Steak and Pasta Soup with Homemade Peasant Bread

I have an easy supper idea to share.  It is great on these cold winter nights.

The main course was a recipe I tweeked from Betty Crocker's website.

Steak and Pasta Soup

1 jar (around 26 oz) mushroom spaghetti sauce
 2 1/2 cups water
1 lb boneless beef round steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I purchased meat that was ready for stir fry and just cut the strips smaller)
9 oz refrigerated cheese filled tortellini (You could use ravioli)
Parmesan Cheese - grated

Pour the sauce, water, and beef into your crock pot.  Cook on low 6 - 8 hours.  Then turn heat up to high and add pasta.  Cook for another 30 minutes.  Serve with the cheese sprinkled on each bowl.  If you have more then 3 - 4 people to serve you may want to double the soup recipe.  We only had one serving left for hubby to take for lunch the next day.

I had been wanting to try making this Peasant Bread Recipe for awhile and this was the perfect meal to serve it with.  Grocery Cart Challenge does a great tutorial so I will just let you hop over there to check it out.  I made one loaf with Parmesan cheese on top and one with cinnamon and sugar.  I have already made a batch again we enjoyed it so much.

I am linking to Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Zucchini Lasagna

This year we had access to lots of zucchini from my Mom's garden.  So my husband taking an idea from my mom and perfecting it, created the Zucchini Lasagna.  It is a much healthier take on a classic dish, then the white pasta and ground beef version most of us are used to.

Here are the ingredients he uses, followed by his recipe:

Zucchini, 580 grams - sliced thinly
Mushrooms, fresh, 258 grams - sliced
Ground turkey, 93% lean, 16 oz - browned with minced onion flakes
1 can Hunts Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce, 751 grams - seasoned to taste with additional garlic, oregano & bay leaf
Mozzarella Cheese, part skim milk, 8 oz
Cottage Cheese, 2% Milkfat, 400 grams
Egg, fresh, 1 large
Parmesan Cheese, grated, 36 grams

Prep Instructions:

Use a food processor to cut the zucchini and soak it in ice salt water to flavorize it.  Then, brown the ground turkey with onion flakes and add the spaghetti sauce, garlic, oregano & bay leaf to simmer. Beat egg and mix together with cottage cheese.  Set cottage cheese mixtures aside.  Drain the zucchini.

Layered like this (bottom to top):
1/2 of zucchini
1/2 of mushrooms
1/2 of meat sauce
1/2 of cottage cheese
1/2 of mozz cheese
Remainder of zucchini
Remainder of mushrooms
Remainder of cottage cheese
Remainder of mozz cheese
Remainder of sauce (to cover)
Sprinkle the parm cheese on top

Bake uncovered @ 350 for 45-55 min.
Rest for 15 before cutting.

Prep and assembly takes about an hour.

Nutrition Facts

8 Servings
Amount Per Serving (300 g)

Calories ......................................275.6
Total Fat ......................................11.8 g
Saturated Fat .................................5.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat .......................0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat .....................2.2 g
Cholesterol ..................................90.6 mg
Sodium ......................................964.6 mg
Potassium ..................................679.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate .....................13.7 g
Dietary Fiber .................................2.8 g
Sugars ...........................................6.0 g
Protein ........................................30.1 g

Vitamin A ..............28.2 %
Vitamin B-12 .........12.1 %
Vitamin B-6 ...........12.8 %
Vitamin C ..............17.8 %
Vitamin D ................6.9 %
Vitamin E .................8.4 %
Calcium .................30.5 %
Copper ..................14.9 %
Folate ......................9.6 %
Iron .......................14.2 %
Magnesium ............11.6 %
Manganese ............12.6 %
Niacin ...................12.9 %
Pantothenic Acid ...11.0 %
Phosphorus ...........33.5 %
Riboflavin ..............26.7 %
Selenium ................22.1 %
Thiamin ....................7.0 %
Zinc .......................11.3 %

It was an obvious hit!

This is also a very tasty version.  I don't think we will ever go back to the classic.  If you are not sure about it, just look at this face...










I am linking to Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Making a Comeback...with Whole Wheat Waffles

Things have been slightly busy around here, and the tiredness of the third trimester has hit.  I wake up at 6 get my shower, eat breakfast, feed the children, dress them, and I am ready for a nap.  Of course, I don't get a nap and often get very little sleep at night these days, but I have missed blogging.  It gives me a place to reflect and document some of our family's happenings, and maybe someone else will be encouraged or get idea for their own journey toward the goal.  So I am making a comeback this week.

I am starting with a breakfast recipe our family has really enjoyed, Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Waffles.  They have a hearty flavor that is really tasty with maple syrup.  I have also sprinkled the topside of the waffles with cinnamon and sugar before cooking as well.  Both ways were a hit.  My oldest loves them, and asks for them often.  One batch makes enough to warm up in the toaster on the following morning.  I am sure they would freeze well too.  We would have to make a double batch to have any left to freeze though.  I love finding recipes that replace white flour with whole wheat.  If you give this recipe a try, let me know what you think.

I am changing Teaching Tuesdays to a place to record the adventure of homeschooling we are embarking on this year, I am planning to use it to reflect on the successes as well as the struggles.  So check back tomorrow to see how our first week went.

Today I am linking to:

The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

Smart Cooking

I can hardly believe that my fingers are typing a post about cooking. I can honestly say I have never felt cooking was my forte or anything I would ever be writing about, but I have truly worked hard at perfecting my culinary skills. After choosing to stay home with my children, I have taken my role as homemaker very seriously. I have really gotten into meal planning and being resourceful about having good meals on the table. This has taken some work and creativity considering I have two small "helpers" and right before dinner is when they often need the most attention. So I started making meals ahead and freezing them. I also shop on a pretty tight budget and so like being able to buy in bulk when there is a sale and use ingredients in several meals. Yesterday was a shopping and cooking day for me. So I thought I would share the recipes I made and how they work together. They both come from the book There's a Chef in My Soup by Emeril. I highly recommend this cook book, and it was put together with kids in mind.

Here are the recipes:
Lean Mean Turkey Loaf
1 1/2 lb pounds ground turkey (I used 97% lean)
1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1/2 c plain bread crumbs
1/4 c chopped celery (I'm not a cooked celery fan, so I omit this and double the red pepper)
1/4 c red or green bell pepper
1 lrg egg
1/4 c ketchup
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Baby Bam (recipe coming at the end)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions
1. Make sure the oven rack is in the center position and preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Place the turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, bread crumbs, celery, bell pepper, egg, 1 T of the ketchup, the garlic, Baby Bam, salt, and ground pepper, and mix with your hands until the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Transfer the turkey mixture to a 1 lb loaf pan and form it into a loaf shape.
4. Pour the remaining Ketchup on the turkey and smear evenly over the top with the back of a spoon.
5. Bake until brown on top, cooked through, and an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reaches 165 F, about 45 - 50 min.
6. Remove the loaf from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

My-Oh-My Spaghetti Pie
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 cups broccoli flowerets
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Baby Bam (recipe coming at the end)
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 lb ground beef (I used the lean ground turkey)
8 lrg eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
3 cups cooked spaghetti (I use Barrila Plus penne because it is easy to pick up for the kiddos, and has added protein.)
1 heaping cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

1. Make sure oven rack is in center position and preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Blanche the broccoli. (slightly cooked but still crisp and green)
3. Drain the broccoli and then rinse with cold water.
4. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, 1 tsp of the Baby Bam, the parsley, the basil, 1/4 tsp of the remaining salt, the pepper, and ground meat, and cook stirring until the meat is no longer pink and the onions start to brown.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, the remaining 1 1/2 tsp Baby Bam, and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt. Add the Parmesan Cheese and whisk well to combine.
6. Spread the cooked spaghetti evenly in a 2 qt. casserole dish.
7. Pour the meat over the spaghetti and toss with a fork to combine.
8. Place the broccoli on top of the speghetti and meat.
9. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
10. Sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella cheese and bake it in the oven until golden brown, about 20 - 25 minutes.
11. After removing from the oven, let firm for 5 minutes before serving.

Baby Bam
3 T paprika
2 T salt
2 T dried parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregeno
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp celery salt

I made both recipes yesterday. We ate the meatloaf and I froze the speghetti pie for later. These recipes work well together. You can usually get 3 lbs of ground turkey at a discount, one nice sized onion yields enough for both recipes, etc. Also while you are making the pasta for the pie you can boil enough to make some mac and cheese to go with the meatloaf or for lunch the next day.

I have a binder I am working on that keeps recipes that work well together...together. So I don't have to have several cook books out at a time. I hope to share more recipes that work well together in the near future.