Italian Vegetable Soup

Source: Allrecipes.com, with a few alterations by me, based on what I felt like at the moment

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (I didn't have any on hand, so I just left it out)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (I only used 1 small 8 oz. can)
2 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water (I used three tomato cans + 1 tomato sauce can of water)
5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (I only added 4 ... I think)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I added 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I added 1 tsp)
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn (I decided to leave this out because it was so full of other good stuff, I didn't think anyone would notice - and then I could save my corn for something else)
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
1 cup macaroni

Directions:
Place ground beef in a large soup pot. Cook over medium heat until evenly browned. Drain excess fat. (Since I didn't have or use ground beef, I heated a couple tablespoons of oil in my pot and then added the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauted for a few minutes, until the onions became soft.  I also seasoned these veggies with seasoned salt and pepper - just a few shakes.)  Stir in onion, celery, carrots, garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, water and bouillon. Season with parsley, oregano and basil. Simmer for 20 minutes (or longer - I did about an hour and I say the longer the better!).
Stir in cabbage, corn, green beans and pasta. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente. Add more water if needed.  (I read in some comments on the recipe that many people don't like their pasta to go mushy - if you're that kind of person, you can boil your noodles separately and just add a few to your bowl.  Then, when you reheat your leftovers for a midnight snack or lunch the next day, just add a few more cooked noodles and you don't have the soggy, mushy problem.  Me?  I just cooked them in the soup and I'll enjoy the soggy mess tomorrow!)

Notes:

It snowed today in Colorado - pretty much all day long - beautiful, white, fluffy snow!  It was gorgeous.  And it made me want soup.  I knew I didn't have any meat (well, one lowly frozen chicken breast in the freezer) but I figured I could find something full of vegetables and flavor anyway.  And I did.  This was it.  Really quite delicious.  I especially loved all the kidney beans.  And the cabbage was a nice touch, since I had half a small head in the fridge and didn't know what I would do with it.  We enjoyed this soup with a hot slice of freshly baked French Bread and it was a delightful little dinner.

French Bread

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoon oil
5 ½ -6 cups flour-stirred before measured

Directions:
Dissolve sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let this proof -or sit- for a few minutes until it bubbles. Then add salt, oil and 3 cups of flour and beat well. Add in 2 1/2 -3 more cups of flour. The dough should clean off the sides of the bowl and not be too sticky – but be careful not to add too much flour. Knead for a few minutes.

Leave the dough in the mixer to rest for 10 minutes and then stir it down (turn on your mixer for 10 seconds  or, if you're like me and don't have a mixer, just use a spoon to stir it/punch it down) and then allow to rest another 10 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times. Then turn dough onto a floured surface and divide into two equal parts. Roll each part into a 9×13 rectangle. Roll dough up, starting from long edge of loaf to seal. Arrange seam side down on large baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with corn meal, allowing room for both loaves. Repeat with second part of dough. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at an angle on the top of each. Cover lightly; allow to rise 30 minutes. Brush entire surface with egg wash (one egg beaten slightly with 1 Tbsp of water). If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes:
(Read Mel's helpful instructions about yeast dough and flour usage on her post if you're new to the yeast world.)  I knew I wanted something warm and bready to dunk in my Italian Vegetable Soup that I made tonight, and I remembered that I had read a recipe for homemade French bread on Mel's site a while ago.  I found it easily and I'm SO glad I did.  This was outstanding!  And it really looks and smells and tastes like the French bread from the bakery in the grocery store.  (I can't say whether it is true to the real stuff from France, but by golly it was good enough for me!)  I was so excited!

The recipe does make two loaves, and since it's only me and Gregg around here, I decided to freeze half the dough for another time.  Mel suggests putting it in a greased ziplock before shaping and the final rise and tossing it in the freezer (that's what I did).  Then, when you're ready to use it, let it thaw 6 or so hours before you're ready to use it, then proceed with the shaping, final rise and egg wash and then bake it as usual (that's what I plan on doing).

One more note: I tried using whole wheat flour for part of it (I think I had about 3 cups all purpose and 2ish cups whole wheat) and it worked out beautifully!  A little bit denser than all-white flour bread, but super soft on the inside and a nice crust on the outside.  I will most definitely be making this one again!  Oh Yum!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Source: This site, via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1 apple, cored and chopped (skins on)
1 cup water
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Then add the oats, apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Adjust the heat to low and let the oatmeal is simmer for 2-3 minutes while you stir and feel hungry. That's all there is to it. Serve it with a splash of milk and a little or a lot of brown sugar sprinkled on top.  Serves one hungry adult or two lucky children.

Notes:
Gregg is a big oatmeal eater in the mornings, and I've become so, too.  Usually we just have some brown sugar, raisins and a sprinkle of cinnamon stirred in, but we had some diced fresh peaches mixed in one day that were divine and left me wanting to find some other fun variations on the theme.  I found this (and others including this version of peaches and cream oatmeal and banana coconut oatmeal that I'm excited to try) when I was snooping around Pinterest one day.  Good stuff!

Apple Cider Muffins with Cinnamon Crumble

Source: Jennelle Clark, in the USU Statesman Newspaper delivered to me by my sister, Heather

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup apple cider, "the real stuff that you have to shake before drinking"
1/4 cup buttermilk

For the cinnamon crumble:
4 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cold butter

Directions:
To make the muffins, start by reducing the apple cider.  Place it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and let simmer gently, reducing to 1/4 cup.  This takes about 15-20 minutes.  Set reduced cider aside.  (Note: if you want to put a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves in with your apple cider while it is reducing, this will add extra spice to your muffins, not to mention make your house smell heavenly while you wait.)

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until it becomes fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.

Combine the buttermilk and reduced cider with butter-sugar mixture.  (Note: if you don't keep buttermilk on hand it's really easy to make your own.  Just put about a teaspoon of white vinegar into whole milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes before adding it to the batter.)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until combined.  It's okay if there are lumps, it's worse to over mix the batter than to under mix it because it will make the muffin crumb tough and chewy instead of tender and moist.

Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin tins just over halfway full with batter and set aside while you make the topping.

To make the cinnamon crumble, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut the butter into little pieces and add it to the flour mixture.  Use a fork, butter knife, pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour and sugar until a crumbly mixture - a streusel - forms.

Distribute the streusel evenly over the muffins (about 1 heaping tablespoon on each).  (Note: if you want to make a healthier version of these muffins, leave off the cinnamon crumble and replace half of the butter with applesauce.  This will also add to the apple flavor of the muffins.)

Bake at 350F for 5 minutes, then turn the oven up to 375F and finish baking until the muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the milddle of a muffin comes out clean, about 12 minutes.  (Note: If you want to add nuts to the crumble, chop and toast them ahead of time and then stir them into the crumble after you've already cut the butter in.)

This recipe should yield 1 dozen muffins.

Notes:
While my family was visiting us in Colorado last weekend, Heather brought a copy of the Statesman from that week with this delightful recipe inside.  We decided to give them a whirl on Saturday morning and they were quite delicious.  My only complaint is that it didn't make very many muffins - "should yield 1 dozen muffins" turned into 7 muffins for us, just enough for each of us in the apartment that morning to have 1 muffin each, as a little taste.  But they were definitely yummy and apple cidery!

Whole Wheat Bread Sticks

Source: Peggy Elwood (with some advice from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3+ cups flour (I used half white, half whole-wheat)
3 Tablespoons butter (you can definitely do more, if you wish, but this was plenty to coat all the sticks)
Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, or seasonings of your choice (for topping)

Directions:
Soften yeast in water and sugar.  Add salt.  Add flour and mix.  Knead for 3 minutes, adding flour (but not too much!), if needed, till your dough forms a soft ball.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.  Melt butter and pour on a rimmed jelly roll pan (or just melt the butter directly on the pan in the oven for a few minutes - watch it so it doesn't brown!).  Roll out dough into a rectangle about the size of your cookie sheet.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the rectangle in half long ways ("hotdog style" if you remember that from elementary school).  Then cut each half of dough into one inch strips.  Place each strip of dough on the cookie sheet and flip over to coat both sides with melted butter.  Sprinkle all the bread stick dough with garlic powder and Parmesan cheese (or other seasonings/spices that you come up with).  Let bread raise for about 20-30 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Notes:
We ate these bread sticks a lot growing up - they're especially good with soup and chili!  And they're really quite quick and easy.  I decided I wanted to try a whole-wheat twist on them, and they turned out fabulous!  It was interesting, too, to see the same basic recipe showing up all over the place - I found this not only from my files from my mom, but also a version from my grandma and my mother-in-law, as well as from Mel of Mel's Kitchen Cafe, who I don't even know!  Must be a good one, eh?  But you don't have to take my word for it.  ;)

Updated 11/26/18 to add: these also freeze great - I just let them cool and then place them in a ziplock baggie in the freezer.  When I want to reheat them, I just spread them on a cookie sheet (as many as I want to eat) and pop them in a cold oven.  They're usually warm and toasty by the time the oven preheats to 375, but if they're not ready then, just leave them a few minutes longer.  ;)

Pizza Muffins

Source: this blog, via pinterest

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour (I did part whole wheat)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
pinch of salt (optional)
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) (I left them out, only because I didn't have any)
3/4 cup whole milk (we just have 1% and it was fine)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cubed pepperoni
1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce (I just opened a can of tomato sauce and dumped in some pizza seasoning, stirred, and bam - "store bought" pizza sauce!"

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes (if using) ; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. (Some mini muffin tins are bigger than others, it seems, so if you have extra batter, just use a regular sized muffin with the left over.)  Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Notes:
So it would seem that I am on a muffin kick as of late - in the last week I've made three different batches of muffins, two of which were definitely less than traditional.  But traditional or not, these little muffin puffs are delish!  How could they not be, though?  Cheese, pepperoni, mini muffins?  Perfect!  We ate them as a meal, with a nice green salad on the side, but they are definitely appetizer-able, perfect for football watching or New Years Eve-ing or whenever it is that you chow down on appetizers.

Southern Baked Yellow Squash

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds yellow summer squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Place the squash in a large saucepan, cover with water, and boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain the squash well, place in a large mixing bowl, and mash until slightly chunky. Stir in 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, onion, eggs, 1/4 cup of butter, sugar, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined, and spread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Drizzle the top of the casserole with 1/4 cup melted butter, and sprinkle 1/4 cup bread crumbs over the butter.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is cooked through and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour.

Kielbasa and Tortellini Soup

Source: Based on this, adapted by Laurel


Ingredients:
1 large onion, sliced or diced
1 package kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 24-oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3 cups beef broth or stock
2 cups green beans
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 package cheese-filled tortellini
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot, saute onion and kielbasa in butter or olive oil until onion is soft/transparent, and kielbasa is lightly browned.
2. Add tomatoes, seasoning, broth, and green beans. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 15-30 minutes.
3. Add cabbage and tortellini. Increase heat to medium, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until pasta and cabbage are tender. Serve immediately.

Corn Dog Muffins

Source: RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients:
2 (8.5 ounce) packages corn bread mix (or just use your favorite corn bread recipe and add the hotdogs and cheese - I used this one and it was delish.)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
9 whole hot dogs, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
ketchup, mustard, sour cream, honey mustard (for dipping) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease mini muffin tins.

In a large bowl, stir together cornbread mix and brown sugar. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and milk, and then stir into dry mixture until moistened. Mix in hot dogs and cheese.

Spoon a good Tablespoonful into muffin tins, making sure you get some hot dog in each spoonful.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes in the pan before removing. For easy removal, cut around outsides of the muffins, then tip upside down onto a large cutting board & urge the muffins out using a knife to tap the bottoms of the muffin tins. They should slide right out.

Serve warm with desired dipping sauces.

Notes:  Anyone who knows me (and Gregg) knows that we quite enjoy a good corn dog now and again, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it.  Of course, they're nothing gourmet or fancy, but they certainly were kinda fun.  And really, really good.