Sausage Tortellini Soup

You know I love soup :)

I got this recipe from Jeff's grandma.

Sorry for the gross looking picture, I forgot to take a picture until after we had served it and gotten the pan all dirty.

Ingredients:
1 lb mild Italian Sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
3 tsp parsley
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups dry or frozen tortellini

In the pot you are going to cook in, or in a frying pan, cook the sausage until brown (if you buy the links, remove the skin first).  Remove the sausage from the pan, leaving the drippings.  Saute the onion and garlic until soft.  Add all the ingredients except the zucchini and tortellini.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add zucchini and tortellini, simmer for 30 minutes more.

You can also do this in the crock pot, just brown the sausage first, then add all the ingredients except the zucchini and tortellini.  Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.  Add the zucchini and tortellini and cook on high for 30 minutes.

I served this with foccacia bread .I also like to add a few drops of Tabasco sauce on top.

Lentil Cassoulet and Focaccia Bread

If you know me, you know that I have an ongoing love affair with my crock pot and my bread maker. Wintertime is my favorite because I love making soup. And I always eat bread with soup. Enter crock pot and bread maker!

Lentil Cassoulet (fancy name for soup, I suppose!)

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
4 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped (chop the leaves and add them too, they add great flavor!)
3/4 cup dry lentils (rinse well)
1-2 tsp dried rosemary
1-2 dried bay leaves
salt & pepper to taste

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic in a pan, season with salt & pepper. Once brown, add to the crock pot with all the other ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.

You can also make this with ground turkey, or pork.

Bread Machine Focaccia Bread
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Add the ingredients in order. Set your bread machine to the dough cycle. When it is done, grease a 9x13 inch pan, and with greased hands, remove the dough from the bread machine. Spread the dough into the bottom of the pan, until it is covered. With your finger tips, make indents in the dough. Put it somewhere warm and let it rise for 20 minutes. (Tip: If you need a warm place to let the dough rise, heat the oven to 100 degrees, then turn it off. Put the pan inside the oven. It's warm enough to let the dough rise, but not so warm that it will cook the bread).

While the dough is rising, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a pan over low heat (I usually do a little less). Once the oil is hot, add 1 tsp oregano and 1/4 cup minced garlic (again, I usually do a little less). Remove from heat after about 30 seconds (DO NOT let the garlic burn!). Brush this mixture onto the dough with a pastry brush. Sprinkle 1/3 cup parmesan cheese on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes (my oven runs hot, so I usually check it after 13 minutes or so.)

Quick & Easy Taco Soup

I LOVE fall season - it's SOUP time. Here is a relatively new taco soup we have been enjoying - very easy. This makes a 5 qt. pot/pan.

Quick & Easy Taco Soup
* 1 lb. turkey sausage (or ground beef)
* 1 onion
* 3 cans of beans (Light Kidney, Dark Kidney, Pinto, Black)
* 1 can of corn
* 2 cans of dices tomatoes (or chopped fresh, if you have them (3-4 cups)
* 1 cup of salsa
* 1 packet of taco season

Brown sausage and onion. I didn't have an onion, so I used a palm full of dried onion. Season with Salt & Pepper.
Open above cans and DUMP - you can rinse the black beans, if you don't want it to turn a funny color - but I just dump it all.
Add Salsa and packet of taco seasoning. Bring to a boil, cover and turn on low to simmer. NOTE: No water was added, just the juices from all your cans.
Serve with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and tortilla chips (we love the chips with lime!)
Enjoy!!