It's pretty cold here in Florida right now, and I'm being totally serious, it was a low of 20 something last night. That's really cold. I decided to make my MOM's Minestrone soup for dinner, and of course Scott wanted corn bread because, well, cornbread apparently goes with everything.
Here's what you need for the soup:
2 Tablespoons Oil (I used olive oil)
l cup chopped celery
l cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
5 cans College Inn Beef broth
1 can (Large) Italian tomatoes
1 can northern beans drained
1 box frozen peas & carrots
1 box frozen Italian green beans
1 cup uncooked macaroni
Italian sausage, either removed from casing or ground
What to do:
Saute the oil, onion, celery, pepper, oregano and basil until your onions are translucent
Brown your sausage in another pan
Add the beef broth, tomatoes, beans, peas & carrots, green beans, macaroni and sausage (when cooked)
Bring to a boil
Simmer for at least one hour
My MOM suggests making this the day before to really let the flavors set in. Also you may need to salt and pepper this to your taste.
We had it last night and it was crazy delicious, plus took zero time to make. I can't wait to have it again for lunch, and maybe even dinner again?
Now that the weather is starting to cool off it's time for roasts, soups, chilis and all of that good stuff! The other night I made this Festive Pork Roast that I got out of my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. I have gotten a ton of good recipes from this book, if you have a chance pick it up.
Here's what you need:
1 5lb boneless pork top loin roast (I actually just had a 2.2lb roast and just adjusted the cooking time)
3/4 cup of dry red wine
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I actually used a freshly cracked pepper blend, maybe like 2-3 turns)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
What to do:
Place your roast in a large plastic bag and set it in a large deep bowl
For the marinade, combine wine, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, water, oil, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder, ginger and pepper
Pour marinade over the meat and seal the bag
Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag several times. (I marinated mine for about 7 hours)
Drain meat and reserve 1 1/4 cup of marinade (I reserved all of it)
Cover and put marinade back in fridge
Now it says to pat the meat dry, you can, I didn't
Place meat on a rack in a shallow roasting dish
Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into the center of the roast (this way you don't overcook it)
Roast in a 325 degree oven for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 155 F (I only had to cook mine for an hourish)
About 25 minutes before the meat is done pull out the reserved marinade and place in a saucepan with the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, then cook 2 minutes more
Brush meat frequently with the sauce during the last 15 minutes of cooking
Cover meat with foil and let stand for 15 minutes
Bring remaining sauce to a boil and serve with the meat
It seems like a pretty involved recipe at the end, but it is so worth it. This roast was really yummy, Scott had to force himself to save some for leftovers to see if it would be even better the next day (it was). I served garlic green beans and chive mashed potatoes with this.
For the green beans I just snapped and cleaned them, but them in a pot with water and then put 2 cloves of minced garlic and a pinch of sea salt in the water. Then just boil them until they are done, drain and serve. No additional seasoning required.
For the potatoes you want 4-6 potatoes (I recommend Yukon Gold or Russet), peeled or unpeeled. Cut them up and place in pot filling water to cover. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and place into water. Bring to boil and cook until they are well....cooked. Drain potatoes and put in a container of chive flavored cream cheese and whip with hand mixer. (If you like blue cheese mix in some crumbled blue cheese, it's crazy delicious)
Occasionally, I post some of the yummy things that I make for my family. This is the main place where you will find all of those recipes. I have them broken down by category for you so they are easy to find. Enjoy! Breakfast
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