Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup

1lb ground beef

1 small onion diced

3 stalks celery

3 carrots diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans(14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans with liquid

1 can (15oz.) great northern beans with liquid

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (12 oz.) V-8 juice

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1-2 cups water

1 1/2 t. salt

1 t oregano

1 t basil

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. thyme

1/4 lb. little shell pasta (can sub. but i like these best)

Brown beef, drain. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute 10 min. Add remaining ingredients except pasta add that at the end. This is great in the crock pot too.

Buttermilk Brownie sheet cake

The kind that makes a lot! You'll love to take them to ward activites. Or for giving away to others and you still have some for your family!

1cup Marg.

4 T cocoa

1 cup water

bring to boil-

Take off heat and add:

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1tsp soda

2 cups flour

Bake in cookie sheet 400 for 15 min.

For frosting......Cook in sauce pan while cake is baking:

1 cube marg.

4 Tbls. cocoa

1tsp vanilla

6 tlbs milk

beat in 3 1/2 cups powder sugar and pour over hot brownies.

Italian loaf

1 pkg fresh basil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic
Process into a pesto

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (I buy the canned ones packed in oil and pat dry with a paper towel)
1/8 cup butter
12 oz. cream cheese
1 lb provolone cheese deli sliced
damp cheese cloth
loaf pan

melba toast or your favorite hard cracker

Lay the damp cheese cloth in your loaf pan. Leave sides hanging out
then layer the provolone on the bottom and sides
mix the butter and cream cheese so its creamy
layer cream cheese then pesto then the tomatoes and repeat
fold over the cheese cloth to close off the top and weigh it down while chilling it over night.

Take the weights off and open the cheese cloth turn it out on to a serving dish. Now remove the cheese cloth. Guests may slice off servings with a knife and spread on melba toast or crackers
I make this at Christmas time. It is sooooo very good. I'll post pictures when I make it.

Shrimp melts

baguette or Italian bread (don't use french bread it gets to soggy)
3 avocado
1/2 lbs shrimp
canned salsa
monery jack cheese

Slice the baguette into one inch slices. Top with the avocado cooked shrimp salsa and springle with shredded moneray jack cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted. They are so good. Next time I make them I will post the pictures.

Aebelskivers

It seems like there are lots of different spelling. This is the way Jason's grandmother form Norway spells it. To search for the pan you will get results spelling it Ebleskiver. Here are two recipies. The first one is Jason's grandmothers and the second one it a Danish one from my brother. They are both very very yummy but I prefer the Danish one because it's a little bit faster for my hungry kids. We have them for breakfast but they could be a desert. Aebleskiver

1.) Norwegian

2 cups flour

1 pinch salt

1 pack yeast or 1 Tablespoon

2 cups warm milk

3 egg yolks

Cover and let rise 20-30 min

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites

cook in well greashed Abelskeever pan

Topped with

1/2 cup whipping cream whipped med. stiff

2 T powder sugar

1/2 sour cream

You can add jam or fresh fruit.

2) Danish

2 cups Buttermilk

3 eggs Separted

2 cups Flour

1/2 t salt

2 T sugar

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

mix egg yokes with buttermilk and dry ingredents. Fold in stiffly beated egg whites.

Cook in well greashed Aberskiver pan.

top with

Mash fresh rasberries in a bowl

add sugar to taste.

On top of that you can put whip cream or just sprinkle powdered sugar.

You can vary the topping depending what you have but traditionally you would use a kind of fruit or jam and whipped cream or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

(from Crystal)

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)

2 cups heavy cream

3 lemonsKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch broccoli

1 pound dried fusilli pasta

1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

Southwest chicken salad

4 breasts of chicken, cooked then sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
small1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ear of corn, cut off kernels (can use frozen or can corn)
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup jack cheese
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/4 small jicama, diced
Lemon-pepper
crushed tortilla chips
cucumbers (optional)
Buttermilk Salsa Dressing (see below)
Pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer. In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken and sprinkle generously with lemon-pepper. Cook each side about 7 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool. Slice the chicken. Prepare all ingredients and toss the salad. Don’t addthe salad dressing until ready to serve.
Buttermilk Salsa Dressing: In a blender mix one envelope of ranch dressing with the required amount of mayonnaise and milk. Then add FRESH deli salsa to taste. Try and not get too much of the liquid.

Recipe from Mique

Kalua Pork and Cabbage

Kalua Pork and Cabbage ( from Wendi)
Ingredients: 3-4 lb pork butt or shoulder
¼ cup of Liquid smoke.
¼ cup of sea salt
1 small head of cabbage
Directions:Rub the sea salt and liquid smoke all over the pork butt in your crock pot. Fill with enough water to cover the pork and let cook in crock pot until you can easily shred the pork. Reserve about 1-2 cups of the liquid in the crock pot. Julienne the cabbage into 1/8 inch strips. Saute the cabbage and pork for about 5 minutes (don't brown the cabbage). Add the reserved liquid and cover to cook on low until the cabbage is wilted but still green. Serves 8-10 **Variation oven recipe. Instead of cooking it in the crock pot I usually roast it in the oven (double wrapped in tin foil) at 250 for 5-6 hours. Serve on rolls. I like the parkerhouse roll recipie from the back of the rodes rolls package.

Pepperoni rolls (Good for kids to make!)

Can of biscuits or you can use bread dough balls
mozzarella cheese
peperoni

This is a fun recipe for the kids to learn to make. Just take a biscuit and place peperoni on top with a slice of mozzarella cheese and another biscuit on top and squish together. Bake on a baking sheet at 350 until golden brown about 10 to 15 min..

Calico beans

1 lb. Ham

1 large Onion

1 T dry mustard

3/4 c. Brown sugar

1 29 oz can pork and beans

1 15 oz. can carbanzo beans

1 15 oz. can kidney beans

1 lbs. frozen lima beans

1 lb bacon

1 cup Ketchep

1 Tb. vinigar

2 Tsp. salt

Fry bacon, add ham and onion saute a bit and add everything else. cook 1 hr. or more in crockpot or warm in large pot on stove, you could also put it in a large casserole dish in the oven. It's like a chilli goes well with breadsticks and salad. Very good!

Peach Cobbler

2 cubes butter

1 c. milk or juice

2 c. flour

4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 t. vanilla

sliced peaches
2 c. sugar

1 c. water

Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with fruit 1 inch deep. Mix butter, 1 cup sugar, milk or juice, flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla in bowl. Pour over fruit. Dissolve 2 cups sugar in 1 cup water and pour over batter. Bake at 350 for 45 minuets to 1 hour(until top is golden brown). Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

Lemon Poppy seed Zucchini Bread

Lemon poppy seed zucchini bread.

Lemon poppy seed zucchini bread
3 eggs
2 Cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 t Lemon Extract
Mix
Add..
1 t salt
1 t soda
2T poppy seeds
1/4t baking powder
2 cups grated zucchini
rind of 2 lemons
3 Cups flour
Mix and
pour in greased loaf pans. Bake 325 for 1 hr.
Glaze
4T lemon juice
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
Mix well and pour over bread while warm