Bean and Pasta Soup

A few years ago, I invited my coworkers over for dinner. It was right after Christmas time, I think, and the first time they'd seen our new home. One of them brought me a Taste of Home "Heartwarming Soups" magazine. It's chock-full of incredible recipes.

This one comes from that magazine and is one of my favorites.

The flavors blend together perfectly, and most importantly, it's healthy!

It's perfect for a chilly evening and super cheap to make too.

And if you prefer vegetarian dishes, this one is for you.

Bean and Pasta Soup

(Original recipe by Maria Gooding)

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Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked small pasta
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups shredded fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick saucepan, saute the celery, carrots, onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomatoes, broth, basil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
• Drain pasta; stir into vegetable mixture. Add the beans; heat through. Stir in spinach; cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Yield: 5 servings.

Autumn Chopped Salad

Who knew a salad could taste like Fall??

This one is perfect.

Flavorful, colorful, and still gives you that festive Fall feel.

Autumn Chopped Salad

(Original recipe by Madison at Espresso and Cream)

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Ingredients

• 6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 medium pears, chopped (I used apples)
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
• 4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• Poppy seed Salad Dressing
• Balsamic Vinaigrette

Directions

 

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (she estimated that she used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.





Southern Style Slowcooker Pork BBQ

I'm a tad partial to Carolina-style BBQ (of course).

However, I've never tried to make it myself. I guess I would get a little intimidated by the thought, figuring there's no way it'd come out as good as, say, Sticky Fingers.

When I saw this recipe, I decided it was time to give it a whirl. It seemed simple enough.
Turns out, it's pretty darn good!
I'm definitely a fan, and hubs inhaled it!
Just give yourself plenty of time for it to cook. Altogether, it takes about 9 hours.

[Funny sidenote: To my horror, I realized I was out of brown sugar. And there was NO way I was going to make BBQ without brown sugar. So I raided the pantry, did some googling, and finally came up with a solution. I mixed white sugar with some dark corn syrup until I got a good consistency. It worked great! You'd never know the difference! However, I still recommend using real brown sugar if you have it. It's a lot less stressful. :)]

Southern Style Slowcooker Pork BBQ

(Original recipe by Ashley at lilblueboo.com)

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Ingredients:

• 4 lbs of pork roast (or I use 2 2lb pork roasts)
• 2 white or yellow onions
• 2 cups of apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups of apple juice
• 1 tsp of liquid smoke
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I substituted with paprika. I figured the crushed red pepper flakes were going to give it enough kick.)
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 a bottle of regular/classic BBQ sauce (about 9 oz) ...try using Sticky Fingers' "Carolina Sweet". That's our personal favorite.

Directions:

Cut up both onions. Place half the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker or crock pot. Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and top with the rest of the onions. Place half the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker or crock pot. Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and top with the rest of the onions.
Mix together 1 cup apple cider, 1 cup apple juice and 1 tsp of liquid smoke and pour over the roast and onions. Set the slow cooker to cook on low for approximately 6 hours. The roast should be ready to fall apart when you stick a fork in it.
Remove the roast and remove the liquid and onions. (Note: You can strain the onions and add them back into the pot if you like….I prefer to discard them.)
Shred the roast and add it back to the slow cooker. Mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup apple juice, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, brown sugar and half a bottle of BBQ sauce in a bowl.
Pour over the shredded pork and cook on low for another 2 hours. Transfer shredded BBQ to another container. I like to chop mine up a bit more before serving. Serve by itself or on bread for sandwiches.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anyone else's blog feed blowing up with pumpkin recipes?

Then it's official; Fall is here.

I'll try not to over do it on the pumpkin, since it's all over the food blog world right now. But I had to share these with you. I made them this past week, as part of my "Fall bucket list", and they are SO good.

One reviewer mentioned that they're only 97 calories per cookie. I don't know how accurate that is, but it sounds good to me! Who needs fact checking? I'm good with living in ignorance if it means I get to have just one more!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Original recipe by George Duran)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips (the recipe actually says not to use semi-sweet, but I think any kind of chocolate chip would do... even white chocolate! Yum...)
• Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.
Yields 60 cookies (umm... yeeeeah. I didn't get 60 cookies, but I have a problem with sizing my cookies. So it's probably me, not the recipe).

Weeknight Chicken Veggie Casserole

Some people don't really like casseroles, and I totally understand. They can look pretty unattractive (no matter how great the lighting and angle, as you'll see in a sec), and who knows what people hide in them. However, there are some GREAT pros to casseroles.

#1. You can throw just about anything in them, and they still taste good.

#2. You can throw healthy anythings in them, and they still taste good.

#3. They're economical.

#4. They're a great use for leftovers. See #1 and #2.

This dish happens to be one of those old stand-by's that my mom used to make. Consequently, it's turned into one of those for me as well. My husband is one of those people who doesn't particularly like casseroles. He doesn't like cream based dishes, and he doesn't trust what's in it.

Except this one.

It's tomato based, so it's not overly heavy. And I throw in ingredients that he normally eats (and a couple that he doesn't... but don't tell him). He also loves it, because he figured out how cheap it is to make. I always make this casserole with leftover chicken from the night before. It doesn't really matter what kind either... grilled, lemon-pepper, roasted... it all works.

The best part is that you can make this casserole on a Sunday/Monday night, and the fam can eat off of it for several days (obviously depends on the size of your family, but you get the idea).

Enjoy!

Weeknight Chicken-Veggie Casserole

(Original recipe by my momma)

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) box rotini pasta (also works with ziti, bowtie, etc... pick a favorite and go for it). To add more nutrition, go for whole wheat.
• 2 jars marinara sauce (I recommend Newman's Own Socarooni; it has a bunch of good stuff added in it that mixes well with the rest of the ingredients).
• 2 cups Italian-style shredded cheese (or more, if you like), divided.
• 1 (16 ounce) bag of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, corn, etc), thawed (Tip: get the steam-in-a-bag kind to save some time).
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or torn into small pieces. (this also works well with ground beef/turkey, if you want to use that instead).
• Optional: I like to kick up the nutrition and a little ground flax seed to the mix. You can't taste it, and it's a great way to give your kids a nutrition boost without them even knowing it.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook pasta according to package instructions and drain. In a large bowl, mix pasta, marinara sauce, 1 cup shredded cheese, veggies, chicken, and flax seed. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese (sprinkle a little Parmesan on top, if you like).

Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Yields 8-10 (or more) servings.



Pumpkin Spice Latte

Yes, you read that correctly.

I made my own pumpkin spice latte at HOME for a fraction of the ridiculous Starbucks price. All I can say is thank the Lord for Pinterest. Which is where I found this.

My husband, who actually doesn't even drink coffee, was the one who first told me about the pumpkin spice blend at Starbucks. He'd been studying for school at a local bookstore where the coffee place is attached. He got one of the frappacinos and loved it. He proceeded to take me next time and make me get one. I took one sip, looked at him, and said, "You know there's coffee in this, right?"

His response? "No there's not!"

Anyways.

Every time Fall comes around, I now must have at least one before the season is over. But $5 for a drink?? Next they'll be asking for my firstborn son.

I've tried homemade drinks before... lattes, frappacinos, etc... but they never quite match the taste I'm used to. Darn that Starbucks for being so genius. So when I saw this recipe, I have to admit, I was reluctant. I'd been burned too many times in the past.

However, this one? Does NOT disappoint.

It's also vegan-friendly, if that's your thing.

It literally took me about 5 minutes to whip up, so don't worry. No jumping through hoops. You could even do this before you leave for work in the morning.

You can thank me later.

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

(Original recipe by Averie)

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Ingredients

• fresh coffee
• 1 c milk (I used skim to cut on fat/calories, but you can also use almond milk or half and half or rice milk)
• 1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin)
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• sweetener of choice, to taste (I used about 2 tbsp brown sugar, but you could use a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste)
• Optional: pinch of ground nutmeg, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, or other warming spices to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients (except coffee) in a small bowl and whisk well by hand or blend all ingredients using a blender.

Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Pour 1 c of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy. (Optional: Finish by garnishing with real whipped cream/whipped topping such as CoolWhip or TruWhip; and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon on top).

The other half of the pumpkin milk mixture is for the refill you know you will want. If you truly don’t want a refill, refrigerate it for up to a few days and use for your next latte, in a smoothie, or drink it as is. As long as you’re dirtying dishes, why not make a little extra for refills or for later? :)

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Filled Crescent Rolls

It was just too perfect.

Peanut butter? Check.

Chocolate chips? Check.

Refrigerated Crescent Rolls? Double Check.

It was all there, just waiting on me to find this recipe.

This was seriously the easiest dessert I've ever made. Easier than a cake-in-a-box.

If you have little ones or are just in desperate need for a good sweet fix?

This is your new go-to recipe.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Filled Crescent Rolls

(Original recipe by Cathy

Adapted by Pam)

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Ingredients

1 tube of crescent rolls

Peanut butter

Semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the unrolled crescent rolls onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used my silpat mat). Spread a layer of peanut butter on each triangle; top with chocolate chips.
Roll from the bottom of the triangle to the point. Place in the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve while hot.