Lasagna Soup

I found this on Pinterest after it was recommended by a friend.  As I was making it, I wasn't quite sure, but when you assemble it all in the bowls it was YUMMY!

(print recipe)
for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I didn't have this)
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum: (you make this separately)
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth. You may even want to consider cooking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them. This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

This is what makes it so yummy!! Pay attention,

***To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl (*I ALSO COOKED THE PASTA SEPARATELY AND PUT IT ON TOP OF THE CHEESY MIX BEFORE POURING THE SOUP ON,) sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings:  8

Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 crusty baguette loaf
1 whole clove garlic
Olive oil
Whole Milk Mozzarella cheese packed in liquid,sliced (this is the star ingredient, so don't skimp) sliced
3-4 Roma tomatoes
8-10 fresh basil leaves
handful of shredded Parmesan cheese
pinch of Kosher salt to taste
Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Slice bread on an angle to create oblong slices.

Broil them until toasty brown on top.

While they are still warm rub them with the whole garlic clove, the more you rub the more garlic flavor they will have.

Drizzle with olive oil and top with the mozzarella slices and set aside.

Finely chop the tomatoes. Stack your Basil leaves and roll them into a log. Slice it thinly to create ribbons and add to the tomatoes.

Mix in the Shredded Parmesan cheese and salt to taste.

Top the bread and cheese slices with the tomato mixture and drizzle with olive oil again. Then add a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

This recipe comes from my dear friend Shannon and it is delicious!  I love soup.  That's no secret.  So I love when I find another recipe for a soup that is just so inviting and warm and completely delicious.  This soup is all those things and so wonderful to have on a chilly Fall or Winter evening.

In other news, my family (all but 1 who didn't even try it) absolutely loved this soup.  Taryn ate two bowls and then asked me to put leftovers in her lunch the next day.

Thank you Shannon for sharing!

Ingredients:
4 Tblsp Butter
1 diced onion
2 minced garlic cloves (I buy the jar with it already minced)
2 quarts chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. curry
pinch nutmeg
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 small can of pumpkin
Rotisserie chicken, separated from bone and cut up or approximately 3 cooked chicken breasts, cut up
1 pint 1/2 and 1/2

Directions:
In a large stock pot, sauté the butter, onion, and garlic cloves.

Add the chicken broth, spices, and pumpkin.  Bring to a boil.

Add the pieces of chicken breast or the pieces of rotisserie chicken and the 1/2 and 1/2.   Keep warm but do not bring back up to a boil once the 1/2 and 1/2 has been added.

Serve with rice in the bottom of each bowl for a more filling meal.

Notes:  The only change I would make would be to add more chicken.  There is a lot of broth and the one rotisserie chicken didn't seem to be enough.  My family loved chicken and so I will add more next time.  The rice adds to the soup and gives it not only more substance but a delicious texture.

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

When Kelly and I were first married and living in Provo, we loved this little dive that served authentic Hawaiian/Polynesian food.  It was so yummy!  We spent many a date night eating some of our favorites which included the pork, chicken, and the sticky rice.

Of course, like most joints we fall in love with, it's no longer around and we haven't found its replacement.  So when I saw a recipe for Hawaiian Grilled Chicken on A Dash of Thyme the other day (via Pinterest) I knew I was going to have to try it.

Did it make us forget all about that cute little dive in Provo?  No.  But it was delicious!  And I always know I've found a winner when Kelly turns to the kids and says, "We will be having this again...soon."

Ingredients:
3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 cups low sodium soy sauce
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 bunch of green onions, chopped (save some for the top)
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 (13.5oz) can of coconut milk

Directions:
1. Remove visible fat from chicken thighs. Mix soy sauce, water, brown sugar, onions, garlic, sesame oil, and coconut milk in a large bowl. Marinade chicken for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. Grill chicken at a low heat so that the marinade does not burn for 5-7 minutes per side or until done.

3. Serve with rice or noodles, top with green onion and additional soy sauce.

Notes:  I did serve this with the closest thing to sticky rice I could find and I made it by replacing half of the water required with coconut milk (if the rice calls for 2 cups water replace one of the cups of water with a cup of coconut milk).  We also warmed up some teriyaki glaze/marinade and spooned it over the rice and chicken.  Delicious!

Coconut milk can be found in the Asian food section at Walmart.  I had to ask so I'll save you the trouble :-)

Slow Cooker Spare Ribs

My late mother-in-law made some delicious ribs in her pressure cooker.  Many a Sunday was spent at her house waiting for ribs to hit the dinner table.  When she passed away I inherited her box of recipes (inherited or took?).  The recipe is nowhere in that box.  I've looked and looked.

So the other night I was on a mission to find something close to her spare ribs and I think this is pretty close.  The original recipe is from AllRecipes.com but the recipe as it is written here is a modified version based on comments left by people about that recipe.  I think it is delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups ketchup
1/2 tsp. onion powder or 1/2 chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 pounds pork spareribs
1 tsp. cornstarch (optional)
1/4 cup cold water (optional)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, mix together soup, onion, garlic, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce.  Place ribs in slow cooker.  Pour sauce over ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove ribs from slow cooker and place in a 9x13 pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Place the ribs into a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Serve with sauce from slow cooker. 

If sauce is too thin when cooking time is done, drain sauce from ribs, and pour into a sauce pan.  Combine 1 tsp. cornstarch with a small amount of cold water, stir into sauce, and bring sauce to boil.  Cook until sauce has reached desired thickness.

Fluffy Pancakes

So I was out on AllRecipes the other day trying to find a delicious dish to make for unexpected overnight company when I found this.  Wow.  I ate one bite and knew they were delicious.  No more than the one bite though as I'm trying to shed the pounds from enjoying a few too many bites.  Try these.  They are amazing!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray

Directions:
1.Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2.Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3.Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Notes:  In the spirit of full disclosure I had whole milk on hand and I used that to make these pancakes.  I'm not sure how big a difference it made but I'm sure there was a difference (especially in calorie count).  And I doubled this batch and ran out while serving 6 people so adjust accordingly depending on appetites.

Banana Bread

Delicious banana bread!  Had to stop myself from eating everything.  Thanks Epicurean Escapism.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3⁄4 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
1⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup canola oil
1⁄3 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 banana, sliced

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9″ x 5″ x 
2 3⁄4″ loaf pan.
2.In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3.Whisk together sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk in a medium bowl until smooth.

4.Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.

5.Add mashed bananas and whisk gently to combine.

6.Pour batter into prepared pan and arrange banana slices on the surface of the batter.

7.Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, 60–65 mins. Let cool for 30 mins before slicing and serving.

Notes:  I actually made this in cupcake tins to separate them out into individual servings (I was taking them to some new neighbors).  It took them about 20 minutes to cook.