Mexican Macaroni Medley

4 cup (12 ounces) uncooked pasta shapes, such as rotini, elbow, wagon wheel or shell
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 1/4 cups milk
1 loaf (8 ounces) prepared cheese product, cubes
1 package (8 ounces) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend, divided
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chili, drained
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup chili cheese, or barbecue flavor corn chips, coarsely broken
(I added ham to this meal to give it more filling)

1. Prepare oven 350 F. Spray 13x9 pan with non-stick spray. Boil water in pot, add pasta and cook 8-9 minutes or until al dente (tender but firm to the bite). Strain noodles.

2. Meanwhile, combine flour and onion powder in sauce pan. Over medium heat, gradually stir in milk. Cook 5-7 minutes or until mixture is a thick as heavy cream, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat. (tip: always add cheese after you remove the sauce from the heat. This keeps the cheese from getting too hot and curdling.). Add cheese product, 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese and chilies; stir until cheese are melted.

3. Mix cheese sauce with pasta. Add ham, if desired. Spoon into pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cue shredded cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Top with tomato, and corn chips.

Yield: 7 servings

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 teaspoon chilling powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained
4 teaspoons fresh cilantro, snipped
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
4 thick slices fresh lime (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut tortillas into 1/2-inch strips. Place on flat cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes or until crisp.

2. Meanwhile, chop onion. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Heat pot over medium-High heat. Spray with vegetable oil. Add chicken; cook
and stir 3 minutes. Add onion, pressed garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Snip cilantro. Top soup with tortilla strips, cilantro, and cheese. Garnish with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup, if desired.

*I like to also top it with sour cream.

Yield: 4 servings (I found that this recipe to feed everyone in my family with leftovers)

Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Stew

3/4 lb (350 g) hot Italian Sausage links
2 medium carrots
1 medium bulb fresh fennel (I used an onion)
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cup chicken broth
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans
1 pkg (18 g) fresh basil (I used dried basil)


1. Remove casings from sausage. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-in. Nuggets.

2. Place sausage into pot and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

3. As sausage cooks, peel carrots. Chop carrots and fennel (onion); add to casserole and cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables begin to brown.

4. Stir tomatoes, broth, and garlic into sausage mixture. drain and rinse beans, add to sausage mix.

5. Simmer stew, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender. As stew simmers, chop basil. Remove stew from heat; stir in basil. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

This is a basic soup base. The fun part is garnishing it like you would a real burger. Some suggestions would be chopped tomatoes, green chile, I even tried pickle relish (it was actually good!) And, yes, it does taste like a cheeseburger.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 slices of strong bacon
• 1 tablespoon beef bullion powder
• 1/2 pound shredded cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 mild and 1/2 sharp)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/8 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

Method:

• Start by frying the bacon in a medium sized cooking pot until it is cooked through. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside, keep about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot and discard the rest. The hot bacon fat will be used to add flavor to the rest of the Bacon Cheeseburger Soup.
• Stir in the chopped onion. Let it saute' until soft and cooked through.
• Now add the ground beef to the pot and combine well, turn the heat up to medium and cook until the beef is browned. Add the crumbled bacon.
• Now slowly mix in the beef bullion and seasoned salt, don’t let the bullion form clumps. The add the flour slowly while mixing well. Turn down the heat and slowly pour in the milk, still mixing the mixture.
• The last step is to add the shredded cheddar and watch it melt into the soup over a very low heat.