Pasta Turkey Meatball Soup

This is Drew's quick version of Olive Garden's Pasta Soup.
This can be multiplied easily to serve up to 100.


32 ounces broth, of choice
2 pounds of turkey meatballs
16 ounces of D' Italia Pasta
2 cans/jars of pizza sauce
1 large bottle of V-8
1 bag of shredded carrots
1 small can petite, diced tomatoes
2 cans of red kidney beans
2 cans of white navy beans
Italian Spice
Parmesan or Italian Cheese for the top

Heat meatballs in broth until cooked through, in large stock pot. 
Add pasta and stir frequently.
Add all other ingredients except cheese and heat on low,
until ready to serve.





 

Mac-N-Cheese Soup

We make this for the kids at the church who don't care too much for soup. 

1 pound pasta of choice
16 ounces of broth
1 large can of evaporated milk
1 package of Velveeta, cubed
8 ounces of Kraft Triple Cheese
Spices of choice
More milk for thinning, as desired
Add diced ham or bacon or a vegie, if desired

Boil the pasta, drain and add the broth and milk.
While heating on low, add cheeses, stirring constantly.
When cheese is melted, add more milk and spices as desired.
Don't let the milk boil or scorch.
Stir until heated through.
 

Quick Valentine Treats

 

M & M Pretzel Rings

 

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Spray foil-lined pan. Place pretzel rings on foil. Unwrap Hershey Kisses and place in center of rings.  Put in the preheated oven for 3-5 minutes!  No longer or they will burn. As soon as you pull them out, have the M & M's and push them gently into the Hershey Kiss. Let cool.  Then place pan in freezer for 30 minutes.  Throw treats into a freezer bag and they will keep for several weeks in freezer.  We stock up on pretzel rings by New Years as they are hard to find around here after the holidays.  These work great for any holiday, as you just change the M & M colors.

 

Peanut Butter Balls

 

Crush one package of Nutter Butter Cookies finely.  Food processor works well or a rolling pin with cookies in a Ziploc bag.  Mix cookie crumbs and one package of 8 ounce cream cheese in mixing bowl with electric mixer till mixed well.  Shape into small balls.  Dip into melted chocolate almond bark or spoon chocolate in a fast sweeping motion over the balls and freeze for 30 minutes.  Place in freezer bag when firm.  Will keep several weeks in freezer.

Cornbread & Bean Dish

 

I use my slow cookers for about 75% of the meals I make at home, but here's a simple one that you can make an hour before dinner time. Not overly healthy, but will do in pinch. 

 

2 cans of baked beans (two 26 oz. or one 26 oz. and one 16 oz)

1 package of Lil' Smokies, or wieners, cut into bite size pieces

2 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp. of brown sugar

2 tbsp. of mustard

1/2 cup or so of BBQ Sauce or ketchup

Drop of liquid smoke

2 packages of cornbread/corn muffin mix & what you need to make them, eggs, milk

 

We use 8 x 12 foil pans for these and spray them. Pour everything into the pan, except cornbread mixes, milk and eggs.  Gently stir.  In a separate bowl, mix up the cornbread mixes together, as directed on the package. Spoon over the top of the bean mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, depending on when the cornbread seems done and the bean mixture it heated through.