Italian Sausage Soup

I love the cooler weather as it comes with the desire to make soups and homemade bread.

This is one of my favorite soups!

Italian Sausage Soup

2 pounds Italian sausage

1 onion diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

28 oz crushed tomatoes

1 C. red cooking wine

5 C. chicken stock

2 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

4 carrots peeled and diced

1 green pepper chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. dried parsley

1 C. orzo pasta

2 small zucchini sliced

Brown sausage, onion and garlic. Drain grease. Add tomatoes, wine, stock, basil, oregano, carrots, pepper, salt and pepper, and parsley. Bring to a boil till veggies are not quite cooked to desired firmness. Add pasta and zucchini and boil for 15 minutes. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan!

Stroganoff

I had some roast beef I needed to use and decided to try a few different stroganoff recipes. The first one is my stand-by. I like it a lot! It is tasty and the celery is a fun addition. The sour cream gives it a great flavor.

1 lb. steak, cubed

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 can cream of celery soup

1 cup sour cream

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

mushrooms (optional)

Brown meat add onions and celery saute until tender. Combine all ingredients in a slow-cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve over hot noodles or rice.

The next one is totally different and super yummy as well! The cream cheese lends it a very rich taste.

2 pounds cubed stew meat

2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup

1 largish onion diced

2-3-4 tbsp of Worcestershire 

1/2 cup water

8 oz of cream cheese 

couple of dashes of Garlic Salt 

couple dashes of Hot Paprika 

In the slow cooker stir in all the ingredients together, (except the meat AND the Cream Cheese). Once combined add the meat and mix together.

Cook on Low for 8 hours. 

Cut up the cream cheese into cubes just before serving and turn crock-pot on high. Stir the cream cheese in until all combined.

Peachy Benefits

I love this time of year! There is something about the change in the air and the harvest that gets me all giddy. I have been making things with peaches, zucchini, and tomatoes. This is a peach pie that is super easy to make!

You can find the recipe by typing, "peach pie" in the search this blog bar. The one I made previously has blueberries instead of raspberries. Both were delicious! 

I added a new feature to my photos on this blog. You can now hover over the photo and a pinterest icon will appear enabling you to pin my recipes for future reference! Give it a try. Happy harvest!

Granola Bites!

Granola bars are delicious. I found this recipe for granola bites and am in love! These are great because they are not only scrumptious, but healthy too! They contain flax and coconut oil. Plus, you can add good things like chia seeds, dried fruit, nuts, shredded coconut, or whatever your taste buds direct.

Granola Bites

2 cups quick oats

1 cup crispy rice cereal 

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup mini chocolate chips

2/3 cup honey or agave nectar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons coconut oil

chia seeds and coconut or dried fruit too

Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing gently so the crispy rice cereal doesn't get crushed. Mix until well-combined.

Roll into small balls and place on a wax paper lined cooking sheet. 

Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. At this point you can serve them or place the chilled granola bites in a large tupperware-type container or ziploc bags to freeze or refrigerate. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week or for a few months in the freezer.

Be creative and experiment. I used butterscotch chips and next time, I will use white chocolate chips, craisins, and shredded coconut. Nice for school lunches or an after school snack!