Italian Wedding Soup

 
I love this soup and make it often. I love everything about it from the tiny little orzo pasta to the little meatballs and all the other wonderful ingredients. It is hearty and delicious and just gets better each day until it's all gone!   As a matter of fact my recipe won first place in the Best 250 Italian Wedding Soup Recipes On The Net! 

Italian Wedding Soup
 
Meatballs:

1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

For the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Shape the meat mixture into mini meatballs. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until meatballs are done.

Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced onion
1 cups finely diced carrots
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 quarts chicken broth
3/4 teaspoons of dried oregano
3/4 teaspoons dried basil
10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach
salt and pepper to taste
2 2/3 cups uncooked orzo, or other small, round Pearl shaped pasta

Melt butter and olive oil in large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and carrots and saute until onions are tender. Add garlic and continue stirring for two or three more minutes. Then add your chicken broth and the oregano and basil and bring to low boil for about 5 minutes.

Add the frozen spinach to the broth mixture and break it up as it thaws. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 more minutes as it cooks. Gently drop the meatballs into the soup. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes or so, then stir in the pasta, cooking till it's al dente. For orzo, this will take about 8 minutes or so. Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed.

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Brussel Sprouts in Butter

Brussel Sprouts in Butter

Who out there loves Brussel sprouts?

These were boiled in water with a teaspoon of sugar added. I did a slow boil until they were tender then I drained them...added butter and salt and a little pepper. Yum! 

I also grill them, roast them, and steam them. Sometimes I add bacon and onions and garlic...sometimes I just like them with butter!

My Mom used to tell me I called them baby cabbage balls when I was really little. LOVE my brussel sprouts!  Do you?

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Mom's County Ham Loaf

I can still remember my Mom grinding up leftover Easter ham in an old meat grinder that was clamped onto the kitchen counter. She would turn that wheel and grind it all up to put in her famous ham loaf. Oh my goodness it was so good. We loved it better than the Easter ham! I still make it today with my leftover ham and I still like it better than ham. Things are easier these days. No more grinders and hard work to get it to the right consistency. I trim off any fat and cut my ham into one inch chunks and put it in the food processor. Works perfectly to give you the perfect texture. 

Mom's Country Ham Loaf 

1 lb. fresh ground ham 
1 lb. fresh ground pork 
½ cup saltine crackers, crushed 
½ cup plain bread crumbs 
1 egg, well beaten 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1½ tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 
3/4 cup milk, more if needed 

To make ground ham, cut fully cooked ham into one inch cubes and process in a food processor until ham in finely ground. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine ham, pork, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper, egg and milk. Using clean hands, mix until combined. Mixture should be moist and very soft. If too dry, add up to ½ cup of extra milk.

Form into one large loaf  and place in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish or make two smaller loaf sized. 

Glaze 

2/3 cup brown sugar 
1 teaspoon dry mustard 
1/2 cup water 
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

In a small saucepan, combine glaze ingredients and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour about one-third of glaze over ham loaf. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove ham loaf from oven and uncover to pour remaining glaze over loaf. Glaze will begin to get thick and sticky as ham loaf continues to bake and brown. Cooking time should be about 90 minutes or up to 2 hours for larger loaf made in 9 x 13 pan. 

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Sopapilla Cheesecake

I used to look at those cans of Pillsbury dough on the refrigerator shelf in the grocery store and think nothing of them...other than they are just a quick way to throw out some biscuits when you're running short on time.  And we all know that while they are convenient, they don't taste anything like homemade. 

But then one day something happened.  I had a revelation of sorts when I thought about what is really in those cans....it's just pre-made dough!  And a whole new world opened up for me.  Now I look at those cans and think of appetizers, side dishes, main dishes and desserts!  Desserts that are incredible and truly unforgettable! Next time you pass by that canned dough....throw some in your cart and think delicious! 

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 (8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar (divided)
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Keep the cans of dough in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Then unroll one and using fingers spread it out flat on the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Press out any seams.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1 cup of the sugar and the vanilla extract until creamy and smooth.  Pour the mixture over dough in pan and using a spatula, spread evenly.  

Unroll the second roll of dough and gently lay it evenly on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Pour the melted butter evenly over the top layer of the dough.  Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the butter mixture. 

Bake for 30 minutes.  Cool for 20-30 minutes before serving warm.  Cover and refrigerate.

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Simple Brownie Cheesecake

Here's one of my quick and semi-homemade recipes that tastes just like you made it all from scratch. A short cut to making a much more complicated dessert, this one is so simple to make and so delicious! You might even have to have that second slice just to make sure!

Simple Brownie Cheesecake

1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz) Brownie mix (13 X 9 inch pan size)
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted in microwave for drizzle

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; pour into 13 x 9 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes or until top is shiny and center is almost set.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over brownie layer in pan. It will almost fill your pan.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen sides; cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Drizzle top with chocolate topping.

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♥ Beef Stroganoff

One of my personal favorites! I love my country rendition of Beef Stroganoff...well, I can't really call it Stroganoff because I have left out a lot of the ingredients that might go into that classic dish.  But even without the mushrooms, sour cream and other things that go into Stroganoff, this is delicious. I actually like this better! I start off by finding the perfect chuck roast in the meat case and I ask the meat clerk to trim the fat and cut it into beef cubes for me.....

Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter for frying
4 tablespoons of flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 cups half and half (half milk/half cream)
1 (16 oz) package egg noodles

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet and then add olive oil. Over medium heat, saute onions and garlic until tender. Add beef cubes and fry until brown on all sides. Cover and simmer on low heat for about an hour or until meat is very tender. You can also pre-cook beef cubes in a crock pot for 6 hours on high with a little beef broth for fork tender beef for all your stews and soups. I do this often and freeze until I need them.

In a separate skillet, add 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of flour and whisk quickly to blend. Cook, for about 1 minute and lightly browned, stirring the entire time. Whisk in half and half and continue whisking until sauce begins to thicken. Turn off heat and salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of pepper in mind.

Finally, pour your sauce into the skillet with your meat and with a wooden spoon stir, making sure that you scrap all the bits of meat and garlic and onion from the bottom. Cover for another 10 minutes while noodles cook.

Boil egg noodles as directed on package. Drain well and pour into bowl. Add meat and sauce over noodles.

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Ground Beef Stroganoff

I love these quick one skillet meals don't you?  So easy to make and so 

good! 

Ground Beef Stroganoff

1 lb ground chuck, browned 
salt and pepper to taste
1 box egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 cup of beef broth

Brown beef in large skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain beef, pour in bowl and set aside. Using same skillet, saute onion and garlic until tender. Add beef back in and stir.

In large deep skillet, melt butter. Add flour and whisk for a full minute until lightly golden. Slowly pour in cream whisking until incorporated. Whisk in beef broth and stir as sauce thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Simmer on low heat until egg noodles are ready.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Drain well and serve with stroganoff.

Photo source: flickriver mooshee85

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Caramel Apple Pecan Pie

I made only one pie this past weekend...but it was a good one from my Mom's favorites. She was quite the pie baker and use to come up with all kinds of different combinations. We loved this spin off her all American apple pie. It almost tastes like a caramel apple with the mix of caramel and pecans. This one is a keeper my friends.


Caramel Apple Pecan Pie

4 lbs. Gala, Fuji, or Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced in ¼-inch slices
Zest of 1 lemon and 3 tablespoons of the juice from that lemon
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 ½ cups Kraft caramel candies, cut in fourths
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 additional tsp. granulated sugar

Easy Pie Dough: (or use frozen pie shells)

1 ½ sticks very frozen butter, diced into cubes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold shortening like Crisco
about ½ cup ice water

Crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and cut in the cold butter and shortening. Continue cutting until the butter is the size of peas and resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to form a ball in the bowl. Gather into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Pie Filling: While dough is chilling, slice your apples in to ¼-inch slices and place in large bowl. Combine apples with zest, lemon juice, sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans. Stir to mix thoroughly, coating each apple slice. Set aside.

Remove your dough from refrigerator and cut in equal halves. On lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a circle, rolling from the center to the edges, turning and flouring the dough as needed to prevent sticking. Fold dough in half, and carefully place it in a 9-inch pie pan. Unfold dough to fit pan. Repeat rolling for second pastry dough.

Fill the pie shell with apple mixture and drop caramel pieces evenly on top. Top with second crust and trim edges to 1-inch over the rim of pie pan. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the edges together with fingers by pinching.

Combine 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water and whisk well. Brush the entire top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with an additional teaspoon of sugar. Cut 4-5 slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Place pie on sheet pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until crust is browned and juices begin to bubble out.

Allow pie to cool slightly and then drizzle more melted caramel on top and sprinkle with pecans. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy! 

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