Minestrone Soup

3 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
3-4 carrots, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
15 oz. canned tomatoes, undrained.
16 oz tomato sauce
15 oz. canned kidney beans, drained
½ cup frozen corn
15 oz. can green beans
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 zucchini, cubed
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
¼ cup barley
¾ cup small seashell pasta

In a large pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrots, saute for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce, bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, corn, green beans, spinach, zucchini, and Italian seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for at least 1 hour, the longer the better. Add barley for the last hour of cooking. Cook pasta separately and add just before serving.

Easy Enchilada Sauce

1/2 cup butter

1/2 - 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 cups broth or bouillon

8 oz. tomato sauce

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour to make a smooth paste.  Add spices and continue to stir until bubbly.

Whisk in broth and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir 1 minute, until thickened. Stir in tomato sauce.

Makes 5-6 cups, enough for (1 or 2*) 9×13 pan of enchiladas.

Source: Kim @ Life In A Shoe http://inashoe.com/2012/02/easy-homemade-enchilada-sauce/
*Kim says it's enough for TWO pans of enchiladas but my husband likes a LOT of sauce.  You'll have to figure out what works for you!! :-) 

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
1 c. milk

• Mix butter, oil, sugars, and eggs in a mixing bowl.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Then add milk and mix until well blended.
• Spray a regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray and fill each of the 12 cups to the brim with batter.  (I used mini muffin tins and got 36 muffins/"doughnut holes".
• Bake 17-18 minutes at 425°.  Bake mini muffins about 14-15 minutes.
• Remove from pan and let cool about 5 minutes then dip/twirl the top of the muffins in glaze.  Let glaze harden and dip again if desired.

Glaze: 
Mix until smooth: 3 Tbs. butter, 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 Tbs. hot water.

Mini Puffed Pancakes

4 eggs
3 Tbs. oil
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 400°. In bowl beat eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray or brush with melted butter. Fill muffin wells ¾ full. Bake mini muffins about 15 minutes or regular-sized muffins about 20 minutes in a 400° oven.

Top with or dip in maple syrup, berry sauce, powdered sugar, or whipped cream.

Berry Sauce:
6 large frozen (straw)berries
3 Tbs. berry jam (I used raspberry)
sugar to taste, if needed

If using frozen berries, place berries and jam in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 1 minute. Use a fork to stir and mash everything together (cut strawberries if necessary), or place everything in a blender and pulse a few times until desired consistency is reached.

This is a slightly tweaked version of the recipe I found at Our Best Bites. I have a bit more egg in mine, some oil, and it's a bigger recipe to feed all my kiddos! I basically followed my German Pancake recipe and cut back on the egg some. We LOVED this recipe and it's so very easy, fun, beautiful, and DELICIOUS!!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Chocolate "Zucchini" Cake using Yellow
Crookneck squash instead of zucchini

½ cup shortening*
½ cup oil
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup sour milk**
2 ½ cups flour
4 Tbs. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 cups grated zucchini

Cream shortening, oil, and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and sour milk. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and combine with wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, and zucchini. Spread in a greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes. Very tasty. Enjoy!

You could add frosting to this if you'd like, but we never have and love it as is. Also, my kids don't realize that there is zucchini in this and once they're old enough to figure it out, they've never cared! Yummy!

*I use coconut oil instead of shortening now.

**If you don't have sour milk, you can sour some by putting a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and adding enough milk to make the ½ cup you need. Let it sit for five minutes or so to let it curdle.

This recipe is from my grandma, Catherine Fox.

Au Gratin Potatoes

2 large baker potatoes or 4-5 medium, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. butter
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. flour (white bean flour)
1¼ c. milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup dry bread crumbs

Cook and stir onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook over low heat until thick and bubbly (at least 3 minutes if using bean flour). Add ¾ cup of the cheese. Stir until melted. Place ½ of the potatoes in a greased casserole. Cover with half the sauce. Repeat. Bake covered at 350* for 40 minutes. Mix remaining cheese and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle over potatoes. Return to oven and cook uncovered for 30 more minutes.

Pico de Gallo

Pronounced "peek-oh day guy-oh", pico de gallo, or pico sauce is a wonderful addition to tacos, tostadas, burritos, and the like. It's SO easy to make and to customize. And by 'customize', I mean I, again, don't have a strict recipe but more of an ingredient list. Here's what you need:

Fresh (not canned) diced tomato
Fresh diced onion
Chopped cilantro

Mix these three ingredients in ratios that are pleasing to your taste and add a sprinkle of salt and a squirt or two of lime juice.

That's it. Easy right?

You can add other ingredients as desired. Green onion is pretty. Some people like black pepper. Or jalapeños for some heat. We like our mild. What's fun about the pico that is pictured is that all the veggies are from our own garden! Pretty, yummy, and easy. What's not to love!