Pasta E Ceci Soup
You have to love this soup! If you want a vegetarian version of this soup then use water instead of chicken stock. Serve with warm garlic bread and a salad.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Diced Carrots
1 Large Diced Onion
3 Cloves Minces Garlic
1/3 Cup Diced Tomato
1 ½ Cups Soaked Overnight Garbanzo Beans
6 Cups Chicken Stock or Water
3 Tablespoons Thyme
½ Cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Rosemary
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Pound Cooked & Drained Tubetti Pasta
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Grated Pamigiano Cheese for Serving
Soak the dried garbanzo beans overnight. Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven over a medium heat. Heat the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the carrots and onions. Cook for 7 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the garlic and tomato and cook for 1 minute. Keep stirring. Add the garbanzo beans, chicken stock, thyme and rosemary. Turn up the heat to a medium high and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a medium low and simmer, uncovered for 1 hour. You want the garbanzo beans to be soft, but not mushy. Strain the garbanzo bean mixture through a colander. Reserve the liquid. Place 2 cups of the garbanzo bean mixture in a shallow bowl that is wide. Mash until almost smooth. Transfer to a large skillet. Add the remaining garbanzo bean mixture and 1 cup of the cooked liquid. Bring to a simmer over a medium high heat. Add the pasta dn1/2 cup of the olive oil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with grated Parmigiano cheese. Serves 4
Dry Rub Salmon
You certainly can’t go wrong with a nice piece of salmon. Add olive oil and dry rub and you have a delicious piece of fish. This dish goes well with my Cotswold Potatoes.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Fresh Salmon
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Victoria’s Dry Rub
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Rinse the salmon in cold water and place on a plate. Pat dry with paper towels. Cover a broiling pan with foil and transfer the salmon onto the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle Victoria’s Dry Rub all over the salmon. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Serves 2
Oatmeal With Almonds & Fruit
The best oatmeal that I have ever had was when I took a trip to the Lake District in England about twenty years ago. The woman who ran the small inn would get up very in the morning and slow cook the oatmeal. It was unbelievably delicious. We can make our own delicious slow-cooked oatmeal with this easy recipe. Slow-cooked oatmeal also reheats beautifully on busy mornings. Make a large batch on the weekend and reheat individual portions in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Toasted & Chopped Almonds
½ Cup Raisins
½ Cup Golden Raisins
½ Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Cup Diced Dried Apricots
12 Cups Water
3 Cups Scottish Oatmeal
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 Tablespoons Maple Flakes
1 Cup Maple Syrup
Fresh Fruit For Garnishing (Optional)
In a small bowl stir together the almonds, raisins, golden raisins, cranberries and apricots. Set aside. In a large pot or Dutch oven, over a high heat, bring the water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the oats. Cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the cinnamon and salt. Cover and simmer for 60 minutes. Add the maple flakes during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Turn off the heat and stir in three-fourths of the almond-fruit mixture. Spoon the oatmeal into warmed bowls. Top with the remaining almond-fruit mixture, fresh fruit of your choice and warm maple syrup. Serve immediately. Serves 8
Homemade Pancake Mix
Why pay for pancake mix when you can make your own. Keep this Homemade Pancake Mix on hand for great weekend breakfast meals.
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. Makes 6 batches of pancakes.
To prepare the pancakes: In a small bowl whisk 1 egg and ¾ cup whole milk. Whisk in 1 cup of pancake mix. Pour the batter by ¼ cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle. Flip when the pancakes start to bubble. Cook until the second side is golden brown. Makes 6 pancakes per batch.
Black Pepper Steak
The nice thing about this steak is that you don’t need to use a great cut of meat.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Beef Top Round Steak
1 Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Unbleached Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Beef Bouillon
1/4 Cup Brandy
3/4 Cup Water
Cut the steaks crosswise into 4 pieces. Then cut each piece horizontally in half to make 8 steaks. Each should be
about 3/4 inch thick. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil over a high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 8 minutes. Turn only once.
Transfer to a plattter and keep warm. To prepare the sauce whisk tobether, in a small bowl, the heavy cream, flour,
bouillon and water. Add the brandy to the skillet. Cook for 1 minutes. Add the cream mixture to the skillet. Heat to
a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens. Pour the
sauce over the steaks and serve. Serves 6
Brown Sugar Corned Beef
Most people boil corned beef. I tried baking mine encrusted in mustard and brown sugar. Slow cooking it in the oven really
seals in the flavor. I like this corned beef hot, but also makes great leftover sandwiches.
INGREDIENTS
5 Pound Corned Beef Brisket
1 Cup Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Minced Garlic Clove
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Rinse the corned beef and throw away the spice package if it comes
with the brisket. Cover a baking sheet with a large piece of aluminum foil. Spread the mustard on the corned beef. Sprinkle with the minced garlic and then the brown sugar. Tightly wrap the brisket in the foil. Put the wrapped corned beef on the baking sheet and put in the oven. Cook for 3 hours. After 3 hours of cooking turn on the broiler and unwrap the top of the foil. You will want to broil the top of the corned beef just long enough for the crust to brown. Remove from the oven and serve. Makes great sandwiches too! Serves 4
Creamy Potato Soup
This is a rich and creamy soup that everyone will love.
INGREDIENTS
1/8 Cup Butter
2 Thinly sliced Leaks
1 Sliced Yellow Onion
1 Minced Garlic Clove
1 1/2 Quarts Chicken Stock
4 Large Sliced Yellow Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Thyne
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Cooked & Diced Bacon (Optional)
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a large size soup pot add the butter, garlic, leaks and onions. Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, potatoes, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook for 50 minutes over a medium heat. Stir
frequently. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Remove and serve topped with grated cheese and diced
bacon (optional). Serves 4
Garlic Bread
Pasta Dishes seem lonely without Garlic Bread which is so easy to make. there are several ways to make
Garlic Bread. The easiest way is by rubbing a cut clove of garlic over the slices of Italian bread
by spreading the bread with butter and heating in the oven.
INGREDIENTS
1 Loaf Italian Bread
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
2 Large Smashed & Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Freshly Chopped Parsley
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Make 1 inch slices into the bread. Do not go all the way through, but just to the bottom crust.
In a small size bowl mix the butter, garlic and parsley together. Put a teaspoon of the butter mixture between each slice.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Makes 16 to 20 slices.
Herb Salmon
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Skinless Salmon Fillet Cut Into 4 Portions
1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Dillweed
1 Tablespoon Lemon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Italian Parsley
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tablespoons Softened Butter
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Shred 1 teaspoon of the peel from the lemon and set aside. Juice half the lemon. In a small bowl combine the lemon peel, herbs, salt & pepper and butter. Stir to combine. Spread evenly on the salmon. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over a medium heat. Add the salmon, her side down. Turn the salmon. Pour the lemon juice over. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 5 minutes until the salmon flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with the pan juices. Top with the additional shredded lemon peel. Serves 4
Red Velvet Cupcakes
These Red Velvet Cupcakes are unbelievably good. They are so good I could eat 5 in one sitting!
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Softened Butter
2 Cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Cup Sour Cream
½ Cup Milk
1 Ounce Red Food Color
3 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium size bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large size bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on a medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed. Spoon into paper lined muffin cups. Fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely. Spread with the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. Makes 30 cupcakes.
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium size bowl beat 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 16 ounces powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) until smooth.
