This recipe makes ALOT of soup so you'll need a really big pot... at least 8 Qt. or more would be better!! This soup is packed with carrots, onions, spinach and meatballs and is a delicious comfort meal served with warm crusty bread.

Italian Wedding Soup

For the meatballs:

2 hamburger rolls or 4 slices white bread
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or meatloaf mix
1 medium onion, grated or very finely diced
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced; about 2 cups
2 cups finely diced carrots, about 3 large carrots
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 to 4 1/2 quarts (16 to 18 cups) chicken broth, homemade or purchased
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs or 3/4 teaspoon each dried oregano and dried basil
10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
2 2/3 cups uncooked orzo, ditalini, or other small, roundish pasta

To make the meatballs, combine the bread, egg, milk, and salt, stirring till everything is well moistened. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes to soften.

Add the ground meat, onion, cheese, and herbs. Mix gently till thoroughly combined.

Shape tiny meatballs, (about 1" diameter or less). Using a level teaspoon scoop (which volume-wise is actually 2 level measuring teaspoons) makes about the right size. Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, and refrigerate them while you prepare the soup.

Get out a large pot, at least 8-quart capacity. Pour the olive oil into the bottom of the pot, and add the onions and carrots. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the broth and herbs, bring to a simmer, and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the frozen chopped spinach, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, total; the soup will take awhile to come back to a simmer, due to the frozen spinach. Help it along by breaking it up with a fork as it cooks.

Gently drop the meatballs into the soup. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes or so, then stir in the pasta, cooking till it's al dente. For orzo, this will take about 8 minutes or so.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the soup garnished with freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese.


Yield: 29 cups, about sixteen 12-ounce servings.

God bless,



For more recipes, visit my blog at:
http://whatscookinginmykitchen.blogspot.com/

Ever since watching Bobby Flay's program, Throwdown, the other night where he challenged Clinton Street Baking Company in NY to a Blueberry Pancake battle, I have had a hankerin' for blueberry pancakes. This morning for breakfast we tried this buttermilk pancake recipe and I added 2 cups of blueberries and whipped up some cinnamon honey syrup. Zach had his pancakes just about finished before I could sit down and eat mine. Even Molly had a little taste (minus the syrup... she's watching her figure) and she thought these were scrumptious too!

This recipe from King Arthur Flour website (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/) is delicious and a perfect accompaniment to eggs, grits, fresh fruit salad or even a bowl of soup. Or simply grab one on your way out the door; 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave will heat it up nicely. Don’t like sausage? Substitute crispy bacon or diced ham! Recipe says it yields 20 biscuits but I must have cut mine a little bigger because I only got 16. When they came out of the oven, I brushed melted butter on top. What I love about this recipe is they can be made ahead and frozen for later baking.

Sausage Cheese Biscuits

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor, optional (this is available at King Arthur Flour website and is highly recommended… it really makes this recipe!)

1/2 cup butter, cut in pats

1 cup yogurt or buttermilk or sour cream (low-fat is fine)

2 cups cooked, sliced breakfast sausage links (1/2" pieces)

1 cup diced or shredded cheddar cheese (sharp or extra sharp recommended)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Pizza Dough Flavor. Add the butter, cut in pats.

Work in the butter till the mixture is crumbly.

Add the sausage and cheese, mixing to distribute. Add the yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream.

Mix just till everything is evenly moistened.

Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment or a lightly floured work surface. Pat and roll it into an 8" x 10" rectangle about 3/4" thick. Don’t worry if mixture is a little crumbly… just work the crumbs in as you are patting and rolling out.

Cut the dough into twenty 2" squares.

If you've been working on parchment, simply lift the parchment onto a baking sheet. Separate the biscuits so there are about 1" between them. If the biscuits aren't on parchment, space them on a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving about 1" between them.

Bake the biscuits for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they're a medium- to deep-golden brown.

Remove the biscuits from the oven, and cool them on a rack briefly. Brush with melted butter if you like. Serve warm.

TIP: Make now, bake later: these biscuits are a great candidate for the freezer. Simply make biscuits, shape, and place on a pan. Freeze, then transfer to a plastic bag for storage. When you're ready to bake, remove them from the freezer, place on a pan, brush with cream, and bake as directed. They'll take maybe 5 minutes longer, since they're frozen.

God bless,



For more recipes, visit my blog at:
http://whatscookinginmykitchen.blogspot.com/

"Is it a cookie or candy?" That's a common statement I hear when people taste these delicious treats. Whatever you want to call them, they are yummy and so easy... and no-bake!!

These can be made with white, milk or dark chocolate. You can also leave them plain or top with chopped nuts, peppermints or a swirl of another flavor of chocolate.

Ritzy Cookies

Ritz crackers
peanut butter
chocolate bark

Spread peanut butter on ritz cracker and top with another cracker. Put together as many sandwich cookies you want to make and place them on a wax-lined cookie sheet. Melt chocolate bark in the microwave according to the directions on the package. Be careful not to burn. When chocolate has completely melted, dip sandwich cookies in chocolate being sure to coat entire cookie. Place on cookie sheet. Let chocolate set. Then eat! See isn't that easy?

God bless,



For more recipes, visit my blog at:
http://whatscookinginmykitchen.blogspot.com/

These zippy meatballs are a nice change from the popular grape jelly and chili sauce recipe. The touch of cumin and cayenne really spices things up a bit. You can use either the jellied or whole berry cranberry sauce. I prefer the whole berry that adds little pieces of fruit in the sauce.

Cranberry Party Meatballs

2 (1-pound) bags frozen cocktail-size meatballs (about 64 meatballs)

1 16-ounce can Ocean Spray Jellied or Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, cumin and cayenne in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the cranberry sauce is melted and smooth. Add meatballs; stir gently to coat. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through. Place in chafing dish or slow cooker to keep warm.

Makes 30 servings.

God bless,



For more recipes, visit my blog at:
http://whatscookinginmykitchen.blogspot.com/

The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the chocolate to set before eating them!

Nutter Butter Balls

1 package Nutter Butter cookies
8 ounces, cream cheese, Room Temperature
1 package chocolate bark (this can be found on the baking aisle)

Finely crush cookies in a food processor. Consistency should be like graham cracker crumbs.

With your mixers paddle attachment, thoroughly combine with softened cream cheese. If you don't have a paddle attachment you can use the back of a large spoon to help combine the two together.

Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate candy coating as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate with a spoon. Tap off excess coating and slide balls on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.

Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!

Makes 43 nutter butter balls.

God bless,



For more recipes, visit my blog at:

http://whatscookinginmykitchen.blogspot.com/

I’ve been thinking of this recipe my mom made while I was growing up. My sister and I often got to help make it. It’s a delicious appetizer, but this morning I decided to make it for breakfast to go along with scrambled eggs. If making this as an appetizer, you might want to insert a toothpick into the rollup to make it easier to pick up and eat (this is how my mom used to make them)! You can double this recipe to make more if you like. This recipe makes 30 rollups.

Here’s what you’ll need… just 3 ingredients!


Bacon Roll-ups

½ can of cream of mushroom soup (save the rest for later use or make the whole recipe and use 1 can)

10 slices of sandwich bread

½ package of bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

Trim the crust off the sandwich bread. You can save the crust and make croutons if you like. Cut each slice of bread into thirds (about 1 inch wide). Using a rolling pin, drinking glass or your hands, flatten the bread slices a little bit.

Cut bacon into thirds. Strips should be about 3 inches long. Don’t worry if they aren’t exactly that size. You can stretch the bacon around the roll if needed.

Spread soup on bread slice and starting at the end, roll up the bread. If the soup oozes out the roll-up, you’ve put too much soup on the bread but that's ok... just slathered it back on as best you can and then roll bacon around it. Wrap bacon slice around roll-up stretching if needed to fit around the roll and place on cookie sheet. Continue till you’ve gotten all the bread and bacon rolled up and on baking pan.

Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes or until bacon is done and crispy. Best when served warm!


God Bless,






For more recipes, visit my blog at:

http://whatscookinginmykitchen.blogspot.com/