Quick and Easy Italian Vegetable Soup

This recipe is from my cookbook called Fix It and Forget It, feasting with your slow cooker. I love this soup...filling, delicious, and warm on a cold winter day.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey, browned and drained (I used 1/2 lb)
3 carrots, sliced (I grate mine)
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I leave the peel on mine)
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
15 oz can diced Italian tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
6- oz. can Italian flavored tomato paste
4- 1/2 c. water
1 qt. beef broth

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

NOTE: This is a great recipe to use frozen tomatoes in. I freeze most tomatoes from my garden instead of canning them and they are great for soups.

Eggs, Bacon, & Hash Browns Quesadilla

I found this recipe in Parade magazine in August and I knew I had to try it. The kids wouldn't want it but Chad and I would! I made it recently and WOW...this is a good breakfast! I used frozen cubed hashbrowns and bacon bits from Costco that sped up the process. I also used regular chili powder.


Hash Browns
1 large Idaho potato, scrubbed
4 Tbsp canola oil
1 small Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and fresh black pepper
1 Tbsp ancho-chili powder

1. Place potatoes in a medium pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook 3/4 through, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, cool, peel, and coarsely grate.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions; season with salt and pepper. Caramelize, stirring, about 8 minutes. Transfer onions to a plate; return pan to heat.

3. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp of oil in the sauté pan over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Stir in the ancho powder, onions, and salt and pepper; cook until warmed through.

Scrambled Eggs
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 large eggs
Salt and fresh black pepper

Melt butter in a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk; season to taste. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until soft mounds form, 2 minutes. Set aside.

For assembly
Eight 6-inch flour tortillas
1 cup grated low-fat Monterey Jack cheese
Hash browns
8 slices turkey bacon, diced and cooked until golden brown
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp ancho-chili powder
Scrambled eggs
1/2 cup prepared mild salsa
Cilantro leaves, optional

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place 4 tortillas on a work surface. Divide the cheese, hash browns, and bacon among the tortillas. Top with the remaining tortillas, brush with oil, and sprinkle with the ancho powder.

2. Transfer quesadillas to a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and cheese has melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; cut quesadillas into quarters. Top each with some of the eggs and salsa. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Serves 4. Per serving: 660 calories, 58g carbs, 27g protein, 250mg cholesterol, 36g fat, and 5g fiber.

Baked Oatmeal

Awhile ago I found this great recipe blog, Two Peas and Their Pod. I tried this baked oatmeal recipe a few weeks ago and I loved it! The kids weren't crazy about it but liked it okay. I liked how everyone's breakfast was done in one dish. I added the extra cinnamon like she suggests. An 8x8 pan was defiantly enough for our family. Here is the recipe copied from their site:

You can double this recipe if you want to make a big batch, in a 9×13 pan. The 8×8 is plenty for us. Don’t forget to play around too, there are lots of fun add ins for oatmeal. Try other dried fruits, berries, apples, nuts, coconut, nut butters, etc. Have fun and enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon (I like a lot)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins
2 T dried cranberries
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the milk, applesauce, butter, egg, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well.

3. Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

This is an easy recipe to double, so if you are serving a crowd, double and bake in a 9 by 13 pan. Bake for double the time. Serve warm.

If you want to add toppings you can-nuts, fruit, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, etc. I always add a dash of cinnamon to my bowl!

Peppered Meatballs with Dill Sauce

This was a recipe I tried last week and it is DELICIOUS! Chad loves this, even as leftovers. And that is HUGE! He is not normally a leftover guy. The meatballs are fantastic, I think it is now one of my favorite meatball recipes.


I only put in half the pepper in the meatballs and half the dill. And the flavors were strong enough for us. But here is the original recipe.

Peppered Meatballs with Dill Sauce
1 1/2# lean hamburger
3/4 cup quick oats
1 egg
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp dry parsley

Mix all ingredients. Form in balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Line with foil for easier clean up. Bake at 400 for about 18 minutes, shaking occasionally.

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
7 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 tsp dry dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then broth and milk. Whisk and cook till bubbly. Boil for at least 1 minute, stirring constantly. (Don’t skip this step or your sauce will have a floury taste. Not good.) Stir in seasonings, then hot meatballs. Serve over hot pasta.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

WARNING: These babies are impossible to stay out of. Your tummy will thank you, your hips will not.

Head on over to the original recipe site for more photos, tutorial and other info.

No Bake Reece's Peanut Butter Bars

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp shortening

In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined. Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9x13 pan.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly. Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars. Tip: If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through. Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp. They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.

*Tip: Love this tip from one you readers! Instead of adding shortening to the chocolate topping, add a scoop of peanut butter. That will prevent the top from getting solid and it will taste yummy!