Zuppa Toscano Soup

Okay family here is my recipe debut coming from "my kitchen to yours." Every time Bryce and I go to the Olive Garden we order this soup. We finally thought to google the recipe, which we did, to see if there was any likeness, and to our happy taste buds, it was to our liking. I believe this will be our new Christmas Eve soup...everyone in our house loves it. Careful with the crushed red pepper...it can get very spicy. We have tried this with both russet and red potatoes. Both are good but I think I prefer the russet. We also usually eat this with Jodi's super yummy, super easy bread sticks...mmmmm!!!

Makes: 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
1/2 lb bacon
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 (super easy to find...even Walmart sells it)

-Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
-In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 Min's. 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 thoroughly heated.
-Stir in the sausage.
-Add kale just before serving. Delicious!

Lime Navy Bean Chili

This is a wonderful alternative to red chili. It isn't too spicy and the lime adds a nice zing. We enjoyed it with some amazing homemade Asiago foccacia bread. This was made with the foccacia bread recipe in the cookbook. I just added about 1/2 cup cheese while kneading the dough. Sprinkle a little more on top before baking. MMmmmm.

Lime Navy Bean Chili

1 1/4 cups dried navy beans (I used great northern)
3 cups water
2 bone-in chicken breast halves skins removed ( I used boneless, skinless, just add a little more bouillon)
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
4 garlic cloves, minced ( I used 1 Tb refrigerated minced garlic)
1 Tb chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 Tb lime juice

Place beans in a larger saucepan; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid.

In a crock pot, combine all ingredients except lime. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until beans are tender and chicken are done.

Remove chicken breasts; remove meat from the bones and cut or shred meat. (I shredded it). Return chicken to chili. Stir in lime juice just before serving. Makes 6 cups. This is lots.

Nutrition facts
one serving: 1 cup
calories: 250
fat: 2 g
fiber: 12 g

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

It has been raining for days and it is cold. I wanted a yummy soup, but didn't have all day. I also wanted something creamy. What I found was all of the above, plus my kids ate it. Doesn't get much better.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

1 medium head cauliflower, broken in florets
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces ) chicken broth (I used 2 bouillon cubes and added 2 cups water)
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 TB butter
2Tb flour
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 TB dried parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper, curry powder, and white pepper (I didn't have cayenne and I used regular pepper)

In a large saucepan, combine the cauliflower, onion, broth, and bouillon. Cover ans cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes longer or until slightly thickened. Reduce heat; add cheese and seasonings. Pour into cauliflower mixture. Simmer slowly for 30 minutes ( do not boil ). Yield: 6-8 servings (2 quarts)

This made plenty of soup for my whole family.

Crab Quiche

I made quiche for the first time this morning. Justin wanted quiche, and I knew I didn't have everything I needed for it. Or did I? I searched for awhile and finally found a recipe that was doable. Even though I didn't have breakfast meat, I did have some left over crab meat from some crab cakes I made a little while ago. Just so happened, I had the perfect amount for this recipe. I put it together, using my apple pie crust, and the result was delicious! I thought it would need more flavor than what I put in, but it tasted just right. If anything, I think some green spices sprinkled on the top would have been pretty.

Crab Quiche

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 4 TBs flour
• 7 oz crab meat [I used 8 oz fake crab]
• 1/2 cup chopped onion [I would saute this for a couple of minutes first]
• 2 eggs, beaten [I used 3 medium eggs]
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 oz shredded swiss cheese [I used cheddar]
• Mrs. Smith's pie crust [*I made my apple pie crust]

Stir, mayonnaise, eggs, flour and milk until blended [I used a hand mixer for this step because I didn't beat the eggs ahead of time]. Add crab meat, cheese, and onions. Pour into pie crust and bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Here is the crust recipe I used:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/6 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Combine flour and salt. Add milk and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are blended in. Roll between wax paper and transfer to pie plate.