Meatball Soup

Also known as "Pasta Soup" or "Spaghetti and Meatball Soup", this soup is to die for. I made it up! It's my own "pat-coction." I make it often and I usually allow for whatever veggies and pasta I happen to have in my fridge/pantry. Most of these ingredients I stock so it's an easy go-to meal. It's awesome. Try it.

Extra Virgin Olive oil
a medium red onion, chopped
Garlic (as much as you like)
a shallot (chopped fine) or a tsp freeze dried shallots
1 carrot and 1-2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
about 16 premade frozen Meatballs (I use schwans but any premade froz or leftover meatballs work)
basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, fennel seed (a lot)
1/4 cup red wine to deglaze
dried bell pepper (or fresh)
1 zucchini chopped coursely
1-2 cans of diced or stewed tomatoes
3 cans of chicken stock (veg or beef will do)
1 cup dry pasta (i use elbow or angel hair broked into small pieces)
shredded parmesan cheese

In a large soup pot, saute the onion, garlic, shallot, carrots, celery and herbs in olive oil til soft. Add meatballs. Cover for a few minutes if you like, to thaw the meatballs but they will thaw in the process. Add the wine to deglaze the pot. Add the remaining ingredients except parmesan and pasta. Bring to a simmer and cook for about half an hour. Add pasta and continue cooking until pasta is done (approx. 10 minutes depending on the pasta). Serve with parmesan cheese.

Sauted Brussel Sprouts

This recipe is awesome... even for those who don't like brussel sprouts! But for those who do, this is habit forming ;). These amounts are approximate. I usually just throw in as much as I like.

olive oil (approx 2 tbsp)
butter (approx 2 tbsp)
1 pound or so of fresh brussel sprouts, cored and sliced
1/2 small red onion, chopped fine
1 clove of garlic, minced (give or take) I used dried minced
1 small shallot, chopped fine I used dried
Salt, to taste
bacon bits

To prepare the sprouts, I slice them in half and cut out the core then juliene.
Add them to butter and olive oil in a shallow skillet along with the rest of the ingredients. Saute until soft.

Edamame Salad

frozen (thawed) edamame
rice wine vinegar
olive oil
bell pepper (finely chopped)
red onion (finely chopped)
shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

optional: finely chopped raw zucchini or cucumber would be delicioso!

Pantry Risotto

I call this pantry risotto because I throw in a little of this and a bit of that from the pantry. I make risotto a lot and the nice thing about it is you can add whatever you want: ground meat or chicken, veggies, herbs and spices, whatever you like. Here's what I made tonight. These amounts are approximate. I always have dried herbs and aromatics on hand from Penzeys (onion, shallots, garlic, basil, fennel, bell pepper, etc.) but you can always use fresh.

2 tbsp olive or veg oil
2 tbsp butter
2 cups arborio rice
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp or more of dried onion (or use fresh onion)
1 large shallot, chopped, or a couple tsps dried shallots
1/4 cup white wine (or cooking wine)
2 tbsp dried bell pepper (or use fresh bell pepper)
marinated artichokes, chopped (I used a small jar but use canned or froz if desired)
Packaged real bacon bits (or real bacon)
Zucchini or yellow squash
3 large mushrooms, sliced (any kind)
a couple handfuls of fresh basil (or dried basil)
Sun dried tomatoes (2-3 tbsp) or sun dried tomato pesto
ground fennel seed (1-2 tsp)
basil (dried or fresh) a few large leaves or a tbsp dried
crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
chicken or beef or vegetable broth (2-4 cups)
Shredded parmesan cheese (a few handfuls)

In a deep skillet saute onions and garlic in the olive oil and butter until soft (about 3 minutes). Add arborio rice and continue sauteing until rice is beginning to become translucent. Add wine to deglaze the pan and cook down til almost evaporated. Add broth and herbs/spices and vegetables and bacon. Simmer until rice and veggies are creamy and soft (about 15-20 minutes) and liquid has been soaked up by rice. Add parmesan cheese.

Easy Cheesy Beer Bread

Easy Cheesy Beer Bread
Ingredients:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar
12 oz. bottle of lager or stout
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare loaf pan for baking.
-In large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder.
-Whisk to combine well.
-Add cheese and whisk to combine.
-Slowly add beer to dry ingredients and stir lightly until combined.
-Knead dough lightly until it just comes together.
-Place into prepared loaf pan and pour melted butter over top.
-Place in oven to bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

This is awesome!

Yield: 9 cups

Three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
a 16-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8-inch dice
3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (optional).

In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes.
In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean puree. Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Just before serving, add ham and vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.