Italian Wedding Soup

We were supposed to get some good snow today, but instead we got rain and ice. I had planned to make this soup recipe for dinner tonight after a full day of fun in the snow. Instead, I made it after a full day of staying inside watching the ice and rain fall. Maybe we'll get some snow later this week. Regardless, this soup was delicious! I've never had this particular soup, and I don't know how I've missed it for so long. It really is easy to make, and nice and warm, perfect for these cold nights!

Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from tasty kitchen

Ingredients:
for the meatballs
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
½ small yellow onion, diced small
1½ tablespoons dried parsley
1 large egg, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon Kosher or Himalayan salt
¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
dash of ground nutmeg

for the soup
8 cups Chicken Broth
3 whole large carrots, chopped
1 pound spinach, washed
½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 cup dry orzo
Kosher or Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
fresh Parmesan, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° F. Prepare baking sheet by placing cooling racks on top of the baking rack so that the meatballs will cook evenly and the grease will drip off. Spray with nonstick spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine the meatball ingredients and mix thoroughly. Shape the meat mixture into ¾ to 1-inch diameter meatballs.  Place the meatballs on your prepared rack. Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until no longer pink. 

To make the soup, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. I like to use Better Than Bouillon to make my chicken broth.  Add the carrots, spinach, oregano, salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to medium and add the meatballs. Cook the meatballs and carrots until the carrots are tender. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with fresh Parmesan cheese and french bread.

One Pot Sausage and Pasta

What the what? A new recipe? Yes, indeed, it is a new recipe. Life has settled down a little bit, and I thought I'd try out some new recipes again. This was so incredibly easy, and very tasty. My kids gobbled it up. They love sausage, so how could I go wrong? 

• 
  
• 
  
• One Pot Sausage and Pasta
• adapted from yellow bliss road
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced (I used kielbasa.) 
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 10-20 cherry tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
• 8 oz dry pasta (I used spirals.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 
  
• Directions:
• Add olive oil to a large saute pan. On medium heat, add onions and sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute longer. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. 

Slow Cooker Sweet Garlic Chicken {slow cooker}

As you may have noticed, my blog posting has really slowed down. Our life is so incredibly busy that I don't have a lot of time to post! I am so glad I sat down to post this one though. It is made in the slow cooker (yay!) and it was tasty too! I loved having it on top of a cornbread pancake. I think that is my kiddos favorite part!

Slow Cooker Sweet Garlic Chicken
from My Fridge Recipes

Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken  inside slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. 

Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down). Top with additional sauce and sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired. 

This can be served over rice or noodles. We served it on top of a cornbread pancake. 

Tilapia Bruschetta

This was so easy and healthy! I know tomato season is almost over, but I wanted to make sure and share this recipe with you. It was very tasty and definitely a healthy dinner option that is quick! 

Tilapia Bruschetta

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 Tablespoon fresh basil
2-4 ounces fresh mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Salt and pepper tilapia fillets to your taste. Bake fish for 6 minutes. Remove fish from oven, turn fish over and top with mozzarella and tomato mixture. Place back in the oven bake for an additional 4 minutes.

Fish is ready when it flakes easily.

Cheesy Quinoa and Ham Bites

These are amazing!! So yummy, and all you need in one little bite! Protein, starch, dairy, and veggie! Definitely make these. They are a big hit at my house!!

Cheesy Qunioa and Ham Bites 
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked quinoa, chilled or at room temperature (I cook my quinoa in chicken broth.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces deli ham, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
1-2 cups finely chopped steamed broccoli
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except cheeses, until combined. Stir in the cheese until well-distributed.

Lightly grease two mini muffin cup tins.  (My recipe made 48 mini muffins.) If you don't have two tins, you can do two batches. Scoop the quinoa mixture into the tins, filling the cups all the way to the top and lightly pressing to pack the mixture a bit. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden on top. Remove from the tin and repeat with the remaining mixture if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Hot Chicken Sandwiches

And, I'm back. Hoping to get back to posting recipes again. My life is so busy, it's really hard to get to the blog. But I didn't want to miss sharing this one. This sandwich was so incredibly good!! It tasted like a chicken and cheese dip with french bread. It was pretty good heated up in the toaster oven the next day too! All you have to do is mix up the ingredients and bake it, so easy! You do have to cook the chicken, but you could in a pinch use canned chicken if you wanted to. I'm making this tonight and I can't wait!!

*note the original recipe includes olives, I omitted them.

Hot Chicken Sandwich
from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 loaf french bread, cut lengthwise
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar cheese.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place french bread on large baking sheet. Mix all topping ingredients together in a bowl. Spread topping evenly on top of both lengths of french bread. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and edges are lightly browned. Slice into pieces and serve immediately.