Pasta E Fagioli Soup

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

 

I am a big fan of Olive Garden and an even bigger fan of soup, salad, and breadsticks. I found a standard recipe for Pasta E Fagioli and then tweaked it and I think it is a pretty good copy- cat of Olive Garden's.

1 pound ground hamburger
1 pound Italian sausage
2 cups frozen vegetable blend
2 cans Hunt's garlic and herb pasta sauce
4 cups water
2 cans red kidney beans
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon basil
1 cup elbow macaroni (uncooked) (or other small pasta)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

brown the meat in a skillet and drain
in a large soup pot combine all the other ingredients (except pasta) and bring to a boil
reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour
add pasta the last 10 minutes of cooking
cook until the pasta is tender

Super Super Yummy :)

Taco Soup

Taco Soup

 



 Nothing says fall like a big ol bowl of soup. This is my favorite recipe for Taco Soup. I modified the version that my mom always made. :) Hope you enjoy!

 

1 ¼ lbs ground beef                                              1 chopped onion
1 ¼ package taco seasoning                                 1 package ranch dressing mix
salt to taste                                                            pepper to taste
1 can corn undrained                                            2 cans stewed tomatoes blended
1 can rotel tomatoes                                             1 can green chilies
1 can pinto beans, drained                                   1 can kidney beans, drained
1 ½ cup tomato juice

1. Brown the ground beef and onion
2. Add other ingredients
3. Bring to boil
4. Simmer 30 minutes
5. OPTIONAL: serve with cheese

Brown Beans and Ham

6 Quart Crockpot Brown Beans and Ham

 

3-4 pound ham (bone in, not sliced)
2 pounds of dry pinto beans
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon minced onion
salt and pepper to taste

1. in a large bowl place dry beans and fill bowl full of water. Allow the beans to soak for 3-4 hours.
2. drain the beans and rinse
3. spray the inside of the crockpot with pan spray
4. place ham in center and pour in beans around
5. fill the rest of the crockpot with water
6. add in the seasonings (Don't add too much salt or pepper until it is almost finished)
7. cook on low for 20-24 hours
8. taste and decide if it needs more salt or pepper
9. take out the ham and remove the bone, then cut or tear the ham in chunks.

A great side item for this dish is sweet corn bread!



*Serves 8

Chili

Mom's Chili Recipe
Serves 6

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 32 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 15 oz. can chili beans
1 package mild chili seasoning
1 package hot chili seasoning

1. in a skillet brown the ground beef and drain
2. in a large pot combine all other ingredients and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer 1 hour.

or if you use a crockpot

1. brown the beef in a skillet and drain
2. combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours

My favorite way to eat chili is with a little bit of shredded Colby-Jack cheese mixed in and instead of a spoon I use Fritos to dip in my bowl and eat. Super Yummy!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Old Fashioned Apple Pie Recipe

 

 

 



7-8 large apples (peeled, cored, diced)                               1 cup sugar
2 ½ tablespoons flour                                                          1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg                                                           Dash of salt
2½ tablespoons butter                                                         2 premade pie crusts (boxed, refrigerated)



1. Preheat oven to 400*
2. Stir sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Pour over apples mixing to make sure all are coated.
3. Unroll and place one of the pie crusts into a pie pan.
4. Fill the pie crust with the apples. Arrange the apples into a small mound with the center being  slightly taller than the outsides.
5. Cut butter into small pieces and place evenly over the apple cubes.
6. Roll out the second pie crust and place on top of the apples and squeeze the top crust and the bottom crust together at the edge to seal the pie. Then make slits on the top of the pie to allow for steam to escape. (Like example on bottom- happy fall yall) You can also try a lattice pie (example below) or one where you use a cookie cutter and cut pieces out and arrange on the top of the pie (example above)
7. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil so that it will not brown to fast (make sure to not cover the whole pie).
8. Bake for about 1 hour. Remove the foil 10 minutes prior to removing the pie from the oven.

  

Red Beans and Sausage with Rice

Red Beans and Sausage with Rice

 



2 pounds dry red beans                                                         4 pounds sausage
1 large onion chopped                                                          2 stalks of celery chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped                                                        1 tbls. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. cayenne                                                                      ¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. thyme                                                                         1 tbls. Chili powder
½ tsp .garlic powder                                                             Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves                                                                          Louisiana hot sauce (optional)

24 hours before serving soak beans in hot tap water for 3-4 hours. Once beans
are soaked, rinse and put in crock pot (must be 6 quart) on low with enough
water covering beans well. Add all other ingredients except sausage, cover and
stir occasionally and check water level (must always be enough to cover beans) 
6-8 hours before serving cut up sausage in ½ to 1 inch chunks (your preference)
put in crock pot and cover wait till 24 hour mark and serve.

Monkey Bread

Monkey Bread Recipe

 

• 2 packages yeast
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup warm milk
• 5 cups flour
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Then add eggs, sugar, salt and milk. Mix together and then slowly add the flour until it turns into a soft dough.
Then let it sit and rise until it has doubled. After it has doubled punch down the dough and roll it out. Then cut it into odd sized strips. Melt the butter. Then dip the pieces into butter and put into a bundt pan. Let it rise until doubled again and then bake in a 350* oven for 30 minutes.

***You can also use this recipe to make crescent rolls, you would roll them into crescents instead of dipping in butter and placing in the bundt pan***

Resident Chef- BLT Dip

A huge shout out to the Resident Chef. This brand makes fabulous dips that are great for any occasion. I made the BLT dip for the Razorback football game this past Saturday. These dips are great to take anywhere and make excellent appetizers.  They are also super easy to make. The ingredients that you add are dependent on whether it is savory or sweet. For the BLT mix it was 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of mayonnaise. If you get a chance I would check out their website and order some dips. They are great!

White Chocolate Cupcakes

White Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling and White Chocolate Buttercream

 

 

 

 

What you need:
1 box of Duncan Hines White Cake Mix (and all ingredients)
1/2 pound of white chocolate (half for cake mix and half for frosting)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 stick white Crisco (1/2 cup)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1  12 oz bag of frozen raspberries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. First start with the filling. Mix the frozen raspberries, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice in a pan on the stove. Cook until the mix starts to thicken. Then remove from heat and place in the fridge.
2. Chop up the white chocolate. This can be done in a food processer or by using a cheese grater.
3. Mix the white cake mix according to the directions on the box. Then add in 1/4 pound of white chocolate (half melted, half grated)
4. Bake according to the directions for cupcakes and then cool completely
5. After the cupcakes have cooled it is time to fill them. Cut out the centers of the cupcakes and insert the raspberry filling and then place the center back in.
6. For the frosting mix 1 stick of butter and 1/2 stick of Crisco in an electric mixer along with 1/8 tsp salt and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat this together until it is all mixed. Slowly add in 4 cups of powdered sugar.
7. After this is mixed melt 1/4 pound of white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. Then slowly mix this into the frosting mixture. You may need to add a tablespoon of water to thin down the buttercream to make it spreadable.
8. Then it is time to frost the cupcakes. Use either a frosting bag or a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. After you frost the cupcakes you can add sprinkles for a little bit of shimmer.

Meringue Cookies

These meringue cookies are super easy to make and are very addictive. The recipe calls for 2 egg whites (room temp), 1/8 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar.  The oven needs to be on 225 degrees. To make the cookies you mix the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla in the mixer at a high speed until it starts to get frothy then you slowly add in the sugar. You have to add in the sugar slowly so that you do not collapse the meringue. You need to mix it full speed until peaks start to form. Then use two spoons and spoon small dabs onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for an hour switching the pans halfway through. After the hour is up turn off the oven and leave the cookies in for a couple of hours. And then you have meringue cookies. They are like little pieces of candy heaven.

Smores Dip

Smores Dip is super easy to make and is a great twist on the traditional smore. I love it because it is not as messy as smores and because it is much easier to make. You do not have to worry about having a campfire.

 

First off for the ingredients you need 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, 1 cup of chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet), 2 tablespoons of milk, and graham crackers.

 

To start off you need to mix 1 cup of chocolate chips, 1 cup of marshmallows, and 2 tablespoons of milk together in a pot on the stove. This will melt the marshmallows into the chocolate and make it ooey gooey yumminess. After you have all of this melted together on the stove you need to move it to a pan that can be put under a broiler or in the bottom of your oven. When you get it put into the pan you will put the remaining marshmallows on top. Then you will stick this under the broiler or in the bottom oven to brown the tops of the marshmallows. I turned my lower oven to 425 degrees because I do not have a broiler.

After all of this is done you can devour the yumminess with some graham crackers!

 

A Few of my Loves

Hey Yall, Welcome to my blog! To start out I think it would be good to tell you a little bit about what I love and enjoy.

 

1. Cooking and Baking

It doesn't matter what it is, I love to make it. Cakes, Cookies, Pizza, Monkey Bread, Soup, and the list goes on and on.

(recipes to come later) 

 

 

2. Clothes

I love cute clothes and I have been trying to be a little more adventurous in what I wear and always look cute. You never know who you're going to run into. Sometimes though you have days that you just gotta wear sweats.

 

 

3. Taking Pictures

I love to take pictures and document life. Sometimes my family is like really another picture and I'm like yes! You can never take too many pictures.  

 

 

 

4. TV Shows

Dancing With the Stars, Bachelor/ette, Pretty Little Liars, 19 Kids and Counting, The Little Couple... The list just goes on and on.

 

5. Arkansas Razorbacks

I love my Arkansas Razorbacks!

 

 

-Lisa