Here is my version of Minestrone.

HOMEMADE MINESTRONE

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cups chopped celery
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3-4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1-2 cups water
• 3-4 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2-1 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 cup canned Cannellini (or kidney beans), drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can green beans (or 1 cup sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms)
• 2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
• 2 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons dried basil
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup uncooked small seashell pasta
• 3-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute onion for 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes.  Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add chicken broth (or vegetable broth), water and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. If desired add red wine at this point. Reduce heat to low and add green beans (or mushroom), zucchini, parsley, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Add spinach leaves, and Cannellini (or kidney) beans and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes.
3. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of uncooked seashell pasta and cook until tender. Drain water.
4. Add pasta noodles to your soup.  Season soup with 2-3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.  (Reserve 1-2 tablespoons for topping bowls)
5. Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Makes 6 Servings.

P.S.  If you have a ton of Minestrone left over, you may freeze it in your freezer for 6-12 months.

P.S.S.  If the pasta noodles soak up a lot of the soup broth, just add more chicken/vegetable broth, water or red wine.

–Camberley–

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1. Potato and Leek Soup
2. “Pasta-Less” Vegetable Lasagna?
3. Camberley’s Famous Vodka Cream Sauce Recipe

BANANA FOSTERS

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 1/2 tablespoons rum
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

P.S.  I found this recipe on All Recipes and it makes 4 servings.  Enjoy!

Camberley

Related posts:

1. Banana Sour Cream Pancake Recipe
2. Delicious Banana Bread Recipe
3. Banana Zucchini Bread

Oatmeal Cream Cheese Butterscotch Bars

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pea-sized pieces, plus more for pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (11-ounce) bag butterscotch chips
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Drape a 9 by 13-inch pan with overlapping pieces of aluminum foil, creating handles for easy removal. Butter the paper, and reserve.

In a food processor add the flour, oats and brown sugar and pulse to combine. Add the 2 sticks of butter, the cinnamon and the butterscotch chips. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture forms clumps when pressed between your fingers. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer, reserve the other half. Bake in the preheated oven just until slightly golden and set, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Beat together the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle, or with an electric hand mixer until no lumps of cream cheese remain. Spread evenly over the baked and cooled oatmeal mixture. Sprinkle the remaining half of the oatmeal mixture over the cream cheese. Bake until the top is golden, about 40 minutes.

Cool and chill before cutting. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and using the foil handles, transfer the bars to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares with a sharp knife and serve.

Recipe courtesy Anne Burrell and foodnetwork.com

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3. Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

Instead of doing the traditional 12 Days of Christmas-complete with 7 swimming swans, 5 gold rings and partridge in a pear tree (just to name a few)-how about making cookies to give away beginning the 12 Days before Christmas? 

And here’s one that our Bella girl Cammie made with rave reviews from her husband. Ironically, she just made these cookies again last week. 

Day #1 

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies by Paula Dean

Ingredients 

• 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

Related posts:

1. Paula Dean’s Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies (AKA – Paula’s PMS Cure)
2. Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
3. Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

CROCK POT STUFFING

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 12 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 12 cups dry bread cubes
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 – 4 cups chicken broth, or as needed
• 2 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently.
2. Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs (Warning: don’t add too much chicken broth to the stuffing or it will become soupy). Transfer mixture to slow cooker, and cover.
3. Cook on High for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4 to 8 hours.

Gobble, Gobble,

Camberley

Related posts:

1. Crock Pot Beef Tacos Recipe
2. Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
3. Homemade Minestrone

Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Maple-Sugar Streusel

INGREDIENTS

For the potatoes:

• 4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the streusel:

• 1 – 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup maple sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roast potatoes on rimmed baking sheet until tender, 60-75 minutes. Cool slightly. Scoop flesh into large bowl; discard skins. Mash hot potatoes until coarse puree forms.

Heat cream and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir hot cream mixture into hot potatoes. Stir in syrup, bourbon, and all spices.

Place sweet potato mixture in a greased baking dish.  Set aside.

Mix first 4 streusel ingredients together in a small bowl.  Add melted butter and rub in with fingertips until moist clumps form.  Spread streusel toping on top of sweet potato mixture.

Place sweet potatoes and streusel back into the oven (400 degrees) and cook for an additional 25-35 minutes (or until streusel is golden and slightly crisp).

Serve warm. (SIDE NOTE: This recipe works great as a side dish and great as dessert (just add vanilla ice cream).)

Makes 10-12 servings.

–Camberley–

Related posts:

1. Sweet Potato Pie Cookies
2. Rosemary Cheesy Potatoes
3. Pumpkin Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup