Minestrone Soup

Deb Black shared this fantastic soup recipe with me. It will really hit the spot on cold, wintry days. Make a snowman with the kids and then have a hot bowl of soup!

3 Tbsp. of bacon grease (or cook 3 slices of chopped bacon)

1 clove of garlic minced

1 medium onion chopped

1/4 cup fresh minced parsley or 2 Tbsp. dried parsley

2 stalks celery chopped

2 carrots, diced or chopped

1 large potato diced

1/2 medium cabbage, finely chopped or coarsely grated in food processor

Saute all of these in a large pot about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often until vegetables are tender.

Add the following to the vegetables:

1 28 oz can of tomatoes-slightly blended if desired

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. salt

1 15 oz. can of kidney, white pinto or northern beans

2 qts. of soup stock - chicken or beef (2 qts. of water with 2 Tbsp. of beef or chicken bouillon)

Simmer for 45 minutes - add noodles and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes.

Thanks Deb for sharing.

-Debbie -

Kentucky Rice Casserole

A New Festive Side Dish!

My friend just gave me this recipe and suggested we use it as a side dish for a Christmas Dinner we are planning. When she told me the ingredients, I was a little skeptical but I made it today and it was delicious. A very unusual combining of rice, mushroom soup, onion and of all things, pecans.
However, both my husband and I loved the flavor and it was moist and fluffy.

1 cup uncooked rice (do not use quick-cooking rice)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 10 0z. can beef broth (I used a 14 oz can of Swansons beef broth and it worked fine)
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and pour into an ungreased 6 x 10 baking dish. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the center is just set. Do not overcook.

Serves 8.

Note: Can be prepared early in the day and baked when ready to serve. Cream of chicken soup may be substituted for the cream of mushroom.

Happy Cooking!

-Debbie-

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins, the perfect Thanksgiving Breakfast while you wait for the Thanksgiving Feast!

Many thanks to my friend, Deb Black for this recipe! She said she wanted to get a picture of the muffins out of the pan but her family gobbled them up before she could snap a picture! What better recommendation for a recipe could there be than that.

1 cup flour (white or wheat)
1 cup oats (uncooked)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans

(I also added 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 cup coconut) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Mix all together.
Coat muffin tin with non-stick spray or muffin papers. Spoon into muffin tin- will fill the tins
but the muffins don't rise much.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

A great muffin to eat for breakfast- very filling.

Thanks again for sharing Deb.

-Debbie-

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I LOVE FALL!

I love everything about the Fall season. That nip in the air, the earthy smell of leaves as they swirl and dance with the wind and a good bowl of hot, steaming soup! It just feels so comforting as the earth slows down and readies itself for the resting season of winter.

This is a wonderful, rich soup that is just perfect to warm you up on a cold, blustery day.

1 can chicken broth or 3 bouillon cubes and water to make 2 cups

1 1/2 lbs. fresh broccoli (chopped)

1 large onion (diced)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp. white pepper 2 cups milk (whole milk is best)

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli and onions in broth until tender. In a separate pan, melt butter, stir in flour and seasonings. Slowly add milk, cooking and stirring until thickened and bubbly. Add this white sauce to broth base. Add cheese, heat until melted. Serve hot.

Note: Don't bring to a boil just until hot enough to eat.

Happy Fall!

Debbie

Orange Zucchini Bread

TENDER, MOIST AND DELICIOUS

The orange zest in this zucchini bread really gives the bread a pick-me-up. It's very subtle and blends beautifully with the zucchini. This is an unusual combination that really works!

3 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup oil

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg ( I usually do about 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups peeled and grated zucchini

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup raisins

Grated rind of 1 orange

Beat eggs; gradually beat in sugars and then oil. Combine dry ingredients; add to first mixture alternately with zucchini. Stir in vanilla, nuts, raisins and grated orange rind. Pour into two greased and floured (8 x 4 x 3 inch ) loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 325. Let stand 10 minutes; turn onto rack to cool.

Note: Be sure and grease your pans with something like solid Crisco, sprinkle with flour and then dump out any excess flour. If you just spray with Pam the sides don't raise like they should.

Pine Creek Applesauce BBQ Sauce

At our last cabin Association work day, we served these BBQ pork sandwiches and they were delicious. At first the recipe sounded a little strange to me because it uses applesauce and spices in the sauce but I really liked the result. If you think about it, pork and apples are a perfect combination but you usually don't think about combining them for a sandwich. Thanks Donna for this great new recipe. I'll be using it for many years to come.

1 cup applesauce

1/2 cup ketchup

2 cups brown sugar

6 Tbs. lemon juice

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t. cinnamon

In a pan heat all together stirring frequently until it come to a boil. Pour over cooked, shredded pork and let simmer for an hour or so.

I cooked about a 5 lb. pork roast in the crock pot for about 8 hours on low. Then I drained some of the juice off and added the applesauce BBQ sauce and let it set on warm for about 1 1/2 hours before serving. Add a little of the drained off juice if it seems a little dry.

If you want to double this recipe, you can have a bowl of sauce that people may add extra if they choose to.

This recipe would be perfect for those large family Halloween parties. Give it a try and see what you think.

-Debbie-

Scotch-A-Roo's

This has been one of my all time favorite recipes! I hadn't made it for awhile but my daughter in law made it the last time she came to the cabin. Thing was, hers tasted better than mine! I hate to admit that but I had to take a cooking lesson from my 22 year old daughter in law. Hers were soft and chewy and mine were harder. In comparing our recipes, she just cooked the karo syrup mixture a shorter time. I'm giving you directions for her recipe. These are easy to make and EVERYONE loves them. Great for picnics.

1 cup karo syrup

1 cup white sugar

1 cup peanut butter

5 to 6 cups Rice Krispies, depending how gooey you want them (Usually I add 5 to 5 1/2 cups or so)


Topping:

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

Combine karo syrup and sugar. Mix and bring to a boil for 30 seconds or so. Take off heat and add peanut butter. Stir. Add Rice Krispies. Put mixture into a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. (If you like a thicker bar, you can put in a 9 x 9 pan.)


Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips for 45 seconds in the microwave or until melted so you can mix chips together. Add to the top of warm krispies. Let cool and enjoy! Yum!!!

Thanks for the great recipe!

Debbie