Monthly Archives: February 2013

PROSCIUTTO FAVE MINESTRONE ALLA RISO

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5 tbs olive oil

1/4 lb bacon, chopped

3/4 cup diced cooked ham

3 lg stalks celery, thinly sliced, leaves reserved and chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

1 qt chicken broth

2/3cup brown rice

salt and pepper to taste

1 (15 oz) can cranberry beans, drained

1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained

1/4 cup fresh parsley

in a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon in olive oil until brown. stir in ham and cook a few minutes more. stir in celery (reserve the leaves), onion and carrot and cook until veggies are tender, 5 minutes. stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more.

stir in tomatoes, broth, rice, salt and pepper. bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until veggies are soft and rice is nearly tender.

stir in cranberry beans and white beans and heat through. stir in parsley and celery leaves and remove from heat. serve hot.

10 servings

NO CRUST FRENCH APPLE PIE

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6 cups sliced apples (about 6 medium)

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup milk

2 tbs butter, softened

2 eggs

1 cup bisquick baking mix

nut streusel (recipe below)

heat oven to 325 degrees. grease pie plate. mix apples, cinnamon and nutmeg; turn into a pie plate. beat remaining ingredients except streusel in a blender on high speed for 15 seconds. pour into pie plate. sprinkle with nut streusel. bake 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

NUT STREUSEL:

3 tbs firm butter

1 cup bisquick baking mix

1/2 cup chopped nuts (your choice)

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup oatmeal (optional)

(if you add oatmeal, just dab a little more butter on top of the pie before placing in the oven)

cut butter into remaining ingredients until crumbly.

8 servings

QUINOA AND VEGETABLE SOUP

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2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 tbs dried parsley

1 tsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 pinch dried thyme

2 (32 oz) cartons chicken broth

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 (15 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

heat olive oil and butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir onion, garlic, carrot, and celery until softened, 5-10 minutes. add parsley, basil, bay leaf, thyme, chicken broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until heated through, 10 minutes.

stir cabbage, kidney beans, and quinoa into the soup. cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, 30 minutes. garnish each serving with parmesan cheese.

BACON COLBY LASAGNA

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2 lbs ground beef

2 medium onions, chopped

2 lbs sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

24 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

8 cups (32 oz) Colby cheese, shredded

in a dutch oven, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. drain.

stir in the bacon, tomato sauce, tomatoes, sugar and salt. cook until heated through.

spread 1 cup meat sauce in 2 greased 13″x9″x2″ baking dishes.

layer four noodles, 1 2/3 cups meat sauce and 1 1/3 cups cheese in each dish. repeat layers twice.

cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

uncover and bake 5-10 minutes, or until bubbly.

let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

makes 2 casseroles (12 servings each)

“GOODER” FOR YOU MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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2 1/2 cups semisweet dark chocolate chips

6 tbs flour, white whole wheat OR all-purpose

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup sugar substitute suitable for baking

4 egg whites

2 tbs honey

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

line three large baking sheets with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

place 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips in a medium glass bowl. microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH until melted, stirring every 30 seconds, about 2 minutes. cool 15 minutes.

mix flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

using an electric mixer, beat together sugar substitute, egg whites, honey and peppermint extract in a medium bowl until thick, about three minutes.

gradually beat in melted chocolate, then dry ingredients. mix in remaining chocolate chips. freeze 10 minutes.

drop 7 big tablespoons of batter on each prepared baking sheet, spacing 3″ apart. keep in mind that the cookies will spread when baking.

bake until cookies are cracked on top and softly set, about 15 minutes.

cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

makes 20 cookies

CHICKEN AND BISCUIT CASSEROLE

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4 cups chicken, cooked, cubed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups green beans (drained, if canned)

2 (4 oz) cans mushrooms

2 cups American cheese, shredded

1 cup mayonnaise

1 can refrigerated biscuits

2 tbs margarine OR butter, melted

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs OR crushed croutons

in a medium saucepan, combine chicken, soup, green beans, mushrooms, cheese and mayonnaise.

heat until hot and bubbling

pour hot mixture into an ungreased 2 qt baking dish.

separate biscuits and arrange over chicken mixture.

brush biscuits with melted butter.

sprinkle with bread crumbs.

bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

serve immediately.

4 servings

PEANUT BUTTER BARS

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1 cup butter OR margarine, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups 10x sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

4 tbs peanut butter

in a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, 10x sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9″x13″ pan.

in a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the 4 tbs peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. spread over the prepared crust. refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

12 servings

PORK CHOPS AND RICE CASSEROLE

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1 3/4 cups water

1 1/2 cups minute rice

4 slices bacon

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbs water

1/4 cup scallions with tops, sliced

3 tbs soy sauce

4 pork rib chops

additional soy sauce

in a saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups to a boil. remove from heat. stir in rice. cover. set aside.

in a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. remove bacon and crumble, reserving 2 tbs drippings. set aside.

in a bowl, combine eggs and the 2 tbs water.

in a skillet, cook eggs in 1 tbs of the reserved drippings until set, stirring occasionally. cut eggs into narrow strips.

add rice, bacon, onions and the 3 tbs soy sauce to the eggs. mix well.

turn into a greased 1 1/2 qt casserole.

in a skillet, brown chops on both sides in remaining 1 tbs drippings.

arrange chops on top of rice mixture. brush with additional soy sauce.

bake, covered, at 350 degrees until chops are tender, about 40 minutes.

4 servings

CHUNKY ELVIS ICE CREAM

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4 bananas, sliced

2 tbs unsalted butter, cubed

1/4 cup honey

1 lb bacon

1 (10 oz) bag peanut butter chips

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 cup cold whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 400 degrees. spray a 13″x9″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. place bananas in baking dish and top with butter cubes and honey. bake for about 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, or cook until bananas are brown and soft. place bananas aside to cool completely.

meanwhile, place bacon on baking sheet(s) in a single layer and bake at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until crispy. drain on paper towels, finely chop, and cool.

place peanut butter chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. microwave on HIGH for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. stir in bacon until completely covered. pour mixture onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet (or plate/tray) and place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes to harden. when peanut butter is hard, remove from refrigerator and coarsely chop.

place cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and roasted bananas in a blender (do in batches if your blender is not that big) and process until smooth. refrigerate if necessary so that liquid is cold before placing in your ice cream maker. pour liquid into ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer directions. when done, stir in half (or all if desired) of the peanut butter/bacon pieces then serve immediately or freeze for a harder consistency. serve with additional peanut butter/bacon pieces if desired.

8 (1/2 cup) servings

CALICO QUICHE

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1 (9″) pie shell, homemade OR frozen

1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup swiss cheese, grated

1 cup cooked chicken, cubed

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 tbs flour

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup sour cream

4 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbs parsley, chopped

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in a pie shell, layer chopped peppers, cheeses and chicken.

in a sauté pan, melt butter and sauté onions until soft. whisk in flour thoroughly. stir in half-and-half and simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. let cool.

in a large bowl, combine sour cream, eggs, nutmeg and parsley. stir into sautéed onion mixture.

pour filling into pie crust. bake 35-40 minutes, or until set.

6-8 servings