Creamy Tomato Basil And Italian Sausage Soup

 

My sister made this for our family dinner a couple of weeks ago and we all LOVED it! She just laughed when she shared the recipe because get this ladies, this soup comes together so fast and easy. I had a pot of it together in less than 20 minutes!!! It tastes restaurant quality in every way. I served it with cheese bread and salad. Serves 4.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. Italian sausage

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 1/2 C. half and half

1 C. water

26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in lg. pot. Add sausage and brown. Add basil leaves, half and half, water and spaghetti sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until ready to serve. Easy as that.

This recipe was found at Picky-Palate. One of my new favorite spots to find new recipes:0)

Papa's Antipasta Bread

This is my dad's most wonderful recipe. I've made it twice and both times haven't mastered the art of releasing it from the bundt pan without it sticking. So heads up, grease WELL!

1 jar (6 ½ oz.) marinated Artichoke hearts

1/3 cup sliced deli hard salami, chopped

1/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (use butter & I end up using about 1/2 of a cup)

4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

2 packages (11.3 ounces each) refrigerated dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375.

Place Artichokes on paper towel and pat dry.

Dice the artichokes, salami and red bell pepper (place in a 1-QT. bowl)

Add the sliced olives and pressed garlic.

Mix all the ingredients lightly and set aside.

Melt the butter.

Separate the dinner rolls and cut each into quarters using kitchen shears.

Dip 16 quartered dinner roll pieces in melted butter, then dip or roll in grated parmesan. (I do them one at a time)

Arrange evenly in a Stoneware Fluted pan (or bundt cake pan)

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mixture.

Repeat this twice

Dip remaining 16 dough pieces in butter and parm and place over the last layer of mixture.

Sprinkle with any leftover Parmesan

Bake 27-30 minutes or until deep golden brown. (note: both times I've made this, the bread hasn't been fully cooked in the middle of the dish... maybe 5-10 minutes longer? just watch it closely)

Cool 5 minutes – loosen edges of bread from the side and center of pan

Then carefully invert onto a Nonstick Cooling rack or plate.

I took a pic after assembling, before baking:

Challenge!!

Hello to all the readers of Better Than Drive Thru!!

I have a challenge I would like to put out to all of you.

Post your favorite crock pot recipe within the next few weeks. We haven't had much in the way of posting lately and I think that if everyone will put one up, we can all have a bunch of great new recipes to try.

Ever few months we will be putting up a new challenge, so if there is a certain kind of recipe you have been looking for, let us know and we will put it to the challenge!!

Hope everyone is having a great 2010 so far.

Carne Asada Tacos and El Toritos Sweet Corn Cake

Carne Asada Tacos

This recipe is 16 servings, I usually half it unless we are having company.

Ingredients
3 pounds flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced

2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 white onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 dried New Mexico chile pods
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

1 (32 ounce) package corn tortillas
2 cups grated cotija cheese (optional)
2 limes, cut into wedges
Directions
Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and a large spoonful of the pureed salsa. Add as much cheese as you like. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

note: I put avocados on ours super yummy.

El Toritos Sweet Corn Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup masa harina
3 tablespoons cold water
10 ounces frozen corn kernels -- * See Note
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:Whip butter and shortening in mixing bowl until fluffy and creamy. Add masa harina gradually and mix thoroughly. Add water gradually, mixing thoroughly. Blend corn kernels until coarsley chopped. Stir into masa mixture. Mix cornmeal, sugar, whipping cream, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add butter-masa mixture; mix until blended. Pour masa mixture into 8" greased baking pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until corn cake is firm, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Or use ice cream scoop to serve. * or use canned cream corn

Easy Fried Rice

3 c. rice, cooked
4 slices bacon, cut up
3 eggs, beaten
1 lg. onion, cut up
1 sm. pkg. frozen peas, thawed
Cooking oil (sesame oil gives a real good flavor)
Soy sauce to taste

In a wok or large fry pan, heat oil. Add bacon and cook until almost crisp. Add onion and cook until tender. Push to the side and pour in eggs. Cook until set. Break up eggs and mix with bacon and onion. Add rice and peas and toss to mix. Add soy sauce to taste. Cook until heated through, tossing as you do.

Alfredo Sauce

This is a BEYOND good recipe. It's supposedly the Olive Garden version and it is fool proof. I Promise.
Serve this with any noodle of your choice. We like fettucine and penne.

Ready?

5 servings

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 cube butter
2 oz.cream cheese
3/4 C. grated parmesan
1 tsp. garlic powder

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium or medium high heat, add cream and cream cheese. Stir often until cream cheese melts. Add parmesan and garlic and blend until smooth. YUM!

Aroma Dough

I made this for my preschool group this morning and it turned out so awesome! It was so easy. I just had to share.

1 C. flour
1C. water
1/2 C. salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. cream of tartar
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid drink mix

Mix ingredients in pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until dough forms ball and doesn't feel sticky. Dump onto countertop and knead for about 1 minute. Store in airtight container.