Slow Cooker Beef and Tortellini Soup

Nothing says Autumn more than a bowl of  this fabulous soup my friend Debbie shared with me.  She is such a wonderful person and I feel privileged to know her. She is “old school” and believes no matter how busy your day, you should have a home cooked meal.  And if the family can all eat together;  Better yet!   This recipe is a great reason to ”SLOW” down at the end of your busy day and reward yourself with a very satisfying dinner. I love to serve this with a big salad,  fresh-baked bread and some apple cake for dessert!

FYI…I have made this for my meat-free families and it’s just as good as a vegetarian soup. I added some white beans (cannellini) for the fiber. YUMMY!

Happy Fall!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking~

Vonnie

Ingredients:
1# beef stew meat                                                                                  
1 Tablespoon steak seasoning
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
32 oz. beef broth
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 cups frozen cheese filled tortellini  or gnocchi
1 can green beans, drained

Directions: 
In a large skillet, brown stew meat in a little oil for 3-5 minutes add steak seasoning to meat while browning.
Place meat in slowcooker. Add onion, carrots, garlic, sugar, tomatoes, and beef broth in order listed.
Cover; cook on low setting for 8 hours.
Stir in basil, frozen tortellini and green beans. Increase heat to high.
Cover;cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: I have also used gnocchi and just a good!!

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Panzanella Bread Salad

Oh the joys of summer! On the top of the list is fresh, ripe tomatoes, garden cucumbers, and basil that the more you cut, the more it grows. And the tomatoes… Beefsteak, early girls, heirlooms,roma, plum, not to mention the all the varieties of cherry and grape!  Finally the heat is upon us and the garden has finally started to be promising.  This classic Tuscan bread salad is a perfect thing to make with the bounty.  Panzanella at its core is really a way to use up crusty bread that has gotten hard and to celebrate perfect summer tomatoes. It is a cooling summertime salad that relies on the bread as the “filler” to soak up the juices of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as the olive oil you pour over everything.

Once a poor man’s dish, it has become rather trendy. Once you make it, you’ll see why. It’s a great way to show off wonderful, fresh, summer produce and with so few ingredients you will be amazed at how good it is.  I am serving my with my leftover Herb and Dijon Mustard Glazed Turkey Breasts I had for dinner last night! You can serve the salad with any of your favorite grilled meats or it will stand alone for a great Meatless Meal. 
Enjoy and Happy Cooking,

Vonnie                                                                                                                                                              

Ingredients:
4 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks
4 cups day old (somewhat dry and hard) crusty bread (Italian or French loaf), cut into chunks the same size as the tomatoes*
1 cucumber, skinned and seeded, cut into large chunks
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh basil, torn into little pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup good olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
* If you don’t have hard old bread sitting around, you can take fresh crusty bread, cut it into big cubes, lay the cubes out on a baking sheet, and put in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until the outer edges have dried out a bit (not toasted, just dried). If you use fresh bread without doing this, the bread may disintegrate into mush in the salad.

Directions:
Mix everything together and let marinate, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours. Do not refrigerate or you will destroy the texture of the tomatoes.

Serve at room temperature.

Serves 6-8.

Italian Sausage with Mussels and Pasta

What I love about this recipe is there are no real set ingredients. Can can adjust the vegetables to your liking and the flavors of the sausage. If you don’t like mussels, you can use clams. there are endless possibilities. I use homemade Italian hot sausage from my local grocery store. They have wonderful favors and always fresh. Any flavor would work in this recipe. I also get my mussels from there. When you are buying mussels have the seafood specialists rinse them. Sometimes they open up and rinsing them closes them and that’s what you want. Any that stay open, toss. When you bring them home, refrigerate until you are ready to cook. They should have a salty ocean air smell.

 

Enjoy and Happy Cooking,                                                                                                   

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:1 # Italian Sausage grilled and sliced1 bag of mussels
1 28 can of diced tomatoes with juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 bell peppers, any color and diced
red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese, freshly grated
olive oil

Pasta
1# angel hair pasta, cooked el dente
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
fresh basil, chopped
parmesan cheese, freshly grated
black pepper, to taste

 

Directions:Coat a large deep skillet with olive oil and heat to medium. Add peppers, onions, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Add can of tomatoes with juice, Stir. Cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and stir. Add mussels and stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Keep lid on the whole 5 minutes without peeking! Stir and cover. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Mussels should be opened . Any that don’t open, discard. Stir in Italian sausage and parmesan cheese. Serve on top of pasta.Pasta:
Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic. Watch closely and stir. When garlic get to a golden color, add to cooked pasta. Toss and add pepper, parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

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Baked Eggplant

Baked Eggplant was one of my favorite dishes my Grandma Taylor used to make. Her recipe was Norma Antenuccis, a Warren, Ohio celebrity. In the 1950′s, she had a segment on the local tv station and then went on to publish a cookbook. My grandma and Mrs. Antenucci were friends. I love the old time cookbooks that share their family stories and great recipes and this is one of the best. This recipe is my childhood. It’s one of the things I think of when I remember my Grandma Taylor cooking in her kitchen.
Today I dedicate this Meatless Monday to my Grandma Taylor and my dear friend Josette Busuttil who asked for the recipe and is always supporting Challengeu2cook.

I hope you enjoy and Happy cooking.                                                 

 

 

Baked Eggplant
This is from page 49 of Norma presents….a Collection of her favorite recipes.

“Another one of my mother’s specialties. You just haven’t tasted anything until you’ve tried this”.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant or 2 small ones
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
water
1 can tomato paste plus 2 cans water
1 tsp. basil leaves
Shredded mozzarella,  or a combination of mozzarella and  parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Peel eggplant and slice in 1/4 inch slices. Sprinkle with salt.
2. Beat eggs, add salt and flour. This makes a thick batter. Thin down with about 1/3 cup of water to the consistency of pancake batter.
3. Dip slices of eggplant in batter and fry until brown on both sides. in hot shortening.
4. Heat tomato paste that has been diluted with water in a sauce pan. Add salt and pepper and 1 tsp. basil leaves. Heat ti boiling.
5. Place slices of fried eggplant in a casserole dish, pour some of the tomato sauce over them, sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layers until all eggplant is used. Be sure to end up with sauce and cheese on top.
6. Bake uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

You may find it necessary to make more batter for the eggplant. This varies depending upon the size of the eggplant and amount that is absorbed by slices.

Leftover spaghetti sauce can be substituted for the tomato paste. This naturally imparts a great deal of flavor to the dish. You can also substitute whole tomatoes for the paste.

To complete this meal, you can serve with a side of spaghetti and some grilled Italian sausage and a simple salad.

*For a variation, add thin slices of fresh Mozzarella cheese between layers.

*For another variation place cooked broccoli between layers.