Minestrone with Pasta and Beans

I made this glorious dish yet again! It is so good it's worth posting twice! I've made it many times since the last time I posted it. Instead of pasta and beans I have been putting in tortellini, but this time we did pasta and beans again, both are delicious! Should you be tempted to add salt or spices while it cooks, DON'T! The last time I made this I added salt, pepper and basil...it was okay...it's much better without any added spices. The only thing I add is Parmesan, to the individual bowls, not the pot.

Minestrone with Pasta and Beans

3 large carrots pealed and sliced into penny's
3 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup diced onion
3 T olive oil
4 oz. bacon (or pancetta) diced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 14 oz. cans chicken broth
2 cans (chicken broth cans) water
1 or 2 cups small pasta

Cook the veggies and bacon in the olive oil over medium high heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes and garlic bring to boil.Add broth, water and beans.

Bring to boil, cover(but not completely) lower to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add pasta cook according to package directions. Add more broth or water if needed. Ladle into individual bowls and add at least 1/8 cup Parmesan to each. Enjoy with your favorite dipping bread!

Pesto

This is the easiest meal in the world, not to mention authentic, really good Italian! My toddler loves spaghetti noodles!

Pesto

1, 7 oz. container Pesto
Spaghetti or angel hair pasta

Cook however much spaghetti or angel hair you think your family could/would eat. Cook according to package directions. Drain, return to the pan, had the container pesto a spoonful or two at a time until coated. Enjoy!

Notes: You can find Pesto in the same section as the refrigerated tortellini. At Fred Meyer it's also near the cheese section. Sometimes you can find it bottled too. There are usually a few different brands. Tonight we used, Arthur's Italian Cuisine Traditional Pesto, it was half the price of the other stuff($2.50 compared with $4.99)...and it tastes about half as good, but still good. In case you don't know what Pesto is, it's made mostly of basil, Parmesan and pine nuts...so it is a very green color. The first time I had it I couldn't get past the color...green spaghetti just didn't appeal to me, but I've gotten use to the color and can now enjoy the flavor. On a different note, remember not to overcook your pasta, it should be al dente. Just follow the directions and if you think it still needs more time, don't go much more than 1 or 1 1/2 minutes longer or you'll have soggy, limp noodles, YUCK!
Sometimes I add chicken pieces that I've cut into 1 inch pieces, seasoned(season all, or salt+pepper+a little garlic powder) and pre-fried to the finished pesto, it's really good this way...but tonight I was lazy!

Orem Restaurants

This is a quick one. I recently ate at Carrabba's Bar and Grill in Orem, Utah. The bread and oil was the best I've ever had! The lentil soup was way to spicy but very yummy. For the main course I had Lasagna which I didn't touch until later that evening. It was to die for, even after being reheated! So if you're ever in a state that has one, it's a very good lunch or dinner choice. The prices were on the lower end of high. I think the lasagna was about $13 and huge! It was probably 5 inches square. Lastly, they had chicken fingers and french fries on their kids menu! A must for my toddler!

Cheesy Chicken Potatoes

I needed to make dinner quick one night last week and found this recipe on the side of my *Hungry Jack Four Cheese Potatoes. I'm eating the leftovers as I type, it is really yummy, light yet hearty!

Cheesy Chicken Potatoes
Servings: 5

1 (4.9 oz) pkg. Hungry Jack Four Cheese Potatoes
2 cups boiling water
2 T margarine
2/3 cup milk
1 chicken breast cooked and cubed (original recipe: 2 cups cubed cooked chicken)
1 cup frozen peas (original recipe: 2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed)
1/2 cup (or more!) cottage cheese (original recipe: 1/2 cup sour cream)
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine potato slices, sauce mix, boiling water and margarine in ungreased 8 inch square glass baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Cut up chicken breast, season with season salt, fry in olive oil until juices run clear.
Remove baking dish from oven. Stir in milk. Stir in cooked chicken, peas and cottage cheese. Sprinkle with cheddar. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken sauce. Enjoy!

Notes:
You can always substitute Regular Unflavored (not vanilla!) Yogurt for Sour Cream. Sometimes like in this recipe you can substitute Cottage Cheese for Sour Cream. I always substitute Cottage Cheese for Ricotta in my Lasagna.