Italian Vegetable Soup

From: Back-to-School Lunches cookbook

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 bag frozen Italian vegetables or mixed vegetables
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp crushed dried oregano
1 cup uncooked wagon wheel pasta
1 cup cooked diced chicken, optional

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in frozen vegetables, tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken broth, salt, pepper and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook at a low boil 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. If desired, stir in chicken with pasta.

Easily frozen: Just put it in a freezer container. Thaw overnight and you can pack it for lunch or eat it at home.

 
Verdict:
Thumbs up! Such a classic, feel-good, comfort meal! This was definitely a recipe meant for kids but it was delicious. I like this because it's easy to adapt. I'll definitely be making this again and I highly recommend it.

Country Ham Bone Soup

From: Here

Ingredients:

1 baked country ham bone
3 quarts water
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen whole kernel corn
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen lima beans
1 (16 oz.) can black eyed peas, undrained
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, undrained
2 c. cooked elbow macaroni
Salt & pepper to taste

Place ham bone in large soup kettle. Add water; simmer 30 minutes. Remove bone and remove meat from bone. Chop meat and return to broth. Add carrot, celery and onion; simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining vegetables; simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add macaroni; season with salt and pepper. Heat to serving temperature.

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Verdict:

Thumbs up! I needed a way to use my ham bone after I made a ham, and we're not huge bean eaters, so I found this soup recipe and thought it sounded like a winner. Filling, delicious, and easy to make! Next time I make a ham I'll definitely be making this soup the next day again! I highly recommend this soup!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

In a saucepan, saute the onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the salsa, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken; stir to coat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve on buns.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was so delicious. We didn't eat it on hamburger buns, just plain, and it was so delicious. Everyone in my family ate more than one plate. Stephen, who claims to not like barbecue chicken very much, ate three plates AND took the leftovers to work the next day! Definitely a family-friendly recipe and cheap, for me, because I didn't need to buy a single ingredient. Highly, highly recommend this recipe! 

Garlic Bubble Ring

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
1 lb frozen bread dough, thawed
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" Bundt cake pan. Pull off pieces of thawed bread dough; form into balls. Combine butter and egg in a small mixing bowl; mix in cheese, garlic powder, salt and parsley. Dip dough balls into mix and layer in the prepared pan. Cover; let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Verdict:

Oh. My. Gosh. Biggest thumbs up EVER. I used Rhodes rolls instead of a frozen bread loaf. I loved this because it was already in the balls. All I had to do was let it thaw, dip each ball into the mixture, and then I used a circle cake pan instead of a cake pan. Cooking time for me was only about 20 minutes though.

When they came out of the oven they were dripping in butter and garlic, just the way we like them! As they sat out, the bottoms got a little crisper and they had this awesome butter/garlic caramelization on the bottoms. Tremendous. We ate the entire pan in no time. I would eat this for every meal if I could. Seriously. Highly recommend this recipe!

Spinach Tortellini Soup

From: Budget Bytes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
28 oz water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
15-20 cranks fresh cracked pepper
1 12-oz package frozen cheese tortellini
1 10-oz box frozen spinach
2 tsp salt

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot along with the olive oil over medium-low heat until they are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the can of tomato sauce, the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes, and one can full of water to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring up to a simmer (about 10 minutes). Add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach (no need to thaw either one). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the frozen spinach. Cook until heated through, the spinach has completely incorporated, and the tortellini is tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! We love spinach tortellini soup, and this is such a simple, classic recipe. Couldn't be any better! I did use my canned tomatoes instead of store-bought, but only because I need to put them to use. I have nothing negative to say about this recipe. I topped it with crackers and parmesan cheese. Absolutely delicious!

Honey Baked Ham (Copycat recipe)

From: Mommy's Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 1/2- lbs ham (spiral cut smoked, fully cooked)
1/2 - cup pear or apple juice
1/2 - cup orange juice
1/2 - cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 - cup honey
hand held butane torch

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the ham, cut end down, in a large baking pan.  Mix the pear or apple juice with the orange juice in a bowl and mix.  Pour the juice mixture over the ham and bake for 15 minutes basting frequently with juices. Remove from oven.  Mix brown sugar and honey together in a small bowl.  Brush mixture over ham and bake for another hour or until internal temperature reads 140°F.  Using a butane torch carefully caramelize the glaze to the crust using small strokes.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I am never buying deli ham again. Literally. I can't believe I have waited so long to cook a ham. I'm not sure why I was so afraid. About a month ago I caught a ham on sale for $0.99/lb and I scooped one up (it was just over 8 lbs). I figured I may as well take the plunge and try to cook it. Found this recipe and made this for dinner the night Stephen just returned from his last deployment. It doesn't get any easier than this. I threw away the glaze packet that came with the ham. I did everything just as this recipe specified (I used apple juice and orange juice) but my ham did take about 3 1/2 hours to cook. When it was done, we used the butane torch to caramelize the outside (see first picture) but all it did was harden the spot that we torched. I ended up matting on extra brown sugar with some juices and then torching it lightly. This added the "Honeybaked Ham" skin that we love so much! If you're scared of cooking a ham, like I was, I strongly encourage you to try this recipe. It was incredibly simple and made a ton of ham. I'll never be afraid again!

Cinnamon Banana Bread

From: Bargain Briana

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 bananas
• 1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons half and half
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine bananas, half and half (I used milk), egg, and oil in bowl until smooth. Stir in brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour. Cool completely.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I have a tried and true banana bread recipe that I never stray from, but you know I'm always open to trying new recipes. I like this one. Not too different from my other recipe but just as delicious. I highly recommend it if you like a basic banana bread recipe!