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Zuppa Toscana

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Zuppa Toscana (OG Copycat!) I had made a lot of tomato-based soups lately, so I decided to go wit this.   It is supposedly a copycat of the Olive Garden recipe.   As usual, I had to make some of my own adjustments.   (Not as much kale and more broth/cream than called for) This turned out sooooo good!   I am afraid I’m going to eat it all up before even having a chance to freeze any for later!   A great comfort food for depressing winters! Olive oil 1 lb Italian Sausage (casing removed) 4 slices of bacon, diced   (bacon, bacon, Bacon BACOOOOOOON!) 1 sm-md yellow onion, chopped 3 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth 2 cups (or cans worth!) of water 1 ½ lb russet potatoes (about 4)   sliced and diced.   (leave skin on if desired- rinse and scrub first!) 1 ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp crushed fennel seeds   (these are optional, but I wouldn’t leave them out if you can help it!) Salt and pepper 2 C half and half (I actually used 32 oz) 1 ½ c packed chopped kale   (So I d
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Minestrone

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My latest new recipe is a minestrone that originally came from my Taste of Home Cookbook.   I used to pour over ToH magazines looking for new and interesting recipes.   I still have them… though I don’t really know why because I’m sure all the things I’d like are on the internet now!  This turned out really good, and it is packed with vegetables and flavor.   Perfect for the kind of November weather we’ve been having here lately.   (It’s currently grey, spitting and ugly snow and is VERY cold!) The original recipe can be found here . Here is what I did to change it up. My changes are in red ·          2 cups coarsely chopped onions   (about 2-3 white onions) ·          1 cup sliced celery (about 2-3 stalks) ·          1/4 cup minced fresh parsley   (I didn’t use parsley… didn’t have any) ·          1/4 cup canola oil   ( a few times around the pot) ·          2 garlic cloves, minced (Um I always add more garlic!) ·          5 cups beef broth (I actually onl
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Broccoli Ginger Slaw

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Broccoli Ginger Slaw This recipe was originally called a “Detox Salad”   but that name sounds a little scary!   So, I decided to rename it!   Its good for pitch ins, was not too hard to make, and not too expensive… not to mention it’s full of good-for-you things!      2 cups broccoli (This was like a small head of broccoli)      2 cups cauliflower (small head) 1 cup red cabbage, chopped or shredded (I bought a small bad of pre-chopped red cabbage- much more cost and time efficient than buying and entire head for just a small bit) 1 cup carrots, shredded or chopped.   (2-3 carrots) 1-1/2 cups fresh parsley (A couple of handfuls)   2 celery stalks   ½ cup almonds (or a couple of handfuls)   1/2 cup sunflower seeds (a couple of handfuls)   1/3 cup organic raisins (a few small boxes)   3 Tbsp olive oil   ½ cup lemon juice (juice of a whole lemon.   A little lemon grate in it is good too.   1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated   2 t
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Bi-Coastal Salsa

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Bi-coastal Salsa Chop up these ingredients and put in a big bowl: 3 cloves garlic 3 green onions 1 small or ½ large red onion 1 small or 1 large Vidalia or sweet onion (1/2 jalepeno) 3-5 Tomatoes 1 green bell pepper 1 red bell pepper 1 orange bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper (purple bell peppers are nice too, if available) ½ bunch chopped cilantro Mix together: 1-2 tbs red wine vinegar ¼ C lime juice (juice of 1 large  lime or two small ones) Grated lime peel Pepper ¼ tbs ground cumin 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp olive oil (or other salad oil of your choice) I adapted this recipe from two different salsa recipes.   One was from an LA Weigh Loss cook book, and another was from the South Beach cookbook… so, I named this “Bi-Coastal Salsa”! There is no cooking involved here, but the cutting can be tedious if it’s not your favorite thing to do. I like the peppers and onions to be chopped quite fine.   Putting them through a processor is an option, but
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Strawberry Pretzel Dessert

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Strawberry Pretzel Dessert What you need:  at least a half of a bag of pretzels.  (I ususally use the small pretzel shaped ones), a stick of butter, 1 C and 3 Tbs of sugar (divided), 2 3-ox packages of strawberry jello, 2-8 oz tubs of cool whip, 2 C Water, 1-8 oz package of cream cheese, 1 pt of strawberries, cut and sweetened, or a package of frozen sweetened strawberries. Mix together: 2 C crushed pretzels ¾ C butter (or really, who are we kidding?   Just put the whole stick in!) 3 tbs sugar Press into 9x13 ungreased pan and bake at 350 for 10 min.   Let it cool completely. Meanwhile… Whip together (with a mixer) in medium bowl and set aside: 2 C whipped topping (basically this is a whole 8 oz tub of Cool Whip) 1 8 oz package cream cheese 1 C sugar Mix Together 2- 3 oz packages (or 1-6 oz) strawberry jello mix 2 C boiling water add 2 16 oz packages of frozen sweetened strawberries or 2 pints cut and sweetened strawberries Dissolve jello in water, a
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Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing Mix the following in a small food processor: 1/3 C Mayo ¼ C Milk 3 Tbs sugar (or Splenda) 4 tsp cider vinegar 2 tsp poppy seeds This is one of my new favorites!   It is perfect with a salad that has something sweet in it, like cranberries.
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Summer Spinach Salad Dressing

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Summer Spinach Salad Dressing 2/3 cup sugar or Splenda 1/3 cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 small onion, finely chopped (in the food processor) 4 teaspoons prepared mustard (I use Dijon or deli mustard) 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper This was originally recorded in my recipe journal on July 10, 2004 and came from a Taste of Home magazine.   My mom used to work in a FACS department and would get all the old Taste of Home Magazines.   I would sit and peruse them for hours trying to find things that looked good to try to make! Since it is such a sweet dressing, it pairs nicely with spinach, fruit and nuts.
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