Italian Vegetable Soup

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2-3 small potatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups water
5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (15 ounce) can green beans (I used frozen corn and green beans)

Stir together onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, water and bouillon. Season with parsley, oregano and basil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cabbage, corn, and green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender (or til your husband comes home). I also add some cayenne pepper and lots of salt and black pepper. Also, this originally called for a pound of browned ground beef but it's very hearty without the meat and I don't think you'll ever miss it.

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade overtop. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 1 hour. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

My notes: I used 2, 1 lb. pork loins, and I think this may have kept them juicier than using one bigger one. Also, I had only baked it for about 25-30 minutes by the time they reached 145 degrees internally. This is super easy and oh-so-delectable. :)

Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Combine:
1 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
pinch of sugar

Add:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as necessary. Cover and let rest 20-30 minutes. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas. May pre-bake crusts at 425 F for 10 minutes.

Mini Tiramisu Eclairs

1/3 c. hot water
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 (3 oz.) packages ladyfingers, split
1 (8 oz.) package mascarpone cheese*
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, divided
2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. whipping cream

Stir together first 3 ingredients until sugar is dissolved; set aside 2 Tbsp. mixture. Brush cut sides of ladyfingers evenly with remaining coffee mixture. Stir together mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and chocolate syrup until blended. Spoon or pipe (I would pipe) mascarpone cheese mixture evenly onto 24 cut sides of ladyfinger halves; top with remaining ladyfinger halves, cut sides down. Microwave chocolate morsels, butter, and cream at high for 30 seconds or until melted, stirring twice. Place chocolate mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag, and drizzle over eclairs. Let stand until firm. Stir together reserved coffee mixture and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, stirring until blended. Place coffee-powdered sugar mixture in a small heavy-duty zip-top bag; seal bag. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag. Drizzle eclairs evenly with coffee-powdered sugar mixture. Keep refrigerated until serving.
*1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened, may be substituted.

Bacon Appetizer Crescents

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped green onion
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. milk
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix cream cheese, bacon, parmesan cheese, onions, parsley and milk until well blended; set aside. Separate each can of dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal. Spread each rectangle with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture. Cut each rectangle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges, starting at short ends. Place, seam-sides down, on greased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
I gave up on the crescent shape and just made rectangle-ish ones. Just as good.

Mini Cheesecakes

1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners. Crush the vanilla wafers, mix with melted butter, and place 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) of the mixture into each paper cup. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top. Bake for approximately 8 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling.

Some changes: Next time I'll leave out or cut down on the vanilla extract. It was good, but too much of it. I also used fresh strawberries and shaved some chocolate on top instead of the cherry pie filling (as you can obviously see from the picture).

Tomato and Mozzarella Bites

20 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
20 fresh basil leaves
20 small balls fresh mozzarella cheese (often labeled bocconcini)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
20 toothpicks

Using a toothpick, spear a half of a tomato, a piece of basil, a mozzarella ball, and another half of a tomato. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper (be quite generous; maybe more than you'd think). Mix the vinegar and oil together in a small bowl and drizzle over bites before serving.

Corn Casserole

1/2 cup butter
1 box of corn muffin mix
1 can creamed corn
1 can corn, drained
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Mix together and bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 30 minutes at 350 F.

When you look at the big pan full of corn casserole you think "I made too much," but when you start eating it you think "I didn't make enough." That is my opinion. This is from Renee Byler, by the way, and she says you can add things like green chiles, cheese, etc.

Pesto Pizza

Crust:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

1/8-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Toppings:

1/4 cup prepared pesto (or as much as needed)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl combine flour, wheat germ and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Knead in Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for a few minutes. Roll dough on a greased pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved. Spread pesto sauce over the crust. Sprinkle with mushrooms, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake 6-8 minutes longer or until golden brown.

I took two recipes and combined them and Jose and I both agreed that it was delicious. I didn't have wheat germ so I just added some more whole wheat flour and it was fine. I thought that adding chicken, sliced tomatoes, etc. would be good as well. If any of you try this I'd be interested to know how it is with wheat germ, and what other toppings you put on.

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
2 red bell peppers, julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, spray cooking oil (or use olive oil) in a large skillet and saute red bell peppers, garlic and cayenne pepper over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream and broth; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
4. Toss hot pasta with sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

I've made the title a link to the original site I got the recipe from so you can see the nutritional content if you'd like. I don't normally go for red peppers or parmesan cheese, so you know this must be pretty darn good for me to post it. :)