Winter Minestrone

Winter Minestrone 

This recipe was found under the S tab for soup. 

I've never cooked an entire homemade soup in the microwave before this recipe. I'd have to say I was quite surprised that it came out so well! I'm not sure why the person who wrote this recipe wouldn't just use the stove, but I'm sure it's because they were in a hurry and wanted the soup NOW! (No soup for you!) 

This recipe is another one that was cut out by my mom from a newspaper. I have no clue where it came from and neither does she. As usual she never tried to make this recipe. I'm sure she would have remembered making and entire soup in the microwave if she did! Let's get microwaving! 

Winter Minestrone

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Clove garlic, minced

1 Medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 Cup diced potato (1 large)

½ Cup sliced carrot (1 Medium)

½ Cup thinly sliced celery (1 stalk)

1 Cup shredded cabbage

1 Cup (8 ounces) fresh or canned coarsely chopped tomatoes, undrained

15- ½ Ounce can kidney beans, undrained

1 Cup vegetable, beef or chicken stock or water

¼ Cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ Cup chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried

Freshly ground pepper

½ Cup small dry pasta

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine oil, garlic, and onions in 2-quart microwave-safe casserole. Cover tightly with lid or plastic wrap turned back slightly and microwave on HIGH (100 percent power) 1 minute.

2. Add potato, carrot, celery and cabbage. Drain juice from tomatoes into casserole. Cover again and microwave on HIGH until vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, beans, stock, parsley, basil and pepper to taste. Cover again and microwave on HIGH until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups water to boiling in pan on top of stove. Add pasta and cook until al dente, following package instructions. Drain pasta and stir into soup at end of cooking time.

5. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when service.

6. Serves four as main course or eight as appetizer.

Most of the ingredients are vegetables so it shouldn't be hard to find them in your local grocery store. 

The first step will be to find a big enough casserole dish that can hold 2 quarts of liquid and can also be microwaved. Once you have that settled you will need to mince your garlic. You can use a garlic press or a food processor for this if you'd like. 

Then go ahead and coarsely chop your medium sized onion. 

When the onion and garlic are ready go ahead and put them in the dish with the olive oil. 

Hopefully your dish has a top otherwise you will need to create one! 

When your lid is on go ahead and place it in your microwave and cook for 1 minute. While that is cooking you can start chopping your vegetables. 

Cut the potato into wedges that are pretty much the same size so they will cook evenly. 

Then cut your carrot thin. It says to slice them, but you can leave them a little thicker if you'd like. Just make sure they are all the same size. 

Next, slice the celery very thin, again making sure they are all the same size. 

If you need to chop the cabbage then you should do this here. (I bought pre-cut cabbage). When the vegetables have been chopped go ahead and add them to the casserole dish. 

Next you will need to drain the juice from the can of tomatoes into the casserole. (Don't put the tomatoes in yet!) I found it easiest to use a strainer and hold it over the casserole dish as I poured the can into it. 

Make sure you mix the tomato juice into the vegetable well. 

Go ahead and cover the casserole dish again and place it in the microwave for 6 to 8 minutes until your vegetables are tender. You can tell if they're tender by sticking a fork in them. If they come off of the fork easily then they are ready. 

When the veggies are done go ahead and add the tomatoes to the casserole (the ones you strained earlier). 

Then add the entire can of beans (liquid included). 

Next to go in the casserole is the stock (or water). 

Then go ahead and add the parsley, basil, and as much pepper as you'd like. 

Give the soup a good mix before putting the top back on. 

Put the cover back on the dish and put it in the microwave for another 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile you can start to boil the 2 cups of water on the stove. 

When your water is boiling go ahead and add the pasta to the pot and stir immediately. To cook your pasta to al dente (not mushy) be sure to follow the directions on the box. Mine cooked for about 9 minutes. 

You can taste the pasta by scooping out one and trying it. Make sure it's not too hard, but also not very soft. When they're ready go ahead and strain the water out. 

Add the pasta to the casserole dish and mix well. 

Once the pasta is in the dish the soup is done! Just sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top and it's ready to eat. (Careful, it will be very hot). 

Dig in! 

This is definitely an easy way to make soup albeit a strange one! 

I gave this recipe a 5 out of 5 on the yummy scale! 

I definitely recommend trying this soup. It's quick to make and will warm you from head to toe, especially during these cold winter days. Happy cooking! 

Grandma's Mocha Ice Box Pudding

Grandma's Mocha Ice Box Pudding

This recipe was found under the P tab for pudding. 

This is not my grandma's recipe, but just another newspaper cut out from the recipe box. It reminds me of tiramisu. The ingredients aren't too hard to find, but if you are a coffee lover you will definitely enjoy this dessert. It looks like when my mom cut it out of the newspaper she cut off the left side of the ingredients a little, but I could still tell what the amounts were. Before starting the recipe you should be aware that it needs to sit for at least hours to harden up. I would recommend leaving it over night for the best results. 

Grandma’s Mocha Icebox Pudding

1 Cup strong coffee

1 Cup milk

¼ Teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa

1 Can condensed milk

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

3 Tablespoons milk

½ Teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Egg

1 – ½ to two dozen lady fingers or 1 large layer sponge cake

1. Scald coffee, milk and salt in top of double boiler. Mix sugar and cocoa together, and add. Slowly pour in the condensed milk.

2. Dissolve cornstarch in milk, add egg and beat well. Stir this into the scalding milk mixture for about ten minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla.

3. Line the bottom and sides of a greased mold with lady fingers or cake. Pour in the mocha custard and place ladyfingers or cake on top.

4. Let cool and chill for at least eight hours. Unmold and service with whipped cream.

5. Serves six to eight.

The only ingredients you might not have on hand are the condensed milk and lady fingers. Those can both be found in your local grocery store and aren't very expensive. Don't worry about getting the right size of condensed milk (since the recipe just says a can) they only make one size. 

 The first thing you need to do is brew your coffee. Make sure it is very strong so you will be able to taste the flavor in the pudding. I used this coffee maker instead of our single cup brewer so it was easier to get a stronger coffee:

When your coffee is ready go ahead and set up a double boiler. If you've never used one before you just need to take a large pan and fill it about an inch or two with water and bring it to a boil. Then place a metal bowl on top of the pan and your ingredients will be put into that top bowl. 

Add the coffee, milk, and salt to the double boiler. Be sure the stove is on high. 

While the coffee mixture heats up you will need to combine the sugar and cocoa together in a separate bowl. 

When the chocolate mixture is ready go ahead and add it to the coffee mixture and stir it in to be sure it is mixed well. 

Keep mixing the cocoa combination into the coffee on the double boiler until it has dissolved. 

When the cocoa has melted into the hot liquid you will need to add the condensed milk. To be sure it comes out of the can without a mess you can use a can opener to puncture a hole on one side of the top of the can and on the exact opposite side puncture another hole (this one should be slightly larger for the milk to come out). Pour it in and stir it into the cocoa mixture at the same time. 

The condensed milk will be very think and take a while to come out of the can. Just be sure you keep stirring so it will be incorporated correctly. 

Next you need to mix the cornstarch into the milk in a separate bowl. 

Then add the egg to the mixture and incorporate well. 

Beat the egg into the milk mixture with a fork until it has been scrambled. 

Stir the egg mixture into the mixture in the double boiler for about 10 minutes. 

Make sure you are continually stirring for all of the ten minutes so the pudding doesn't become too lumpy. When ten minutes are done you should feel the thickness of the pudding with your spoon. 

When the egg mixture is in the pudding you can remove it form the double boiler and add the butter and vanilla. 

Stir these into the pudding until the butter has completely melted. Meanwhile you will need to prepare a pan. I used a longer sized pan since I decided to use ladyfingers. Grease the pan with a non-stick cooking spray or shortening. Then line the pan with the lady fingers (or sponge cake) on the bottom and sides. 

When your pan is ready go ahead and pour the pudding into the pan. 

Be sure to smooth out the pudding so you can be sure it reached all the corners of the pan. 

When all of the pudding is in the pan you can put the remaining ladyfingers (or cake) on top of it. 

Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (overnight is best). This will allow the ladyfingers (or sponge cake) to become squishy and infused with the coffee flavor. 

After at least eight hours, take the pan out of the refrigerator and unwrap it. 

The recipe says to take it completely out of the mold, but that might be a little messy so I left mine in it and just served it like a cake. 

Don't forget the whipped cream! Yum!! 

I gave this recipe a 5 out of 5 on the yummy scale! 

I definitely recommend trying this recipe. If you love the chocolate and coffee combination you won't want to pass this up! Get cooking!