Taco Taco!!!

Hello all!
I just wanat to share a great book that has so much good stuff in it regarding diet and health and just cool stuff about life in general and how to live it the best…
Please check out Tim Ferris’ book “The 4 Hour Body”
Now because I am reading this and have been really trying a lot of new things diet wise, he recommends the Slow Carb Diet which I am all for… and of course he loves Mexican food with all the beans as the “slow carb” which I love also…
So last nite I made tacos.
Now I think everyone knows how to make tacos, but most people buy the seasoning packet from the store and I think you all know by now that I can’t stand pre-packaged junk!
So I season my meat myself and let me tell you it is SO much tastier–I think so anyway!

So here we go…
Brown your meat (ground beef, turkey or chicken) drain excess grease…
and generously add the following spices…

Cumin, Coriander, White Pepper, Fresh Ground Pepper, Chili Powder, Paprika, Basil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt…add a little olive oil to moisten it all and make spices all stick!
(this is the quickie version… or you can chop up fresh basil, garlic and onion which I do when I have more time.)
Then go about your regular taco making…
make all your bowls of chopped lettuce and tomatoes and shredded cheese and sour cream and i like to have some beans refried or black beans or both like I did last nite!

I like to start with the refried beans on the bottom… it makes eerything stick better!
Then I put in my wonderfully seasoned meat then the black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream then I top with the cheese! Yum.
Fresh, yummy and healthy too!

Then if there are leftovers I save for the next day and make a big taco saled with whatever is left. I just add a little bit of Salsa with the sour cream to make a little more of a “dressing”.

Well, I hope you enjoy, Taco Salads and tacos and burritos… are truly one of my faorite foods expecially in the summer…

Until tomorrow!!!
Peace, Love and Happiness!

♥Dorina

Feeling like some Creative Fish!

So I’m at the store and they have beautiful big tilapia filets on sale… So… I got some… but for some reason thinking of all the normal ways I usually fix it were not making me happy… I just got the notion of wanting to make it “stuffed”.  So I decided I was going to make stuffed fish and set about to see what I had here in the house to stuff it with!  It was fun!  AND it turned out great!

I started with some thick Tilapia filets that were thick enough that from the center I was able to slice a flap on either side so when I stuffed it, it was open on top not the side…  the size and thickness of your filets will determine how you slice it to later stuff….any way you do it is fine…

Next I sauteed some

pancetta ( you can get it in little blister packs at Trader Joes already diced up)

some diced up zucchini

chopped sweet vidalia onion

chopped sun dried tomatoes

(all these things were chopped to be rather small and uniform in size)

Then while that was all sauteeing together,

I took about a pint of heavy cream and half a package of cream cheese and beat it together until lightly fluffy (not necessarily to full whipped cream stage) and then I added a hefty dollop of some leftover zinfandel I had but you can use any white or pink wine…and whipped some more.

I then added cream mixture to sauteed mixture and stirred all together and sauteed a bit more.   I added a little white pepper and I am telling you that I added JUST A PINCH of salt…the pancetta added enough saltiness and everything else had plenty of flavor..

Then you just scoop out the filling and stuff inside of fish halves and then pour remaining sauce on top.

Bake in 350 degree oven 20-30 minutes

Serve with some roasted potatoes and another green vegetable and you have a healthy meal with just a little “cream” fat and the pancetta is so little for flavor that it isn’t that bad either… but if you make sure you have some greens it helps the health factor a LOT. 

If you eat a lot of good things like this… with fish, veggies, etc, then a little cream or bacon isn’t horrible as long as you keep EVERYTHING IN MODERATION (and LOTs OF greens!!)

I really hope you enjoy this dish because according to my husband it was REALLY good…

Peace, Love and Happiness!

♥Dorina

Pasta con Lenticchie!!! (pasta with lentils!!!)

Ok let me start by telling you that “lentils” is a word I did not know growing up. It was Lenticchie (pronounced len-teek-yeh)…I only knew the Italian word.
Mom would make some kind of smaller pasta with the lentils and lots of garlic. Yummmy!

This is such a simple dish it is almost embarrassing to call this a recipe but you have to make this sometime. It is a simple, stick to your guts, garlicky and yes HEALTHY southern Italian peasant dish!!!
First…rinse your lentils and then put them in a pot and cover with water….OK now this is hard…I usually use my 3 quart sauce pot and fill it about 1/2 way with water and I use a one pound bag of lentils!
OMG!!! I feel like my old Italian Grandmother trying to pass on recipes that have no measurements!!!
Of course you may not use that much since I do have a family of 8 to feed and that one pound bag and 2 pounds of pasta JUST covers us! So for a family of 4– 1/2 a bag is good with 1 pound of pasta!

***Anyway, bring the lentils to a boil and then just let them simmer slowly til they soak up all or most of the water (which you have lightly salted). If they dry out and aren’t soft then just add more water and take note for next time! In the end, you want the lentils soft and for the whole pot of them to still be kind of moist. Even a smidge watery is fine.
***Now in your other pot, boil your water for your pasta (with a good pinch of salt) and then cook the pasta. I like to use either a smaller pastina like ditalini or elbows, or acini di pepe or the mini bows…but I have also used the big bows, or rotelle, or even taken spaghetti and broken it into 1 to 2 inch pieces and used that. Use what you like or whatever you have on hand!
***Once the lentils and the pasta are both cooked drain the pasta then mix the two together. Now here is where I do it a bit different than my mother used to do…and of course you can do it either way.
My mother used to take a bunch of cloves of garlic and throw them in with a bunch of olive oil and mix it all up. Let it sit for a bit and then serve. She likes hers a little more “watery” than my grandmother used to make it.
I like it this way but I also like to take a small pan ( I have the coolest little miniature cast iron frying pan ) that I heat up olive oil and lightly saute my garlic before throwing it in. I usually do this step while the pasta is cooking.
I saute in a bit of regular olive oil but then I mix in with the pasta and lentils and add extra virgin olive oil.
Then all you need now is a pinch of salt to taste (don’t forget you salted your pasta water and the lentils a bit so taste it first)
***I like to serve this with grated parmigiano or romano cheese or even take a slice of provolone and lay it on top and it melts and gets gooey and is just another amazing variation!

Please let me know what you think of this one!!!

Peace!

♥Dorina

 

New Year’s Dinner!!!

Well, we had the best guests for New Year’s this year and that was my friend Randi and her family up from Baltimore.  Her husband Louis I just love and the kids…Luke and Sami …well they are like two more of my own. (and Sami is my godchild anyway!!)

So Randi calls and tells me she is bringing up two beautiful Sirloin roasts up with her (we need that much to feed the size of my family and hers combined of course!)

So on New Years Day I made wonderful pot roast.  If there were bones in it the meat would have fallen off of it!!!  It was so tender and moist you could cut it with a fork.

So I have to admit though, that as tasty as it all was, it was so easy my 9 year old daughter Angelina could have made it with 2 minutes worth of instruction!

Pot Roast

Ingredients

Roast

Onions

Potatoes

Carrots

Red Wine

Balsamic Vinegar

Broth

Salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

Rinse the meat, pat dry and lightly salt and pepper the whole thing.

In a nice hot pan pour just a slight covering of olive oil.  Sear the meat by dropping it in the pot letting is sizzle for a couple of minutes then turn it until you have quickly browned all the sides. 

Add the onions all around the sides of the meat and let them begin to soften. 

As soon as the onions are mostly clear, and your meat is seared, begin adding everything else.

Add the red wine (at least a good cup or two or three…and no i’m not kidding.)

Add about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

Add at least as much no salt added broth (I used chicken this last time but you can use that or beef or even vegetable broth)  as you did red wine so you now have double the liquid covering at least 1/2 the meat.

Sprinkle some cracked black pepper (of course you can use regular black pepper if you don’t use or have a pepper mill!  Silly!)

then sprinkle a pinch of salt now and then test taste for salt at the end.

Once all the liquid is in the pot, throw in the potatoes and carrots cut in large chunks or they will get too mushy to quick!

Let it come to a boil then drop the heat and just let it simmer and make your house smell amazing for at least an hour.

When you go to cut the meat, as you slice it put the slices back in the pot to soak up more of the broth which is soooo tasty!  ( I usually take the potatoes out and put on the serving platter first then there is room to soak the meat in the pot in the juice) then you can take the meat and lay in the center of the platter with the potatoes and meat surrounding and it looks beautiful!

Then just serve with a nice salad or other green vegetable and you have a very nice dinner!

Enjoy!!!

Peace! 

 

Dorina  ❤

 

Italian Style Tofu Meatball Patties! (Yes Tofu and Italian!!)

In general, I do not like tofu.  Now I like the idea of it but as much as I have tried i just think it tastes and feels like rubber!!! 

BUT…

I found a way to make tofu from my dear mother that I actually LOVE!!!

So I am going to share it with you… basically I mix tofu with my standard meatball ingredients but instead of making them into balls, I make them into patties because I don’t the like the mushy texture that would be the middle if they were in ball form…

You will need…

• Firm or Extra Firm Tofu (I often mix the two)
• 1 to 2 eggs per package of tofu (for one package I would use 2 for more than one package I would use one per package plus one extra)
• breadcrumbs (almost as much as there is tofu…and I always make whole wheat bread crumbs NOT the dry kind you buy at the store)
• grated romano (or parmigiano) cheese (about a 1/4 cup per package –or as much as you like!)
• fresh garlic or granulated garlic (lots!)
• fresh or dried basil
• fresh or dried parsley
• oregano (optional)
• salt and pepper

Other possible options for spices can be coriander, cumin, onion powder, cayenne pepper and tonite I even added some curry!…came out yummy!

Just mix all of the above in a large bowl squishing the tofu until it is completely broken down as if it were ground meat.   Then just make little patties and I usually cook them up on my two burner griddle with a little spray olive oil until nice and browned on both sides.

You can serve plain as I did tonite with peas sauteed with onions and some quinoa and veggie stir fry or you can turn them into “burgers” on buns with lettuce and tomato and ketchup….They can be the main course or a side…whatever you like but the kids like them and they are healthy!!!

So I DARE you to try this recipe…it is CHEAP, HEALTHY, YUMMY AND EASY!!!

You just can’t go wrong with this one!!!  Please write me and let me know what you think!!!

Enjoy!!!

Peace!

♥Dorina

Nonna’s Caponatina (Caponata)

A while back when writing about the joys of my grandmothers visits and all the goodies she would show up with, I mentioned her Caponatina that she would bring over in little jelly jars that was received like it was gold!  I also promised that recipe would come soon.  Of course as my life would have it, I almost forgot about it until I actually made some last night and remembered that promise!  So today I am fulfilling that promise.  

First let me explain what “this stuff” is… 

It is a Sicilian specialty that could basically be described as an “eggplant relish”.   You use some vinegar in it and it sort of pickles the rest of the ingredients.  It has such a great “tang” to it and is just soooo tasty.  It is full of flavor and textures.

So here is the recipe…

• 2 or 3 eggplants
• olive oil
• 1 whole large onion
• 3 or 4 whole fresh tomatoes or 1 32 oz can of whole tomatoes
• 4-5 stalks of celery
• (optional) 1 green pepper (note-Nonna almost never used the green pepper but as per her cousin Carmela Fazio it was very good that way too!)
• 1/2 cup vinegar (any kind will do…I usually use either red wine vinegar or white vinegar and I am sure others would be fine too)
• 2 T sugar
• Capers
• Basil
• Green Olives ( I have used black ones too but they have to be the “real ones” not the plain ones in a can)

1. Cube the eggplant, put it in a colander salt it and then put aside and let it sit and drain
2. Once the eggplant has drained a bit (about 10 minutes does the trick) give it a quick rinse off and then squeeze a bit by using another bowl on top of the colander and push down. 
3. Fry the eggplant in olive oil til about 3/4 cooked (not too mushy..but if you do cook longer it doesn’t matter so don’t worry, it will still taste good!)
4. Once you cook the eggplant put it aside…
5. NOW Chop and fry the onion also in olive oil
6. Add chopped whole tomatoes
7. Parboil and chop the celery stalks ( and do the green pepper at the same time if you use it)
8. Mix all together into a watery sauce
9. Mix 2 T of sugar in the 1/2 cup of vinegar and pour into the sauce
10. Add 6-8 chopped large green olives (or more if you like! )
11. Capers ( I use a couple tablespoons full)
12. Chopped FRESH basil –at least 3,4 or even 5 leaves!!!  ( I mean seriously…you can really never have too much fresh basil!!!)
13. Now add the Eggplant back in and cook for a few more minutes and then THAT’s it!!

Don’t cook it too long or you lose the crunchiness of some of the ingredients.  That’s what is so good about this…the eggpland is pretty soft, the celery is crunchy, the olives and capers are bites of flavor that you don’t expect in a mouthful of a tomatoey eggplant sauce!

Now…what do you do with this stuff????

Well, once it is made I usually put it in small jars but even a big mason jar is fine.  I like the small ones because I often give some away and that makes it easier to gift.  It is also nice to put out in a cute small jar on the counter when company comes and we use it on crackers etc.  It is a great little appetizer with cheese and crackers or small toasts or even slices of italian bread.

It is also amazing with pasta…just make  your pasta (bowties are great with this) and toss with as much of this stuff as you like…the more the better in my book!  But let me say that I made 3 eggplants worth and 2 pounds of pasta last nite and I used about 2/3 of the Caponatina in the pasta and then filled about a half mason jar sized jar with what was left and it was just right.

I have also on occasion topped chicken breast or fish with it.  I am sure you can use your imagination once you try it and use it for lots of things…it is good either hot or cold.

To keep it for a while, put it in jars while it is hot and fill almost to the top then put the lid on and let cool.  It almost seals itself as if you have canned it.  It will stay for a very long time in the fridge.  If you want to keep it longer, go ahead and put in sealable  jelly or mason jars and put in a hot water bath til the jars seal. Then you can leave on a regular pantry shelf until you open it.  But honestly, it doesn’t last that long once you make it! 

After all is said and done…in the end…my personal favorite way to eat Nonna’s caponatina …is with a fork right out of the jar!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Peace!

♥Dorina

 

Honey Mustard—EVERYTHING!

When it comes to salad dressing, my favorite is always good old Extra Virgin Olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar with a little garlic and salt and pepper…BUT

My next favorite is HONEY MUSTARD!
The thing about honey mustard dressing is that there are SOOOOO many things you can do with it!
I make

• standard “cold” honey mustard salad dressing
• warm honey mustard salad dressing
• honey mustard “sauce” for chicken and even fish!  good cold or warm!

SO…here’s how to do it…

Honey Mustard Dressing/Sauce

• 1 large spoonful of Dijon mustard
• 1 large spoonful of honey
• about a 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (regular olive oil is fine too)
• 2 or 3 spoonfuls of red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar..(each one changes the flavor a bit-the balsamic is more pronounced but all work just fine.  Play with it…it’s fun!)
• Depending on what I am doing with it I will add some salt and pepper to taste so play with this too!

If I am making a cold dressing, I usually put my ingredients into a glass jar with a lid and then just shake it til it’s all mixed up and frothy!!!  Then I just pour over the salad and done!  BUT this can also be done in a bowl with a wisk!!

If I am making a WARM dressing–which is really nice over a “fancy” salad with spinach, tomatoes, walnuts, bacon etc or over any salad for that matter–then I put the ingredients in a small saucepot and whisk over low heat til mixed and bubbly.  Then as above I just pour over the salad…yuuummmmm!

If I am making a sauce for chicken or fish, I treat it more like the warm dressing…I double or triple the ingredients depending how much I need and I tend to lessen the vinegar just a smidge.

This is then really good to “dip” chicken in for the kids or I brush it on chicken breasts or  fish either while cooking or when doing something quick and simple, I will just saute or grill the chicken or fish with a little fresh black pepper and salt and then just cover with the sauce once I plate it.

Last night I made this sauce for some fish.  I made it a little thicker by adding a little more mustard and honey and lessened the vinegar a bit then I cooked it a little longer…I then spread it over some Mahi Mahi fish that I sauteed in just a smidge of olive oil and a splash of white wine with a little fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt.   It was delicious!!!  At least that’s what Pasquale said!

Even my 8 year old Angelina and 14 year old Tino tried it and liked it!  Woohoo!!!  Just another way to get the kids to eat FISH!!!

Of course being the “good Catholic”  I TRY to do the Fish on Fridays during Lent.  So, I always use LENT to try even more fish dishes !  Let’s see how this year goes!  Watch for new fish dishes every week!!!

So try this Honey Mustard stuff out…it is SO easy and really good!

Enjoy!!!

Peace!

♥Dorina

 

Turkey Meatloaf!

Everyone I ever talk to likes to try cooking with ground turkey because it is low fat and healthy, but everyone also complains that it doesn’t have much flavor and is often dry.

WELL….I have the BEST turkey meatloaf recipe! (If I do say so myself!)
It is tasty and moist and my kids, husband and anyone else who tries it loves it!

Now before I give you the recipe, one ingredient that you have to get and keep in your fridge at all times is something I have found a lot of people don’t use or even know about!

Please get yourself some Lea and Perrins Chicken Marinade which used to be called White Wine Worcestershire Sauce. Most people are familiar with the regular Worcestershire Sauce but not the one made with white wine!
It’s not at every grocer but if you call Lea and Perrins they can tell you what stores in your area carry it. 🙂
This stuff is GOOD!!!
I have found it invaluable when making a lot of chicken and turkey dishes. Anyone I have introduced to it now feels the same way!

I am giving you a “loose” recipe because I do often vary it a bit depending what I have on hand!
I will state what items are optional or changeable!

Also…because we are a family of 8 I usually make 2 large meatloaves because we usually eat 1 1/2 for dinner and I have just enought left over for sandwiches the next day! So where I usually use 4 packages (about 4 lbs) of meat I will adjust this for 2 packages so you “normal” size families don’t have to cut it in half!!!

Get a large bowl and start throwing in all these ingredients!
2 lbs ground turkey
2-3 cups of breadcrumbs* (see below about breadcrumbs!)
1 cup of Romano Cheese (you can use Parmigiano cheese but I really prefer Romano)
2 or 3 eggs (In general I use 1 egg per pound and then sometimes add one extra-but you don’t have to!)
Chopped onion (as much as you like but I would use at least 1/2 of a medium/ large onion)
4 good shakes of White Wine Worcestershire Sauce (at least!-but try it out first and see how you like it)
Parsley (fresh chopped if you have it -or dried is fine-just throw in a few shakes/pinches)
Salt and Pepper ( I LOVE using fresh ground pepper whenever I can)
Water (whenever I use breadcrumbs, I always add some water–or other liquid like wine/beer etc –maybe 1/4-1/2 cup…the breadcrumbs hold the water and make everything SO moist!)

*Breadcrumb Note: Everyone throws bread away…don’t tell me you don’t! It’s always the ends and maybe the last slice that was originally on the top that everyone dug behind to get the softest slices! So I keep these and if I have enough I make the breadcrumbs right then if not I throw the bag with the 2 or 3 slices in it into the freezer until I have enough. Then I put the slices in the food processor and make my crumbs. These crumbs are moister and fluffier than storebought crumbs that always remind me of sand! In fact those Panko crumbs that are all the rage right now look kind of like MY crumbs that I make at home–and those Panko crumbs are EXPENSIVE for crumbs! You can buy bread in the “yesterdays bread” bin at the store for a dollar and make your own as well as saving your ends! Also I often have whole wheat/grain breads and they make great crumbs that are that much healthier than the plain white bread crumbs!
OK thats my breadcrumb soapbox (that I know I stand on too often!!! Haha!!)

Well anyway, just mix everything together, shape your meatloaf in your baking dish or cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 45 min to an hour. I usually cover lightly with foil for the first half and then take it off at the end but I have to say that when I made my meatloaf last nite, I didn’t cover it and it still cooked nice and didn’t burn so I guess I have been wasting foil !!!
Oh well, live and learn!

Sometimes I make the meatloaf in a ring and then fill the middle with mashed potatoes! But then it is easier to do when you make as big a meatloaf as I do! Then there is a really nice big well in the middle! Try it sometime though…the kids think it’s “cool”!

Enjoy!!
Please let me know if you try this and like it as with any of my recipes!!!
Thanks!

Peace!

♥Dorina

 

Biscuits and Biscuit Pie Dinner

I love making biscuits.  For being the “serious Italian” that I am, I love a good ol’ American Butter Biscuit. 

So, today I am going to give you two recipes– my biscuits and then a second recipe for one of my favorite dishes I make with my biscuit recipe! — A very simple one dish recipe I made up some years ago. 

Buttery Biscuits

• 2 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 spoonful of sugar
• 1/3 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup milk or mix of milk and water (actually use sparingly and just use what you need to make the dough stick together.

Mix the dry ingredients in a big bowl then cut in the butter ( I usually use my fingers to squeeze the butter and mix in with the flour) then add the milk and make dough.

Then you roll the dough out about 1/2 inch thick and cut out biscuits. I have made these round and I have cut them out square when I can’t find my round cutter!  Bake them until just lightly browned in a pre-heated 375-400 degree oven.  They are so good in the morning  with even more butter and some strawberry jam!  Yummy!

NOW….

We will use this biscuit dough to make a nice dinner…..

A nice slice of my biscuit pie!

Dorina’s Biscuit Pie

Make the above recipe at least double (I sometimes triple or quadruple depending on how many trays I want to make!)

You will need some kind of baking dish…I usually use a 10×14 of course but we are 8!  I have also made in round pie dishes or 9×13 or whatever was handy!

You will need

• ground beef-
• refried beans or black beans or any other bean you like
• shredded cheese-cheddar or mozzarella
• corn
• peas
• zucchini
• red pepper or green peppers or both!
• onions
• (or any mix of veggies you like–all of these are optional I just like to make a nice colorful mix)

biscuit, beef and zucchini layers...

In a skillet begin to brown the ground beef in just a smidge of olive oil unless it is 15 or 20% fat gound beef…then I use no oil. (I also always drain the fat off of the meat when it is done)  While it is cooking season it with  coriander, cumin, paprika and/or cayenne,  salt and pepper.  Sometimes I will add a little hot sauce depending on who I am making it for.  I am not going to say how much spice I use because I don’t know….I put in enough until it smells good. 

...with corn and peas layer....

***note about spices—I always smell my spices before I use them…then I smell what I am making as I add the spice.  The best way to smell food that is cooking is to lean in and “wave the smell” towards you!  Yummy!!!

While the meat is cooking…roll out the dough to make a 1/2 inch layer on the bottom of the baking dish.

Next begin to layer all the above components—the meat, beans, veggies, cheese and then a top layer of dough then some more cheese on top.

Bake until the biscuit top is done.

Out of the oven....

Let it cool, slice into squares and serve.  You can eat it with a fork or pick it up like a messy sandwich!

Options….you can top with salsa, sour cream or leave it naked.
This is a great dish to personalize however you like.
Just fix and enjoy….

♥Dorina

 

Vegetable Soup / Minestrone

Tonite was the last my  “2 soccer practices in one day” days for this Fall!!! yippeeee!!!
The soccer season is over this week. I am so excited. I really love the beginning of soccer season and I really love the end of soccer season! Kind of like summer vacation!
Anyway, I had to make dinner in a hurry and tonite that started wtih a pot of WATER….
I had almost nothing in the house and no time to shop so that is why I opted for some soup tonite.
You don’t need much to make a good pot of soup.
They say that soup is as old as the history of cooking. So “back in the olden days” and I mean REALLY olden days…. they put whatever vegetables, roots, meats or grains in water and made soup.

Most of the time when I speak to friends about making soup they all seem so surprised and want to know how I make it. The fact is that I rarely follow a recipe for soup. I usually just start with my biggest pot of water and add to it what I have handy.

Of course I have to say that I ALWAYS have my staples on hand…Carrots, Onions and Celery and even that alone makes a nice broth. But I usually add whatever else I have…
It could be diced zucchini, potato, squash, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, green beans, asparagus,peas, sweet peppers, spinach, cabbage, or whatever else. I often will add some beans if I want it to be heavier, and of course there is the meat factor. There is chicken, mini beef or turkey meatballs, shredded beef or pork or whatever you want.

For me today, I made a vegetable soup (that means NO MEAT)
and here is what I put in my water…..

• Carrots (8)
• Onions (1 lg)
• Potatoes (5 med white)
• Celery (5 stalks)
• Zucchini ( 2 lg)
• Corn (1/2 bag frozen0
• Cabbage (about 1/4 head)
• Beans (1 can)
• Tomato (2 big ladle-fuls of the leftover tomato sauce from the day before that I had in the fridge!)
• Garlic ( about 8-10 cloves crushed thru a garlic press)
• Pesto (at the last minute, I threw in one ice cube of my homemade pesto —wow what a great flavor addition!!!
• Salt and Pepper to taste (don’t salt til close to the end because as the water boils out it can become too salty )
• Pasta (this time I used angel hair pasta that I broke into about 1 inch pieces)

Everyting was chopped/diced rather small and if you don’t want soup that is all starchy, the BEST way to make soup with pasta in it is to cook the pasta separately, drain it…and then stir a smidge of olive oil in it so it doesn’t all stick together.  Then, put in a scoop in each bowl before pouring the soup over top.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with some crusty Italian bread.

Now let me remind you that this is how much I made for my family of 8.  What I will also tell you is that from that one pot of soup, I got dinner, late nite snack, lunches for the kids the next day in a thermos,  and my lunch at home and there was still some to put in a plastic container in the freezer and will just need to be re-heated on another day!

This may sound boring but soup is something you can vary by which veggies you have, what spices you add and of course meat and grains.

 So…why did I title this “Vegetable soup/Minestrone”?  Well because when I was growing up we had a restaurant….named of course  ROSETO (after my Dad’s hometown in Italy) and my Aunt Tettina who worked in the kitchen and our Chef Luigi taught me many things over the years….sometimes they actually took the time to teach me something because I was always full of questions on how to make something and then of course they probably taught me more than they ever thought because I WATCHED!  I was like a spy on a secret mission…always watching what they did, how they made something whether it was early in the day during “prep time” or on the “line” when the restaurant was packed on a Saturday nite.

One of the things that was a popular staple in our restaurant was our Minestrone Soup.  It was thick, hearty comfort food and just plain old GOOD…especially with that thick slice of Italian bread on the side.

So…when you don’t know what to make for dinner but you have a bunch of veggies in the bottom of the fridge or some in the freezer, start chopping…and please get in the habit (if you aren’t already) of always keeping onions, carrots and celery on hand because they are a base for SO many good things in the kitchen!

♥Dorina