Pasta Fagioli Soup

Never in my life would I have thought of using spaghetti sauce in soup but this intrigued me and man was it a HIT!  Just a handful of ingredients and very economical!  15 minutes of prep time then 6 hours in the crockpot.  That's it!  This recipe is very close to a soup served in a wildly popular Italian restaurant chain.  I took a few short cuts and they paid off big time!  I can't wait to make this again!

You'll need:
1 pound extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 cup onion flakes
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
1 can (14 to 15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (14 to 15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 to 15 ounces) white beans, rinsed and drained
4 -6 cups beef broth
1 jar (24  ounces) tomato-basil marinara or pasta sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
¾ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1-1/4 cups dry pasta (Small shells work well), cooked separately according to the package directions.
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, optional for serving
Grated Parmesan, optional for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together the cooked and drained ground beef, onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, broth, pasta sauce, oregano, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a 6 to 7-quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours, or until the vegetables are as tender as you like them.
When ready to serve, stir the cooked pasta into the soup.
Taste the soup and adjust the salt and herbs to suit your tastes.
Serve with grated  Parmesan and a sprinkling of fresh parsley if desired.

This is easily made in the morning before work or even popped into the crockpot at lunch for dinner at 6:00 p.m.  The cheese really sets the final note for this soup.  Serve with oyster crackers, saltines or a buttered baguette.  It's warm, wonderful and super easy!  Ya'll enjoy!!!

Tennessee Whiskey Cakes

The Christmas season is upon us and I'm into gift mode in every possible way. For me, gifts are love wrapped and presented to those that mean the world to me.  Food is a major love language so it's the first of my go to expressions for those that I adore.

This is a Tennessee Whiskey Cake that completely lives up to it's expectation!   This is a from scratch cake that takes just minutes to pull together and only half an hour of baking time.  You can embellish this as you wish on presentation but no matter what you choose, I guarantee that there won't be a crumb left over! 

You'll need:

1 stick butter - softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup self rising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Tennessee Whiskey (I used Jack Daniels)

Blend together, butter and sugars until creamy, add eggs and flour alternating.  Add remaining spice and milk, add whiskey last and mix thoroughly. 

If you smell the whiskey overtly in your mixture, correct this with 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp white sugar and / 1 tsp flour.

You want a medium thick consistency with no alcohol detected.

Bake at 350* for 20 - 25 minutes.  I did mine in mini loaves but you can do this in layers or a bunt pan.  Check the centers for doneness with a toothpick (should come out clean).

I serve this with candied pecans, a spritz of caramel sauce and chocolate sauce, topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

Package this up pretty and tell the ones you love how much they mean to you!

Merry Christmas!

P.