Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Italian Sausage Soup

From: Sunset Pasta Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs mild Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 onions, chopped
1 large can (1 lb 12 oz) Italian-style tomatoes
3 cans (14 oz each) beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine or water
1/2 tsp dry basil
3 tbsp chopped parsley
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 medium-size zucchini, cut into slices
5 ounces bow-shaped noodles
grated Parmesan cheese


Remove and discard sausage casings; cut sausages in 1/2-inch lengths. In a Dutch oven, cook sausages over medium heat until lightly browned. Spoon off and discard all but 2 Tbsp drippings. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until limp (about 5 minutes). Stir in tomatoes and their liquid (break up tomatoes with a spoon.) Add broth, wine, and basil. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Add parsley, pepper, zucchini, and noodles. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes or until noodles are al dente. Use Parmesan on soup.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used turkey kielbasa instead of sausage, 1 15-oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of 1 huge can of Italian tomatoes, 2 cans of beef broth, and left out the wine/water part. Nothing drastic.

What I'll do differently next time:
Whatever I need to substitute!!

Verdict:
Thumbs up. This was a good recipe, but not an all-time favorites. I probably could have eaten just the kielbasa and pasta and been happy with it, but I mean, I did have two bowls, so it wasn't bad or anything. :) I would make it again.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Spicy Pepperoni Biscuits

From: Christmas with Southern Living 1998
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup finely chopped pepperoni
3/4 cup milk



Combine first five ingredients; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in pepperoni. Add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times. Roll dough to 1/2" thickness; cut dough with 2" or 2 1/2" biscuit cutter, and place biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.




What I did differently from the recipe: Nothing.


What I'll do differently next time: Put more pepperonis in.

Verdict: Why do my biscuits always turn out crumbly?? I think these could have been delicious...

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Vegetable Rotini

From: Campbells Quick and Easy Recipes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups dry rotini or corkscrew macaroni 1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli flowerets 1 1/2 cups fresh cauliflowerets 2 medium carrots, cut into strips 1 can Campbell's condensed broccoli cheese soup (I could only find this at Walmart) 1 package (3 oz) cream cheese 3/4 cup milk 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tbsp dijon-style mustard (optional) 1/8 tsp pepper

In a medium saucepan, prepare pasta according to package directions. Add broccoli, cauliflower and carrots for last five minutes of cooking time. Drain in colander. In same saucepan, gradually stir soup in cream cheese; add milk, Parmesan cheese, mustard and pepper. Over low heat, heat until cream cheese is melted, stirring often. Add macaroni and vegetables. Heat through, stirring occasionally.


What I did differently from the recipe:


I used a 16 oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, red peppers and zucchini). I didn't use the dijon-style mustard because I didn't have any open already.

What I'll do differently next time:



Nothing.



Verdict:


Thumbs up!! Man, what with the vegetable pasta I used, frozen vegetables, and the broccoli soup, I probably had enough veggies to last me for a while! I loved the flavor of this. I thought it was just creamy enough and the soup made such a great flavor. Honestly, I could see myself easily throwing this together spontaneously when I need just something quick and mindless to make. And it was so good!! I will definitely be making this again.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Apple Pudding Cake

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1 medium-size Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups just-add-water pancake-and-waffle mix
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups apple juice





Preheat oven to 350. Toss chopped apples with lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add brown sugar, stirring well to coat. Whisk together pancake-and-waffle mix, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; stir in milk, cutter, and vanilla. Fold apple mixture and any accumulated juices into batter. Spread into a lightly grased 8-inch square pan. Microwave apple juice in a 2-cup glass measuring cup at High 2 to 3 minutes or until boiling. Using a spoon, gently drizzle hot apple juice over batter in pan. Some batter may float once juice is added. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a cake layer forms on top and layer springs back when touched. Let cool on a wire rack 25 minutes. Serve with ice cream if desired.




What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't use a Granny Smith apple. Also, I microwaved 2 cups of apple juice but I only used about 1/4 or 1/3 cup. It just seemed very weird to drizzle two whole cups of juice in this small little pan.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! Very soft and moist. So delicious and so easy! A recipe for when you need something in a hurry. I have a feeling this is one of those that is better the second day as well.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Cheesy Spaghetti Bake

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 lb uncooked spaghetti, broken into 3-inch pieces
4 lbs ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 cups milk
4 cans condensed tomato soup, undiluted
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided



Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and place in two greased 13x9 baking dishes; set aside. In two Dutch ovens or stockpots, cook the beef, onions and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. To each pot, add 2 cups of milk, two cans of tomato soup, one can of mushroom soup and 1 cup of cheese. Bring to a boil. Spoon over spaghetti. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and the tops are lightly browned.


What I did differently from the recipe:
First of all, I halved it, but I also only used 1 can of tomato soup instead of two because I didn't have two cans in the pantry. I left out the onions because Stephen doesn't like onions.

What I'll do differently next time:
I would use two cans of tomato soup next time, just to really have that tomato flavor. And throw in onions because I love them!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! My picky eater didn't like this but me and Brianna loved it! (Yes, my adult husband is my picky eater!) At least he tried it! To me, you can't go wrong with spaghetti, cheese, and meat, and everything else was just bonus. I might try a vegetarian version of this in the future because Brianna doesn't really like ground meats because of the texture. I think this would still be good without meat.