Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pouch instant barley
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
½ red onion (sliced)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup favorite macaroni
4 cups chicken broth
¼ tsp cornstarch
1 egg
Romano cheese for garnish

In heated saucepan place olive oil, spinach, onion, red pepper flakes and garlic . Sauté until spinach is cooked down.

Prepare macaroni as directed on box and set aside.

Prepare barley as directed on box and add to spinach. Add chicken broth and simmer on low.

In a small cup beat egg with cornstarch and while stirring hot soup drizzle egg and cornstarch mixture to soup.

Add macaroni and serve with grated Romano cheese as garnish.

This is a simple and satisfying soup to have on a cold fall evening.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Orange Biscotti

Adapted from Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2009

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sweet butter
2 tsp grated orange zest
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose sifted flour
3 tsp baking powder
¾ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup almonds or walnuts

Glaze:

1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Combine sugar, brown sugar and butter and mix with an electric mixer.

Add 2 tsp orange zest and eggs and beat well.

Stir in flour and baking powder.

In food processor combine cranberries and nuts and chop and add to mixture.

Shape dough into 3 rolls about 6 inches long. Place the rolls about 3 inches apart on cookie sheet: flatten each to form ¾ inch thick rectangle.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and centers are firm to the touch.
Let cool about 5 minutes.

With serrated knife, cut each rectangle to ½ inch slices: place, cut side up, on cookie sheet.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until top surface is slightly dry. Turn cookies over: bake 6 to 8 minutes longer.

Melt chocolate in saucepan on low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat: dip bottom side of biscotti in chocolate.

Store the biscotti in tightly covered container.

Biscotti is a treat for dunking! Biscotti is a hard cookie, I recommend you dunk!

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Cheesecake Tart

( Adapted from Pillsbury Annual Recipes-2009)

This recipe will be featured for the Thanksgiving Recipe Exchange Party I am hosting this Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. on Half Hour Meals! Everyone is welcome to join us, just follow this link.

Ingredients for Crust:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
2 tablespoons sugar
1½ sticks sweet butter
¼ cup all-vegetable shortening (8 tbsp)
6-8 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor combine flour and sugar and mix. Add butter and give a few good chops. Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks and chop. Sprinkle ice water over flour mixture and give a few more chops. Pinch the dough if it holds together it is ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together add water a tablespoon at a time.

Remove the dough from the machine and place in a mound. Do Not Knead the dough! Dust the dough with flour, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour, or up to two days before rolling out.

Sprinkle a little four on a flat surface and roll out to fit the size of the pie plate. Gently lift from the edges and place in pie plate.

Press edges with a fork for a finished look.

Filling:

1 – 16 oz. whole berry cranberry sauce
¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (chopped)
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 – 8 oz. package cream-cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg

Topping:

1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Bake the pie crust shell for about 15 minutes or until slightly golden on the edges.
Cool the pie crust before filling.

In a medium bowl combine the cranberry sauce, nuts, 6 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch. Spread this mixture in the cooled crust.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and egg. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Smooth this over the cranberry mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees 25 – 30 minutes or until set.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar the vanilla. Smooth evenly over filling.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Cool and refrigerate 3-4 hours or until set. Refrigerate remaining pie.

This cranberry-cheesecake is a festive addition to your Thanksgiving feast!

Enjoy!

Escarole with Mushrooms and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite spaghetti
1 head of escarole (rinsed and pulled apart)
¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
½ red onion (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 quart box of fresh button mushrooms (sliced)
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 - 15.5 oz. Great Northern Beans (drained)
Romano cheese for garnish

In a large frying pan heat olive oil and place garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms become golden. Add onion and sun dried tomatoes.

Add escarole, raisins and cranberries let escarole cook down. Do Not Overcook.

Turn heat off and set aside.

Prepare spaghetti, lift out of water with tongs and add to escarole.

Garnish with a little olive oil, red pepper flakes and grated Romano cheese.

This dish is simple in content yet elegant in both presentation and taste.

Enjoy!

Russian Noodle Pudding

Adapted from-The Houses Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite noodles
24 oz. cottage cheese
7 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups sour cream
½ cup raisins
2 sheets of graham cracker
3 tablespoons sweet butter
1 tsp. brown sugar
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Cook noodles according to package. Do Not Overcook.
Drain the noodles.

Mix the cottage cheese with the sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, raisins and sour cream and
blend well.

Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish.

Crush the graham crackers and add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.

Sprinkle the noodles with graham cracker crumbs and dot with butter.

Bake for 30 minutes.

This is a wonderful side dish or a cozy winter dessert to share with your family.

Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic & Jalapeño Hummus

You will need:

1- 15 ½ oz. can Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas)
1 Jalapeño (with seeds)
1 bulb garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Wrap garlic bulb in tin foil and Jalapeño in tin foil and place in preheated oven.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove garlic from skin and cut stem from Jalapeño .

Place garbanzo beans baked Jalapeño pepper, roasted garlic, olive oil and black pepper in food processor. Chop until a smooth texture is achieved.

This is a delightful dip or spread.

Enjoy!

Pulled Pork

This recipe was given to me by my friend Cathey. I am so pleased to share it with all of you!

You will need:

8 lb. whole pork shoulder

1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
12 ounces good ale or dark beer
4 cloves garlic (chopped)

Preheat oven 425 degrees:

Combine rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Cut the skin on the back of the pork and rub the dry rub on, then replace the skin. Let the pork sit in the refrigerator from one hour to overnight.

Place the pork in a roasting pan with sides about 2 inches high.

Cook for about 1 hour until dark browned and even blackening in places. Remove from oven. Lower the oven to 325 degrees. Pour beer over the top and add chopped garlic around the pork. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil or twice with regular foil. Poke about 10 holes all over the top of the foil.

Cook pork about 3 hours longer until so tender that it comes away very easily from center bone.

Place the meat on a plate and pour the pan juice over the pork.



This pork is so very good! You are certain to bring smiles to the faces of your family and guests!

Enjoy!



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Oven Roasted Peppers

You will need:

4 sweet red peppers (sliced)
1 long hot green pepper (sliced with seeds)
1 yellow onion (sliced)
5 cloves garlic (crushed and chopped)
1 tablespoon capers plus 1 tablespoon caper juice
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

In a baking pan place all of the above ingredients and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes.

Let theses peppers cool and serve them with crusty Italian bread and a good piece of sharp cheese.

Enjoy!



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Graham Cracker Crumb Apple Pie

You will need:

For the Crust:

8 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 4-5 sheets of graham cracker sheets)

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

In a food processor combine the above ingredients and press into a pie plate.

Bake for about 8 minutes and then cool.

For the filling:

You will need:

7 or 8 apples – peeled and sliced

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp corn starch

¼ cup golden raisins

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

Place the apples into the pie crust that has just finished cooling.

For the Graham Cracker Crumb Topping:

1 cup Graham cracker crumbs (4-5 sheets of graham crackers)

½ cup of brown sugar

½ stick of sweet butter

Combine the above ingredients in a food processor until it is crumbly and sprinkle over the apples.

Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.

This is one of the wonderful ways to celebrate the fall apples.

Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Veggie Soup

You will need:

1 large onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 scallions (chopped)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp black pepper
3 cups water
1 cup of your favorite macaroni
Grated Romano cheese for garnish

In a large saucepan place the olive oil and all the veggies. Sauté the veggies until the onion becomes clear.

Add the spices and the water and continue to simmer on low for about another 15 minutes while preparing the macaroni.

Turn heat on the soup off and with a potato masher, carefully mash the veggies in the soup.

Add the macaroni to the soup and garnish with a little extra olive oil and grated cheese.

This is a simple and delicious soup that is so satisfying.

Enjoy!