Lasagna Soup

I found this on Mel's Kitchen Cafe, though my family affectionately calls it Lasagna Soup! The amount she has isn't enough for my family, so the amounts below are 1 1/2 times her recipe.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds lean ground beef (see note)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
Salt and pepper
2 1/4 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Large Pinch of dried thyme
9 cups chicken broth or stock (I use low-sodium)
1 (28-ounce) & 1 (15-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) & 1 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, optional (UPDATED: see note)
12 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
3 cups (12 ounces) short tube pasta, like ditalini or elbow macaroni
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the ground beef, onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent, 4-5 minutes. Drain excess grease.
2. Add the basil, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir well.
3. Bring the soup to a simmer and add the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is just al dente (according to package directions). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and lower (or increase) heat, if needed, to maintain a gentle simmer without scorching.
4. Add the softened cream cheese to a bowl and ladle in 1-2 cups of the hot soup (do the best you can to avoid scooping up the noodles and small pieces of ground beef – doesn't have to be perfect). Let the cream cheese and hot soup sit for a minute or two so the cream cheese can melt then whisk until creamy, smooth and well-combined.
5. Add the cream cheese mixture back into the soup and stir until evenly combined. Simmer for 1-2 more minutes, stirring often, until the soup is bubbling and slightly thickened. The soup will thicken as it cools (so if you want a thicker soup, let the soup rest, off the heat, for 5-10 minutes).
6. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Oreo Trip Layer Chocolate Pie

INGREDIENTS

32 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups cold milk
2 (4 serving size) packages Jell-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 (8 ounce) tub Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely crush 24 of the cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.
2. Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk until well blended and thickened, about 2 minutes.
3. Spoon 1 ½ cups of chocolate pudding into crust. Gently stir 1/2 of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in crust. Chop remaining 8 cookies; stir into remaining whipped topping. Spread over pie.
4. Refrigerate pie until set, about 4 hours.

Aimee's Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister, Michelle, has a dear friend named Aimee. Aimee brought these to my niece's baby shower, and I couldn't stop eating them! :-) 

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

Cream together:

2 cups brown sugar (424 grams)
2 cups white sugar (424 grams)
1 lb butter softened to room temperature (454 grams)
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs (for an egg free version, use one cup of applesauce)

Then add:

1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 1/2 cup flour (639 grams)
5 cups oats (400 grams)
2, 12 oz bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional: 1 cup coconut (85 grams)

Bake at 375° for 11 minutes. Take them out when they don't look quite done and let them finish baking on the pan.

**If making a smaller cookie (think Oreo size), bake at 350° for 9 minutes.

Aimee's Carmelitas

My sister, Michelle, has a dear friend named Aimee. Whenever Aimee brings food to an event, I ask her for her recipes! I recently bought this to a family Halloween party, and everyone loved them :-) 

INGREDIENTS

Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats (Aimee uses regular)
1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup butter (softened)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Filling

1 (12.5 oz.) Jar (1 cup) caramel ice cream topping
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a 9X13" inch pan with tin foil with the foil over the edges, spray with cooking spray. (Do not skip this step! The carmelitas will stick to the pan if you don't!)
3. In large bowl, blend all crust ingredients at low speed until crumbly. Press half of crumb mixture, about 3-4 cups, in bottom of greased pan. Reserve remaining crumb mixture for topping.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine caramel topping and 3 T. flour. Remove partially baked crust from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips (and nuts if using). Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for an additional 28 to 32 min or until golden brown. Take out of the pan using the tin foil and cool completely. Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours until filling is set. Cut into bars.

Honey Butter

I attended a neighborhood summer salad social. Our hostess, Lauren, shared this with fresh breads that evening. She also served Strawberry Butter which was my favorite!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter (softened to room temperature)
1/3 cup honey
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl mix together butter, honey, powdered sugar and salt. Spread on Bread. 

Strawberry Butter

I attended a neighborhood summer salad social. Our hostess, Lauren, shared this with fresh breads and I couldn't stop eating it! She was kind enough to share the recipe with me! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), softened at room temperature
3 Tablespoons strawberry jam
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl mix together butter, jam, and sugar. Spread on Bread. 

Fall Harvest Sausage and Bean Soup

I saw the Autumnal Harvest Soup at Trader Joes and couldn't resist trying it. I added some meat and beans to up the protein. My family loved it. Note: I double this recipe for my family of 7 for 3-4 servings of leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Jimmy Dean Sausage
1, 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2, 25 oz jars, Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Soup (keep one as is, and blend the other jar of soup in a blender until smooth)

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown sausage until no pink remains in a stock pot. 
2. Add crushed red pepper.
3. Add the "blended jar" of soup, and the "as is jar" to the stock pot. 
4. Bring to a low boil on medium heat, stirring often. 
5. Reduce to a simmer for 15-30 minutes. 
6. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Hawaiian Pork Bowls

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds smoked pulled pork
Olive oil
Cole slaw or kale salad kit
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice (1 1/2 uncooked rice cooked with 3 cups water in a rice cooker)
One whole fresh pineapple, diced
2-3 avocados, diced

DIRECTIONS

1. If using prepped meat from the store, heat according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add the salad kit and sauté until the slaw is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Assemble with rice, pork, sautéed slaw, pineapple and avocado.

Andy Bay's Feijoada

My good friend, Andy Bay, hosted a reunion dinner for me and my former co-workers from 20 years ago. He served the feijoada recipe below. It was off the charts good.  I recorded him telling me how to make it, but he didn't include any of the portions. I double checked with him later, and what's below is as close to what he thinks he did, haha. I'm hoping to make it soon and can then vouch for his portions later, ;-) I love how simple it is elated it doesn't require ham hock. My husband served his mission in Brazil, so I'm hoping he likes it!

INGREDIENTS:

6 onions chopped
30 cloves minced garlic
Olive oil 1/2 cup-2/3 cup
3-4 bay leaves

4-6 lbs pork loin roast-cut into large chunks
12 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add the first 4 ingredients in large stockpot on medium high. Sauté until the onions are soft.
2. Salt and pepper the meat generously–then brown it with the onions and garlic.
3. Add 6, 7  or 12 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (Just add the number of beans that looks like the quantity you want. Use more if you want to freeze some leftovers!)
4. Cover all the ingredients with water.
5. Bring to a simmer. Add more water if needed. 
6. Cook for 3-4 hours.
7. Take out the meat and bay leaves
8. Use the immersion blender to mash it up a little.
9. Shred the meat and add back in.
10. Add salt to taste.
11. Serve over hot jasmine rice.