What's cookin'? - Manaste (beans and greens soup)

Yesterday it was cold and snowy. I of course made soup - I swear, I could live on the stuff. My husband likes every soup I make. I have a feeling that when the boys are on their own we will eat soup every day! (A different kind every day, naturally, I have that many recipes!)

 I followed my mother's recipes for "Manaste". I hadn't made it in years, but it is a recipe I have grown up with, and I simply love when my mother makes it. In fact, when she stayed with us for a while after I got out of the hospital a few years ago, that was one of my requested recipes. It always is!

Today I looked up "Manaste" on Google and a few different recipes came up! What they all had in common was this: beans and greens. However, none of the recipes that I found were a soup. This may actually be a unique recipe to the Barone family! 

Like making Italian wedding soup, there are several steps in preparation, so allow for some time making this one! 

Manaste

• 2 heads escarole

• 1 lb. Country ribs

• 1 stick pepperoni

• 1 can Whole peeled tomatoes, broken up

• 2 cans White beans (I used cannellini beans)

• grated Parmesan cheese

Step 1: Cut or tear up escarole  leaves. Place in a large stock pot and cover with water. Cook on medium high heat for at least one hour (leaves will be wilty).

Step 2: In a frying pan, brown ribs well  on both sides in 1 tablespoon olive oil, over medium heat. Remove meat and cut into bite-size pieces. Add to soup pot . (Be sure to include a few bones ! This flavors the broth more!)

Step 3: Slice pepperoni into 1/4 inch- thick slices. In a separate small sauce pot, add enough water to cover the pepperoni slices. Bring to a boil and allow to boil five minutes (this removes a lot of the grease!) Drain about half of the pepperoni water and add the rest (including the meat!) to the soup pot.

Step 4: Add the broken-up tomatoes and their juice.

Step 5: Add the canned beans and their juices.

Step 6: add a GENEROUS pinch of salt and about 1/4 cup of grated cheese.

Serve with additional grated cheese if desired.

Total cooking time: 1 1/2 to 2 hours

(Make sure you have some good Italian bread and butter for this, too!)

What's cookin'? - Stuffed Pepper soup!

Yesterday we got about 4 inches of snow here where I live in Connecticut.

This Tuesday the weather forecast is for  blizzard-like conditions!

Did I ever mention to you that I hate winter?

HATE IT!!

That's right! All capital letters!

I can only hope that my husband makes good on his promise of moving somewhere warmer when he retires (at least for half of the year)!

Those of you who read this blog regularly know that when it's cold, I make soup!

Nothing warms me up more then sitting by our woodstove with a nice, warm bowl of soup.

In fact, it doesn't even have to snow for me to make it. The temperature just has to drop a little below 40 degrees!

I've been making so much soup lately that my oldest son asked me, "Mom, what's up with all the soup lately?"

My response was simply, "It's cold."

DUH! 

Doesn't everybody resort to making soup when it's cold?

A little background info before sharing the recipe .... As most of you know, I am a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, and have been, for going on 18 years!

We used to sell 6 x 6 scrapbooks.

For several years I hosted a recipe "swap" a couple of times during the year, where you would choose one recipe to share make a 6x6 scrapbook page of that recipe.  You would make multiples of the page, so that everyone would receive one.

When the due date arrived, you were invited to bring your cooked creation to share as well as your pages to swap.

Here are a few examples:

I have gathered tons of great recipes over the years - about four scrapbooks worth! 

Today I share with you a recipe  that I have used over and over again.

It was given to me by my friend Marie S., and it is the only one I ever consult for making stuffed pepper soup. It's awesome!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is a HUGE batch that feeds 4 adults with plenty of leftovers.

•2 pounds ground beef
•1 large onion chopped
•4-5 bell peppers (I only used 3 the other day) any color (we usually
usually use green and red) chopped
•1 large can diced tomatoes (I used whole tomatoes and chopped them myself)
•1 carton beef broth
•3-4 cans of tomato soup
•1 small can/jar of tomato sauce (or what ever you have on hand)....OR
just add more tomato soup
•4 Tablespoons brown sugar
•Water (I usually just eyeball it)
•Salt & Pepper to taste
•Uncooked White Rice (3/4 cup or more, again just eyeball it)

-Brown and drain the ground beef. 

-Add onions and peppers. Cook until tender.

(Doesn't this look so colorful and pretty?)

 -Add tomato soup, tomato sauce (or more tomato soup), tomatoes,
beef broth and water. Bring to a boil.

 -Add brown sugar and rice. 

-Add salt and pepper to taste.
-Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. You may need to add more
broth or water depending on thickness.

***This is really a forgiving recipe. You can add more or less of anything and end up with the same result***

YUM!!!!

Thank you, Marie! This is a wonderful soup!

My favorite NEW fall recipes!

Because I'm late posting this, chances are you've already done your planning for tomorrow's dinner.

I apologize for that!

BUT if you have these items on hand and can make any of them tomorrow, please do!

Or just make them any day! 

Winter doesn't officially start until December 21 or so (even though it's snowing outside and looks like winter today!)

Here are my favorite new fall recipes that I've tried this year:

Autumn Squash Soup (Panera copycat recipe)

This would be a great starter to your Thanksgiving feast!

I had the soup at Panera and new I had to make it! I searched the Internet high and low or a copycat recipe. This one nailed it! I found it at:

http://homemadecravings.com/panera-autumn-squash-soup/

(Seeves 6)

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (or 20 oz package precut)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon curry
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450. Toss chopped butternut squash with canola oil and salt and pepper.
2. Roast for 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
3. Using a potato ricer, press squash through ricer. (Or puree in blender if you don’t have a ricer)
4. In a large food processor, blend pureed squash and pumpkin, pouring vegetable broth, apple cider and half and half through the top while blending.
5. Pour into sauce pan and heat over medium to a gentle boil. Add honey and spices.
6. Simmer on low for 10 minutes and serve with roasted pumpkin seeds.

**NOTES: 

     •Too thick? Just add more broth or apple cider!

     •I used yellow curry powder. It was readily available in the spice aisle.

     •Buy pre-cut and peeled squash! (ever try to cut a whole one? I swear, you need a  hatchet!)

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Creamy Pumpkin-Sausage-Sage Pasta

This recipe I found here:

http://snappygourmet.com/2011/11/09/creamy-pumpkin-sage-sausage-pasta/

It is great as a weeknight dinner but also would be great as a Thanksgiving side dish! 

• 1 pound ground sausage (sage flavor, if available; otherwise use 2 to 3 fresh sage leaves, chopped)
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (15oz.) can pumpkin
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (regular or reduced fat), cubed
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 lb. pasta (any shape)

Instructions

•Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.

•Meanwhile, add sausage, mushrooms, and garlic (and sage leaves, if using) to a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage with fork, and cook everything, stirring frequently about 4-6 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and sausage is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.

•Add chicken broth and pumpkin to pan and stir to combine. 

•Mix in cubes of cream cheese and Swiss cheese and stir to combine until cheese has all melted and mixture is smooth. It might appear chunky for a little while, but keep stirring and it will come together. 

•Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Lower heat to keep sauce warm.

•When sauce is just about done, cook pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir to combine.

Maybe a garnish of fresh sage leaves?

This was delicious! It tasted like something you would get at a restaurant!

Since I got all ingredients from Aldi, (except the sage, which was still growing outside in my deck container) it was a really inexpensive meal as well! BONUS!

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And don't forget my favorite pumpkin dessert creation from this fall - Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Enchiladas! You can find the recipe here: http://dandyspandy.blogspot.com/2014/10/pumpkin-spice-cheesecake-enchiladas.html?m=1

Enjoy !

Happy Thanksgiving!

What's cookin'?- Beef stew

Autumn is here!

The mornings and nights are a little chillier nowadays. This gives me an excuse to switch my cooking to warmer, "stick to your belly" meals... A little comfort food doesn't hurt every now and again , does it?

I also have a son who spends a lot of time in a cold ice rink on many nights. For sure I have to prepare meals that will warm him when he comes home!

Last week this particular son requested that I make beef stew.

When I was in the hospital a couple of years ago, my mother came to stay for 2 months. 

She was an awesome support system to everyone of us. 

She kept my household running smoothly in my absence. 

She cleaned.

She cooked.

She made beef stew. 

Everyone fell in love with it.

Fast forward to the recent beef stew request... I have made it many times before, but all of a sudden, doubted my method - afraid that it would be too  soupy instead of a thick base. 

What do I do in a time of cooking distress?

 What any girl would do of course... CALL MOM! 

So, here I am on the phone calling my mother (AKA Paula's cooking hotline)...

Mom: "hello?"

Me: "mom. stew."

Mom: "what?"

Me: "stew!"

Mom: "oh, hi honey! Stew? Are you making it the way I always make it?"

Me: "yes, and I will be darned if I can find the recipe! I have a feeling I know how to make it, but I'm unsure and I don't want it to turn out wrong..."

(Turns out I was right all along, but I'm sure it gave her a thrill to help me out. Plus I'm so blessed to be able to still call my mother for recipes, so I do it as much as possible!)

** Aside** 

Have any of you ever seen the movie Wedding Crashers? There is a scene where crazy Will Ferrell (Chaz), who still lives with his mother, asks for meatloaf... "Mah... The meatloaf!"

Cracks me up every time!

My conversation on the phone with her was a little like that, barking orders like "stew!" without even saying "hello" first!

I tried to find a video clip to post here to share, but couldn't find a single one without the "F" word in it. So, if you have never seen the movie and don't know what I'm talking about, just go on YouTube and search "Wedding Crashers meatloaf"...

Anyway... 

If you've never made stew, here's how to make a great one!

•Dredge beef stew cubes in a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper.

• Roughly chop up one onion.

• Add beef and onion to a sauce pot with about 2 tablespoons oil. Cook until meat begins to brown and onions begin to soften.

• Add 1/4 cup red wine to deglaze pan, scraping off all brown bits. Cook until reduced by about half.

• Nex,t you're going to add one box (or 32 ounces) of beef broth. I didn't have any homemade but I have found that I like this better! (Better than Boullion) I just boiled water and followed the directions on the jar as to how much to add, before adding it to the beef/onion mixture.

• Roughly chop up some celery and carrots, add to pot. (I used three of each.)

(As you can see by this picture I like to have bigger chunks of veggies in my stew!)

• Cook over medium heat for about one half hour, or until vegetables begin to soften.

• Broth should thicken due to the flour used on the beef. If it's too "brothy", you might want to add 2 teaspoons of Minute Tapioca:

• In a separate pot, while stew is cooking, cut two large potatoes into cubes. I cooked mine separately in a boiling pot of water until just soft. Drain.

• I also cook my pasta separately (we like bow ties). You can either put on another separate pot for that or just throw them in the boiling water from the potatoes once the potatoes are done. I cook the potatoes and pasta separately so my stew isn't really starchy.

• When they are done I throw the potatoes, the pasta and a drained can of peas into the stew.

• Cook for a few minutes longer just enough to warm the peas.

Mmmmm...

I can feel it stick to my ribs now... and I'm warm!

What's cookin' - Cream of zucchini soup

Not too many pictures for this post, but believe me this is a great recipe! Quick, easy and healthy too!

I this recipe on www.skinnytaste.com. They list calories and Weight Watcher points there if you are interested.

All you need for the soup is:

• 3 medium zucchini, skin on, cut in chunks

• 1/2 onion, quartered

• 2 whole cloves garlic

• 32 oz. chicken broth (1 box)

• 2T sour cream

-Add broth and vegetables to a sauce pot. Bring to a boil.

-Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until all veggies are soft.

-Purée with an immersion blender, or carefully pour and purée in a stand blender, until all ingredients are pulverized and combined.

- Add sour cream and stir.

- Season to taste.

** Before serving, I add grated Parmesan cheese to top and drizzled with olive oil.

** You can make this soup even healthier  by using reduced-fat sour cream and/or reduced-sodium chicken broth!

**Make it vegan without  the cheese and use vegetable broth instead! 

** This soup lends itself easily to being changed up. You can top it with fresh herbs instead of the oil and cheese... If you need a heartier soup, try adding some chopped zucchini (or zucchini noodles!) or yellow squash... Serve it as a beginning to your meal or as a meal itself by serving it with some crusty bread. 

Let your creativity shine!

Enjoy!

What's cookin'? - "Italian" lunch!

It's lunchtime.

If you're in the mood for something not too heavy, but tasty, try these two options:

Pastina

Stracciatella Soup

Both our choices that remind me of my Italian upbringing!

Pastina is kind-of like a comfort food to me now. When I was little it was my one of mom's go-to foods when I was sick.

It's quick and simple, and it makes you feel all warm inside... AKA "comfort food".

First, you go to the store and buy a box of Pastina so you always have it on hand! This is what it looks like:

They are usually just tiny pasta stars!

There are plenty of brands to choose from also! Whatever your store carries, whatever's cheapest, it's all the same!  Barilla, Ronzoni, Prince... I do usually have this on hand because it's good to add to soups, especially Italian wedding soup or like my first recipe today - or to just eat alone, by itself.

Pastina

You will need:

1/4c Pastina

1c water or chicken broth*

1 egg, lightly beaten

1t butter

1T grated Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

• Bring water or broth to boil in a small pot.

• Add Pastina and salt; cook until most of the water is absorbed (3-4 minutes)

• turn off heat and stir in egg - it will cook in the hot pasta

• add butter, cheese, and pepper

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You could add Passtina to the following soup as well; I didn't.  It's like an Italian version of "egg drop soup"...

Stracciatella Soup

INGREDIENTS

4c chicken broth*

4 eggs

1/3c grated Parmesan

1T chopped fresh parsley

2c fresh spinach

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

• bring broth to a simmer in soup pot

• whisk together eggs, cheese, parsley, and about 1/2t salt.

• slowly pour the egg mixture into broth while stirring

• continue to stir until the eggs are "set" (about one minute)

• add spinach and stir to wilt

Yum! 

Stave off that cold! 

Perfect for a rainy day!

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**Making your own broth:

I have been making my own chicken broth lately. It seems that it is something that I am always buying at the store.

Making your own not only means that you can control the ingredients, but it is better tasting than the store-bought.

The soup was killer because of the broth!

If you haven't tried making your own yet I highly recommend it! It's easy and way cheaper in the long run!

** I usually make broth the day after I have used a whole chicken, or a rotisserie chicken in some other recipe. Buying the rotisserie chicken seems to be my trend these days! They're inexpensive and save a lot of cooking time!

Just take the chicken carcass (if you have some meat on it - great, but it's not necessary) Throw it in a soup pot and cover it with water.

Add salt pepper and any or all of the following: carrot, celery, onion, parsley.

They don't even have to be nice - Just clean! And, by nice I mean you can use the parts of the veggies that you have cut off to throw away from other recipes! Just save the ends of carrots or celery - or even onion skins - in a Ziploc bag as you are preparing other meals during the week. They just help to flavor the broth and you will be skimming them all off and throwing them away anyway!

Which leads me to my next step:

Cook on low heat at least two hours.

Skim all veggies out and throw away along with the chicken carcass that has been plucked of any remaining bits.

Now you have chicken broth free of MSD or an overload of salt!

I like to freeze mine in leftover containers from cottage cheese (or anything). I even pour some into ice cube trays, freeze them and then pop them out to freeze in Ziploc bags - easy to add a little bit of broth that way to recipes.

If you are not eating meat and want to make vegetable broth just don't include the chicken carcass and throw in any vegetables that you would like. Just follow the same steps.

Enjoy your lunch!

What's cooking? - Clam Chowder

Looking for a quick, easy meal for meatless Friday?

Look no further!

Clam chowder!

"Doctored", not homemade, is one of our favorite meals.

Everyone in my family loves the rich creaminess and taste of this chowder. For me, I love that I can just throw it together!

If you don't mind using canned goods, then this is a recipe you might like to try.

It is a recipe that I got from my slow cooker cookbook, but I make it on the stovetop.

If you make it in your crockpot, you cook it for two hours on low.

On the stovetop: low heat, and maybe 45 minutes - that's it!

• 1 small onion (chopped)

• 1/2c butter

In a soup pot melt butter over low heat.

Add onions and cook until soft (about five minutes).

Add the following:

• 3 cans condensed cream of potato soup (like Campbell's)

• 2 cans condensed clam chowder (I like Snow's)

• 2 - 6 1/2 oz. cans clams (chopped/ minced) WITH JUICE

• 1 pt. (16 oz.) half-and-half

Cook over low heat, 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

I like to sprinkle fresh parsley on the top before serving!

What's cookin'? - Tomato Tortellini Soup

Oh.... My... Goodness....

This one is a winner!

It was Ash Wednesday so I knew we had to have a meatless meal. I was in the mood for soup (again), but I wanted something.... different - something... new.

I searched my Pinterest board "Soups On!" and came up with tortellini soup. My mother-in-law had given me a recipe for tortellini soup that she just loves. I found that, and compared the two.

One had a cream base, one did not. One used spinach, the other did not. Hmmm... I had some leftover baby spinach in the refrigerator from a meal I cooked the other night.... The creamy soup used sun-dried tomatoes - my husband would love that...

What's a girl to do?

Combine both recipes and come up with your own, that's what!

I'll share the recipe and how I made it. I really think that this soup would also be wonderful with little sausage "meatballs" added. Many of the recipes for tortellini soup that I found called for sausage, so I think that would make for a logical and delicious addition, but you can be the judge of that.

Oh! Before I give you the recipe - did you notice that grilled cheese sandwich perched on the edge of the bowl? That's what I served it with - a grilled cheese sandwich made with Italian bread. I knew that just having soup wouldn't fill my guys up. Dunking it in the soup or breaking it apart to form croutons - either way it's the perfect combination!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

• One package of refrigerated (or frozen) cheese tortellini 9-13 oz.

• Two cans condensed tomato soup

• 2c Chicken broth

• 2c Milk

• 2c Half and half

• 1/2c Chopped sun-dried tomatoes,  packed in olive oil (The kind I used already had Italian spices added)

• 1t Onion powder

• 1t Garlic powder

• 1t Dried basil leaves

• 1/2t Salt

• 1/2c Parmesan cheese

• (Optional) 5 ounces fresh spinach

Directions:
Cook tortellini according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. 

Add spinach, cook a few minutes until wilted. 

Drain tortellini and carefully add to soup. 

Stir in cheese. 

Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.

Makes about 8 servings.

What's cookin'? - Snow day soups!

As soon as the temperature drops, I'm all about the soup! And I mean as soon as the temp drops - like, back in October!

But seriously, what is better then a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter's night?

Especially as we are in another winter storm:

This picture was taken this afternoon before more snow fell then changed to freezing rain this evening. We are supposed to get more snow overnight! I know I am not alone experiencing this! But I just had to share this picture. Brrrr...

Back to the soup...

I have two soups to share with you - one we had tonight, one we had last week (on another snowy evening). I consider both my favorites for different reasons. The one we had tonight is my favorite Italian soup. The other is just my favorite comfort food of all time.

First the Italian soup: Chickpea Soup

It's hearty. It's savory. It's divine.

Here's what you need:

•  3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

•  3 c chicken broth (more if needed)

•  3T olive oil

•  1 carrot,  chopped

•  1 onion, chopped

•  1 rib celery, chopped

•  4 cloves garlic, minced

•  1 t dried rosemary (I crush mine before I use it to release more flavor)

•  1 bay leaf

•  pinch dried red pepper flakes

•  1 large can whole tomatoes, broken into small pieces

•  1/2c ditalini or other small macaroni

•  1 t salt

•  1/2 lb. swiss chard (tough stems removed) cut these into 1 inch pieces

•  1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

* Purée half of the chickpeas with 1 1/2 c of the broth in a blender or food processor. In a large pot, heat oil over moderately low heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, garlic and rosemary. Cook about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.

* Add the remaining broth, the puréed chickpeas, the rest of the whole chickpeas, a bay leaf, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, macaroni and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, partially covered.

* Add the Swiss chard. Simmer until the chard is tender and the pasta is done (about 10 minutes). Remove the bay leaf,  stir in the black pepper.

** If the soup thickens too much on standing, add more broth or water - the pasta tends to suck it up!

My husband likes crackers in his soup. We had the perfect complementary cracker for this soup on hand - Rosemary and olive oil Triscuits! Mmmm...

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Grandma B's Chicken Noodle Soup with Mashed Potatoes

I know what you're thinking.... don't knock it 'til you try it!

I thought the same thing when my stepfather introduced this to us many years ago. That was the way his mom always made it. And guess what? It's the way I always serve it to my family now!

Grandma, my stepfather, and my mother, all made their own noodles sometimes. Not me! Too much work! I do highly recommend Kluski brand noodles if you can find them - they are hard-to-find here in Connecticut but, I know back in PA they were on all the store shelves.

Really, this is just your basic chicken noodle soup, so if you don't like potatoes you can eat it as is! No special recipes for mashed potatoes either - just make them like always and serve the two together. Put the potatoes in the bowl, spoon the soup over it. The result is an extra satisfying, extra creamy bowl of comfort!

I do start this soup out by boiling a whole, small chicken. Then I add my carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper and some parsley. Take the chicken out and pick all the meat from the bones. While you are doing that throw in the noodles and cook them in the soup. Add the chicken back in and you're done.

So if you've never made homemade chicken noodle soup, there it is - easy peasy!

Now, make some mashed potatoes and try it - you'll  like it! (Cue Mikey in the old Life cereal commercial)

Stay warm!