F.

Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of
the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on
the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce
over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.

Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40
minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the
lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top
is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes
before serving.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to
cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food
processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release
one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat
explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times
then process on high speed until smooth.