a delicious healthy tomato soup!

serves 8-10

1/4 c. olive oil
4 tbsp. butter
4 carrots, peeled & finely diced
3 med. onions, finely minced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
3 qts canned tomatoes w/ juice OR 14 large ripe, fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 c. finely chopped parsley
salt & pepper
6 leaves fresh basil (optional)

1. heat oil & butter in heavy kettle.
2. cook the carrots, onion, & celery for about 20 min, or until very tender.
3. add tomatoes; continue cooking over moderate heat 25-30 min longer.
4. stir in parsley & basil, season w/ salt & pepper.

variation this soup can be strained, pureed, & thinned with light cream.  stir a teaspoon of pesto into each bowl & top w/ a dallop of sour cream.

my friend made this recipe for me, and my husband loved it!

serves 6

2 onions, quartered
2 tab. brown sugar
1 tab. paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 (4 to 6 pound) boneless pork butt or shoulder roast
3/4 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

hamburger buns or hoagie rolls

1. place onions in crock-pot.  combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper; rub over roast.  place roast over onions.
2. combine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne; stir to mix well.  drizzle vinegar mixture over roast (you can keep some out and save it to drizzle over sandwiches if you want).
3. cover; cook on low 8-10 hrs. (high 4 to 6 hrs.
4. when meat is tender, falling apart, i shred it right in the crock pot.  the recipe says the drain the liquid but i just leave it in, i think it makes it more flavorful.  sometimes you have to remove any fat that may have been on the roast or any bones.

my friend made me this dish for our family a few weeks ago.  it was delicious. 

serves 8

2 lb. cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
30 oz. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups fat-free sour cream
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese or mexican-style cheese blend
8 oz. chopped green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
12 medium corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup salsa

1. preheat oven to 350-degrees F.  coat a lasagna pan with cooking spray.
2. cut chicken into 1-inch pieces.
3. place chicken in large bowl and add beans, sour cream, 1 cup of shredded cheese, chilies, cumin and pepper: mix well and set aside.
4. arrange half of tortillas in bottom of prepared lasagna pan, overlapping pieces to cover surface.  top tortillas with half of chicken mixture, layer with remaining tortillas and then top with remaining chicken mixture.  sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese.
5. bake until filling is bubbly and cheese is melted, abut 30 minutes.  let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces.  serve with salsa on the side.

i tried this recipe for thanksgiving this year, and it was a great hit.  :)  i was very pleased with how it turned out.  i think it tastes more authentic than the bulgolgi recipe i use.  this recipe is based on this recipe.

serves 8-10

16 korean style beef ribs (they’re usually thin cut and you can find them in korean stores)
1 C soy sauce
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C water
1 asian pear, chopped (or 1/2 korean pear)
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
4 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 slices of ginger
5 green onions, roughly chopped

1. in a food processor, added onion and pear.  puree finely.  pour into a large bowl or large ziploc bag.
2. add the rest of the marinade ingredients (minus ribs) and stir until all ingredients are combined.  add the ribs.
3. marinate beef for 8-10 hours or overnight.
4. heat a large pan or grill on high heat.  oil the pan/grill.  cook ribs for 2-3 minutes on each side.  serve with rice and kimchi.

my friend hanna made this cake for my friend, kenton’s, birthday.  it was very delicious (but not very nutrious)!.    it wasn’t too sweet, and the pockets of melted chocolate chips were just an added bonus.

serves 8-10

1 box chocolate cake mix
1, 3 oz package of chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C warm water
1/2 C oil
1 1/2 C chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350.  grease a bundt pan.
2. mix all the ingredients together except for chocolate chips.  add the chocolate chips.  pour into pan.
3. bake for 45-50 minutes.

we went to brazil for Christmas in 2005.  we had this marvelous dinner at this small restaurant that the hotel concierge had recommended.  the owner recommended this dish to my husband, and it was fantastic.  i made it tonight for dinner, and it wasn’t quite the same, but it was close.  this recipe comes from “from our house to yours – recipes”.  i’ve made a few alterations.  next time, i think i’ll try chicken to see what happens. 

serves 4-6

2 lbs white fish filets, cut into large cubes, about 1.5 – 2 in.
juice of one lime
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can coconut milk

1. marinate the fish filets with salt, pepper, paprika and lime juice for at least one hour.
2. in a large sauté pan or dutch oven, sauté garlic in oil. turn off the heat at this point and using half of the vegetables start making layers of onions, cilantro, peppers and tomatoes. Cover the layers with the fish and the marinade.
3. cover the fish making other layers with the remaining onions, peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. add the coconut milk and sprinkle the top with salt. bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium, medium-low and let simmer for 30-60 minutes or until fish and vegetables are cooked.  serve with rice.

depending on my mood, i have a few mac n cheese recipes that i use.  the real simple one is to cook the macaroni, drain it, add the cheese until it melts and serve.  when i want to be super fancy, i cook this mac n cheese recipe from the Cook’s Illustrated magazine (may & june 2004).

serves 6-8 as main course, 10-12 as side dish

1 lb elbow macaroni
salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter
6 tbsp flour
5 C milk
8 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

1. grease a 9X13 glass pan.
2. combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and set aside.
3. in a large pot or dutch oven, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.  when it reaches a boil, add a generous amount of salt (1 tbsp) and cook the macaroni until tender.  drain the macaroni and return pot to the stove.
4. adjust the rack to oven to lower-middle position.  turn on broiler.
5. turn the stove to medium-high heat.  melt the butter in the pan until it is foaming.  add the flour, stir (or whisk) to combine.  let this mixture cook for a minute.
6. stir (or whisk) in milk.  stir (or whisk) constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  when it does, the sauce should thicken to the consistency of cream.  reduce heat to low and add the cheese until it melts.  season with salt.
7. add the macaroni into the sauce and stir until well combined.  pour macaroni and cheese into greased glass pan.*  spread bread crumb topping evenly on top.  put it in the oven and broil it until top is a deep golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).

*  the sauce may appear runny after you combine the macaroni, but it will not be as runny once you broil the mac n cheese.

this recipe is very similar to my soy sauce chicken recipe, except it isn’t as saucy.    my aunt makes it a lot, as it’s one of my cousin’s favorites, and it’s one of my favorites as well.  the good thing to this recipe is that you don’t have to marinate it as long, and you don’t have to cook it as long either.

serves 2

1/3 C soy sauce
1/8 C sugar (or to desired sweetness, amount of sugar will depend on how salty the soy sauce is)
2 green onions, cut into 2 in pieces
3 slices of ginger
8 chicken wings, cut into 2 pieces each (16 pieces total, 8 drumettes and 8 wings)

1. combine all the ingredients.  coat the wings in the marinade.  let it marinate for at least 2 hours (i usually start marinating it the morning i make the chicken).
2. heat oven to 350.
3. remove wings from marinade and place wings on sheet pan.  (usually i line the pan with aluminum foil for quick cleanup).  bake for 30-40 minutes (or until wings are done), flipping halfway through.

i grew a garden for the first time this year.  i planted basil because i knew i wanted to make pesto.  i made some today and it was delicious.  i also made another batch of arugula pesto, and it was lovely as well.   i like my pesto just tossed with some warm pasta.

serves 4 over 1 lb of pasta

2 C loosely packed basil leaves (you can use arugula as well)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp salt
pepper
olive oil
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

1. in a food processor, or blender, add basil, garlic salt, and pepper.
2. turn on the food processor (or blender).  let the ingredients get chopped a little before adding the olive oil.
3. slowly drizzle in the olive oil until desired consistency.
4. add parmesan right before serving.

this is one of my husband’s favorite breakfasts.  i made it for him this past father’s day, and he loved it.   enjoy!   the recipe comes from my mother-in-law, who is a fabulous cook!

serves 4

1, 8-oz. package sausage patties
italian bread
mozzarella cheese or monterey jack cheese, sliced
4 large eggs
1 C milk
1 tbsp sugar

1. preheat a griddle to 300 degrees or medium to medium-low heat.  spray with non-stick spray.
2. cook sausage patties as per package directions.
3. slice bread into 1 1/2 in. slices.  make a slit in the middle of each slice for a pocket.
4. slice mozzarella cheese – 2 thin slices for each french toast.
5. layer 1 1/2 pieces of sausage between two slices of mozzarella and stuff into pocket in bread; you may have to cut the sausage into small pieces for this.
6. mix eggs, milk and sugar.  dip stuffed bread into egg mixture to coat on both sides.
7. cook toast on griddle until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted.  i usually flatten the toast with a spatula when cooking.