Minestrone

This is such a good recipe and so easy. I put italian sausage in it but if you prefer a veggie minestrone the sausage can certainly be left out. This makes a lot of soup so have friends over to enjoy it with you! Here is what you will need:

1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
4 carrots, pealed and sliced
3 medium potatoes, chooped
2 bay leaves
1 14 0z jar of marinara sauce
1 package italian sausages
1 box rainbow rotini
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


In a slow cooker, combine first 6 ingredients. Fill the marinara jar with water twice and add to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours.

One and a half hours into the cook time, remove the casing from the italian sausages and put into a frying pan. Cook the sausages over medium heat, using the a spatula to break the sausages into smaller pieces. Cook the sausages until browned, drain the grease, and place the sausages into the slow cooker. Cooking the sausages outside of the soup keeps a lot of the fat out of the soup.

Twenty minutes before the minestrone is done, cook the rotini according to the package directions. Add the cooked noodles to the soup. Salt and pepper the soup to taste. Place the shredded cheese on the soup after dishing into bowls.

This great served with bread sticks or sourdough bread.

Portebella and Beef Stroganoff

Yum! We had this for dinner tonight. It so good and makes a ton of food. We usually eat it for dinner and left overs for a week. It freezes great too! Here is what you need:

3 lbs beef stew meat*
1 can golden mushroom condensed soup**
1 can cream of onion condensed soup***
1 medium onion chopped, optional
1/4 beef stock
1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
8 oz sour cream

In a slow cooker, combine first 5 ing. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. After 8 hours cook time, add mushrooms, cream cheese, and sour cream. Stir well. Heat on low an additional 30 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Your done! This is so easy and so tasty. Give it a try! It is definitely a winter favorite!

*no need to buy a pricey cut of meat, the slow cooker makes the meat fall off the fork tender.
**can't find golden mushroom? Cream of mushroom works great too.
***grocery store out of cream of onion? Use two cans of cream of mushroom and add a couple of good sprinkles of onion powder.

Chunky Apple Sauce

This is a fall favorite in my house. It is super easy since you use a slow cooker. And, it is a super healthy treat since there are no added sugars. Only the natural sugars found in the fruit. Here is what you will need:

8 large gala apples, cut but not pealed
1/2 to 1 c. apple juice (I use sugar free)
2 Tbl cinnamon
2 Tbl melter butter
Any other fruit you love!

Combine the ingredients in a slow cooker. You can add any other fruit to the apple mixture. I have added strawberries, peaches, blueberries, pears, nectarines, blackberries. They are all great. We especially love strawberry/peach/apple. That never lasts long.

Cook on high until apples are soft and liquid is bubbling. Using a potato masher, mash the mixture until a desired consistency is achieved. If you are a canner, you may can a portion or all of the sauce. If not, it lasts about a week in the fridge. My kids and husband love to eat it warm. My hubby also loves to eat it over ice cream. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Incredibles

My mom made a recipe book for each of the cousins in our family. She took old and new family favorites and put them all into a binder. It was a great book and I can't wait the pass it on to my kids. Of course, the largest section of the book in the dessert section. Here is my favorite from that section. Here is what you will need:

1 and 2/3 c. graham crackers
1 and 1/2 sticks butter - melted
1 and 1/2 c. peanut butter
4 c. powdered sugar
12 oz chocolate chips

Combine 1st 4 ingredients. It is best to add the powdered sugar in 1 cup increments. Pat firmly into an un-greased 9x13 inch pan. Melt chocolate chips and pour over cracker mixture. Smooth. Put into fridge for about 10 minutes or longer. Cut into squares. Don't let chocolate get too hard before cutting or it will break. If you leave in fridge longer, let stand and reach room temp before cutting.

Oh my, I am craving this now! I think I will have to make this today. My mouth is actually watering just thinking about these bars. Yum! My mom used to make them of Christmas every year. She would cut them into little squares and put them in the basement freezer. My brother and I would sneak them and finish off about half of them before Christmas came. Oh yeah, I am making these today!

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

This is my dad's favorite way to eat shrimp. It is easy and really good. My aunt gave me this recipe but I am not sure where she got it from. Here is what you need:

1/2 c. Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Olive Oil
5 Tbl Cajun Seasoning
1/4 c. Sesame Oil
1/4 c. Lemon Juice
2 T Minced Ginger
2 tea Dry Mustartd
2 tea Hot Sauce
32 large Shrimp (about 2 lbs)

Whisk the first 8 ing. together in a large. bowl. Add shrimp and stir to coat. Cover and let stand 30 mintues. Place shrimp in a grill basket or on skewers. Grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.

No name for this one

We had a very tasty dinner last night. Hubby makes this yummy fish dish with red potatoes, spicy sausage, and fish. He wraps it in foil and bakes it in the oven. It is so good and very easy clean up. I will have him post it sometime, but not today. Today's recipe was our dinner last night. Hubby was going to make his fish dish but ended up going on a motorcycle ride with J and so I was in charge of dinner. Here is what you will need:

2 Spinach and Asiago cheese chicken sausages (or any other fancy sausage you like), sliced
2 tomatoes, cubes
1/2 lb angel hair pasta
1 Tbl olive oil
1Tbl Italian seasoning

Heat oil in large skillet. Add sausage and cook over medium high heat until they are brown. Add tomatoes and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes. Spoon over cooked angel hair pasta and enjoy! Makes 2 servings.

This was so easy and very tasty!

Egg Rolls

This recipe is a family favorite. We used to make the December 26th every year. When my parents moved from WI to the west coast we stopped making it. I broke out the recipe a few years ago and now we eat it constantly. These are so yummy sauces aren't necessary but, if you like sweet and sour with your egg rolls, go nuts. Here's what you will need:

1 pkg egg roll skins
3 - 4 chicken breasts
1/2 - 3/4 lb shrimp
2 Tbl veggie oil
1 can water chestnuts
1 bunch green onions
1 good sized handful of bean sprouts
3 - 4 Tbl soy sauce
1 tea ground ginger
Enough canola oil to fill a deep skillet, wok, or deep fryer

Heat large deep skillet or wok with 2 to 3 tbl veggie oil over medium heat. Cut chicken and shrimp into small pieces. Cook chicken and shrimp 4 -5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain mixture and set aside in medium bowl. Cut water chestnuts, green onions, and bean sprouts into small pieces. Combine mixture with soy sauce and ginger and cook in the skillet or wok for 5 minutes. Add chicken and shrimp mixture and cook an additional 3 minutes. Drain mixture well and place it a large bowl. Fill wok or skillet with oil and heat to 375 degrees. Place egg roll skins on a dry surface. Working with one skin at a time, place 2 or 3 Tbl of mixture into center of skin. Wrap roll according to package directions and seal edges with water. Place finished wraps in heated oil until desired color is achieved. I like the pretty brown but my husband likes them a bit lighter. Remove rolls from oil and drain on paper towel. Makes about 24 rolls.

This recipe sounds a little complicated but it really very easy and so much better than anything you will get in a restaurant. Give them a try and let me know what you think!