Rachel's Pasta Sauce

Base:
*Plain canned tomato sauce
*Canned diced tomatoes
*Chopped fresh tomatoes
or any combination of the above

Seasonings:
*at least 1-2 T. sugar or brown sugar per can or 2 cups of fresh tomatoes (brings out the tomato taste & also adds a touch of sweetness that we love!)
*fresh garlic or garlic salt
*lots of salt
*dash of pepper
*Italian seasonings such as oregano & basil (fresh or dry)

Other optional additions:
*browned Italian sausage
*bround ground beef
*sauteed onions
or whatever other vegetables or meat are on hand & sound yummy...

Instructions:
Combine desired ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer over low heat for a long time until the sauce thickens. Serve with pasta, lasagna, or pizza. I usually start the sauce and get it simmering for 20 minutes or so and then cook my the rest of my meal while the sauce simmers.

Notes:
To make the sauce thicker, you can always add tomato paste (it's especially useful to do that if you are using mostly fresh tomatoes which are juicier). Most of the time, I don't have all the fresh ingredients on hand or the fresh ingredients are too expensive, so I just use a can of tomatoes as a base and use my dried seasonings and it tastes just great. But it is always fun when we can add fresh tomatoes, meat, or herbs.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
6 oz. can tomato paste
14 1/2 oz can chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
24 oz can pinto beans, undrained
10 oz pkg frozen green beans
2-3 c chopped cabbage
1 medium zucchini, sliced
8 c. water
2 T parsley
2 T Italian spice
1 t. salt, or more
1/2 t. pepper
3/4 c. dry small round pasta
grated Parmesan

Instructions:
1. Saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil until tender
2. Combine all ingredients except pasta and cheese in slow cooker
3. Cover. Cook 4-5 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low, adding pasta 1 hour before cooking is complete.
4. Top individual servings with cheese.

Source:
Fix it & Forget it

Notes:
This recipe is HUGE but yummy. I actually only put in about 5 cups of water because I couldn't fit any more in my crockpot. So unless you are cooking for 10 people or want a lot of leftovers to freeze & refrigerate, I recommend halving the recipe. I also put in only 3/4 onion because that was still plenty, and I only used about 1 t. parsley because I used dry parsley instead of fresh.

Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cube butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 onion
1 c. sour cream
2 c. cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Chop up onion
Melt butter in a saucepan and add onion. Saute onion for a few minutes until it is soft.
Add cream of chicken soup and sour cream
Cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, just enough to get everything warm & blended
Remove from heat
Stir in cheddar cheese until cheese is melted
Serve over broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, or other vegetables.

Source:
Marilyn Hoggan

Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
paprika
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 package dry italian dressing

Instructions:
Make a dry mixture of cheese, bread crumbs, and dash of paprika. Set aside. Make a wet mixture of egg and water. Dip chicken breast in wet mixture, then in dry mixture. Place in baking pan. Make italian dressing according to package directions and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line muffin cups. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with dry ingredients. Fold in the blueberries and fill muffin cups. Mix together crumb topping ingredients and sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.

Source:
Heidi Lawson

Millet Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup millet
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 16 muffin cups.
2.In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, millet flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, and honey. Stir buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moist. Transfer batter to the prepared muffin cups.
3.Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Notes:
I usually don't have buttermilk on hand, so I just replace the buttermilk with regular milk and 1 T. lemon juice.

Source:
All Recipes