Minestrone Soup

My cousin's wife sent me a Minestrone Soup recipe - and then I found another recipe online. So....I combined what I really liked from each of the recipes - some things were the same - and came up with my own version. It's pictured with the garlic rolls that are made cinnamon roll style.

Minestrone Soup
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small zucchini, cubed (if not available - leave out)
1 handful kale or spinach, chopped (I use kale)
1 (14.5 oz) can white beans (the above picture has red beans since I was out of white. Both work well.)
1 TBSP dried parsley
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
6 cups broth - either chicken or vegetable
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and drained
1/2 cup dry pasta of your choice (I used dry ravioli found in the WinCo bulk section.)

Simmer all ingredients for a couple hours. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.

This recipe also freezes really well.

Cat Head Biscuits with Sawmill Gravy

When I first saw this recipe I did a double take. Cat Head biscuits! No actual cats were used in the making of this recipe. :) This is actually one I chose as part of the May 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. My teammate is Crafty Lady 13 from Dalton, Ohio. She found the recipe in Deen Brother's Y'all Come Eat cookbook. The biscuits have this name because they are the size of a cat's head. I can tell you it was an attention getter at the dinner table though!

Cat Head Biscuits

3 cups self-rising flour**

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 TBSP butter or margarine, cut into pieces and softened

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, buttermilk and butter just until the dough comes together. On a floured surface pat the dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick round. Cut the dough into 6 4-inch circles. (I only had a 3 inch cookie cutter - so mine were a bit smaller.) Transfer biscuits to baking sheet. Bake about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

**If you are like me and don't buy self-rising flour - it can be made at home. You will need:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix well and use for every 1 cup of self rising flour.

Sawmill Gravy

1 lb bulk sausage

4 1/2 TBSP flour

2 1/2 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet brown sausage. Sprinkle flour over sausage and coat well. Gradually add milk and stir. Bring to a boil and stir until gravy is thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Break open biscuits and spoon gravy generously over the top. Enjoy!

All-In-One Breakfast

This picture doesn't do justice to the yummy breakfast this makes! I remembered to take a picture when the pan was already half gone! The whole family really enjoyed this tasty casserole on the first day of school back to school breakfast. This recipe comes from Laurlie41 in Indiana. The hardest part about this recipe is actually getting out of bed early enough to have the casserole ready before the kids leave for school!

All-In-One Breakfast
6 English muffins, split in half
1 lb bulk sausage
12 eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese

Arrange english muffins in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking pan. Overlap as necessary so the muffins all fit. Set aside.
Brown sausage. Drain.
In a large bowl whisk eggs. Add in sausage, sour cream and diced chilies. Mix well and pour over english muffins. Press lightly to thoroughly moisten the muffins.
Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes the next morning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana

Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana
1 lb sausage
6 medium red potatoes, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup diced onions
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups fresh baby spinach, sliced thinly
3 TBSP chicken boullion
2 quarts water
1 cup heavy cream

Cook ground sausage until done. Cook bacon and onion over medium heat, when bacon is crisp - remove. Leave the onion. Add garlic to the onion and cook 1 minute. Add boullion, water, and potatoes. Simmer 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Crumble bacon. Add to soup. Add heavy cream and heat thoroughly. Serve with croutons or crackers or french bread or breadsticks.