TOMATO BASIL & PARMESAN SOUP

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery 
1 cup finely diced carrots 
1 cup finely diced onions 
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano 
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil 
4 cups chicken broth 
½ bay leaf 
½ cup flour 
1 cup Parmesan cheese 
½ cup butter 
1-1/2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt 
¼ tsp black pepper 

•  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. 
• About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. 
• Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end). 
•  Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

recipe directly from We pass the time of day to forget how time passes Jan 23rd, 2012

Risotto with Prosciutto, Mushrooms and Peas

When I saw this recipe, I immediately knew I had to try. It has all the stuff I love. The recipe calls for Mascarpone, but if you can't find it, I have a recipe below for a wonderful substitute!

RISOTTO with PROSCIUTTO, 

MUSHROOMS & PEAS

Ingredients:

6-8 cups chicken broth

4 tblsp butter, divided

3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided

1 yellow onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

2 cups Arborio rice

10 oz frozen peas, defrosted

1/2 cup rich and creamy Mascarpone

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus shaving for garnish

8 oz prosciutto (about 12 slices), each slice cut into 3 long pieces (reserve a few pieces for garnish)

3 tblsp chopped fresh parsley

salt & pepper

Directions:

• In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. [be careful, it will overflow in a flash!]
• In a dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons EVOO over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until soft, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon EVOO to the pan. Add the mushrooms and saute until soft and just brown. Set aside with the onions and mushrooms.
• Add rice to the pan, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Add a large ladleful of hot chicken broth, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring, until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue the process, adding broth one ladleful at a time. After 20 minutes, add peas, mushrooms and onions. Continue to add broth and cook until the rice is tender.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in Mascarpone, grated cheese and prosciutto. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer to a serving dish. Garish with shaved Parm cheese and reserves prosciutto. Serve Immediatly.
• Serves 4-6.

Substitute for the Mascarpone cheese:

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2-1/2 tablespoons sour cream

8 oz cream cheese (not the lowfat)

Recipe derived from "A Decade of Cooking The Costco Way" recipe book

Tuscan Chicken

TUSCAN CHICKEN

1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tblsp fresh lemon juice, divided
5 tblsp olive oil, divided
1/3 cup chopped white onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 (14-1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tblsp thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
3 tblsp butter
4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut horizontally in half
4 2-inch pieces baguette (french bread)
2 cups fresh spinach
EVOO (for drizzling)

Whisk mayo and 3 tablespoons lemon juice in small bowl.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper; saute until onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add wine, simmer until reduced by half, about 1 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Cool.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Set rack in rimmed baking sheet.

Whisk flour and pinch of cayenne in wide shallow bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup cheese, and basil in medium bowl. Sprinkle with pepper.

Melt butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg mixture. Transfer chicken to skillet and cook until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Place on prepared rack and place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining chicken.

Place baguette slices in any remaining butter-oil mixture in skillet and cook until toasted, about 1 min on each side. Transfer to plate and spread tomato confit on top.

Place spinach on plate, and chicken on top of the spinach. Spoon a little mayo mixture on top of chicken. Serve with tomato-baguettes.

Rainbow Farfalla

Last one of my "great things come in small packages" kick. Another product I found at World Market. These noodles looked fun and I thought my kids would get a kick out of them--and they did! They are imported from Italy, and I must say they were above and beyond any other noodle I've had...and they are colorful. The texture was so smooth and blended with the sauce beautifully! I used a recipe on the back of the package to cook it up with.

FARFALLE & SWEET SAUSAGE

  

2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tblsp oil
2 tblsp sweet onion, chopped
6 oz sweet sausage, removed from skin
8 oz white mushroom, diced
4 oz white wine
4 ox heavy whipping cream
Parmesan cheese to top

Heat oil on med-high heat and cook onion and garlic. Add the sausage, removed from casing and crumbled and cook until browned. Add mushrooms and cook for another minute. Add white and lower heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until wine has greatly reduced, Add the cream and cook for 1 more minute, or until heated through.

Cook noodles according to package (9 minutes) and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

The rainbow farfalle can be substituted with regular farfalle if desired.

Isn't it so pretty? I think so!

Eggplant Parmesan

My in-laws also brought with them big, fresh, gorgeous eggplants! I didn't really know what to do with them, so they suggested making the traditional "eggplant Parmesan." I was pretty skeptical about it, but I tried it. And I was SO glad I did. Sorry the pictures aren't that great, it was a rainy day so I had no natural light for it..don't let that scare ya away =D

EGGPLANT PARMESAN
Click HERE for printable recipe

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
kosher salt
28 oz whole peeled tomatoes (I used the ones we just canned--eggggggcellent!)
1 garlic clove, minced
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs (*I made my own, and so glad I did! See note below)
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced to 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves (these were from  my garden as well)

Directions:
Prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 in slices.

In a wide shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl.

Place a large deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with 1/3 of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan and half the basil leaves.

Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan  and all the remaining basil. Add remaining egg plant and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.

Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temp for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

**for fresh breadcrumbs, put a few slices of white bread in your food processor and pulse until its at the consistency you'd like. If you plan ahead enough, toast and let them cool first.

close-up picture of the cooked eggplant

recipe adapted from Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Click HERE for printable recipe

Other Eggplant Parmesan recipes from blogs I like and follow
Skinny on a Dime Allrecipes.com Cooking with Libby Cooking light

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Fried Potato Logs

Yummy goodness in every creamy, crunchy bite!

FRIED POTATO LOGS

3 to 4 Yukon gold BIG potatoes
4 green onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper
2 eggs
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Peel and slice up potatoes and place in large sauce pan. Cover with water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain. Mash with potato masher.

In a small saute pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat, add green onions and garlic until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Combine the mashed potatoes, onion mixture, cheese and salt and pepper. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to cool.

In a shallow dish, whisk eggs and 2 tablespoons of water together. Pour crumbs in different shallow bowl.

Heat frying oil over med-high heat, about 1/4 inch deep, in a heavy-duty saute pan.

Once cool enough to touch, shape potatoes into logs. Dip in egg mixture then crumbs and place gently in frying oil. Turn until all sides a gold brown then remove. Place on rack with paper towel underneath (to catch dripping grease). Serve warm.