Favorite Recipes

Tuscan Soup

1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale

Sautee Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
In the same pan, sautee bacon, onions and garlic for approxiamtly 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
Add heavy cream and cook until thoughouly heated.
Stir in the sausage.
Add kale just before serving. Delicious!

Chicken Quesadilla with fruit salsa

Thanks to Lisa for this delicious recipe.

Chicken Quesadillas with Fruit Salsa

Chicken Quesadillas:

(makes enough for 8 people)

- cook and chop up 4 chicken breasts (or other parts)

- chop up and fry in pan:

- 1 onion, 1 red or green pepper, several cloves of garlic, a bit of veg. oil

- add chicken to pan

- grate about 2 cups of cheese

- you need two tortillas per quesadilla (if they are the big size, you can give half to each person)

- lay a soft tortilla on a cookie sheet, spread some of the cooked chicken mixture on it, sprinkle some grated cheese, add another tortilla on top

- bake at 400 degrees for about 10 min. or until golden (press the shells together a bit to make them stick)

Fruit Salsa (I made this because my daughter is allergic to tomatoes)

Chop fine:

- 1 cucumber

- 1 red onion

-  1 red pepper

- 1 green pepper

- 1 yellow pepper

- 2 large cans of peach halves

- 1/2 cup of cilantro

Mix together and add:

- 1/4 cup of lemon juice

- 1/4 cup of sugar

Stir well and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Serve with quesadillas and sour cream.

Raspberry Trifle

1 family sized pound cake

1 jar raspberry preserves

1 package frozen rasberries

whipped cream (I made my own, but you can use cool whip or whatever whipped  topping you like)

Slice the pound cake into medium thickness slices.  Place in the bottom of a trifle bowl (any round bowl will do but a trifle bowl is nice because you can see the layers).  Spread the raspberry preserves  on the pound cake layer and then make a layer of rasberries.  Top with whipped cream and layer until ther eare as many layers as you like.

Sitcky Toffee Pudding

This is a fabulous recipe!  It is a favorite North Yorkshire treat!  It is a British recipe so I had to roughly translate the measurements.

3 oz (just over 1/3 cup) chopped dates

3 0z (1/3 cup) margarine

5 oz (about 2/3 cup) sugar

6 oz (3/4) cup flour

2 eggs

6 oz (3/4 cup) boiling water

1 tsp french vanilla instant coffe

1 tsp baking soda

Foil together dates, margarine, sugar, and flour to the consistency of bread crumbs and set aside.  Separately, mix the coffee and baking soda into the boiling water.  Add water mixture into the dry ingredients and beat in eggs.  Mixture should be somewhat like a thin batter.

Grease and line a 6X4 Inch pan, add mixture and cook in a preheated oven 180 degrees (gas mark 5) for 30 minutes until it is firm. 

Sauce: (put on top when the pudding comes out of the oven.)

6 oz. (3/4 cup) brown sugar

4 oz (1/2 cup) margarine

5 oz (about 2/3 cup) light cream

Melt the margarine and sugar over a low heat until sugar is fully dissolved.  then add the cream and simmer.

Serve this delicious treat with custard or ice cream.

Spanish Rice

1/2 green pepper

1/2 small onion

2 cloves garlic pressed

butter

1 cup uncooked rice

4-5 cubes chicken boullion

1 can diced tomatoes

cumin, salt and pepper

1 cup water

Heat a little butter in the bottom of a pan, add chopped onion and green pepper, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Saute until peppers and onions are somewhat soft and add dry rice.  Brown rice.  Add tomatoes, water and chicken cubes and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer VERY slowly for 20-25 minutes or until rice is ready.  DO NOT STIR.

Chicken and Cream Cheese Enchiladas

2 cans enchildada sauce

2 small cans sliced black olives

1 jar Pace picante sauce (hot, medium or mild)

1 pkg. cream cheese

16 oz shredded mozzerella and monterey jack cheese

1 boiled chicken removed from the bones

corn tortilla shells soaked in leftover broth from chicken to soften them for rolling.

Mix in bowl: black olives, picante sauce, grated cheese, softened cream cheese, and chicken.  Pour one can of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.  Fill and roll corn tortilla shells and place in the enchilada sauce.  Pour second can of sauce over the top making sure that all the edges of tortilla shells have sauce on them so they don't get too crisp.  Bake in 350 oven for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve with spanish rice (see recipe above)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

3/4 cup butter
1 large onion
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
9 chicken boullion cubes
9 cups water
9 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 1/2 pounds of your favorite cheeses shredded
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

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DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and simmer diced onion until soft, and mix in the flour. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes until a light paste is formed. Mix in the chicken cubes, water and milk, and season with salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer about 10 minutes.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place the broccoli in the boiling water, and cook 2 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
Gradually mix the cheeses and Cheddar cheese into the large pot until melted. Mix in the broccoli. Continue cooking about 5 minutes.

Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

1 Pkg. Italian Sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium peppers, diced
1 onion
10-15 mushrooms (depending on how much you like mushrooms)
1 can sliced black olives
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp each rosemary, thyme, oregano, fresh ground black pepper, sea salts
1/2 cup red wine
1 jalapeno (optional)
1 sm can of italian tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 medium can of tomato sauce

Cut casing on italian sausage and scramble in a skillet untill fully cooked. Drain and set aside. In another skillet heat olive oil with seasonings and garlic until sizzling. Add onion, green pepper, and jalapeno. simmer for about ten minutes and add mushrooms and black olives. Cook another five minutes. Add tomato products and red wine. Simmer on low for 20 minutes covered. Stirring occasionally. For thinner sauce add water. Serve over your favorite pasta with fresh parmesan cheese.

For a lighter healthier meal, chicken or salmon can be substituted for italian sausage. Just add another clove of garlic.

Angela's Home Made Minestrone

5-7 carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery chopped (leaves and all)
1 onion sliced thinly
5 courgettes diced (zucchini to you American types out there)
2-3 cloves of garlic pressed
1 tblsp. italian seasoning

Saute vegetables in olive oil with italian seasoning and garlic till somewhat soft, then add...

1 cup red wine
1 can cut green beans
1 can kidney beans
5-6 cubes chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
3 cups water (water may need to be adjusted while boiling)

Bring water to a boil and add half a package of uncooked shell pasta. Boil for until shells are tender. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Making sure to check water from time to time.

I have adjusted amounts and times to fit my family. I usually double this recipe and make enough for the whole neighborhood! :)

Hula's Five Minute Roast!!

Ingredience
1 pot roast (perferrably boneless)
3 T Olive oil
10 (3 T) cloves crushed garlic
3 T Better Than Bullion beef bullion (bullion paste)
3 cups water
5 (or more) potatoes
5 (or more) carrots

1. Combine olive oil and 3 cloves of crushed garlic heat on stove top and add pot roast, sear roast and let cool for a moment
2. Take 1 T bullion paste and rub roast
3. In seperate pot add water and 2T of bullion paste, add meat
4. Simmer all day
5. Add potatoes and carrots somewhere in the afternoon!! (about 2 hours before serving)
6. Take out and serve. Make a yummy gravy out what is left in the pot.